Day 119 Hout Bay

Today was planned as an educational day with trips to Robben Island and the aquarium planned.  We arrived at the Waterfront early for our 9 am boat to the island but were surprised by the SA efficiency as we had no sooner got on the boat when it left twenty minutes early!  The ferry took 40 minutes and luckily the sea was relatively flat so no green faces. Having booked the tickets back in July we hadn’t actually done any reading about Robben Island so we were surprised to find that the island is really quite large with lots of buildings in addition to the prison.  

From the harbour you are taken on a bus tour around the island, stopping for the view back to Cape Town, with a fantastic tour guide – I loved his description of the Europeans having watches whereas the Africans have time!  We have definitely experienced African time many times on our trip J.  

The island has a fascinating history even before it was used to incarcerate political prisoners in the 1960s – 1990s, including being used as a leper colony in the 19^th century.   Some of the main points of interest on route were the prison house where the Pan African Leader Robert Sobuke was held in complete isolation and the lime quarry where Nelson Mandela and many others slaved.  The tour around the prison, with a quick look into Nelson Mandela's old cell, was conducted by a former inmate so he was able to provide a first-hand experience of life in the prison with his own personal story.

The ferry back gave us great views of Lagoon Beach with all the tankers waiting to go into the cargo port and of the tablecloth being laid on Table Mountain.

Back to the Waterfront for lunch and then a quick whizz around the aquarium.  The Waterfront was heaving with people as was the aquarium – I am already missing the wilderness!! 

We had been told that any trip to Cape Town should include a walk along Long Street, so we finished our educational day with a meander along the street which is full of curio markets, second-hand bookshops, bars, and clubs – clearly it is a place that comes to life at night but it was still interesting in the daytime.