It's day 4 of my holiday to Cape Town. After being surrounded by friends, locals and children for the past 3 months, I feel rather lonely here (even though I think I needed this break).
Cape Town is sunny, and quite beautiful. My first two days were spent TCB (Elvis speak for "taking care of business"). I've lost about 15 pounds since my arrival, and none of my clothes really fit anymore. So, day one of my vacation was spent in pursuit of pants, tshirts and clean underthings. I would've had some new underwear prior to this trip, but they were stolen. My good friend Lauren actually mailed me undies, but somebody at the Mwanza main post office helped themselves to them, and left the dregs of the packet for me!
Anyway, I wanted to take care of my chores here first, so I could then concentrate on having fun from here on out. I've seen two movies (Babel & Volver), visited the Aquarium (wonderful), taken a wine/food day tour (yummy) and enjoyed many hot showers! Tomorrow I will be taking a full day tour to the southernmost point on the Cape, and Monday I will be going to Robben Island. This is the prison where Nelson Mandela (and other politcal prisoners) was held during apartheid.
Today as we headed out of town, I got my first view of the townships outside of the main city. It was rather shocking and quite a bit depressing. Miles and miles of tin & pieced together wood, all holding the black population of Cape Town. Apartheid may be over, but racial division is not. On Sunday, I've booked a trip to one of the townships with a local organization that pushes the money back into the township. I'll be going to church, and then visiting some local families to talk about their lives & situations. This may prove to be the best (or most touching) part of my trip to SA.
Will update again after my weekend trips.
3 comments:
As always, it's great to read your vivid descriptions. You put me right there with you!
Hope you're over the hump of sickness. You've had quite enough of that for a good long while!
Hi Lorna,
I've been following your adventures and have to write that it has been touching and wonderful for you to share your stories with us readers-of-the-blog.
I did want to share that on January 1, 1983 I traveled solo to South Africa for a month. I loved the country and Cape Town. I recognized Table Mountain and the coastline immediately. Do they still have those colorful bathhouses for changing at the beach?
I was visiting S.A. at the end of apartheid, while Nelson Mandela was still in prison and people I met spoke in whispers any anti-apartheid sentiments. I was taken by friends one night to an underground club to listen to folk singers sing anti-p songs. The townships outside of Johannesburg were off-limits to white visitors, and a cab driver who lived in Soweto shared with me, again with great caution, that his 6 children had not been to school in Soweto for weeks due to riots (and bloodshed among blacks). He was a very worried parent. Riots spilled into the streets of Cape Town one week after I had returned home to Los Angeles. History in the making.
Take care,
Debbie
Great work.
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