Stories From A Traveler

I have made it safely back to the States, and oh how I miss the Cape! With this blog, I have complied photos from fifteen destinations I have visited during my stay. Some location includes general information about the site, while others have segments from past journal entries, and then there are a few that I believe the pictures speak for themselves.

African Penguins

During our tour of Cape Peninsula, we briefly visited Boulders Beach, home to thousands of African penguins. This protected area houses one of the only mainland colonies of penguins in the world. This particular colony of African penguins was formed in 1983. During their nesting season, penguins find shelter in burrows, which are usually created in the sand or under plants. Below shows a photo of a man-made burrow.

Aquila Safari

Saturday

27 July 2013

We left the hostile at 6 a.m. to drive two hours to the Aquila Safari. I was thrilled to see the breakfast buffet waiting for us. It was my first real breakfast since I have been in South Africa. The two hour tour began at 10 a.m. I was a little disappointed midway through the ride. The safari was more like a big open zoo. It was very clear that the animals were not in their natural habitat. Many did not have a mate. Let’s just say that there was a lot of testosterone build up. For example, two male elephants have been taking their frustration out on each other and ramming into nearby trees because they are of age to mate, but unfortunately, there are no female elephants on the premises. Both elephants have lost one of their tusk due to the brutal fights. I also noticed that food and other resources are put in place in order for the animals to survive, like grass and other animals for them to eat. There was a tall food tower for a giraffe to use because there are not enough trees in the area.
Overall, I felt for the animals because it was like they were in poverty, unable to have the necessary resources to survive due to a higher power (the tourism industry) exploiting them for monetary benefits. The animals are confided to a limited amount of space, never being able to venture to on their own free will. Their circumstances remind me of the conditions of those who were oppressed during the apartheid.

It was very chilly during the tour.

Cape of Good Hope

Thursday

25 July 2013

The Cape Peninsula tour was filled with hiking, penguins and sea food. I enjoyed seeing the Cape from the other side of Table Mountain. It was so much different from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area. While hiking up the Cape of Good Hope, I walked slowly. I wanted to take in the moment holistically. The scene was surreal. It was like I was immersed in untouched natural beauty. I could not get this view in America because the continuous deforestation to build cities and roads has altered the land’s original state. The white sanded beaches, green valleys, and colorful hills hold a value much greater than the man-made sites back home. During most of the hike I had my headphones in listening to India Arie. The music was perfect for the setting. I was able to forget about the heavily breathing and the muscle tightness I was experiencing at the moment because the music put me in a calm state.

Another cold day at the Cape. We all got close, locked arms to quickly take the picture.

Cape Peninsula National Park

Castle of Good Hope

Tuesday

16 July 2013

The Castle of Good Hope was built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The castle is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa. It's original purpose was used as a maritime replenishment station. During this time, The Dutch occupied the Cape as a spice and slave trading stop.

We arrived at the castle just in time to see the traditional Key Ceremony and the firing of the Signal Cannon at noon. The castle includes several different chambers including places to store ammunition, wine, horses, slaves, and prisioners of wars. There is also a sleeping quarters for military personnel, and a tourture chamber.

District 6 Museum

Wednesday

17 July 2013

The District 6 Museum was the last stop of the day. I have to admit I loved the visit. Due to my pervious involvement with the Memphis NAACP Youth Council, I like to consider myself a human rights activist, although I have not been as active as I would like due to college commitments and seeing a lack of similar organizations on campus. The museum reminds me of a miniature Civil Rights Museum. I learned about how and why the government abolished one of the most diverse communities in the city, which became one of the first forced acts of segregation during the apartheid in the 1960s.

My word for the day is “justice”. After viewing the site, I saw so many similarities in the apartheid to the Jim Crow Laws in the United States. Almost identical acts of segregation were taking place in two totally different places in the world at the same time in history. It frustrates me how the United States take prides in being the land of the free and claims to promote diversity, yet we have truly practiced divided views on equality since the beginning of our nation. Injustices are still swept under the rug, while segregation still exists consciously and unconsciously. Personally, based on what I have experienced in the States and witnessed in South Africa thus far, I believe that race relations have progressed more here than back home. Don’t get me wrong, there is still is a lot of work that needs to be done, but considering the fact that the apartheid ended in 1994 and segregation was abolished in 1964, I feel that South Africa has made more improvements in race relations in a shorter period of time than what the United has accomplished in decades.

Khwa ttu

Wednesday

31 July 2013

The weather matched perfectly for our activities planned for the West Coast. The first stop was at a historically San area. We took a tractor ride to a replica village. At first, Daphne and I joked about how slow the tractor was moving, but after a while, I enjoyed the pace because I was able to enjoy the scenery. Sometimes when you’re moving too fast, you miss out on the beauty of life.
In school, I remember briefly discussing the San people as the longest surviving human group on Earth. From what I obtained from the interactive tour, I believe that the San were able to survive as long as they have because their ability to live solely on the Earth’s resources. The guide showed us a plant that provides a white bitter substance. The plant is used for medical purposes, curing common colds, headaches, and other sicknesses.

After a young man completes his rites to passage, the village holds a huge ceremony. During the festivities, the men search for a potential wife. When he spots a woman of interest, he shots her gently with a small and arrow. If the woman is not interested, she will return the bow to him. If she accepts the offer, she will hold the arrow to her heart. I think that the commonly known cupid methodology was created by observing the San people.

After visiting the site, it reminded me of how badly I yarn to trace my ancestry. Many Africans carry the ancestors’ name, versus in America, many African Americans take on the last name of their slave master. Slavery in the United States has truly stripped people away from the family, culture and language. The system has forced people to assimilate into the American lifestyle.

Langa Visitor Center

Friday

12 July 2013

During our orientation of the Langa Township, we were able to tour the Langa Visitor Center, which provides community members the opportunity to become entrepreneurs in the arts. I had a deja vu moment. Several years ago, I had a dream that I was in a room filled with African drums. At the time, the dream was unclear, but today it came full circle. During the short drum lesson we had with musicians at the center, I wanted to fully embrace the moment because it was pre-destined for me to experience this opportunity at this moment. Yeah, I was a little off beat one or two times, but once I got the hang of it I was in my zone! Also at the center, I purchased two paintings, one of an elephant and the other of a giraffe. Both were half vertical images of the animals. The paintings were on black canvases, detailed with stained acrylic sand which made the images very vivid.

Lion's Head Mountain

Prestwich Memorial Center

In 2003 , roughly 2,000 unmarked graves were discovered during excavations for a new building on Prestwich Street. The graves are believe to be of poor people and slaves during the 17th and 18th century. Construction work was temporarily halted and the bones were relocated to a hospital in Woodstock. The City of Cape Town decided to find an appropriate site for the reburial of the bones in a memorial garden within the Green Point area.

Today, an open park on the corner of Somerset Road and Buitengracht Street, stands where the expected building was planned to be built. Next to the park is a memorial facility which housees a visitor’s centre and an ossuary for the known bones.

It's beautiful home

Robben Island

Saturday

20 July 2013

   Robben Island was a memorable trip. I took my first ferry ride to get the island. The weather was a little warmer than usually so it made the ride very pleasant. The view from the ferry was breath taking, and I survived the ride without getting sea sick. Once setting foot on the island, a somberous feeling took over my body. The atmosphere was nothing like the energy on the main land. I automatically knew I was walking on historic ground.

   Since our ferry was late, the tour of the island was cut about twenty minutes short. I was informed that even in prison, the apartheid’s classification and segregation system was in effect. Also, the prison enforced both mental and physical labor on the prisoners. We drive past the limestone quarry were prisoner worked eight or more hours a day hammering the Earth and carrying rocks from one pile to the next. The limestone particles are harmful and due to years of working in the quarry, Nelson Mandela’s eye sight is severely damaged.

   Since we were rushed through the tour due to time constrains, I was able to hear important key facts, but by having the opportunity to be on the island was all I needed. Many of my peers retrieved sea shells and rocks from the island, but since I was walking on sacred grounds, I felt like it would disrespectful to do so.

Muslim mosque

The rock pile is now consider a momentum for all those who served time at the prison.

Nelson Mandela's cell

South African Museum

The South African Museum houses collections ranging from fossils, human evolution, South Africa’s colonization, the apartheid to present day issues.

Stellenbosch: Wine Country

Stellenbosch is the second establish town of the Western Cape, founded in 1679. Most of the buildings in the town are kept in its original structure. When touring the Village Museum, comprises a number of houses from different eras, I felt like I was taking back in time. The houses were even furnished with items of their time period.

I was so disappointed that we were unable to do a wine tasting due to UT’s no alcohol policy. How many people get the opportunity to say that they did a wine tasting in Stellenbosch?? Not many, and unfortunately I will not be one of few.