After 36 hours in bed, I was ready to get up and do something – the mind was willing but I must say the body probably wasn’t as ready. I could only move slowly so we looked for something we could do that we could drive to. We had always planned to drive out to the wine regions and while there wasn’t much chance of me tasting wine, there was also a market being held out on a property near Paarl that featured makers and artisans from across south Africa. It was on here for a week, after being on in Johannesburg for a week the previous month. We decided this might be something I could handle and I could just take it easy.

Our first stop was Stellenbosch, which was described as a quaint little town with all sorts of Georgian architecture. Now the GPS may have sent us somewhere else in town but where we arrived appeared to be a carpark in the middle of nowhere with some fairly shady characters hanging around. We drove a bit further to find a more interesting part of town but while less out of the way, it still seemed dodgy and there was no way I had the capability to keep my wits about me so we decided to just continue driving to the Makers’ Market.

We followed the signs to a very upscale winery, parked the car and headed to the gate. The most interesting thing about this market was that it was cashless. We had to pay entry on a credit card and that’s what all the stallholders took as well, including the food vendors. This provided a challenge for Dan, whose card wasn’t working so we bought his breakfast on my card. I wandered around the stalls which really weren’t that inspiring until we reached the final tent. There were some interesting crafts to be found but unfortunately my body just wasn’t up to dealing with taking a close look at anything, much less engaging with stall holders trying to talk you into buying their wares. So, we didn’t spend as much time at the market as it deserved, heading back to the hotel so I could have a rest. (Don’t Call Me White – NOFX – like most punk bands of their ilk, NOFX have been (unfairly) tarred with the pop punk brush usually associated with Blink 182. NOFX have a very strong political bent as evidenced on tracks like this from Punk in Drublic and 10 years later, the epic War on Errorism.)

We decided to spend the afternoon getting started on our souvenir shopping starting with another stroll along Long Street, especially a trip to Merchants on Long, where I purchased a cool t-shirt with three birds and the iconic Wailer’s line – every little thing’s going to be alright. We also bought a few other things as Christmas gifts. We continued along Long St until we started getting into the backpacker part of town. We headed back to the hotel for a rest before grabbing an uber to the waterfront and continued our shopping there, including a visit to a guy who enthralled us with the animals he carves out of old thongs. One of the most impressive things you see here is the ability of the locals to turn all sorts of old junk into souvenirs – from the proteas made from old coathangers and beads to the use of found objects and recyclables like old cans and paper to construct miniature braais and jewellery. Everybody is out to make a livelihood out of making and selling souvenirs so recycled products are a good way for people in the townships to maximise their profits, prevent waste and fill western tourists with a sense of intrigue.

I wasn’t up for food – I could barely manage three pretzels and a tennis biscuit (tennis biscuits are like a Nice biscuit with a mild coconut flavour and without the sugar coating). When we returned to the hotel, I went back to bed to hopefully regain my strength while Dan ventured out in search of some good Indian. (Running up that Hill – Placebo – while I love the Placebo version of this song, I must admit I love the original Kate Bush track more. And I am a lover of new interpretations of old works – you have to be if you are into ska or punk.)