Cape Town, South Africa

Wow. The past 14 days have been so crazy. We spent five days in Namibia, two days at sea, and then a full week in South Africa. I have been so busy at port and on the ship that I haven’t had a good opportunity to sit down and write what’s been going on. I was planning on writing this blog entry last night, but we hit the roughest water we have encountered so far and for the first time I thought I was going to vomit. I just went to bed at 9:45 and didn’t wake up until 11 hours later. The Cape of Good Hope is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean, whose current goes in a different direction, so the waves can get pretty big. Last night they made an announcement to secure our belongings in the room due to rough waters ahead. I couldn’t even walk down the hall last night without running into the walls. I went outside on the deck to check out the waves and when I jumped, I ended up several feet down the deck. Emma and I duct-taped our drawers closed because they frequently open and slam shut. When we woke up this morning all of the stuff on our shelves was on the floor, but the waves are not nearly as bad today. Now we are at sea for the longest stretch of our trip – eleven days without a port, and only one day off from class.

But, most importantly, South Africa. It is an incredible place. There is so much to do there and it is probably the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. The area by the port is extremely pedestrian friendly, with lots of cute shops and great restaurants. The downtown area is much like a city in the United States, so I didn’t spend much time there. Table Mountain is a key feature of the city. It stands tall in the background, looking over the city and the sea.

On the first day in Cape Town, I went to the District 6 Museum and a Township. District 6 is an area that was home to many black South Africans, and was totally eradicated during the apartheid. The people in power didn’t want so many blacks living so close to the city so they wiped out all of their homes and displaced them to an area farther away. After the museum visit, we got to see a nearby township. It was an eye-opening experience. It’s so hard to believe the conditions they are able to live in. We got to see a building where several families lived. There were about four bedrooms, each housing a separate family. These rooms were about the size of my room on the ship except they were home to a family of four or more. Oftentimes, the adults sleep on the bed and the children sleep on a mat under the bed. All of the families living in the building share one common area and one kitchen. Despite the harsh conditions, everyone we met was extremely friendly and so excited to see us. From the moment we got off the bus children were running up to us, singing and dancing, and wanting to give us high-fives. It is so bizarre to go from being in a busy, bustling, tourist-friendly port to a poverty stricken township in just a 30 minute van ride. I think the effects of apartheid are still very evident here. Most stores and restaurants have signs outside that read “Right of Admission Reserved.” I thought that was similar to our signs “No shirt, no shoes, no entry,” but I wondered if it was rooted in segregation.

The next day in Cape Town I climbed Table Mountain. It was a grueling 2 hour hike, but it was well worth it. I went with a group of four and we stopped at a grocery store beforehand to get some picnic food to eat on top. That lunch was probably the best lunch I’ve ever had. Chips, sandwiches, cheese, and a bottle of wine with three other friends, after a 2 hour hike, sitting on top of a mountain, looking over the coast of South Africa. It doesn’t get much better than that. We spent three hours just hanging out on top, looking at the different views. On the way down we opted for the cable car. So basically, you need to come to Cape Town and you have to climb Table Mountain.

The last three days I spent on a Safari, but I’ll write about that in my next entry, seeing as this one is already very long.

Amy – I remembered “Rabbit” but had no way of getting in touch with you. It made me smile.