Day 2--Capetown

Cape of Good Hope National Park

We woke up pretty early this morning and had breakfast on the beach. It was a very nice, pleasant breakfast. The strange thing was that the milk was warm! I had cereal, a PB&J, and a few slices of cheese for breakfast.

Afterwards we went to Robben Island. The ferry ride almost made me sick--but it was worth it. Robben Island is rich with history; it was formerly a leper colony and a then a prison for criminal and political prisoners during apartheid. I was very surprised that such prejudice took place so recently (apartheid ended around 1990). Political prisoners were incarcterated for crimes such as inciting riots and conspiracy when they were fighting against the whites in power. The whites were segregating the blacks into districts and segregating all public facilities. Anyone who resisted was imprisoned. I thought it was really neat that a former prisoner led the tour. Our guide was a political prisoner that had been arrested during a demonstration. He was very well-spoken and had excellent insight into the prison and its effects.

We then rode to the University of Capetown. The campus was very impressive. The buildings were old brick with ivy growing all over them. They were especially gorgeous with Capetown's mountains in the background. I would go to this university in a heartbeat! I found it interesting that the first heart transplant occurred at this school.

Afterwards, we went to the Cape of Good Hope National Park. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The Cape of Good Hope has a fynbos ecosystem, an area of high biodiversity. It is hope to some unique species that exist only in the fynbos. The area was covered in flora. The views were absolutely breathtaking--impossible to capture on film. The mountains ran right up to the beach. There were also baboons there!! When we drove up, there was a mother baboon cradling her baby in her lap and when we left, we saw a baboon too! They were very interesting creatures to watch. The baboon seemed almost human-like when it stood up and reached into a flap to search for food. We also saw a blesbok but the batteries in my camera died so I was unable to get pictures.

We then rode down the hill to the south-westernmost part of Africa. I was really sad that my camera was dead at this point because we were right on the beach. We climbed up the face of the cliff and took in the view. God's creation truly is magnificent.

Dinner was at the oldest steakhouse in Capetown, The Wooden Shoe. The food was excellent. I had beef because South Africa is famous for their cattle and I was not disappointed.