So surprisingly, we got into Capetown earlier than I had imagined..customs took a quick 30 minutes and we were out roaming the port before we knew it! The port was absolutely beautiful!
The weather was great, as it was fall/winter season right now in Capetown so it was 70 degrees and sunny…The port was actually pretty expensive in terms of food, transportation, etc. I soon learned that the area we were in was the most posh and elite area in all of South Africa! It definitely was a fun area to hang out in..but I knew right when I stepped off of the ship that this isn’t where I wanted to spend the next five days…I needed to get out of the city to interact with locals and immerse myself in the culture.
So anyways, the first thing on my agenda was hitting up Robben Island. Robben Island is one of my most famous prisons in the world, specifically because it was used as a political prison. It became a place to keep the mentally ill, those affected with leprosy, and those people who protested against apartheid. They were banished to the island away from public view. This political prison was in operation until early as 1991!!! The most famous person who was held in prison at Robben Island for 17 years was Nelson Mandela.
Anyways, I was told that tickets to go the island were sold out well before we arrived, but I still went to the ticket counter and decided that I may be able to use my great persuasive skills and get 2 tickets for Chi-Chi and I! Initially they told us that they were sold out for the next five days, but after a lot of pushing, begging, and sweet-talking (skills which I have gradually acquired over the last 21 yrs), a gentleman came up to me and said…2 tickets for 11am, is that okay miss? I tried to keep calm, but was jumping with excitement inside… I said…yes sir, that’s perfect, thank you! I was soooo excited…Chi-Chi was positive that we were going to get in somehow, but I was definitely nervous at first; I’m so glad it worked out, as my top priority in Capetown was to visit the prison and see Mandela’s cell. Chi-Chi just looked at me when I got the tickets, and kept saying..how did you do that Neha, how the hell did you do that??…and I really myself didn’t know how I did it! She proceeded to say, “Neha, girl you’re my ace!” I shook my head and said..i know..i know!
We had 2 tickets in our hands and we were off on a ferry to Robben Island!
The ferry ride took about 20 minutes and about 300 people fit on the ferry in total. We were actually the only Semester at Sea students (all the other students didn’t get tickets and/or didn’t get to the ticket counter early enough for the 11am ferry..).
So as we arrived at Robben Island, I was a little surprised because the island was actually an entire city! It had a church, a school, offices, homes, and multiple prisons.
I soon learned that it was because the guards and their families all lived on the island. The prisoners were forced to do hard labor; mostly breaking stones in the searing and blinding sun.
All prisoners had long term eye damage and many were now blind because of this. Our tour guides of the prison were actual previous inmates! I couldn’t believe that I was standing next to a man who had been locked in prison for eleven years because he was peacefully protesting apartheid.
In 1990 Nelson Mandela was released and the last remaining prisoners were released in 1991. Mandela the believed that instead of a prison, Robben Island was actually a university because of the immense life lessons he learned from others and about himself. Most former prisoners agree that they never want to forget Robben Island, and thus volunteer educating the public about the history of the prison. They believe that it represents all who sacrificed their freedom for the sake of democracy, the triumph of human condition, and the birth of the new South Africa. Inmates were put into 3 different groups depending on their “crime”; they were allowed only 30 minute visits every six months and only English or Afrikanas was allowed to be spoken. There were over 1,800 prisoners, and I was especially surprised to see graves of people with the name Iyer or Patel. I couldn’t believe there were even Indians who died at this prison! One of our tour guides was named Benjamin Tao and during apartheid he saw his girlfriend shot in the mouth. This event not only scarred him for life, but it motivated him to stand up for his beliefs. He moved to Turkey for a few years and learned how to make explosives..he was part of a huge plan/activity, but unfortunately he miscalculated some parts of the plan and was caught and sent to prison. He stayed at Robben Island for nine years.
We had a chance to see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell.
It brought chills throughout my body to imagine him sitting in this exact cell and hundreds of others, who really had done nothing wrong besides standing up for their basic rights as individuals. I guess the hardest thing for me to wrap my mind around was the fact that this all happened only less than 20 years back! Apartheid was in full swing even after I was born!! That’s insane..it took more than 30 years for the effects of the western nation to be brought about in South Africa..
Anyways, the entire experience was amazing, heart-wrenching, and inspiring. It’s hard to put into words my exact emotions, but it was life-changing for sure.
We got back on the ferry and headed back to Capetown…
The view from the island was gorgeous though...
Our next stop was the market place on Long Street. The market on Long Street was a very different experience then all the other markets I’ve been to so far…One of the most interesting things thus far in this trip has been checking out all the local markets in each country. You get a great sense of the local people, culture, language, smells, and so much more! The market on Long Street was clearly meant for foreigners, so I didn’t have AS much fun as I had had in previous markets, but it was still nice to see traditional handicrafts, jewelry, and interact with an array of people.
I came across a number of diverse restaurants and people. I was surprised at the number of Indians who had recently moved to Capetown from India..they had small “chaat” stores and were surprised when I started speaking to them in Hindi! Although there were many Indians, Europeans (a lot of Dutch), about 65% were Africans from the entire continent. I met many from Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Uganda. The main language people were conversing in was Afrikans, which is has a bit of a Dutch influence.
I had lunch at a small Indian hole in the wall place (I know I was in South Africa, I should have eaten some authentic South African food, but you would be surprised at the few number of authentic restaurants they have! Most restaurants were extremely westernized and served burgers and fries) And besides, I have been craving Indian food ever since I was in India last month! The owner of the restaurant had just moved from Bombay a few months back … we had very interesting conversations..
After that, Chi-Chi and I had to head back to the ship for our Semester at Sea trip, “A Night of Theater” We went to the Artscape Theater in downtown Capetown to watch a performance of one of my personal favorite musicals…GREASE!
Although I was hoping we were going to see an authentic South African performance, I still had a great time as we were lucky enough to go backstage prior to the performance and talk to the actors, directors, and dancers in the musical! Most of them were from Capetown originally, but I was surprised that 99% of them were white. On top of that, in a theater with 500 seats, I could literally count the number of colored/blacks (maybe 3-4). It definitely didn’t feel as if I was in South Africa…but after talking to some locals later on regarding this disparity they simply said that theater and those types of performances were not their idea of entertainment. They suggested that I attend the jazz festival which was going on in South Africa that entire week, as I would probably have a more cultural and diverse experience there. I did just that the next day, and it was AWESOME! I’m so glad I went, as it was an outdoor performance, and every one was singing and dancing along with the musicians..
I didn’t have any plans for the next day since all of my friends were leaving for 3 day safari trips (I had a 1 day safari trip)…So I was just planning on playing it by ear…. little did I know tomorrow would be one of the best days of my trip thus far!
