My Last Day in Cape Town!

What a better way to spend my last day in Cape Town than at the Hermanus Whale Festival with two fellow American's?! Brit is a friend of mine who I met in Norway, she is studying her master's at the University of Oslo and doing her fieldwork in Cape Town for 2 months, so it was nice to reconnect in the southern hemisphere. She drove (on the opposite side of the road) to Hermanus, the whale capital of South Africa. Ok, I'm not sure it is the "whale capital" but with the whale show we saw, it would make sense to hold such a worthy title. You don't even have to jump in a boat to see the Southern Right Whale jumping with glee in the bay. We nestled into the rocky cliffs and the Nokia BIG lens snapped away. In the evening, as we walked back to the car, Brit realized she didn't turn off the car lights and so the three Americans hunted down 2 nice blokes (after numerous rejections) who had jumper cables. And we were off to Cape Town on the N2 (which is considered a dangerous highway at night but we safely made it back.) The night ended with a tasty Ethiopian meal on Longs Street and a late night of packing up.

Is this journey really ending?

Cape Town Township & Robben Island

The day started with a township tour where I learned that District Six (a community in central Cape Town), a mixed neighborhood with blacks, coloured, indians, and whites was completely destroyed during the apartheid days. The government named District 6 a "whites only" community and forcibly removed the "non-whites" to rural areas outside of Cape Town. Just recently, as a means of restitution, the government has offered to move back the original people who lived in District Six before the apartheid laws took affect. We toured the Cape Flats, the dumping grounds of apartheid, and danced with school kids, tasted the local brew in a shebeen, and met a witch doctor (see photo). I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of this tour because our guide, even though he was a local, made it feel like we were at the zoo, watching the animals from the safety of the van. After my other township experiences, I prefer getting up-close and personal with the locals, hearing their stories and connecting with the people through the use of my lens.

I have fought against white domination,
and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
- Nelson Mandela

In the afternoon, we jumped on a boat and headed to Robben Island, where Mandela and other political prisoners of the apartheid era spent much of their prison life. This was high on my list of things to do in Cape Town and it made Mandela's autobiography, "A Long Walk to Freedom," come to life. I was surprised to learn that this island has a long history, for the past 400 years Robben Island has been used to banish, isolate, and imprison outcasts such as lepers, and political prisoners. Today, the island is seen as a national symbol of freedom and liberation and exposes the strength of the human spirit to triumph over hardship and adversity. Our tour guide was a former political prisoner who was imprisoned for treason and made the experience all the more real with his personal stories of prison life.

Nightlife in Cape Town!

The Backpack, where I stayed during my Cape Town visit hosts a drumming circle on Thursday nights. So, my Canadian friend and I joined the Congo boys for African drumming. I never knew how raw your hands get as a drumming neophyte or just how musically UNtalented I am. Nonetheless, we had a great night and the Canadian was proposed to by one of the drumming instructors from Congo (totally normal in Africa!)

On Friday night, I signed up for an unique tour of the Reggae culture in Cape Town. We started at Alan's (quite a character) house who lived in Jamaica for a good portion of his life, he fed us fresh banana bread as educated us on the origins of Reggae. Then, we drove to the black township where a local musician hosted us in his house/music studio. His wife cooked us traditional Rastafarian food (vegetarian curry) and we listened to a spontaneous bass guitar performance. But the REAL cultural experience was in the Marcus Garvey township at the REGGAE DANCEHALL in the black Rastafarian township. Ok, let me just say I walked into a big puff of smoke. Ganga is a sacred weed to the Rastafarian community as they believe the spirit lives in the ganga. The evening was quite relaxed (surprise, surprise) and people just danced the night away until the lights went out (literally, a black out hit the township). This was yet another night in a black township, where I was one of four other whites. I actually like this feeling. I have quickly learned to read my gut feeling about people...and there are a good load of friendly and compassionate people in the townships...

I went to the toilet shack in the dancehall and a woman said..."Don't go in there, it is really dirty, I will take you to a clean toilet." She grabbed my hand and we walked out the front door, around the corner, through a hole in the fence and she opened the door to what looked like another shack. It was a clean toilet. She guarded the door and walked me back to the dancehall and told me all about the Rastafarian men (they are NO good for dating!)

A Day Trip to the Cape of Good Hope!

A tour down the cape peninsula was a fabulous way to spend a day and yet another example of the beautiful and diverse landscape of South Africa. Who knew a trip down the coast would be filled with a plethora of animals; penguins, seals, lizards, ostrich, and baboons? Life is everywhere in South Africa!

We visited a jackass penguin (yes, that is really the name of these penguins) colony in Simonstown where we watched waddling penguins on the beach.

Then, we stopped at Hout Bay, jumped on a boat and sojourned to a smelly seal island where seals gleefully played in the stormy waters.

In the afternoon we made it to Cape Point, the southern tip of the cape peninsula, where we biked through the wildflowers (AMAZING). The Cape of Good Hope was discovered by a Portuguese adventurer in 1488 and offers some incredible ocean side hikes where rugged cliffs plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. The picturesque views, wildflowers, ostrich, and lizards made this a hike I will never forget.

Table Mountain Abseil!

Woohoo, I made it to Cape Town and what an amazing journey it has been! Table Mountain is the majestic backdrop of Cape Town. It's not only a landmark, but it symbolizes the strength of the South African people as it stands tall and proud through stormy weather and sunny days. I took the aerial cableway up the mountain on a beautiful clear and sunny day. (I have truly lucked out with the weather in Cape Town...as it is normally rainy this time of year.) When I arrived on top I was stunned by the wildflowers and the spectacular view of rocky granite mountains meeting the ocean on white sandy beaches. It made me want to abseil/rappel down the face of the mountain. And that is exactly what I did... I abseiled the face of table mountain. How cool! This is the highest commercial abseil in the world and scary as hell. You drop down 112 meters into oblivion, fully harnassed (of course), and lose the mountain stability half way down as the rocks jet into the mountain and you just hang freely with the beautiful view of the coastline. What an incredible rush of adrenalin and sweat pouring from my palms! Woohoo...

South African Wine Country!

Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa; it's rolling green mountains perfectly sprinkled with vineyards and it's university town vibe makes this a trendy hotspot. I spent 2 nights here at the Stumble Inn backpackers and met some amazing fellow travelers by the fire and in the dorm.

In these S. African travels I have discovered that dorm rooms are essential
for not only budget travel (only $12/night) but it also serves as a great venue to meet colorful characters to check out the local
nightlife with. Who needs privacy???

The wine tour proved to be an amazing day of drinking wine, tasting cheese, and eating perfect, juicy, red, local strawberries in the sunny vineyards with a group of fun Irish, a funny Swiss-German bloke, and a South African comedian posing as our wine guide. We visited 4 of the most beautiful vineyards in the Stellenbosch region; Simonsig, Fairview, Dieu Donné, Moreson and after all of the tastings our guide, Lucas, informed us that we had each drank equivalent to one bottle of wine (not counting the glass of red at lunch). I love my red wine and discovered that the Stellenbosch regional grapes produce spicy shiraz and exploding cabernet sauvignon that makes you want to come back for more.

South Africa Transport: Baz BUS

Public transportation in South Africa is sparse! There are mini-buses (that serve as cheap taxi's) but they are dangerous and quite uncomfortable for long journeys (imagine 23 people jammed into a 12-seater). The train routes are less than adequate and also risky for foreign travelers. Therefore, international travelers here in South Africa are left with 1 option: the BAZ BUS. The Baz Bus is a 20 seater mini-bus and picks up/drops off at backpackers around South Africa, so there is no fuss in tranfers to accommodation. It is so convenient! Plus, you meet loads of other like-minded travelers, the driver pumps up African tunes, you get a tour of the best gas station toilet seats in South Africa, and you can daydream as you watch the beautiful countryside pass by.

A Breath of Fresh Air in the South African Mountains!

Making my way down the South African east coast, I decided to stop at the little quaint town of Swellendam. Nestled at the foot of Landeberg mountains, Swellendam is the third oldest city of South Africa; a special little place that, in my opinion, is under-rated. I went on a horseback ride in the mountains on a crisp and clear morning and it was brilliant! I hiked a bit, but I have to admit the security factor here has me tied up in my own fear factor and walking alone is just not something that is enjoyable. It's a shame because I could feel right at home in these mountains.

Knysna (pronounced Nice-NA)!

Another stop on the east coast proved to be a cultural experience that I never thought I would find in South Africa. In the Knysna township there lives a rastafarian community, which makes sense since the rastafarian religion roots started in Ethiopia. I took a township tour, guided by a local dude, he invited me into his township home where I met the great grandmother, the wife, and the pig. It was a tiny wooden house with 3 rooms that housed 5 people and he built it with his very own hands. Not many people have the chance (or money) to build their own house, so he was considered "wealthy" by township standards.

I asked if I could use his toilet and he pointed to the forest and laughed,
ok, cool, so I took a squat in the township forest.

We walked up and down the rolling hills and through the forest where wooden shacks were haphazardly built. But, the great discovery in this township was the government aid was present. We met a woman who was beaming with happiness as she showed us where her new governmental house would be built.