We arranged to meet Joe and Ginger to take the Hop-on, Hope-off Bus. Before boarding we walked over to the museum for Robbins Island for Joe to buy a ticket for the next day's trip to where Nelson Mandela has been held prisoner for 27 years during apartheid. This island was known as the "University," because a stint there put a prisoner in contact with Mandela and so many other notables in the country's fight for freedom. After we bought our tickets for both the Blue and Red Lines, we ran into Jean-Guy and Diana, Joe and Ginger's friendly companions from Ankgor Wat and ours from India. An incredible six-some. Okay, the first superlative--the commentary on this hop-on, hop-off bus has to be the best ever. We learned so much.
First, our commentator informed us that the port where the ship docked was the Victoria and Alfred, not Albert, Waterfront. Alfred, the queen and prince's second son transported the first batch of stones to the port to fill in the bay. We marveled at a highway near downtown that just stops because people protested it would destroy the important cultural heritage. Its remnants remain as a monument to the city planners in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, this unfinished highway is used to film stunts for advertisements and movies. We were equally impressed with the International Conference Center that was opened in 2003 to entice conferences to this spectacular city. Joe spotted a sign for Rotary International that made him want to visit the chapter because he was from the birthplace of the service club--Toledo, Ohio. The other sign that we all appreciated was "Feeding baboons is deeply unwise," a quote that can be used for many activities.
Cape Town also boasts the hospital in which Christian Bernard performed the world's first heart transplant and the University of Cape Town, the oldest university in South Africa. It was the site of lively protests during the height of demonstrations against apartheid in the 1980s. Cecil Rhodes, one of the major figures in Cape Town, who was a confirmed bachelor but a magnet for attractive women, was the impetus for Rhodes Scholarships. Any recipient from South Africa must be committed to working for the betterment of the country.
Then we reached the point on the bus where we had to decide which of two stops we should get off the bus--we did not have time to do both--the Kirstenbosch, considered one of the finest botanical gardens in the world, or the Constantia Wine Tour at the oldest vineyard in South Africa. By a unanimous vote, we all departed the bus for the wine tour that had opened in January 2011. After the wine tasting and the walk around the winery, we all agreed that we had made the right choice. Friends who toured the gardens later informed us that fall was not the best season for the flora.
Simon Vander Stel created his beloved Groot Constantia Wine Estate in 1685, where visitors are only a "cork pop away" from Heaven. The estate was built with slave labor and had been modified lavishly by its subsequent owners. One-half of the land was under vines, with 70 percent being used for red wine and 30 percent for white wine. Our hostess was very generous when she poured the wine for tasting. In fact, she joined in the drinking of the wine with us and opened a bottle of one of the most expensive wines that was clearly marked "not for wine tasting" for us to enjoy. We six were joined by three men from England, and thanks to Ginger, the women each had their photograph taken with one of these men who coordinated with us in color--the most impressive being the Englishman wearing a lime green shirt that matched Ginger's scarf from Singapore, which Joe remembered as a "three-scarf day."
After we rejoined the regular Blue Mini Peninsula Tour, the commentary pointed out a "Shanty Town" where Nate Milton, an Irishman, had built brick houses for the shanty dwellers. Unfortunately, Cape Town, like much of Africa, has a huge problem with unemployment and poverty.
In complete contrast, the remainder of the tour took us along Beach Road with South Africa's best beaches, which we will summarize concisely. The waterfront has been transformed in the last 20 years but the key to success for the city is that it is a working harbor:
Hout Bay: With the slogan is "Work is for people who can't surf," this beach with 20-meter waves (the size of a 10-story building) sponsors the world's most famous surfers in May through August. The water can change from smooth as glass to something that looks like a giant washing machine churning round and round. For these wave chargers, it's "just another day at the office."
Camps Beach: This is the Venice Beach of Cape Town, a place to see and be seen by the rich and famous.
Clifton: This beautiful strand is Cape Town's most valuable property. Smart, stylish people hang out there.
Bantry Bay, Sea Point, Three Anchor Bay: These are some of Cape Town's most popular beaches. There are a beach for singles, a beach for models and weightlifters, a beach for surfers and a beach for families.
Mouille Point: The red- and white-striped, square-shaped lighthouse is the oldest in South Africa. Numerous ships have sunk off its coast.
Once we completed the Blue Tour, we transferred to the Red City Tour with our ultimate destination being Table Mountain. On the way, we passed the Old Slave Lodge, where slaves who worked in the city were locked up at night, and drove through District Six, well known for the role that it played in apartheid. In 1951, South Africa banned marriage between the races, based on the concept the people of different colors could not live together. In 1968, the bulldozers arrived in that section of the city to begin the grim task of demolishing the residents' homes before relocating 60,000 black people. Overnight, the social and economic structure of Cape Town changed. When apartheid was abolished in 1994, committees were formed to prevent the redevelopment of the area so that the grass and weeds remain as a monument to the inhumanity that was part of the movement. Today the white houses in the area belong to the first families who have moved back into District Six with the hope that these residents will breathe new live into the damaged neighborhood.
The commentator also pointed out the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest standing building in South Africa, which was built in the shape of a five-pointed star to defend the cape from the Dutch taking control of it. In its heyday, the Castle of Good Hope was the center of community life, boasting its own bakery and church. It was also used as a prison and place of torture so it has its fair share of ghosts. Today the castle houses a military museum. Another highlight was the Clock Tower of City Hall where in 1990, the world was able to hear the voice of Nelson Mandela after he was freed from Robbins Island after 27 years as a prisoner. Also on the route were Trafalgar Place, a flower market that is a Cape Town landmark; Strand Street that used to be beachfront property before the land was reclaimed; houses in the former slave quarters that were brightly painted because the slaved were restricted to drab-colored clothing; and the Italian Stone Pines that are a bone of contention because they are part of the national park, which some people claim should only sport indigenous plants.
Table Mountain is the heart of Cape Town and served as a symbol of hope and freedom to the prisoners on Robbins Island. More than 80,000 visitors take the Cableway to the top annually. The cable cars revolve so that all passenger can admire the 360 degree view. At the top, we smiled at the cute dassies, which is Dutch for badger, that hold claim to being the nearest relative to the elephants that are not extinct in the area, and took the short Dassie trail to obtain a panoramic view of the Cape Town area.
Then we returned to the waterfront, which was modeled after the waterfronts in Sydney and San Francisco, to consume three pitchers of beer among six people--Ginger, Joe, Jane, Michael, Sara and Ken. We got back to the boat in time to watch the African Folkloric Show before turning in. We had an early start the next day for our tour to the Cape of Good Hope.
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