South Africa Part 2 of 3

The first of my five days in Cape Town, I went on an SAS trip to Robben Island. The ferry ride out to the island was about 25 minutes. From the island, Cape Town is quite visible, which must have made it that much more difficult to the prisoners to be so close. Robben Island had served as prison since the Dutch colonization days in the 1600’s- which is when the only successful escape ever occurred. The island is actually quite large- larger than Alcatraz. However, most of it is covered with grass and plants with buildings spaced intermittently. We took a driving trip around the island before touring the infamous political prison. The guards and their families lived on the island. Their former homes, school, church and 9 hole golf course (now deserted) still remain. A few people who currently work in the museum live on the island.

A highlight for me was the rabbit citings!! The rabbits on Robben Island are almost identical to my precious Seamus. On a sad note, I learned that over Christmas 10,000 rabbits were caught and euthanized as they were taking over the island and burrowing under the historic buildings. They have plans to try and capture the rest before they over-populate again, but fortunately I got to see a few. Robben Island is also inhabited by the African Penguin, so we got to see a number of penguins as well. (The rabbits were much cuter!)

Both traditional convicts as well as political prisoners were held on Robben Island in the last century. At first, they had them housed together. However, the convicts quickly converted to the ideals of the political prisoners and when subsequently released added to the political unrest. Shortly thereafter, the traditional convicts and political prisoners were in separate buildings on either side of the island. On our drive we passed the limestone quarry in which political prisoners worked. There was actually no need for the limestone, it was crushed and added to the roads around the island, thus the work was more a form of punishment. A number of prisoners later went blind from their years spent in the sun-drenched white quarry.

Over 60 former political prisoners now serve as guides at the infamous prison where they were held. Our guide was held at Robben Island for about 2 years in the 1970s; however we did not learn specifically why he was there. The first room was where the prisoners lost their names and were given a number- the year followed by what number entering prisoner they were that year- for example ’64-124. He showed us the room the monitored all mail coming and going through the island. Emotional torture was common- the administration would write fake letters to the prisoners from their loved ones, and likewise fake letters to their families. Often times, they would write that a wife was filing for divorce, etc. Next we visited the courtyard where prisoners sat on the ground crushing the limestone from the quarry. They had large photos of the exact courtyard filled with prisoners and guards.

Our tour led us to the highest security area where the prisoners had individual rooms, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. We went on to view the small bathroom, dining room, and chapel that these prisoners used. Next we went on to view the “bunk rooms” in which one room housed up to 30 prisoners on bunk beds. These men were kept separated from the higher security prisoners. However, one of the ways they communicated was through tennis balls. During their rec hour, they would slip notes into a slit in a tennis ball and “accidentally” hit it over to the neighboring rec courtyard. One prisoner, who was an accomplished mathematician, figured out the exact dimensions of the main key after glancing at it repeatedly on a guard’s belt. He gave these dimensions to a prisoner who was a metal worker, and at one point they had a key to every lock in the buildings. However, the key was never used; it was found hidden under a bush in one of the courtyards. When the two men confessed, they were each given an additional ten years to their sentences.

A number of reunions for former prisoners have taken place over the past years. A number of blown up photos depict these bittersweet reunions around the island. The shop at the end of the tour sold a number of books written by of course Mandela, and other prisoners. Interestingly, the island and tour have a celebratory sense to them. They do not dwell on the injustices as much as the overcoming. The theme on most of the souvenirs depicts “The triumph of the human spirit.”

That evening we were hoping to go to the top of Table Top Mountain, but the clouds prevented our journey. We ended up going out to dinner at a jazz restaurant, the Green Dolphin. Cape Town is famous for its jazz scene.

The next morning we awoke early for a day trip to the wine lands. My travel companions were three of the younger staff members, Brad, Andrea, Kate, and my fellow Life Long Learner Hayley. Our guide was a Cape Town resident by the name of Carol who was very pleasant. We piled in a large tourist van and were off on our 45 minute drive to the wine lands. It was a beautiful drive! The land cascaded from high crests to low valleys with various streams and rivers. Bike riding in the wine lands is very popular and I could see why.

Our first stop was the Andrew Beck Vineyard. Of the three we visited, this was by far the largest and most modern. Unfortunately, it is not like Napa Valley in that you do not usually get to take tours of the entire wine making process. Nonetheless, the architecture and grounds of Andrew Beck was very impressive. We sampled three whites, three reds, and champagne. As always, I liked most of the whites, was so-so on the reds, but I did think the champagne was rather good. We learned that it was actually the champagne served at Obama’s Inaugural Ball and so we each purchased a bottle to share with our fellow liberals on the ship. Unfortunately, we are only allowed to bring two bottles on alcohol on the ship in each port. While this normally is never a problem (especially seeing that we are visiting so many Muslim countries), it was kind of a bummer in South Africa.

We carried on to the next, and my favorite, vineyard. The drive took about 30 minutes climbing up into the higher region of the wine lands. Carol pointed out a hotel that Prince Harry and his girlfriend frequent, which we all, except for Brad, were very excited to see. Arriving at the second vineyard we checked in and were then whisked away in a golf cart up through the flower covered estate. The tasting room was nestled into the flower garden at the top of the estate. The woman working there was particularly friendly and knowledgeable and had just learned that she and her husband were expecting their first child which was quite exciting. Here I loved the whites, enjoyed the reds, and was not so fond of the champagne. Seeing as we had to ration how many bottles we could bring back, I bought some great coasters and Hayley had a case sent home to her brother in Texas. We boarded the trusty golf cart and were off to the motor museum on the estate- which was specifically why I voted for this winery. Four large white buildings symmetrically spread out across a large grassy field below cloud covered cliffs housed about 120 collector cars. Everything from Model T’s to a Ferrari Enzo were showcased. Needless to say, I took a number of pictures. Highlights were one of the first VW bugs ever produced, a collector’s Aston Martin convertible, and of course the Ferrari collection.

We headed into the town of Stellenbosch for lunch. It was an extremely charming town that hosts a number of upscale b & b’s and restaurants. Ironically, we ended up eating at a Lebanese restaurant while in Stellenbosch, however it was quite good. After our leisurely lunch, we carried on to our final vineyard of the day. I don’t recall the name of the third one either, but I will add it soon. Certainly the smallest and quaintest of the three, the third winery has been family owned for over 100 years. As we walked in to the small cluster of buildings we zigzagged through the barrels back to the tasting room. The room was lit with a large stain glassed window where they have been cultivating cobwebs for over thirty years! There is even a sign that says, “Please do not disturb the cobwebs.” A very nice young man was hosting the tasting, which was far more informal than the previous two. My friends liked the third winery the best, but I have to say I did not like any of the wines nor the set up of the room- very awkward. The host was very funny though and he appreciated our company. He told us that the valley can actually get very warm- two days before we were there it was 120 degrees!

We made it back to Cape Town in time to take a cab up to Table Mountain. There was somewhat of a long line for the gondola, but fortunately it went quite quickly. The ride up was far steeper than any ski gondola- it literally went right up the cliff! There are two hiking paths as well that are described as hard and harder. They each take about 4 hours so we declined the challenge. We made it to the top in time to watch the sunset. It was incredible! It reminded me a pinch of the Cliffs of Moher, but others might disagree. Fortunately, it was completely clear and we could see almost all of Cape Town as well as Camps Bay off the other side. Unfortunately, it was very windy and extremely cold so we didn’t stay terribly long. We ended up at a funky restaurant for dinner with Bob Marley posters and music. We later ventured to a famous restaurant/bar called Mama Africa’s. They had live African music with dozens of people dancing. It was an interesting mix of locals and tourists. I was quite tired, but I’m thankful for the experience to see the dancing.