Moving from one bliss to the other

Writing this I only have 3 more weeks left in CT, time goes by so fast! Let’s catch up on the last couple of weeks.

So in between working I tried to get out and discover a bit. I’ll just tell you about the little trips I did because telling you about the work is probably not very interesting.

One day I went on a wine tour with some colleagues which was really fun. Since we are promoting the wine tour company, we only paid half price. Perks of working at a hostel! I did a wine tour last time I was here and it was so good, and this time it was just as nice. Amazing how just a 45 minute drive brings you to the winelands and mountains, space. It’s just so beautiful. We went to 4 different wine farms and had some cheese and chocolate tastings as well. It was a good and tipsy day.
Other days I would go to the beach, Clifton 2 and 3 are my favorite. Most of the time I went with a nice group of people from the hostel. I think every time I went to the beach so far, I had a dip in the sea and I’m quite proud of that. The Waterfront I visit at least 3 times a week since I do my grocery shopping there. Some days I just stayed at the hostel, doing some studying or writing. Or take a dip in our little pool. There are some guests that are staying here for a longer time because of a course they’re doing close by. By now I got to know them quite well and it makes for a nice vibe and friendships. It also makes me feel more at home for some reason, which is a nice feeling. There is always someone around to hang out with if I want. Though I try and look for some time and space for myself quite often as well, since I’m around people all the time here. As you probably know I really value my solitude, and I also need it from time to time to function properly… (;
One Friday evening we had a girls night out to Beefcakes, a burger restaurant that has drag queen shows. Now that was interesting. First drag show for me but I really enjoyed it. Shout out to queen Samantha. The vegetarian burger was also very tasty, as well as the cocktails, wine, shots… We had a little dance session too, what makes every night a great one for me as I love to dance. We were back at the hostel around 11PM which was great! We had a good night out but it wasn’t that late that we would regret it the next morning. We still had a good night sleep; perfect.
I also started teaching yoga every week and I enjoy it so much! I’m so grateful that I can share it with people and that they love it so much. One day I got 8-10 students and the majority were guys, amazing!

Another morning I got up at 4.30AM to climb Lions head for sunrise with 2 others. It was tough to get up and I think I only slept 5 hours or so. We got an uber to the parking place and off we went, in the dark, only the moonlight guiding us. It is thrilling as well as peaceful. Just you and the mountain, the moonlight shining from above and the lights of the city below you. Hearing the waves of the ocean crashing to shore at the background. I was feeling a bit nervous because this was the first real hike I was going to do since my accident. I have healed miraculously well, as you know, but still this would be tough. I’m not very in shape right now and there would be a lot of climbing involved. I guess again it was about trusting myself and my body. It was challenging for me at some points, I won’t deny. But we made it to the top and it was beautiful. Just as I remember it from 3 years ago and this time even more special, because I made it to the top despite the doubts I felt a couple of times. I just felt really good and maybe a little bit proud too. Grateful, mostly. To be here, for my body to be strong enough to get me there. And then the sun came to show us the day had begun. Peeking from behind the mountains in front of us, gracing us with her soft and warm rays. The sunrise just has something magical in my opinion and so I chose a rock to do a little meditation on. A very special moment. Half an hour later we decided to start going down again, since the sun was quite strong already. Almost the whole way down my legs were shaking, that’s how tough it was for my body. That’s okay, I still enjoyed every step of the way, nothing could ruin this day for me. Even 4 days of sore muscles after was totally worth it.

On Valentine’s day I went to a silent disco at Clifton 3rd beach with a friend. It was so nice! At first we didn’t really like the music but later it got better and more people started to join. I love the beach and I love to dance so for me it was the best combo ever. Dancing for me is a way to express and move the way I want to and let energy flow, and I just love how I can be in my own little zone when doing it. We watched the sunset from the beach which was also beautiful.
After the weekend I went on a little road trip with one of the guests who has his own car. We went to Kalk bay first and it’s a really nice little town. A lot of craft shops and also some Asian/south American vibe shops with stuff and clothes I could also find in Nepal. We strolled around, had some lunch and drove to Simons town after to see the penguins. You could go up very close to them. Some people went to sit right next to them to get a picture with them. I didn’t because I felt rude to just get in their space like that. You can just enjoy things from a little distance too, you know. Often you can see more clear when you take a step back anyway. Just a little life lesson in between. We made our way back to CT by chapman’s peak drive and Hout bay, where we made another quick stop. This drive; I think I could drive it every day and still not get bored of it. All you need is to enjoy the view and some nice music in the background to make it a blissful moment. Ah, the simplicity of life…

Time went by so fast and all of a sudden it was my birthday? I woke up with an email from my granny (dank je, oma Li!) being the first to wish me a happy birthday. After that I went to my secret yoga place to do some hatha and meditation, and just have a nice moment for myself and reflect on the past year a little bit. When I walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast some guests and colleagues were sitting there and all wished me happy birthday, which I think was so sweet. Later I went to the beach with 2 friends, Clifton 2 this time. It was such a beautiful, sunny day. Also very hot, but the sea was there to cool me down. I was so happy to be at the beach, meditated again and swam a lot. Bliss. In the afternoon I went to do some grocery shopping for the braai party me and my colleague were organizing that night. We prepared the food, I got myself ready and dressed up a little bit. That night there were so many friends and guests that came to celebrate with us and I just felt so special and grateful. The vibe was so good and everyone was having a great time. They even sang for us and I got some presents, which was totally unnecessary but so thoughtful. Even though I haven’t known these people for a long time, I felt very loved and happy. For me my birthday in general is not so special but this one was, the whole day was just amazing… A big thanks to everyone who was there to make it such a blessed day!

Sending you love and light, x