I know, I know... I haven't blogged in 11 days, and am now 2 weekends behind on stories. So to make it up to the few blog fans I have out there, I'm going on a blogging spree! I'm promising one blog entry a day, for the next 3 days! Or Buy 1 - Get 2 Free, whichever you prefer... Extra sorries to Mr. Russ Swearingen, as he has declared his love for Boots the Cat stories on his blog and I haven't provided any recently. Your luck is about to change, buddy!
So this update goes back to the lovely weekend of June 7th - 8th. Sanford's wife Amanda was just beginning a 2-week stay, the weather had officially become "chilly to freezing," and six South African resident-tourists set out for a weekend of adventure (those six being Sarah, Sanford, Amanda, Heloise, Pauline, & Ryan.) First stop was another trip through Muizenberg Beach and Kalk Bay for some amazing lunch and pictures:
Top: Scouting the perfect picture, Kalk BayBottom: The picture! Kalk Bay
Following lunch, we headed out to Constantia for a wine-tasting and the beautiful views of the vineyard and mountains at Groot Constantia. South African wine is already fantastic (although you shouldn't take my word, I can't smell) but the Groot is great! (not an official slogan) The sun was heading down as we left, so photo guru Sarah led an impromptu tree climbing session to capture some great shots of the scenery:
Top, Middle, & Bottom: AwesomeThe next morning we woke up for a tour of Robben Island, the former island prison of the coast of Cape Town where Nelson Mandela and all other political prisoners fighting apartheid were held. The tour is a fantastic and saddening learning opportunity, as you are led through the facilities by a former political prisoner and told the horror stories of the prison and the apartheid-era.
Top: Political Prisoner Museum at ferry dockMiddle: Prison Entry
Middle # 2: Buildings
Middle # 3: Nelson Mandela's jail cell
Bottom: Guided Tour
The stories of what the prisoners endured, and how they maintained their strength and unity through such hard times are very inspiring. Two of my favorites were the secret cave teaching lessons, and the tennis ball information-pass. Prisoners were forced to mine limestone during their sentences for 8 hours a day. During these work sessions, the prisoners would sneak into a nearby cave for "breaks," in which they would hold classes for fellow prisoners in a variety of topics. Knowing that knowledge was power, the prisoners maintained the ability to learn and teach each other although it was strictly forbidden. The tennis ball info-pass involved recreation time, in which tennis was allowed. In order to communicate news or messages with other sections of the prison, tennis balls were cut open and filled with information. They were then "accidentally" hit into the next prison yard, where they were opened, re-filled, and sent back.
Another cool story involved the pile of rocks pictured above. After all of the political prisoners had been released, and Robben Island was turned into a national historic site and tour, a ceremony was held for Nelson Mandela and all of his comrades that had served time at Robben Island. After the ceremony concluded, without saying a word to anyone, Mandela walked into the limestone mines, picked a rock out of the hills, and set it in the middle of this walkway. Also without saying a word, each fellow political prisoner followed Mandela's lead and selected a rock to stack. The end result was this pile, a symbol of the solidarity of those imprisoned on Robben Island over the many years.The other great (& windy) part of the tour was the boat ride to and from the island. Although very rocky, it provided for some amazing views of Cape Town from the ocean:
And finally, my favorite picture of the weekend:
The sunset over a busy, Camp's Bay street. Yep, I live here. Pretty great...
Next time on Ryan's Blog... Surgery at 12 Cambridge Rd., Youth Day, and the true story of Boots the Cat! Stay tuned!
much love,
Ryan
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