Our arrival in Cape Town was supposed to be at 6:30 AM and many of us had risen early to watch our arrival into the harbor which was said to be the most incredible of our voyage by those who had been there before. In explicably, we arrived several hours ahead of schedule and in the dark, preventing us from having the experience of witnessing entering the harbor.
It was an early morning for all, as South Africa had recently instituted a new immigration policy which required everyone, including all of the crew, to exit the ship, walk through immigration, and then reenter the ship. We were also told that they could come on the ship with dogs and inspect all of the cabins, but that did not materialize. This was the port where several of the parents were meeting their children for safaris, so it was a crazy day. While the arrival was disappointingly early, immigration went smoothly, and we were soon allowed to explore.
We must mention the most amazing thing about Cape Town- Table Mountain. Its imposing presence is inescapable, though often the top of it is covered in fog. The locals say that when the top is socked in, the table cloth is on the table. Such as it was this morning. We were also told that whenever the top was clear to go hike it, since it cannot be certain to remain that way, even for a day. Table Mountain called to us as soon as we arrived, though we had planned to hike it on our last day as S@S had a hike arranged with transportation, trail guide and a geologist. So we planned our other days accordingly.
Other than climb Table Mountain, our other top choice activity was sea kayaking to see the African penguins. We located an outfitter in Simon’s Town which offered a 4-6 hour trip around Cape Point, so we signed up for that, planned for day 3 of our trip. For this Saturday, day 1, we joined 5 others and headed for the Green Market, to search out artists and local crafts. We had been searching for inexpensive gifts, and this had some great promise. We arrived and spread out among the shops of colorful cloth, carved wooden animals, paintings, and clothing. The vendors here were not as aggressive as in Ghana, which was a relief. We strolled among the booths for about 2 hours, making various purchases for Christmas. Then it was time to EAT!
It is always nice to get off the ship and have some variety in the menu. We found a healthy restaurant with our vegetarian friends, and had a tasty meal. Afterward, back to looking for a SIMM card for the phone, as we planned to talk to check in at home while here, before heading across the ocean. We also needed to talk to Rich for his birthday and about the dismal UVa football games. It was so much easier to figure out the system in English, as it is different in every country. After this purchase, we were off to see the sites.
Fortunately, Cape Town has a terrific hop-on/ hop-off bus, so along with Jeanne Siler, who has also joined us in the Berber Mountains, is from Charlottesville and teaches in the Writing Center, we headed out to see the Cape. To start with, we figured we would take the bus around the entire circuit to see what we wanted to explore further in the upcoming days. Leaving from the city, we passed by Table Mountain on one side and the ocean on the other. We passed District 9, which was one of the areas most dramatically affected during apartheid and remains as open space to this day. Blacks were forcibly removed from their homes from this area with little regard even to keeping family members together. The political party called the National Party run by whites in charge in the ‘70s sought to clean this part of the city up by bulldozing the shanties that the blacks called home. The families were moved far from town into what are nowadays called townships.
We passed the hospital were the world’s first heart transplant was performed, and the University of Cape Town, where the resistance to apartheid was most animated.
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| University of Cape Town |
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| part of the National Park on the way to Kirstenbosch |
The west side of the town is a national park donated by Cecil John Rhodes, of the Rhodes scholarship. Upon his early death, he donated thousands of acres of unparalleled real estate to the nation as a park. Herein is housed Kirstenbosch Gardens, one of the biggest botanical gardens for native South African plants. Beyond this is a bird and monkey park, followed by Hout Bay, a seafood town with a beach.
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| Township near Hout Bay |
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| Hout Bay |
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| Hout Bay |
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| "back" side of Table Mountain |
As you travel along the south side of the Cape, there are rocky outcroppings along the ocean and the 12 Disciples, which are rock formations on the backside of Table Mountain. Along this single stretch of road, an engineering accomplishment due to the rocky cliffs it travels along, you pass through several small towns, quaint and very expensive, some with beaches and some with pools. It is stunning to watch the sunset from this side of the Cape.
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| Lion's Head Mountain is on the left |
As you complete the circle back toward Cape Town, you pass the impressive soccer stadium, one of the country’s greatest sources of pride. Passing this, you return to the waterfront, and area where we were docked. We found a brewery (shocker!) and Bill drank a flight of South African beer while we enjoyed local food and the bustle of a busy shopping and dining area.
An easy 10 minute walk from the ship, was The Victoria and Albert Waterfront. This recently renovated area is like Harborplace in Baltimore- great shops, great restaurants, music, spontaneous performances, and a lively night life. We ate here each night, trying different spots.
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| The Victoria and Albert Waterfront Clocktower |
Despite the “feel” of the town, which conveys safety as in newly renovated cities in the U.S., South Africa has the highest violent crime rate in the world. It still has one of the highest rates of AIDS, too, with about 30% of the population affected. S@S had arranged to have shuttle buses running from dark until midnight from the shopping center to the ship to keep everyone as safe as possible. We were glad there were no incidents, despite students being out late, as in all ports with a night life.
The second day, we returned to our hop on/hop off bus and headed for the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. What a place! It was established in 1913 to preserve the unique indigenous flora of the country, spanning 5 biomes.
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| You knew somewhere there HAD to be a cat picture! |
The fynbos in South Africa is only found here, and the proteus is one of the most prized of the plantings.
There is also a stunning Mandela Birds of Paradise which is yellow instead of orange. It is beautiful! Obviously it was named after Nelson Mandela and there are sections dedicated to his work of bringing peace to South Africa.
The sprawling garden (2 square miles) climbs up the mountain that flanks Table Mountain and has about 5 miles of winding paths. It is a botanist’s heaven and the locals value its beauty, treating it as a park. People were picnicking under trees, in the open grassy areas (where the guineas hens waited for scraps).
We wandered around this garden heaven for several hours, winding though several of the paths, even finding a tree with African honey bees.
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| These were at a craft show near the Gardens |
After our peaceful walk through the huge gardens we hopped back on the hop on/hop off bus and continues to the Bantry Bay area where we hoped off to walk along the seaside sidewalk. We joined back up with Jeanne Siler and we were fortunate enough to watch many hang gliders descending from the top of Lion’s Head, swinging out over the water, and then landing on the grassy strip near the water.
Jeanne and I walked a little farther while Bill hopped ahead on the bus, until we walked upon him looking like this.
We reboarded the bus and upon completion of the bus loop, we decided to eat some good food and have a beer at Mitchell’s brew house. YUM! The Victoria and Albert Wharf is a fabulous area for shopping and eating, and even has a ferris wheel. This wonderful elephant statue lives there.
Our third day in Cape Town was the one that all other activities were worked around- it was a day for sea kayaking! We had located an outfitter with our spotty Internet and were heading an hour south of Cape Town to Simon's Town to Cape Point. While this is not the southernmost tip of Africa (that is of course the Cape of Good Hope) we were going to spend a day paddling in the sea looking for penguins and other marine mammals. Nancy Seldin and Chic Fitts, from Montana, also joined us for this adventure.
We began with an early cab ride to the train station, during which the cab driver's plastic upholstery was so sticky from the material breaking down in the heat that a knee of Bill's hiking pants will forever have black stains as he was crammed in the back seat for this ride. The rest of us with shorter legs escaped this fate. We arrived at the train station and were able to purchase our first class tickets so quickly that we still had another 1/2 hour until our 7:30 am departure. The train experience was very different than in Morocco where our first class ticket provided us a comfortable air-conditioned car for 6 people. The South African train was hard plastic seats with graffiti and we could not tell the difference between first class and the rest. Once on board for our hour long ride, we enjoyed the impressive mountains that make-up the coastline of South Africa on one side, and the ocean on the other. Early in the ride two large women came through the train car and forced anyone without a first class ticket to other cars. This didn't happen on the afternoon ride back during rush hour and resulted in a very crowded car. We saw many school children in uniforms hopping on and off as we rode to the other end of the line. We arrived on time and walked 15 minutes to the outfitter, ready for our ocean adventure.
The weather had been very foggy in Cape Town, but we had hoped for the fog to lift. However, it was foggy here too, but we still dressed for the day with our paddling jackets and other water gear. Our guide decided to take us to the Cape Point lighthouse first in order to allow additional time for the fog to lift. The 5 of us set out in his small SUV and drove to the Point.
It is in a fabulous national park with 1000 varieties of fynbos, most of which are only indigenous to this region. The lighthouse had spectacular views, when there were views. The fog was patchy so we could see down from the cliffs to the ocean, but not enjoy the expansive views that are possible.
While we could have stayed there longer, we were eager to get out on the water.
However, when we arrived at our ocean put-in the visibility was still low. After a brief discussion, we decided to go to another put-in which would guarantee penguins by paddling back toward Simon's Town. We ate some of our lunch and then we carried the big fiberglass tandem kayaks to the ocean's edge. During lunch, Bill had agreed that he would sit in front and allow Iva the steering controls in the back, and that she would have to sync her stroke to his to make our initial tandem kayak trip a success. So from ocean's edge we worked to time our launch with the waves. Iva had never ocean kayaked or been in a fiberglass boat, so this was a new adventure! We launched from the beach with the help of our guide, Derek, and Nancy and Chic followed. The swells were substantial, so in addition to getting used to paddling tandem, we were working on the steering and trying to make sure our 3 boats all remained within visual sight of each other in the fog.
It was a challenge to steer along the coast with the swells and stay away from the rocks. As we were figuring this out, Iva noticed her cockpit had a few inches of water in it from what she thought was from the launching. We had a pump, so Bill had to do all the paddling while Iva bailed her cockpit. Our patience with each other was challenged as Iva tried to bale and steer, and Bill was paddling and suggesting directions in the swells and fog. Iva was heard to mutter that this was NOT fun at one point during this initial time on the water, much to Bill's surprise! Not long after Iva had baled more water was still in the cockpit so she was busy pumping again. The baling was repeated a number of times until Iva was sure the boat was taking on water. Either of us wanted to go down with the ship so we paddled over to the guide to let him know we were sinking! Derek motioned us to follow him to land on the small beach, so we could look for the cause for the water collecting in Iva's cockpit. While we had started off by paddling away from the take-out toward Cape Point to give us some extra paddling time, we were all glad when we turned around to head to the beach, though the turn around was a little dicey. The guide knew that the swells were less severe once we rounded some point, and once we did that, it was much more pleasant for all! The section of beach where we landed had aquamarine blue water and the fog was gone. There were sea lions feeding here, and 2 fishing boats.
Once we flipped the kayak over, it was clear that a hole the size of a quarter was the cause of the leak. It likely happened during our launch from the concrete boat ramp which was imbedded with small rocks for better traction. The bottom must have come down on one of the small rocks when Iva got in as a wave went out. So, Iva has been permanently credited with breaking a kayak.
Our accomplished guide was prepared for this type of emergency and whipped out his duck tape, quick setting epoxy and a fiberglass patch, while we had a snack, picked up shells, and watched the sea lions- all was fun again! The sun was finally out and remained out the rest of the day.
About 1/2 hour later, we set back out, no dicey waves to contend with here, and proceeded north toward Boulder's Beach, famous for the Cape Point penguins. As we paddled along the shore, we enjoyed the rocky shoreline (from a distance) and the occasional sea lions. Large kelp beds, clear waters, white sand, and volcanic rock were the views. We were able to maneuver better now and wove around some boulders to get closer to the shore.
As we went by one of the house sized boulders two scuba drivers suddenly came up out of the water, it was a bit unsettling as we were already on edge from the fog and difficult water.
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| Monsters from the deep! |
At Boulder's Beach we got our first glimpse of penguins and the folks jam packed on the viewing platform, which is the usual way to enjoy this sight.
We continued back to Simon's Town and the take out. Derek pointed out some local landmarks and the spot for movie scenes which was in use as we paddled by.
We walked the short distance to the kayak store and changed our clothes before our return trip in the train. We were fascinated to note that in South Africa fiberglass boats were more common than plastic, as they have no factories to make plastic kayaks. So the costs of boats there are the reverse of ours at home. It was enjoyable to be on the water again, and to see the plants and wildlife of South Africa.
Our next day was a trip to Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela and so many other political activists were held, followed by a trip to a township, districts where many blacks were relocated during apartheid. Our morning ferry trip to Robben Island took about 1/2 hour where we landed on a dock with huge banners of the history of the Island.
The prison tours here are given by former inmates, making it powerful, and hopefully helpful for them. It at least provides them a job in this region where jobs are needed, and if the inmates can mentally handle being on this former prison island, they are uniquely qualified to talk about life on the inside of these walls. The bus tours drive to parts of this lovely island to show the houses where the prison guards and their families used to live. There were two levels of incarceration- minimum and maximum, both housed on the island, which was also a former leper colony. Despite what was told during its use as a prison, the political prisoners were kept in maximum security with murderers while other less violent criminals kept in minimum security. Mandela and the others fighting apartheid were subjected to hard labor, digging in a limestone quarry among other jobs. Recently when a large group of former prisoners returned to Robben Island for mental healing, those who had toiled in the quarry each picked up a rock and placed it in a pile, pictured here. After we drove part of the island, we returned to see the interior of the prison. Our guide spoke clearly about life here as a prisoner. He worked in the kitchen and showed us the menu which provided far too few calories than these men required.
We toured the cells and central open space and were told that communication between inmates in the different blocks was non-existent, but the prisoners used a slit in tennis balls to pass notes over the walls. It was in the corner of this open rec area where Mandela had a garden that his diary and subsequent book, "A Cry for Freedom" was hidden. Once the prison was closed, black workers discovered it and it was sent to England for publishing before the white South Africans knew of its existence.
While the labor and food made life hard, there were no cots for many years. Inmates had to sleep on the floor on thin wool sleeping pads, huddling together for warm. It was not until Nelson Mandela was sick with TB that he was given the first cot. Until then all had to sleep in these tiny individual cells on the floor.
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| Mandela's cell |
Visitors were only allowed every 6 months, and had to be over 18 years old, so a generation of children and fathers never got to visit each other. It is difficult to imagine the struggles of being imprisoned for 27 years on this island under harsh conditions, while looking back toward Table Mountain and their home. While we only caught a glimpse of one, there are African penguins who live here but are declining in number due to the overfishing of their food in the area. As we heard again in Argentina, fishing boats from many parts of the world come and the waters are overfished with no regulation since it is international waters.
After our tour, we returned on the ferry and boarded a bus, heading for our visit to the Langa township. This was one of the many townships established during apartheid where black South Africans were relocated by the government, many times without regards to keeping families together. South Africans still describe their races as black, colored for mixed race, and white. The blacks continue to have the lowest standard of living, yearly income, and educational opportunities, whites the highest, and coloreds in between. While we hoped that with the end of apartheid these differences were not so noticeable, we were reminded that America still has some glaring disparities even after 150 years. During the height of apartheid, the blacks who made up 80% of the population were assigned 13% of the land in South Africa, and it was predictably the lowest quality land far from Cape Town. The Langa township was one of these areas where blacks were sent, and while it has undergone a great amount of improvement, the living conditions are extremely varied.
We had lunch at a restaurant in one tastefully decorated house which had been renovated and provided us a terrific buffet of native food. The woman who ran the house was an inspiring representative of the township culture and reminded us that they did not live by the clock. She moderated a short discussion about the differences between our cultures, and then provided us with a delicious meal accompanied by native music. Following this meal, our guide who joined us just for the township tour, walked us through town and told us about the sense of community that the township enjoys. Most folks do not leave, despite houses still with dirt floors or patchwork roofing, because of the solid support that all members provide each other. Parents do not hover over their children, because all older children and adults are responsible for helping raise each child. Neighbors correct each other if driving too fast where children may be playing in the street. We visited a boarding house, where many young people live until they save money for their own house. It reminded us of a college dorm room, with central kitchen and eating space and bedrooms that housed 3 men.
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| Newer, modern housing |
Bill's favorite stop of the day was to a run down shed called a shebeen with a dirt floor smelling of smoke and boards along the perimeter of the room which were the seating. In this spot, the men of the township gathered to share a huge pot of sorghum beer called umqombothi. When we entered, the local men got up and left so that we could have the seats along the boards. Bill posed a few questions about the brewing process, and they described how their sorghum beer was made. We were also encouraged to ask any questions we liked all afternoon about life in the township, and their views and lifestyle. The beer pot was passed around the room for all to taste, and Bill made friends with the locals by paying for the beer we all shared.
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| It really was good! |
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| Iva hanging with the locals |
Following this, we walked up the street to see them making a Smiley another one of the things Bill enjoyed this day (Note: Bill did not enjoy this, he found it interesting). The was a sheep's head that was prepared first by burning the wool off with a charged stick (with the smell you would imagine), followed by a cooking process for the sheep's brain. Since the skin of the head shriveled during cooking, and the teeth of the sheep then showed, this is called a Smiley, since they look like they are smiling (to some sick soul). The South Africans also has another delicacy that you should beware of- a sandwich called a Walkie-Talkie which is made of chicken feet and beaks.
Our final stop was to the most primitive housing in the district, where young couples might choose to go for privacy or to move from their parents' house. These houses were made of any building scrap you could imagine- pallets, corrugated sheet metal, assortment pieces of plywood, old street signs, plastic sheeting, straw- anything they could use.
We have rarely seen farm animals kept in places as rough as these. It was shocking, but as we have found with those who don't have much, they expect little, so seem pleased enough with their lives. We were also struck with the sentiment that the people who lived in Langa township desired to remain there. So even our guide, who likely earned more than most in his neighborhood, said that he wanted to stay among his neighbors and family. It appeared that the blacks relocated have been able to value the strength of their community, despite the cause of its existence.
Our final day in Cape Town was a whirlwind. Shortly before our arrival here we were notified that Desmond Tutu would be making a brief appearance on the afternoon we departed. We had planned on joining an S@S trip up Table Mountain with a geologist. The night before, however, the trip was canceled due to a forecast of rain. Not surprisingly, we had brought our rain gear for just such a possibility, and Iva especially was eager to climb this stunning mountain. Many other friends had climbed it in the previous days and we knew that it would take about 2 hours, so we still had plenty of time prior to Desmond Tutu's arrival at 2 pm. We woke to perfect weather, so we ate breakfast and hired a cab to take us to the trail head. There is a cable car that runs to the top, but it doesn't operate if it is windy. Our plan was to hike up, and take the cable car down to save our knees and make it to see the Archbishop. We had also been warned about robberies on Table Mountain, and to take a guide, but we had several friends who found it safe enough in the daytime, and as we were taking the main Gorge trail, we thought we would be fine. So we walked past the cable car along the road looking down to the ship and Cape Town.
The sights and sounds were a refreshing change from the city. It felt SO good to be hiking in the wilderness again! There were lots of lovely flowers along the way.
Our trail joined with another and the number of hikers increased. So did the cloud cover. We kept a steady pace and stopped to talk to these trail workers along the way.
Soon the wind picked up and it began to sprinkle, so we donned our rain gear. We hiked happily onward ( OK, Iva was happy and Bill was being tolerant and supportive) and climbed the rock steps and hiked through the rugged beauty of this place. We made it to the top in 1 1/2 hours where it was socked in with fog, rainy, and windy. We paused briefly for a photo and then walked across the top of Table Mountain toward the cable car. On a clear day, we bet the view is amazing, as it looks back toward Hout Bay on one side, and down on Cape Town on the other. There are many vantage points and paths to walk on top, and the majority of folks arrive up the cable car. We paused briefly at the restaurant on top to drip dry, saw a few other S@Sers, and then bought our ticket to descend. We went down through the clouds and at the bottom, the weather was dry and sunny. The tablecloth was definitely on for our time on top. We hired another taxi and returned to the ship in plenty of time for lunch, and to change for the Tutu reception.
While he was on the ship for a very short time, he had a reception with the faculty and staff for 1/2 hour, followed by an hour talk with the students. As Cape Town was the location for parents to visit their S@S children, several families were able to attend too. Archbishop Tutu is a huge supporter of Semester at Sea, having sailed on several voyages. The message at his talk was his familiar one- practice peace and love. He encouraged the students to make a difference where they could, no matter how small the act. Many small acts can make a big impact. His contagious smile and laughter delighted us all, and his plea for peace and forgiveness was felt by all. His time was limited by the crazy immigration process that required everyone, including the crew, to exit the ship, walk through face to face immigration, and return. Tutu's entourage and all visitors had to disembark, as we prepared for our 12 day ocean crossing.
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| This is the best shot we have of Tutu, note the Margarita! |
Cape Town was an extremely popular port, with so much to offer. It is unfortunate that the crime rate is the highest in the world, as during the day where we were, it felt very familiar and safe. We have learned that crime and political unrest emerge where there are great disparities in wealth. South Africa certainly qualifies for this and suffers still from the decades of apartheid. Most distressing for us was the realization that the US, England, and Israel were the last countries to offer political sanctions during apartheid, that the US supported Mandela's classification as a terrorist, and that we stood by while Biko and other political activists trying to rally for the rights of black Africans were tortured, killed, and imprisoned. In this area of extreme natural beauty and resources, the social divisions are still strong, but the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation council seem to have prevented the rioting and retribution that often follows political upheaval. The black Africans we spoke to did not anticipate an uprising after Mandela's imminent passing, but they recognize the need for better leadership in the ANC, his political party. Corruption in politics seems pervasive here, as in so many places we have visited. But unlike other places, there are great leaders who are working for peaceful solutions. South Africa has had 4 Nobel Peace Prize winners as it has struggled for equal rights. This was an especially educational port for us, both in terms of natural beauty, but also in terms of the political propaganda and outcomes from peaceful leadership. It's a great place to visit!
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| We hope that South Africa's future is on a good road, not like this one! |
