Day 10 - City Living Again

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In the big smoke again. Hard to imagine we were in extreme bush areas yesterday, last week... Bonus, good internet access so now theses posts are working again, downside, people everywhere, cars and noise. Never mind, soon be back in the bush.

Today we did a city tour in our 50 seater coach - for 21 people. Nice...

Up to Table Mountain (to the base station of the cable cars which is out of action due to maintenance). Great sights back to the city showing how it is set out. Then to the lions head, another rock formation that for some ungodly reason people like to hike or run up to the top and back down again. Strange.....

Saw the multi coloured houses in the famous Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town. Buses not allowed so we walk which is a good thing. Very brightly coloured houses, side by side. No one seems to know why they are like they are but they do look good.

Lots of homeless on the streets. We do an old army fort that is now a museum then to Area 6 where the government bulldozed all the houses during the Aparthied regime. They are slowly building again, but the main population in the area have setup camps in the grass or under trees using plastic for their humpy’s. Not a pretty sight but nowhere near as bad as the real slum areas of tin shanties we saw on the way in from the airport. We saw how this city really has big differences between the haves and have nots this morning.

Back in time for our Robben Island tour this afternoon and enough time to chat with Stephanie and the kids (babysitting night). Great to chat fo a short time. Off on our tour. Queued for an age to get on the ferry, then over to Robben Island. When we arrived we got on our bus which took us to the prison. We were met by our guide, who had spent 5 years in the prison. He started his talk explaining how and why he had been imprisoned. His voice seemed to have a certain venom when he spoke of the people and conditions in relation to his imprisonment.

He then took us inside a cell block and into one of the cell rooms whic was designed to hold 35 people, but actually held 50. The bunks were solid steel with a dodgy matttress and a blanket that was like the rugs used by a furniture removalist to cover your table. He described the food provided and how the blacks got less than the whites or Indians incarcirated with them.

Finally he took us to Mandella’s Cell. Small unit with a mat on the floor as a bed, small wooden stool, a toilet bucket and that was that. Tough environment, and very moving. Then did a tour of the island which showed the mine they worked in and how basic the conditions were for everybody on the island. Very moving and thought provoking.

Back for an organised dinner then to bed for another day in the bus tomorrow.



More trivial info.

Animals seen so far:

Oryx: truckloads

Zebra: truckloads

Giraffe: lots

Wilderbeast: way more than the eye can see (saw a huge herd moving across the fields - very impressive)

Springboks: lost count past truckloads

Elephants: 5

Lions: 1

Cheetah: 2 adults, 7 cubs

Rhino: 2 from a large distance, 4 from a close range

Kudu: many many

Did Dik: 4

Warthog: 20

Impala: see springbok

Jackals: 6

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