Last Sun I finally made it out to the Hout Bay Market everyone’s been going crazy about.  And now I know why… that place is freakin’ awesome!

Let’s get the important details out of the way:

• When? Fridays (5pm – 9pm), Saturdays & Sundays (9:30am to 4pm)
• Where? 31 Harbour Rd.  Now don’t make the mistake we made, don’t stop at the first harbour entrance, where you get onto the boats to check out Seal Island.  Continue on until the end of Harbour Rd.  It’s right there by Snoekies & that Fish on the Rocks place.
• What if the weather’s bad?  No problem, the whole place is totally weather proof.
• Need more info?  Check out their website.

The entrance to absolute awesomeness…

The market has such a great laid back, yet totally organised feel – with lots of interesting stalls, selling awesome finds you wouldn’t normally be able to get elsewhere.

One of the first stands that really caught my eye was a stand selling Batucada jewellery.  It’s made from eco friendly plastic (but it has more of a soft rubber or silicone feel to it) and it is designed all the way over in grand ol’ Paris.  Ooooh fancy…

Pretty huh?

Next I got stuck at the Tina.k designs stand.  She makes gorgeous glass clocks, memo boards, coasters and such.  Prices range from R90 – R1200.  The clocks in the pic below for example cost R250 each.  But for a little bit extra you can even submit your own design and she will sort out the rest.

She also has a store in the V&A Craft market…

Then looooved all the pretty things at The Pendant Warehouse stand -  Here you can get quirky brooches for only R50 and beautiful necklaces with vintage style pendants for only R110 each.

I actually got one from my friend Joe for my bday in December. He has good taste.

The BF was totally obsessed with the Dancing Hands stand – crystals, pendants, spiritual things, sword like items, you name it, they had it.

You see those feathers on the left above?  David, the Dancing Hands owner, told us that it’s actually something used to clear a person’s aura before entering your home cause you don’t want people to “carry their shit in with them”.  Love that!  It’s like you can check out if your guests are in a pissy mood, then clear it away with this baby and then they don’t let those negative vibes dent yours.  Perfect for mother-in-laws.

I’m also currently on a bit of a home redecorating mission and I thought these lights from Moonlights were really cool:

And then Southern Collective had some rad things as well:

After all that shopping, we were starving, so we checked out the food court section.  And I’m happy to report that it DID NOT disappoint.  You can pretty much find anything here.  And there’s also a sweet spot to sit and have a beer or a glass of wine and watch a good sporting match (we settled in to watch the end of the Australian Open men’s final).

I settled for something from the French food stand.  For only R50 I got this:

2 pieces with bacon, brie & fig preserve and 2 pieces with thai chicken & roast veg.  So yummy!

I also had the tastiest fresh fruit juice – a pineapple, ginger, apple and lots of other goodies mix.  The juice stand is next to the French food stand, just FYI.

Now this is going to sound weird, but I just have to show you the bathroom doors:

Clear heels for the girls and a spanner for the boys… hmmm, what exactly are they trying to say here? hehe

We had a really great afternoon here at the market.  Everyone was so friendly and chatty and I found lots of cool things I might go back for or keep in mind as gifts.  But I at least spoilt myself a little bit.  Check out my great market finds:

Beautiful floaty top from Skint (R180) – the label is called Phanthai and its made in Thailand.  I love bird prints.

Pendant & chain from the Pendant Warehouse:  Hearts & a flower – that’s a double girliness whammy at only R110.

So yeah, get your butts over there guys and girls.  This market is like the pimp daddy of markets.  I guarantee you will love it.

xxx