South Africa – A World in One Country
Day Thirteen – 4 Oct 2013 – Day of wind.
Weather: sunny, warm, windy
But it wasn’t enough to stop the Robben Island ferry. I was up at 6:45 and met up with some from the tour at breakfast. I gave fridge magnets to some of the Brits and we exchanged emails. I ran into Mark and told him we had a phenom time on the mountain and he said it was good cause it looked to be socked in today. But the winds are what kept it closed.
I got my transfer to the Robben Island ferry terminal at 7:30 and we got down there at 7:45 but the transfer went in the back way that was under construction. He got out and knocked on the back door and they were nice enough to let me in.
Turns out I only had to be there for 8:30, not 8 am. There were large displays following the history of Robben Island on the wall so it took me close to a half hour to read it all.
It started by showing how the island formed. It’s just a piece of the mainland that would become part of the mainland if the sea level dropped a few metres. More likely, it’s going to be inundated before the end of the century and will be gone altogether.
For much of the last five hundred years, the island was used, on and off, as a prison and/or a mental hospital. It was even home to lepers for a short time. During the war, it was fortified. After the war, it was quiet until the Apartheid policy led to political incarcerations and the island was then used again as a prison. Nelson Mandela was incarcerated in 1963 and would stay there until 1982 when his failing health got him relocated to a mainland prison.
Between 1963 and 1991, the prison slowly made improvements due to international pressure such as introducing hot showers in the late 70s. In 1996, the island closed its criminal prison and became a national monument and was later declared a UNESCO heritage site in 1999.
The ferry left at 9 and I made my way to the top level where it can be chilly, but there’s no better place to get pics of the tablecloth. Or forty pictures of it.
We are sailing with the wind, so we really don’t feel it and my fleece is almost too much. The boat takes about a half hour to get to the island and there are buses waiting for everyone. They fill one bus then move on to the next once it’s full.
Our first stop is to what I believe is a small Muslim mosque on the grounds and then we move on to a pair of buildings where the dogs were kept with a small house on the same block. That is where a single prisoner lived for his time on Robben Island. Four guards watched each side of the house and they were not permitted to talk to him. The guards were changed every 3 months so that they couldn’t get familiar with the prisoner. He eventually forgot how to talk.
The next stop was to the limestone quarry. The limestone there is useless for commercial use but they had the prisoners dig the rock just to move it to another spot. They used spades, axes and their bare hands to dig the rock only to move it a few metres.
The next stop is at the east end of the island that faces Cape Town. With a blue sky and the white tablecloth, it’s an amazing photo op.
We get on the bus and get a visit from Cristo Bland. He was one of Mandela’s guards who began to sympathize with him and stayed with him for about four years.
He has a book coming out in 2014 based on his experiences.
From here, we head towards the main prison where the bus tour ends and we are handed over to another guide. But this isn’t any ordinary guard. This man is a former prisoner.
He is an amazing man to listen to. Here’s a short clip:
The guide took us into a long dormitory type room and this is where he used to be housed. He showed us the ID they used to have to carry and a list of the food they got every day. It was divided depending on race.
The guide took us to a large courtyard where he pointed to a small garden that Mandela had tended, including some grape vines. But what was significant about the spot is that this was where he buried his manuscript which was eventually found there (but he had a second copy).
There is a picture here of the prisoners sitting in two rows crushing rock with hammers.
From here, we enter the corridor where Mandela’s cell is located. This is another Amazing Race moment, but the cell doesn’t look like the one I saw on TV. Hmmm.
I’m at the back of the line by now and manage a couple of pics before the next group run us over. They were so loud, I could barely hear anything while we were in the cellblock.
We step outside, say good bye to the guide and tip him as we leave.
From here, we can walk to the ferry. There’s a shop on the way out and I pick up my fridge magnet and find a nice t-shirt.
On the ferry, I go back up to the top deck and the ride back is a thrill.
We’re now sailing into a 50 kph wind which, with the speed of the ship added in, my eyes feel like they want to pop into the back of my head and I stop feeling my lips.
But I’m having too much fun to seek shelter.
I stay there till close to the end of the ride. We pull in just after 12:30 and since I figure Table Mountain is closed, I decide to shop till I drop on the V&A waterfront.
I have lunch at McDonalds and pick up a couple of necklace pendants and some tape to shore up my luggage. I also pick up an ostrich egg carving for my brother in law who had one but broke it. I also pick up a sub for dinner and find a taxi. It’s only $7.50 back to the hotel. $10 with the tip.
I drop my stuff in my room and go down to the shore to dip my socks and sneakers in the South Atlantic. The seashore is beautiful.
Huge surf waves, beach covered in shells that crunch as you walk and huge outcroppings of rock to walk on. Gorgeous spot!
As I got back to the hotel, I hang around the lobby to see if I can meet up with the tour from the winelands. They expected to be back around 4:30. I wait a while and they don’t show, so I go have a shower. At 6 pm I head down to see if any from the winelands are hanging about but meet up with two as they get out of the elevator. They start laughing when they see me.
They had just gotten back.
Apparently, the bus broke down and they waited an hour and a half for a replacement. They said smoke was coming out the back and they picked a spot to pull over, not wanting to risk going any farther because of the area they were in.
After chatting with them, I go back to my room and get my luggage ready for tomorrow. It’s a three country odyssey which goes from Cape Town to Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Kasane in Botswana.
Wooohooo!
Go to Day Fourteen
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