Can it be three years since Cape Town? The memories are still bright as the African sun

Regular readers of this blog will think, now that it's October, reports from the annual Northwestern Girls' holiday must be on the horizon. Sadly, it's not to be in 2009. Between recessions, unemployment and family illness, there's no room for the trio's exotic romp through food, wine and historic sites this autumn. (Although, as a small substitute, we will be bringing you the NU girls' shopping weekend in Paris in early December.) Instead, my nose will be on a boring but rather intense work grindstone all month.

Without much to report on in the present, I thought I'd slip backwards. It was three years ago today ... before the inception of this blog ... that I stepped off a plane into the sharp spring sunlight of Cape Town, South Africa, about to embark on what is certainly still the most lavish trip of my life. Throughout the preceding year, my UK PR chief's post had been characterised by stunning creativity, fabulous results and shockingly long hours. The reward: Being named "marketer of the year" and sent on the company's annual sales incentive trip. Travel doesn't get much better than this.

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It was a long flight and we were back in coach. It would have been nice to fly business class on an event like this but, as the tour organisers explained, they decided to put the money into the programme instead.

We landed to absolutely gorgeous weather. Clear skies; a crisp, sharp light that throws everything into high definition; sunny and warm but not hot. As expected, the physical setting is terribly dramatic, with the mountains rearing up in close proximity to to water. In both this and the light, it actually reminds me of the area around Marseilles.

We arrived at the hotel to the first of those little extras that kept us out of business class. A full children's choir was on hand to meet the bus, performing intricate dance routines and delivering that wonderful a capella African harmony we've all learned to appreciate since Ladysmith Black Mambazo first hit the scene.

Cape Town has been a surprise. Everything looks robustly prosperous and is extremely clean. It's a city of 3 million with a downtown area of a few modern high rises and lots of mid-height offices from the '50s through '70s, divided by straight, wide and not particularly crowded boulevards. Reminds me of St. Louis or any other Midwestern city.

On the way in from the airport we drove past both shantytowns and the old segregated township areas. These, too, looked surprisingly clean and well-kept, despite poverty. I'll have to keep my eyes open to see if this initial impression holds true, but one gets the sense that poverty here is not accompanied by the abandonment of pride you see so often in the US and the UK.

We spent most of the day at the Victoria + Alfred waterfront area. This is a revitalisation of the old docks areas, a mix of Victorian architecture and very modern malls. It all feels very American. Lots of interesting little shops with native crafts and bars and restaurants with every cuisine you could imagine.

As this is a corporate event, a bit of team building bonding was in order. We organised into teams of six for a scavenger hunt through the area. I provided the chuckle of the afternoon when my friend Hillary and I struck up a conversation with some guys on the waterfront who turned out to be a Travel Channel film crew. We ended up getting miked up and doing interviews. Much mirth about the PR chief not being able to resist cameras. So anyway, later this year I might be on a Travel Channel show called "1000 places to see before you die." (I never did hear that anyone spotted me on this show, so I must assume I ended up on the cutting room floor.)

We did a very brief harbour cruise before dinner. The wind was extreme and the temperatures quite chilly, so it was only a half hour circle around the bay and back. A good chance to see the effects of the fading sun on table mountain, and a sea lion, but we didn't get far enough out to see the whales who are supposedly cavorting off shore.

The highlight of dinner was a local fish called a kingclip. Very firm flesh, like monkfish, and very tasty. We had a fun table of people; there are about 100 people here with winners, executives and a guest with each, and all are clearly ready to party. It's going to be a fine week.

The hotel is particularly lavish. I wasn't expecting much when I saw we were staying in the Sheraton (since re-branded the Westin Grand), but this place delivers on five star quality and is far beyond your standard corporate hotel. The lobby space is cool, functional and modern, with plenty of running water, open fires and clean lines. The room is gorgeous. Sleek and functional, elegant in its simplicity yet with creature comforts like heaters in the bathroom mirrors that keep them from defogging, a gorgeous lounger that's both comfortable and a work of art and lights inside the closets. The hotel designer's master stroke, however, was clearly making one entire wall a clear window overlooking the harbour. On the penultimate floor, and with no frames to the windows, it's as if you're floating over the edge of the city from any point within the room. The views are so stunning we could hardly bring ourselves to pull the drapes for the night.

Going to bed fairly early now, however, since we're promising ourselves a workout before breakfast.