Day 6 (March 22, 2016): Our final move (for a bit)

Once more, after breakfast, our day started by packing up to move to what would be our destination hotel for the remainder of the month of our work assignment. It was a quick jaunt from where we were staying, so the trip wasn't too bad, it's just all the packing and unpacking that gets a bit tedious. When we pulled up to the hotel, it looked nice enough, and as per is the norm here, it was surrounded by a strong wrought iron fence, but what was shocking was the guy with the big gun standing at the front door! 

(I took the photo from inside the hotel lobby, you can see him standing on the other side of the curtain in this photo.)
It was a bit unnerving wondering why this extra reinforcement was there and needed at our new digs. I wasn't sure if I should feel safer or feel a sense of more danger because of it.
We all checked in and quickly put our stuff away (again), then made our way to a conference room that was booked for us to work in. 

It was a bit challenging, bypassing the lovely pool on such a grand day, to go work in a conference room, but there was much work to be done in a short time, so to work we went! Andrea from Switzerland helped to supplement our work by loading plates with Swiss chocolates to enjoy as we hunkered down.

At noon, we walked through a skywalk from our hotel directly into Mimosa Mall, which has some stores and restaurants. Most of us decided to eat at a European style cafe, and the food was excellent. 
 
I ordered a hearty salad, which I devoured quite quickly. As a group, we would receive our bills for the meals, and our waiter drew a smiley face on the bill as a nice personal touch. 

It is still an adjustment for me to see these prices and not think Canadian dollars! We divvied up our bill, and returned to our work back at the hotel.
Two of our colleagues were going to be celebrating birthdays (on the same day, no less!), so after work, a couple of us went to the grocery store (called Checkers) in the mall to find some celebratory items. Wouldn't you know, as we were picking party hats and candles, one of the birthday boys came by and started to talk to us about what we were buying at the store! It was all we could do to quickly make up a cover story (which he fell for, hook, line, and sinker!)
Exploring this grocery store was pretty close to how a typical grocery store is back home, including being charged for plastic bags if needed.
As I had finished my purchases first, I waited on the other side of the cashiers, for my colleagues. As they came through the cash, I took their photos, and there were a couple of clerks who posed for me to take their picture to, so I did. They were adorable. The people here are very friendly.

For dinner tonight, one of the restaurants in the mall is John Dory's, which specializes in fish and chips. It was Tuesday today, and they had a special of Hake (fish) and chips for 33 rand (about $3 CDN)! They also had a light lemon beer, like a lemon shandy called Pressed Lemon Flying Fish, for 17 rand, so I ordered that as my supper, which altogether cost me about $4.25 CDN. 
 
Mark, Marilyn, and I enjoyed this Tuesday night special, then headed back to the hotel for the night.
It certainly is convenient having a walkway linked directly from our hotel to this mall. There are many shops, like a drug store, a currency exchange place, clothing shops, and so on. It is greatly appreciated that our organizers booked such convenient and comfortable amenities for us.
I am having a wonderful time here, despite the fact that there is a man with a big gun at the front door.