Two weeks ago, I sat in a taxi and bawled my eyes out as it hurtled me towards the airport. The poor taxi driver. He didn’t know what to do with this highly upset, possibly volatile female in his back seat. He kept quiet and drove me further and further away from my baby.
There are a number of misconceptions about me. For example, the misconception that I like to shop. I don’t. Or the misconception that I’m an extrovert (because, you know, I like to talk). I’m not. But the most common misconception of all is the very wrong expectation that I am a food snob.
I am so not a food snob it’s not even funny.
rogan josh
I’M ALIVE! Yes, yes I am. My last blog post was exactly one week ago, and believe it or not, this time I can’t point an accusing finger at my Instagram addiction. I’ve actually been way over here in Johanneburg, South Africa, hidden in the depths of corporate conferencing, barely surviving six days straight of 7.30am to 10pm sessions / networking dinners.
I’m tired.
Today has been the first time I’ve gotten back to the hotel at a reasonable hour and I could not wait to have a loooong hot shower, order room service and BUM. And by “bum”, clearly, I mean “blog”.
It’s funny how life turns out. South Africa was never on my travel hit list – there are a myriad of other destinations I’d much rather spend my tourist dollars on and the princess in me can lap up hours upon hours of beach side pampering before you can even utter the word boring. I’d never wanted to go to Africa, to go on safari. I was never that interested.
But right at this moment, there is nothing else I’d rather do than spend a few quiet days on an African game reserve, amongst the real kings of this world.
lamb tagine (slow cooked lamb braised in a tomato, coriander, cumin, turmeric and parsley sauce)
I’ve been in Johannesburg a week and this trip has been ridiculously, magnanimously wayyyyyy more enjoyable than the last trip. One, because I’m not working 14 hour days this time and two, I’m not working 14 hour days this time! I’ve had the chance to go out and enjoy a little bit of J’burg 🙂
On Thursday night, a lurvely co-worker of mine took me to Moyo, a restaurant which had been recommended to me by Saffers in London way before I came. I was excited to have something African like springbok, but sadly they were all out that night 🙁 Instead I had a tagine, which by the way, I’ve come to love and then to hate and then to love again.
black prawn ravioli, prawn mousseline & champagne-chervil cream
It’s only two more sleeps until I’m back on the plane, hurtling my way back to London. My two weeks in J’burg feels like it’s flown by, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve been here for eons and I want to go home so that I can get back to some semblance of a normal day to day life. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been awesome being here with the team but H.E.C.T.I.C. Understatement. It’s been work work work work work and then back to the hotel for more work work work.
But in between all this work I’ve managed to fit in tiny little parcels of fun… and time to blog, obviously, because how else would I keep sane?