We had great tour guides! They were very excited for us and completed our tour with humor and love. We started at the clock tower on Waterfront.
As you can see we had to resort to umbrellas to cover us from the water splashing and the wind coming at us.
We arrived at Robben Island and had such an amazing and moving experience. We were able to do an island tour and a prison tour.
The island tour was more than we expected. We were even able to see a penguin!! We saw the houses that housed the guards and the families. We also saw the building in which Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton and Bill Cosby hosted a party.
Our tour guide for the prison tour was once a prisoner and even found a sneaky way to meet Nelson Mandela! He said he appeared to be one of the cooks and was able to collect the dishes from the inmates and he found his way into Mandela's cell. He was able to express his experience through a positive message. There was no bitterness. South Africa has truly moved on from the dark past of the country and want to show their history in order to show what they overcome and what will not be repeated.
We returned to the Waterfront on a...pirate ship!!!
We could not believe it! Just look at our emotion!
We even saw a seal!
We followed with a stop at the local township, Langa, one of the smallest and oldest townships in Cape Town. We were able to visit their pottery shops, where they produce the local artwork that sustains the community. Look at the pottery below, this was made for Georgetown University! We also were able to buy the pottery and other art local artist create.
Our day ended with visiting the people in the township. This was possible the most emotional part of the day. The children jumped in our arms, others welcomed us with smiles and kind words. We were able to see their living conditions, culture and customs. They were very eager to show us their art of dance. They danced with such passion and made us want to learn so much more about their culture.They welcomed us with open arms into their lives, providing us a glismpe of their joy and happiness. It opened our eyes to the beauty of community and family. Many of us leave the township with a need to return because they have left an imprint in our hearts.
Tonight's dinner was amazing! We visited Nando's! Such great food!
We still have 2 more weeks here. We can only imagine how much more we will fall in love with South Africa. Stay tuned to find out!
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