A little time in Prison

I am now a full fledged tourist. There is no way to get out of the tourist herding when you go to Robben Island. It starts on a boat ride that takes about ½ hour to go from Cape Town to the island. After getting off the boat the loudspeaker on the dock instructs you to board the busses at the end of the dock for your 45min guided tour of the island. So like good tourists we got onto the bus, chose the best seats and got out our cameras. Our tour guide was really good with witty humor and interesting facts about the island. Even though I tend to revolt against tourist activities like this, I really enjoyed it. The island has an amazing history. I kind of expected it to be one big prison but it has played a role of much more than a prison. It has been a leper colony, a military base and is now home to many ex political prisoners and staff for the island. It is also home to thousands of African penguins.

After the guided bus tour we got off the bus at the prison and started the guided tour around the prison by an ex political prisoner. Again I was pleasantly surprised by the tour because when you have a guide that was living in these conditions and has personal stories to tell it turns it from a tourist trap to something that really happened. The prisoners that were brought there to do their time were actually brought there to die. The living conditions were horrible and the food was barely enough to stay alive with no medication for when they got sick. These prisoners made the most of their time and many of them through the teaching of fellow prisoners received an education. There are a number of them that are now in the South African government because of the education they received while they were on Robben Island. I find that amazing. They sacrificed their lives to be able to serve their country the way they are serving now. Democracy and an end to apartheid was what they were fighting for and it is amazing to see it all happen within their lifetime.

We were able to see Nelson Mandela’s cell, his garden and all the other big touristy things. Of course there was the gift shop at the end with the t-shirt hats and key chains just to make the tourist experience complete. Even though I am not a fan of these things I put it high on my list of things to do while in Cape Town.

Today was a rainy day so it was rather quiet but I did have a great sushi supper.