A lot happens when you're away for a weekend, and I've been on an extended holiday in Cape Town, thanks to our government's fantastic policy of having fourteen public holidays every year; and of course my mate's decision to get married in Stellenbosch. Now comes the hardest part: choosing a focused topic to write about, from all of the interesting things that deserve a mention!

As you've maybe guessed, I couldn't pick one. So instead, I'm subjecting you all to a painstaking tour of my holiday snaps, followed by a winding rollercoaster ride through my random thoughts... indulge me for a moment, and I promise you'll take something out of this!

Firstly, the inevitable head-to-head city showdown. Cape Town is one of the most profoundly beautiful places I've ever been to, and judging by the sheer amount of tourism, definitely one of the most sought-after destinations in the world.

Sherry In StellenboschI felt constantly inspired by the awesome presence of Table Mountain, which is always a great source of directions if you get lost as you drive around it's feet. The beaches are beautiful, the water is crystal clear, the people are warm and friendly, the streets are clean and the views breathtaking. I'm very proud to have such an incredible city as the flagship destination for tourism in South Africa.

Don't think I'm switching allegiances though, for as nice as the mother city is, it's no Durban. Our water is just as clean, but unlike the Capetonians we can actually swim in it, even in the middle of winter. We may even be tempted to catch a decent wave or two, something which is a pipe-dream for those on the Cape's main beaches! Nothing rivals Durban's golden mile, stretching as far as the eye can see up the coast to Umhlanga, Zinkwazi and beyond.

Cape Town is oozing culture from every pore. The vibe on the streets in town has a fantastic energy about it, you feel like you're soaking in a pot with a plethora of different cultural influences. Cape Town doesn't feel like an African city to me, more like a European city with some African influence. Which is great and all, but Durban certainly is a much more authentic experience. We have our heritage but we also have direction towards a future that promises our city will have a realistic, African cultural face to it. And I'm not just talking about Zulu culture, I'm talking about all of us, the new post-apartheid culture that is only beginning to take shape.

Dam On Table MountainYou just feel like they're living in a bubble down there, and I was constantly thinking to myself how far removed it is from what the rest of the country experiences. If someone tells you they know South Africa, but haven't been anywhere else besides the Cape, take their opinion with a fair helping of salt. Those guys don't know how sheltered they are!

I thoroughly enjoyed Tafel lager, which is a beer by Namibian breweries and for some reason is hard to come by in Durbs. Capetonians have a completely different taste to us when it comes to picking a fine quality brew. We seem to go with the solid Hansa and Black Label, but down there most bars don't even stock them. They are much more comfortable holding Amstel, Windhoek and Heineken, all green bottled beers and all very expensive. Ridiculously expensive. I remember paying R12,50 for a small beer at a restaurant, after they told me there was no Hansa. Oh, and expect to pay more for Amstel than Windhoek, which is the opposite of Durban. This is probably due to the trade route to Namibia being easier from the Cape, or possibly because S.A.B has higher prices but Namibian doesn't.

My deceptive friend decided to take us on “a little walk to this place called skeleton gorge"?, which turned out to be a three hour hike from Newlands forest to the top of Table Mountain. I think he presumed that we would need to be tricked in order to get us to the top, but nothing could have been further from the truth and I would've loved to have taken more supplies up with me and been better prepared generally, if only I had known!

The walk is treacherous, and for the last half hour it's uphill at the steepest angle that is humanly possible to climb. Step after bloody step, we dragged our sorry arses up a million wood-pole-and-mud stairs, over huge slippery boulders and giant fallen trees until finally reaching the summit and crossing to the other side past the dams where we had a fantastic view over Camp's bay. It was worth every second of torture, as you can see from the photo of Ev sitting on an overhang with the view over the bay and ocean below him.

If you decide to do this someday, remember not to leave it too late, as we did, and walk back in the dark. Cause that part was really not cool.

Top: Table Mountain, Below: AmphitheatreAlthough Durban has nothing to rival the glory that is Table Mountain so close at it's doorstep, a few hours drive away is an even more spectacular mountain, The Amphitheatre in the Drakensberg. I've only done the walk to the top once, which is a shameful thing to admit! A weekend's camping at Royal Natal or Hlalanathi is all it takes, and you've got an experience far more exciting and wild than climbing the Table.

The wedding itself was awesome, it was out on a wine farm in Stellenbosch with some amazing scenery and very fine food and Shiraz to compliment. The fact that my friends are starting to get married, causing me to feel old, is highly inconsiderate. But unfortunately, it's the subject of a different article, so let me just say congratulations to the bride and groom, it was an perfect ceremony and reception, all the best for the future! Thank you for making me think about retirement.

Sunset From Chapman's PeakWe did a drive along Chapman's peak, which is the windy path along the peninsula where the Mercedes advert was filmed. They have these massive steel nets along the cliff-face which catch any falling boulders, hopefully to prevent a repeat of the scenario in the ad, where a guy driving his Merc swerves off the road to avoid some rocks and plummets to the bottom. He lived to tell the tale, thanks no doubt to the engineering prowess of the Germans. Or so we should believe. If you're going to do this drive, go in the late afternoon for the most amazing sunsets over the ocean.

V & A WaterfrontThe V&A waterfront is a fun experience, it's got loads of charm and a wide variety of things to do. We only managed to get there at night, so instead of catching a ferry to Robben island, decided to head to Alba bar for some live music.

The band that played is called Bed On Bricks, and they are fantastic! The style can best be described as an African fusion of Reggae, Jazz, Ska, Rap, Rock and Latino. Seems crazy, but they pull it all together into a congruent sound that had the audience on their feet for most of the two hour set. They were simply amazing.

I had a quick word with the lead singer Mike who's previous band was called Sons of Trout, and he told me they've been trying to get into the Durban market for a while now, but Burn had turned them down because they weren't heavy enough. Which I have to agree with, but what really disturbed me was that I was at a loss to suggest an alternative venue for them to play at!

Zack's at Wilson's Wharf? It's just a restaurant. The Bat Centre? Awful venue. Jammit Dammit? No longer does gigs. Gateway? Too impersonal.

Whatever happened to Home, on Windermere Street? That place would have been perfect!

Mike, Bed On BricksAlthough we are a very musically inclined city, we're lacking a superb venue which can showcase the country's talent, regardless of the genre of music.

In many respects Cape Town can really show us a thing or two, the Waterfront and Long Street vibe being good examples. Let's take a straw out of their cap, and turn The Point development and Stamford Hill into viable contestants for the crown of South African coolness. Some say it will take ten years, others say twenty. After seeing for myself how close we are to the leader, I would say it's possible in five.