People who have been following me for a while know that I'm of Filipino decent and majorly German in the head. In fact  I can be particularly old-school German when it comes to appliances and kitchen goods. Germans believe that something is of acceptable workmanship if it lasts longer than your pet dog and is ideally still intact to be handed over when the next generation is ready to move out. 

Yes, German brands like Bosch, Siemens, Braun and Miele instil in me the confidence of a life-time of economically and properly washed clothes, frothily blended smoothies and other reliable tools and gadgets which would allow McGyver to build his own multitasking kitchen-wonder Ironman sidekick. 

So... the product that I'm going to introduce and which is has become really dear to me is actually ... Japanese. Before you start engaging your nostrils to sniffle contemptibly hear me out. 

I like my tea and my coffee hot. Even during summer I prefer to drink my coffee hot especially when the aircon of certain establishments is cranked up to freezing. Because of this preference I have become an enthusiastic owner of tumblers. And because I'm coordinationally severely challenged those tumblers are lucky if they ever get to celebrate their one-year-anniversary. 

Few months ago I managed to crack another tumbler (in the shower but that's another story) and I finally decided that I would invest in a BMW equivalent of a thermos container. Say goodbye to the medium-range Starbucks tumbler. I geeked out over several reviews and was eyeing the brand Thermos (yes, German) and which was also available in Hong Kong. But alas, too many people were complaining that the hinge of the cover was a bit flimsy. And I'm can be to flimsy what constructive critique can be to low self esteem: damaging. 

I have to admit I did not think of South Africa as amazing tourist destination. I vaguely remember to have spotted it on the must-see list on Frommers or Lonely Planet website once. But all I knew about South Africa was based on the movies District 9 (well made but depressing Sci-Fi) and Invictus (overcoming the apartheid divide through rugby). 

The movies did not indicate that Cape Town would tick all the right boxes of a Paleo person: beautiful nature, lots of outdoor activities and really good food. The prices are very reasonable and the location is not completely overrun by tourists yet. In comparison: Paris receives 27 million tourist visitors annualy, Hong Kong receives 54 million while Cape Town only has 2 million a year. 

Admittedly one reason could be that Cape Town is not as safe as other tourist locations like, let's say, Melbourne or Kuala Lumpur. Every Cape Town tour guide will tell you to be more careful once it getsdark. For Hong Kong standards shops usually close early between 6:30 and 7:30 pm (except touristy spots like the Waterfront or Camps Bay, and few bar areas downtown ). After that time it's advisable to take a cab to move around downtown. Still the guides will also tell you that with a healthy dose of stranger skepticism and as long as you adhere to basic rules like not ending up in dark alleys you should be all dandy.