Away

27. New experiences

Eddy was getting worried.  Brett was inside the courtroom for over an hour already.  He got up to go get some coffee at a vending machine.  "Cash Only".  Guess no coffee then.  When he returns to the courtroom waiting area, he finds Brett outside.  "Oh, you finished.  I went to look for coffee.  No luck".  Brett smiled and said "Well, let's go find a proper coffee shop.  I will tell you what happened".

They discuss the case for a while.  Then Brett says, to Eddy's surprise, "I don't want to talk about it today anymore.  Can we do something else?".  Eddy nods.  "I have to prepare for the apartment move.  I have no furniture or even a bed", Brett laughs.  "Come with me, then we go and get some basics". "Sure", Eddy says.  He had no other plans anyway.

"Eddy"
"Brett"
"I want to ask you something, but it's ok to say no"
"OK, ask me"
"Do you want to share the apartment with me? There's a spare room you can take and then we can share the costs.  Makes sense for both our budgets, right? And you can explore a lot of South Africa from here".
Eddy didn't think about it for long.  "Guess it makes sense, sure".
Brett was surprised that it was that easy.

They take a bus to the furniture district.  One thing Eddy learned from Cape Town is that similar business are always grouped together in the same street.  Like the lawyers.  It seems to be the same with the furniture shops as well.  Both sides of the street were lined with different shops, each trying to outsell the other.  He thought to himself that it is quite convenient for shoppers, but he wondered how profitable it would be for the shop owners, always having to undercut each other on price.

They decided to try a shop called BARGAIN BASEMENT.  It specifically advertises affordable furniture for students, so it should suit their pockets as well.  The store doesn't have a lot of variety, but they find all the basics.  All of it is flat packed.  This makes transporting it to the apartment cheaper at least, even if they will have to assemble it themselves.  They don't get a lot.  Only what they need immediately.  2 beds.  2 chairs.  1 couch. 1 small TV stand.  They arrange delivery for 6pm. 

When they exit the shop, Brett hails a taxi.  Eddy is surprised, as they always take a bus.  "Don't worry", Brett laughs.  "Wanted to show you an amazing place". He gives instructions to the taxi driver.  They drive along the coastline, away from Cape Town. Every now and then the taxi was close enough to the rocks that they could actually see waves breaking and splashing. This was the first time Eddy has seen the rest of the Cape region.  They drive for about 40 minutes.  Table Mountain is now in the distance, with the city sprawled out below it. 

They enter a small town with a sign as they enter.  FISH HOEK.  "What is a hoek?"  Eddy asks.  "Same as hook in English.  So the name means fish hook.  "That's easy", Eddy laughs.  "Does that mean I can now speak a third language?".  Brett punches him on the shoulder playfully.  "I can give you a test later and see how you do.  Not all the words come from English, be careful".  With that, the taxi stops next to a wooden building with small windows.  To Eddy it doesn't look very interesting.

As they enter the door to the wooden building, he immediately changes his mind.  It was a restaurant, right on the ocean.  It has a huge balcony with tables and chairs.  The balcony was perched over the water.  On one side, it had steps going down into a natural pool, so people can observe the marine life.  Eddy makes his way to the steps, leaning over the handrail and peeping down into the water.  The water was so clear, and he could see so many different fish.

Brett joins him on the steps, fascinated by the way Eddy is pointing out different fish, mesmerized by the colors and shapes, just like a child going to the zoo for the first time.  Then Eddy freezes.  "Dude, don't move", he says with big eyes.  "Look, a shark!".  Brett can't help but laugh.  "We are not in the water, it's OK you know?  The ocean is cold here, so you will see many sharks".  Eddy snaps a few photos of the shark circling beneath them, so close he can almost touch it.

Brett finds them a table near the water, so Eddy can still do some fish-watching if he wants.  When the waiter comes, he orders for both of them, without asking Eddy.  Eddy was so engrossed in the marine life, he didn't even notice.  Drinks arrive after a while.  It has a familiar yet strange taste Eddy can't quite place.  "What is it?" he asks. "It is called rooibos. In English it means red bush.  It's a herb that grows only here in Cape Town, and it is usually made as tea or iced tea".

With that, the food arrives. A whole fish grilled and served in a frying pan. Along with fries, sauces and salad. Eddy is sure he has never tasted fish this good. It was so fresh and the spices were just perfect. They both finish everything except the bones. "Wow", Eddy says. "That was so good. I can't believe I ate it all", Brett adds. He waves at the waiter for the bill, as he still wants to show Eddy some more stuff before they have to meet the agent at new apartment.

They take another Taxi, driving further up the coast away from Cape Town.  In the middle of nowhere the taxi stops.  Eddy sees nothing around, but as they walk awhile, he sees jagged rock edges with people scattered around.

Brett guides Eddy to an open spot and gestures for him to sit down.  He wonders why all these people are here.  Just to look at the ocean?  And then he sees it.

Majestic whales! He has never seen them in real life, so he had no idea how huge they were.    In his ignorance, he always assumed they are only found in deep ocean.  He never knew they can be seen right from the coast.  "This is a very unique spot", Brett explains.  "The rocks we are sitting on is part of a very deep underwater cliff.  The deep waters here are often frequented by whales, one of the few places on earth where you can do this".  Eddy was mesmerized as he watched the whales jump out of the water, splashing back down with a huge explosion of water and foam.