It is very easy for tourists to visit Cape Town without driving a car. There are these big red sightseeing buses that make one of two loops around the city stopping at all the favorite tourist attractions. For a set price you can hop on and off, as many times as you need to visit all the sights. I was able to catch the Go Bus just across the street from my hotel. Very nice!
My first stop was Table Mountain - a big flat topped mountain right in the middle of town. The cable car you see hold up to 20 people as we make our way to the top. You can also hike up to or down from the mountain. I rode the cable car both ways as the weather was hot and humid, in the mid 30's Celsius. (Come on guys, you can do the math!) Trust me, it was hot and humid.
ferris wheel, boat rides, lots of shopping and restaurants and a really nice aquarium. This is where you catch the boat to Robben Island for the tour of the infamous prison. Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 year imprisioned on Robben Island. Here's a picture of his cell.
Our guide was also imprisoned here as a political prisoner from 1986 until he was released in 1991. He now lives on the island. I asked him how he could go back to a place he was imprisoned and he said that at the time, he really needed a job but now he couldn't see himself anyplace but here. He said he was imprisoned here for being a member of the ANC, the African National Congress - a banned political party.
Statues of the 4 South African laureates at the V&A waterfront. Each won a Nobel Peace prize. Can you name them?
L - R)
Albert Luthuli - 1961
Bishop Desmond Tutu - 1984
F.W. de Klerk - 1993 co-winner with
Nelson Mandela -1993
Table Mountain as seen from the ferry to Robben Island with a covering of clouds. The tour was sobering, learning about apartheid and why the 4 men in the picture above were awarded Nobel Peace Prizes.
More pictures to come later.
Shari
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