It's been a mere few hours since my last post, but I wanted to get you all updated before the second, and most anticipated, leg of our trip - the safari!! It's currently five in the morning here; our flight to Kruger is at 10am and we're getting very excited!!
Sunday was spent at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront, one of the main attractions for tourists in Cape Town. I had booked us tickets far in advance for a morning tour of Robben Island, the isolated location of the maximum security prison where Nelson Mandela and many other political prisoners were kept during apartheid. Reservations need to be made during the busy summer season, and this time of the year is particularly popular because Mandela was released on February 11th, 1990, after eighteen years of imprisonment. The entire tour included a boat ride across Table Bay (a bit rocky, but Dad was a champ), a bus tour of the entire island itself, and a walking tour of the prison given by an ex-political prisoner. Once again, my sweatshirt drew attention from several tourists and what do you know - the man I was sitting next to on the bus was a doctor at Children's Hospital in Boston!
The entire experience was eye-opening and heartbreaking. Our guide's name was Ntando and he had been involved in some peaceful protests with the ANC. He spent seven years in imprisonment after six months of being tortured while he was detained by police. I almost began to cry at the end of his presentation when he shared with us that he decided to become a tour guide because he does not hold any grudges. He feels blessed and knows reconciliation is best for their children and nation.
When we returned to the mainland, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the aquarium (my point of interest no matter where I travel). After scarfing down some fish and chips at the cafe, we browsed through the Two Oceans Aquarium, so named because it holds species of marine animals from both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. We even got to watch the sharks being fed in the afternoon, an event that only happens once a week. The ragged-tooth sharks (or "raggies") have incredibly slow metabolisms, so they don't need to be fed very often. After the aquarium closed, we made a quick stroll through a nearby market area, where Jess bought her much-awaited South African elephant necklace. We finished off the day by continuing the fish theme, having dinner at Beluga, the sushi restaurant that I had fallen in love with when I went out with friends.
We got an early start on Monday for our guided private tour along the Cape peninsula, driving along Chapman's Peak to Cape Point and then hitting Boulders Beach on our way back to town. The route we took was almost identical to the one my friends and I traveled on our weekend road trip to the same destinations and it was great to be able to share it with Dad and Jess. Our tour guide was a big, burly man named Dieter (pronounced "dee-tah," with the accent), a German Capetonian with a frank personality and dry sense of humor. We had a great time with him and he really knew his stuff. The one new activity included in our day was a short boat trip in Hout Bay out to Seal Island, a small piece of land that lives up to its name. The island was absolutely covered with hundreds of fur seals, which actually looked a bit like sea lions because they are the only seal with external ears. The ones swimming in the waves were all holding one flipper above the water, a behavior we learned that warms their entire body temperature since the large surface area of the flipper absorbs the sun's rays.
Jess and I spent the evening at the hotel bar hanging out with a few of my friends here, which was a blast. Dad very generously bought everyone a round of drinks before heading off to bed! I had been talking with my friends about how excited I was to see my sister and I'm stoked that they all got to meet. When it was time for bed, I gave all my friends big hugs and bid them farewell for a week!
Once again, no pictures. Hang in there!
xo Em
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