Last night Bernadette and I didn’t feel like going home after we visited the Algoa Toyota 4×4 Club. On the way down to Summerstrand to go stop for a few drinks at one of the cocktail bars there, I decided to drive through Parliament Street in Central. It has recently been revamped, and I was wondering what it looks like at night.
I was amazed that a place that used to be so dark and dingy when we used to go to the clubs there has been transformed into a beautiful well-lit place. (Damn, that really sounds like I’m an old man 
)
We drove past a bar called Zanzibar, and it looked so chilled inside that we decided to stop there and have a drink. I can just imagine that a little bar somewhere on an exotic island beach must be very similar to how this place is laid out and decorated. And the vibe there is cool, very relaxed.
Our one drink turned into a couple because at around 21:00 a live band started playing and although we couldn’t make out any of the words we enjoyed it. At one stage the lead singer got people from the bar to come and sing with the band. There were a couple of people that went and sang that looked like they were pros. It was like a rap / reggae type thing they had going on there. Was awesome. Perhaps next time we’ll also sing 
It’s an awesome place with a restaurant linked to it as well. I can really recommend going there for a few drinks to relax.
Being there got me thinking….
I’m not a racist, so please don’t take anything I type further on as being trying to be racist. I’m not blind to race and culture either. You get some people that say they don’t see color, but I do. We have black, white and coloured people. Each of us have got our own unique cultures and I think that is awesome. One of the reasons I want to travel through Africa is to learn and witness more of the different type of cultures.
The reason I’m bringing that up is because we all have preconceived ideas about each other’s cultures and sometimes that is completely wrong. We live in a rainbow nation and a lot is being done to right all the wrongs apartheid caused. I believe though that there will always be a divide between races and cultures, because that is part of human nature. You prefer to be with your own people and your own culture. That shouldn’t stop you from experiencing other cultures and mixing with other races though.
Last night we went into the bar without really thinking twice about the place and the people. Later on in the evening we realised we were the only 2 white people there. Besides for the guy behind the bar. Some of the older generations might think “OMG, did you run?”, but we felt as comfortable there as we would in any other predominantly white bar.
I know of quite a few people that won’t dare go down to Central because of the bad elements there. I say screw it and just go, don’t be a wussy. There were almost more security guards walking in the streets than there were people in the streets.
0 Comments.