Although I promised this week’s blog would be about South African food and sports, an amazing opportunity came up: Cape Town!

Over the weekend, I travelled to Cape Town with Rodina and her father. Cape town, which is located approximately 1400 kms from Johannesburg, is the second most populated city in South Africa; it is the legislative capital of the country. It is also renowned for its tourist attractions. I was fortunate to discover Cape Town through various modes of transportation. In the short span of two days, I found myself on a plane, a Ferris Wheel, a ferryboat, a car and a cable car.

Plane

Friday morning: my alarm screamed at 4:45 am and we were off to the airport! Several turbulence scares later (yes – still afraid of flying), I found myself in the mountainous, intense wind and sweating-weather of Cape Town. Along with Rodina and her dad, we rented a white, mini, teenage car that was perfect for the occasion. How cool! We then went to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

Ferris Wheel

The V&A Waterfront was spectacular; the water was sharp blue and every store had a unique, vibrant colour. After grabbing a bite to eat in a restaurant on the water, Rodina and I decided to go on a Ferris Wheel to see the amazing scenery from a bird’s eye view. Luckily, we were the only ones on the Ferris Wheel; we therefore got to go around five times and even stop at the top. On one side, we admired Table Mountain and on the other, the Ocean. These are images that will stay with me forever.

Ferryboat

During the afternoon, we took a three-hour tour of Robben Island, the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. In order to get there, a ferryboat was necessary. However, the exaggerated waves weren’t. The island is simply fascinating, given its history: in 1990, it was declared a World Heritage Site. The wonderful, air-conditioned tour bus took us around and explained how the inmates and their families lived on the island. After the bus tour, we were fortunate enough to visit the prison Nelson Mandela was in. There, we were allowed to go inside the claustrophobic cells and learn about the prisoner’s rules and activities. I found it interesting to learn that they would organize table tennis tournaments in their rooms and would hide the papers with the scores and team information! Finally, the last thing I got to see was Nelson Mandela’s actual cell.

Car

Now, you’re probably thinking: after I talked about extravagant modes of transportation such as a plane, a ferryboat or a Ferris Wheel, then a car must be extremely boring. Wrong! In this case, our car allowed us to get from V&A Waterfront to the base of Cape Point, while avoiding a grueling four-hour long hike. (Thank you car!) At Cape Point, we were rested enough to walk up the breathtaking mountain to Cape of Good Hope. We also visited the lighthouse of Cape Point, where thankfully the wind did not succeed to blow me over the railing!

Cable Car

The last stop on our adventure was Table Mountain, the most popular tourist attraction in Cape Town. To get to the top of the 3,563 feet above sea-level mountain, we took a cable car. I saw several white knuckles as we were all holding on to our phones for dear life while we were taking pictures. (Note: the cable car did not have windows). Once we reached the top, the view was breathtaking. After a thorough one-hour walk around the entire mountain, we fought amongst the Canon-photo-hungry-tourists for the perfect picture on one of the rocks!

Zulu word of the week

Ezokuthutha: transportation!

My weekend adventure was fantastic. I am completely exhausted but have all week to rest and tend to my crispy-burned face and arms! I look forward to new adventures and discoveries. – Abby Shine ’17, Exchange Student at St Stithians Girls’ College