Around the World in 128 Days - Robben Island and a Township Meal

 

Travel Day 107 - April 19, 2024 - 8,569 Steps

What a difference a day makes as this morning it was clear and sunny looking out from our verandah.

Then just minutes later in came the fog with a vengence.

Our destination this morning.

Normally a 25 minute ferry ride from Cape Town, this morning the fog had the departure time greatly delayed and when the ferry finally did get under way, the trip took 50 minutes due to think fog.

The fog was confined to to water and immediate shore, while the island itself was as if there never was any fog. What there was were the reminders of what Robben Island once was. The prison where the worst of the political prisoners of the apartheid government made sure they would be unable to further cause any trouble. Trouble meaning many things, such as trying to give the 90% of the population that were non-white a say not only on in how they were governed or just simply being treated as equal human beings for example.

They quarry. A punishment very similar to what the concentration camp victims during WWII were subjected to, yet the world did little to help the blacks in South Africa. 

The cave, a place of intermittent rest for a time. But later turned into a place of torture by the white warders (guards)..

A pile of stones created by former political prisoners led by Nelson Mandela, who placed the first stone, which commemorates the daily life and hard work endured by the political prisoners.

The quarters of the warders (guards) was in sharp contrast to the conditions the political prisoners were forced to endure.

You know who is looking for a you know what.

Taking a page from the Nazi textbook.

Our guide in the political prisoner section was himself a former political prisoner.

Cup. plate and spoon given to prisoners in the larger rooms housing the general population political prisoners.

It looks a couple of pieces of carpet, which was what it was, but it was also what the prisoners in the individual cells had to sleep on. Cots can be seen in the background of this large room, but at various times the conditions would change over the the years.

Different amounts of food depending on how the racial classification of the prisoner. Bantus were blacks and as such they got less. Under apartheid colored and black meat two different things entirely unlike in the US where they are synonymous.

She's at it again. But it's to have a symbol of remembrance of man's inhumanity to its fellow man.

Prisoners forced to spend the day breaking large stones into small stones. The whites could force the prisoners to break stones, but they could not break the people's will to do away with apartheid.

Linda standing in that same courtyard where Mandela and the the other "top" political prisoners where forced to break stones.

The cells that held the "top" political prisoners.

Mandela's cell at the time of his release from his life sentence.

I'll keep our private conversation to myself, but I will say he and I had the same opinion as the why our government didn't do more to end apartheid much sooner.

We've taken similar photos at the entrances to Nazi concentration camps.

The fog was gone for our return to Cape town but the remembrance of what took place on Robben Island will be with us for the remainder of our lives.

Love the colors that are so often prevalent in other countries.

The requisite Table Mountain in the background photo.

A restaurant in a township home? You bet. Where there is a will there is a way.

Bowl the bread was served in. I made sure it was still on the table when we left instead of being secreted somewhere on Linda's person.

Typical township food served buffet style. It went very slowing because most people wanted to know what each food was was, even though most were readily apparent. On fellow several people in front of me would put the spoon up near his nose and smell each food before deciding whether to put it on his plate or not. My way was to take of small amount of everything.

Linda's plate.

And my plate, she took almost as many things as I did, bless her heart. We both used that old adage to fill our plates. "When in Rome do as the Romans do. When eating in a Township, eat what all the locals eat." We both agreed the the food was way better than what we usually get on the ship.

This area of the Township was more modernized.

But right at the end of the street where the bus was parked was one of homes like 100,000's of others in the Townships.

Cape Town at night as seen form the Crow's nest during our Happy Hour. South Africa is a study in contrasts, but someday it will hopefully take its place among the most advanced countries in the world and fulfill Nelson Mandela's dream.

Speaking Happy Hour, a tasty snack, a delicious beverage, a good book, and a beautiful woman, what more could a guy ask for.

And ending the day is my latest read. The second one featuring the late Queen by this author. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first one in the series, but it was still enjoyable.

And as a final note, yes, there are no videos today, but we have two consecutive days of excursions coming up and I didn't want to fall any further behind in posting. But with three sea days after them maybe a video will be playing in the blog soon.