Trip To Cape Town - Day 2

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A Tour To Robben Island

Holy Crap! I am in Cape Town!!!

After 12 hours of sleep, I woke up at 530 this morning. Last night’s sleep was incredible. The bed was perfect, the pillows soft, and the comforter so warm. There is no humidity in Cape Town and the air is crisp and clean. The website for the Victoria Boutique Villa is www.victoria-villa.com. This place is almost perfection.

I sat out on the veranda of the guest house while the others slept. I read my new book, "The Glass Castle". A review will follow once I have finished reading it. It was a great early morning, wrapped up in a blanket, wearing my fat pants and a t-shirt, and listening to the doves cooing in the trees that surround the property.

Today I was booked for my tour to Robben Island. This is the place that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned at for 18 years. I walked to the ferry docks at the Victoria and Alberta Waterfront and got my bearings for the city.

Once at the marina, we boarded the ferry at the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island. The tours are sold out for the Christmas season, so needless to say it was a packed boat. We left the harbour and headed for the island. The trip was approximately 45 minutes and it was beautiful. No wind today, so the morning sun warmed us as we travelled across the water.

I think I saw Camilla on the boat. After meeting her in Zanzibar, I see her everywhere!

Once at the island, we started on a bus tour that took 60 minutes. They gave us the history of the island. It was in use for the past 500 years. Lepers were sent to the island and there is a Leper graveyard with a wide assortment of tombstones. It was also a naval base during World War 2. The history of the island is quite remarkable. They showed us the village where the warden and guards lived, the church that the Irish built while caring for the lepers, and the “guest house” that "Heads of State" stay when visiting the island.

They also showed us the limestone quarry where the prisoners worked every day of their sentence. It was here where the prisoners who were literate would teach the illiterate to read and write. They came into the prison knowing nothing and left well-educated because of the other inmates. There is a cave in the quarry where they went to the bathroom, ate, and held classes for the other inmates. The classes were held in secrecy. The story is too long to write here but it is certainly worth the reading. Nelson Mandela’s, “The Long Road To Freedom” tells the story of his life before, during, and after Robben Island.

Then there was the prison tour... We were greeted by our guide, who used to be a prisoner when it was in operation. He was imprisoned at the time as a “Terrorist”. He says he was accused and sentenced falsely.

Walking into the grounds gave me a sense of eeriness. Here, men slept in various blocks depending on the nature of their crimes. We stopped in on room that would sleep 60 men. There were no beds or pillows, just mats on the floor. All 60 men would have to share one bathroom and there were no windows so the winds from the ocean would keep them cold at night during the winter months.

They also showed us a chart that outlines the food rationing that was ordered for the inmates. The “coloured and asian” prisoners got one amount and the “blacks” got much less. I took a picture of it. The column on the left was for the “coloureds and Asians” and the column on the right was for the “blacks”.

They showed us the “yard” where soccer matches would be played by the prisoners. They also showed us the compound where Nelson Mandela and the other prisoners would hang out. At one end is a garden that they say Nelson Mandela (sorry, but I can’t just bring myself to call him “Nelson”) started. There were also trees in the corner that he planted. It was in these trees, so the story goes that he hid the book he was writing so the guards wouldn’t find it.

From there we were off to his cell... Cell #7... and it is set up to look like it would look back then the red bucket in the corner was where he would go to the bathroom. Once the bucket was full, he would have to take it to the limestone quarry and empty it and clean it with his bare hands. Disgusting.

Scattered throughout the prison are black & white photos of prisoners from various stages of the prison’s history. I took pictures and I will share them with you. Hopefully, you will be able to see what I saw.

After the tour was over, we got on the ferry and headed back to the mainland. The views were just amazing. Sea lions played in the water as we passed them. Table Mountain and Cape Town came into view in all its glory.

After the tour, I walked around the waterfront... lots of people shopping and dining. I think I will head back there tomorrow to buy some news clothes for Tanzania. I am sick of what I own right now.

I walked back home and continued to read my book on the terrace of the guest house. As the sun was setting the clouds started to come in off the Indian Ocean. The cool thing about this is that they roll over the top of table mountain very much like dry ice doesn't at a concert. I took some pictures but they don't do it justice. I will try to get better ones while I am here. Tonight, I am off to Rick’s Cafe for a 3 course Christmas Eve dinner.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, to all. I will miss being at Mom’s this year for Christmas Eve. That is the one family thing I will miss the most..... I hope Santa brings you everything you have on your list.

More stories to come. Cape Town is brilliant. I am so glad I made it here.

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