Final Days in South Africa

During my final days in South Africa, I had very little time to blog; thus, I am going to attempt to summarize the last few days now (even though I am back in the states) and offer some final thoughts.

Sunday - I forgot to mention in my last post that before our trip to Robben Island, my mom and I visited Green Point Market. I love bargaining! Americans should do more of it. I have learned a few tricks over the years (e.g., don't get too attached to the item, bring a calculator to do the currency exchange quickly and accurately, and walk away if they won't give you the price you want!), and it was fun to watch my mom get the hang of it. We both managed to get a few gifts for people and a few things for myself.

Monday was another touristy day. I took the cable car up to the summit of Table Mountain and did some hiking. It was nice to get some fresh air and enjoy the spring weather. Afterward, we visited Bo Kaap (a Muslim neighborhood) and the Castle of Good Hope (the oldest building in South Africa) before we were given some free time. I visited the Old Slave Lodge, the South African Museum, and the Company's Garden. I tried to visit the District Six Museum and the National Gallery, but they were both closed. I was most grateful for the opportunity to wander around the city on my own, and I quickly discovered that Cape Town is quite small! It didn't take me long to walk from one end to the other. In the late afternoon, I visited a jeweler with a few other women on my trip where I treated myself to a lovely pendant necklace made of Tanzanite (a rare gem found only in Tanzania - the mines will be depleted in less than 15 years, so I figured I had to buy something before they ran out!) ;-) Dinner was at Marimba - a restaurant/jazz club owned by a friend of a friend. My mom and I had eaten there a few days earlier, but this time we brought four people along with us. The first night we ate there, there was a jazz group playing. The marimba player was from South Africa and the bass player and piano player were from Congo and are living in South Africa as refugees. Jazz in South Africa seemed different from American jazz - more of an international flavor I suppose. I was disappointed to find out that the band didn't have a CD because I loved them.

Tuesday - We woke up to torrential rain and cold temperatures. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I boarded the bus for our trip to the wine lands. The countryside was absolutely gorgeous - even in the rain - and they make some delicious wine. My favorite part of the day, however, was talking to our bus driver and tour guide. We talked about the World Cup, the possibility of bringing students to South Africa, volunteer opportunities, politics, reactions to Oprah's school (mostly positive), and the tourist industry. After our day in the country, we returned to the city for a final banquet. We exchanged email addresses and shared our plans for how we plan to use our experiences at work. It was a bittersweet meal. Many people were staying for another 3 days to visit Kruger National Park, but I knew I was headed back to the states (after a 20-hour plane ride of course).

Wednesday was National Heritage Day, and our last day in South Africa. We spent the morning walking around Cape Town and doing a little shopping in Greenmarket Square. In the Company's Garden someone spray painted the statues of Cecil Rhodes and Jan Smuts with the phrase "Reject this heritage." Definitely a sign that racial tension is there - despite reconciliation efforts - and a sign of South Africa's troubled past and uncertain future.

In the afternoon it was off to the airport -- Cape Town to Jo'burg; Jo'burg to Dakar; Dakar to New York. Ugh!

*Photos: Cecil Rhodes in the Company's Garden; a Muslim resident of Bo Kaap; dinner at Marimba (yum!)