Joanne's thoughts on South Africa

If you have no concept of what Cape Town looks like, give yourself and treat and search for it on the web. It is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever seen. The city is on the water and arising sharply behind it are some very spectacular granite peaked mountains. We arrived to the city at Sunrise and were able to witness the suns rays breaking through just above Table Mountain. We were all in awe and watched as the Flag of South Africa was raised on our ship next to our flag.

We had spent time in Global Studies learning about South Africa, but still being there made it hard to even imagine what it must have been like under apartheid. When Kevin was here thirty years ago, there were signs everywhere saying “no blacks or no colored.” We learned from the master and Nobel Peace Prize winner, “The Arch” about “Truth and Reconciliation.” He taught us why it was so important to know the real truth of what has happened and then to in doing so move on to forgive the person. This is done because Africans believe that we are all part of and belong to a greater whole. As such, retribution is not an option. It is an amazing thing and you can see that it was real. The South African’s were warm, kind, jovial and good natured towards us. They look forward to hosting “the student ship.”

As usual, when we arrived we hit the ground running. It was a sunny clear day with very little wind so we decided that a trip to the top of Table Mountain was a must. The mountain is often shrouded in clouds which they call “the table cloth.” There is a cable car like tram that brings you to the top weather permitting. When you get to the top there are many foot paths to take to get even more spectacular views of the Cape. Joanne, Kevin, Diana, Gary, Jay, Chris, Alex, Alyssa and Casey (a very nice girl that hangs out with this group) all joined in to hike the trails. The views helped to put into perspective just how many mountains and how much water surrounds Cape Town. Since it was such a clear day we could see forever. A great time was had by all and we managed to get off of the mountain before the winds and the clouds closed it down.

That evening Kevin and I went out with some other shipboard friends to a jazz supper club on the water. We ate well and listed to some very talented jazz players. At one point we were sent a bottle of wine from one of Kevin’s students and our adopted son. Nice! FYI, we have four officially adopted shipboard kids and several others that the boys call their orphan family. We even had a game (and candy) night pitting our adopted family, against the orphan family against another family. It was fun. Our kids’ orphan team beat us all. The young people that we have met really give you tons of hope for the future.

On Saturday, Joanne and Kevin were met by new friends from Johannesburg, John and Sue. We met them while on Safari last year and we stayed in tough via email. John and Sue came down to spend the weekend with us and to show us around Cape Town. Day one of the weekend was very raining. We decided that Wine Tasting would be a good wet and cool weather activity and drove out to a beautiful little winery in the town of Pearl. We sat inside a beautiful stone cellar and a woman just kept pouring. It was a very fun thing to do. South African wines are extremely good and by our standards very cheap. Unfortunately we are limited in what we can bring on board so we only ended up bringing a few bottles the whole time. We had fabulous Italian food that night and I thought of the Moreno’s as I ate some yummy Pasta Carbonera. On Sunday, the sky had cleared and we were able to begin seeing some of the sights. John and Sue picked us up early and off we went. We went to Cape Point, which is the site of where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It is also an area where many ships have gone down due to rough seas. More on that later. On our tour we drove through some quaint villages and also went to a Penguin refuge area. The African Penguins are small and not much taller than 18 inches. Very cute! That night we had a yummy meal at a water front restaurant (you looked out on our ship) and bid our sad goodbyes to John and Sue who have promised us a visit to California. Siblings I have offered your hospitality as well if they want to tour the coast.

Monday we began our bike trip of the wine lands. We had this image of rolling hills with frequent stops to taste wine. Our guides, Peter and Marge, were our ages or older and they were serious bikers. There idea of an easy ride is thirty miles of riding per day including some very steep hills. Unfortunately due to rough seas and illnesses, Kevin and I were not in our peak shape as we had hoped. We did manage to hang in there for day one and then asked for more wine, less bike for the remainder of the trip. The scenery that we saw was so beautiful. It is like seeing El Capitan of Yosemite but on all four sides of you and with grapes and vineyards in the valley and climbing up the mountain. I hope a few of my photos will do it justice. In my mind, I have inscribed it. It was great to be out doors and on a bike again. We did have a chance to really see the class difference at work in these days. In Africa, during Apartheid, folks were divided into White, mixed colored and then black. Clearly the whites have the wealth, the colored are their laborers and there is very little evidence of blacks in the Wine areas. The towns are clearly for those with money. There were fancy shops, fancy restaurants and if you did not know better you would think you were in Napa. We did indeed enjoy our stay and did take advantage of the many good foods and cheeses and wines. Interestingly, this stop was the first nights that we spent away from the ship since we departed. Wednesday night we met a former colleague of Kevin’s who is presently living in Cape Town. She, Diana and Gary and us, went to a well know game restaurant, where we sampled all kinds of game meats. We even ate Crocodile and Ostrich along with Antelope, Kudu and others I can not even remember. I must say, it was one of the best meals that I have had. The meats were tender, not gamey tasting and sort of like the best steak you had ever had. I am seriously contemplating going vegetarian (along with Solar powered) when we return, so I decided this was really a unique opportunity that I should not pass up. Talk about Carnivorous!

Our last day in Cape Town was a sobering one. We now had a chance to see the South Africa we had expected to find. We were invited guest of a local township (mostly consisted of Blacks) where there is the Desmond Tutu HIV centers. Kevin led a group of students and Chris, Alex and I got to tag along. The community we went to houses about 30,000 residents. Down the street from it looks as though you are in Simi Valley or a nice beach town. This township was given very small plots of land where the government ran electricity and water. The people have made homes from anything they could find. Mostly they have used pieces of old rail cars. As the area has grown, folks keep adding families to their tiny plot of land and have also spread out to the wet lands where there is not water or electricity. The government along with some foreign aid has built a health clinic, an HIV center, a community center, a school all within this township area. People clearly have very little. Some are lucky to be employed as domestic workers in the wealthy neighborhoods, but unemployment and diseases are high. The main diseases they battle are TB and Aids with both at very high levels within this community. We were impressed to see the things that had been done, but so saddened to see that humans must live in such substandard conditions. The community appreciated our visit and welcomed us. The kids came out in marching band costumes and greeted us. Members of the community walked us around. We were even invited in to some of the makeshift homes and shops. We had brought some small gift for the school and also donated some money for the clinic. It is already too small for all of their needs, but it is very clear what good work they are doing. I believe we will continue to adopt them as one of our causes when we return.

That afternoon we went to Robin Island, the site of imprisonment for Nelson Mandela and other political activists. What a place of horrors. Basically the prisoners, we sent into a bright stone quarry and made to use a chisel and hammer to make materials for cement. They would not allow them to wear any protection on their eyes and as a result many (including Nelson Mandela) lost most of their vision. They allowed them two letters per year of which they censored heavily. We heard over and over again while in South Africa, how important we were to their freedom. They clearly have huge gratitude for the pressures the world placed on them to make a change. They know it would not have occurred with out our help. So the next time you think you can not possibly make a difference with something so trivial like boycotting goods, know that you can and that you have and that there is a whole nation in our debt because people stood up.

We are once again on ship. We hit our biggest seas thus far when going around the Cape. There were ten foot swells causing the boat to lift off then slam down. I joined the patch behind the ear and the wrist bracelet club. Sea sickness is not a pleasant feeling. The nurses were walking around with back packs full of crackers and anti nausea medications. Fortunately, it was a day off from School. Kevin and I spent much of it in bed. Fortunately today the seas have calmed and everyone is feeling much better.

My neighbor has just invited us over for happy hour prior to a planning committee dinner meeting for the Sea Olympics, some bracelet making, followed by a Sea Party, so I will sign off for now