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Published: October 26th 2018
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When looking at what to expect in Cape Town at this time of year our research told us that on average temperatures should be in the lower 20°Cs, that is around 10+° less than we had had in the Eastern Cape / Johannesburg.
But that's a problem with averages isn't it as we sit here sweltering in the mid to upper 30°s under cloudless skies.
Including the day we discharged ourselves from our final night at our Explore hotel we have 8 full days to enjoy Cape Town and its surroundings. Some things are obvious - Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Gardens, V&A Waterfront - so we can pace ourselves.
Day 32 Tuesday 23 October
It was only a very short walk around the corner to our private hostel room, our stay for the next 8 nights.
First visit was through the heat to St George's Cathedral before going on to the South African museum.
The cathedral is not a great building, and they keep it quite dark inside, but it was the seat for Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They have some wonderful visitor signs, courtesy of Coventry Cathedral - don't know how many categories we fit in to
- "inked", over 60 and not grown up, tourist, latte-sipper, .... and a lovely stained glass window from 1983 dedicated to Earl Mountbatten of Burma by the South Africans who served under him in WW2.
The SA museum was a strange mixture, but admits that it is undergoing a rebuild and makeover at the moment. As a result its exhibits range from faded, sad-looking stuffed animals with type-writer labels to more modern displays eg on dinosaur fossils and minerals.
As the museum is not in best shape at the moment they also included free entrance to the Contemporary Art gallery next door, a prime opportunity for Pip to practise her best "rubbish" and "I could do that" poses - Pip is not a great fan of "modern" or "conceptual "art!
Day 33
And down to the V&A Waterfront. That's Victoria and Alfred - one of Vicky's sons - not Albert, hubby. Alfred ceremonially dropped the first load of stone for the wharves before returning several years later to open the new docks.
Pip had been here before, around 9 years ago, but acknowledged that much redevelopment has taken place since. We watched the Cape Fur Seals
playing in the waters, and wished that we could join them. Lots of retail opportunities - Pip even found the shop where she bought our black, articulated, monkey fridge magnet (Chris Weeds will know what we mean!)
On to the Watershed, a centre for artisan crafts. Pip's memory is that this was a large wooden shed when she came before. It is now a purpose- built centre. It is interesting to see how on many stalls they are selling exactly the same 'merchandise ' as we have seen at numerous road side stalls throughout the country, but at significantly greater prices. That said there are also many stalls selling more individual designer and quirky pieces. Paul was particularly taken by various miniature African animals fashioned out of repurposed flip-flops. We may see some in the garden on our return to blighty!
We had an aborted visit to the old Breakwater Prison, which was an hotel where Pip stayed on her previous visit. It is now the university Business School. We were looking for the original treadmill but regrettably there was building work in that area so the treadmill was not accessible.
We had booked ourselves for the
3pm visit to Robben Island, one of SA's most iconic tourist sites. The island had been used as a prison since the end of the 17th century (an early convict was an Islamic iman brought over in the 1700s from Dutch East Indies/Indonesia because he was regarded as a troublemaker there!)
Once on the island the tour was in two parts. We first had a coach tour around some of the island - village, leper graveyard, etc, including a resident penguin colony. We also saw the quarry where Nelson Mandela laboured, mainly breaking rocks, during his 18 years imprisonment on the island.
Then at the prison itself we were guided around by a former political prisoner. Sipho spent 5 years there, 1984-89, for being a member of the banned ANC and recruiting new members. He spoke eloquently about his time here, how those arrested with him were 'questioned' - with at least one of his colleagues dying under interrogation - different menus depending on whether you were black, asian or coloured, how letters from home were infrequent and heavily censored - with scissors - and how they would meet, discuss politics and conduct political education under guidance and
instruction smuggled out from the 'special' prisoners, such as Nelson, held in solitary confinement. Some guards were friendly and so they were able to sometimes get newspapers which formed the basis of their discussion lessons.
One set of cells was set up with an object in a display case, an explanation and a prisoner ID in each cell, to give a more personal account of time in there. We also learnt that as conditions improved in the prison - though this would mostly be after Nelson's time in there - prisoners were able to study, learn trades amd some even got degrees.
And of course we were shown the cell where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.
A lovely meal back at the V&A Waterfront at a South African restaurant with great views of Table Mountain rounded off the day.
Day 34
And we finally took ourselves up Table Mountain in totally cloudless conditions.
Table Mountain had recently been included as one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011 ( along with The Amazon, Halong Bay/Vietnam, Iguazu Falls/ Argentina, Jeju Island /S Korea, Komodo/Indonesia, Puerto Princess Underground River/Phillipines ).
The cable car is fun,
especially if, like us, you are 'in the know'. The interior rotates during the journey up. So we had the delightful sight of tourists desperately rushing to get the looking downhill spot, next to the open window, for the journey up. The look on their face as the platform rotated them away from that position shortly after we set off. Priceless!
Once up there it was very busy, but thinned out as a) the early coach parties left and b) we walked the trails further away from the cable car station. Flowers, though, were a bit disappointing - we must have the timing off kilter - but the views were fantastic.
Even with nearly 4 hours at TM we had enough time to visit the Slave Lodge/Museum back in town. This is the oldest surviving slave building in SA, dating to 1679. It was where the Dutch East India Company confined slaves, mostly from Mozambique and Madagascar but also India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. Whilst indigenous people were not enslaved they were often indentured as apprentices on no pay - practically the same thing really!
There were also a number of sub-displays including one on 'blue cloth'
- isishweshwe - worn by many South Africans to signal solidarity with the Anti-Apartheid struggle and a desire for a shared S African cultural identity.
Day 35
After booking a west coast road trip for Monday, another museum.
The District 6 museum is a memorial to the forced movement - eviction - of 60000 inhabitants of various, non white, races in District 6 in the 1970s, part of the implementation of the government's segregation of areas of the town into specified one-race areas. The buildings and homes in the district were bulldozed, but only a small area has been redeveloped. Since soon after the free elections there were promises that the original inhabitants could reclaim their land, but only if they can provide documentary proof. Not surprisingly this is very difficult.
There are many heartbreaking stories displayed, and a large collection of original street signs. One resident collected as many as he could during demolition and donated them to the museum when it was set up.
Just a side note - the SF film 'District 9' which is about a population of aliens segregated into a racial district in South Africa is a semi serious parody
of the real District 6 story, with the 6 inverted to become 9!
This afternoon we took a walking tour of the Bo-Kaap district, renowned for its colourful houses. This is the centre of Malay and Islamic culture in CT.
Jazz tonight, in the Jazz Club in the crypt under St George's Cathedral.
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