This is our last day here and we have had some very interesting excursions. On Thursday we saw where the two ocean currents (Atlantic and Antarctic) currents meet at the Cape of Good Hope. That's not strictly true as it was so foggy we couldn't see the water. But we climbed up to the lighthouse. (I and several others climbed the whole way up and down, enjoying the exercise. The rest went up the funicular.) The actual meeting of the Atlantic and Indian oceans is 230 Km east of here. We then had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the way back to Cape Town. (Had another type of white fish.)
Yesterday we walked to the ferry which took us over to Robben Island which is where prisoners have been kept since the 1600's. Mandela was there as well. Our interesting guide had been a prisoner himself. He was a student radical and was sentenced to 5 years. They kept their minds active by thinking up ways to annoy the guards. At one point the place was a leper colony (1845 to 1941). He's a quote we saw written there: "The journey is never long when the destination is freedom." We walked through the cells, etc. Actually, one good thing about the place -- it was cool in the buildings (but probably cold in the winter.) They were given one mat and two blankets and were on food rations according to their race. Very unfair.
We had some free time which I used to have a nap. I was running out of steam. It was our day to sleep in but instead we got up early to go to a 7 am Rotary Meeting.
We were then picked up at 6:30 to go on a Jazz Safari --- eat your heart out Shannon and Robbie. We were taken in groups of about 9 or 10 to a musician's home. We got a fellow who plays about 15 instruments (favorite is piano) and has played on about 20 CDs. He started with an instrument which looks like a bow. The string part is a piano wire with a tuner at the bottom. The top of the bow has been carved a bit and he puts his mouth on it while he taps the wire with a thin rod. Very pretty -- ancient instrument which used to have animal tendons for the wire. We then had supper which his wife had made. Or at least some of us had supper. The lentils were really, really hot. I had warned Don so he took the rice, potato and chicken. Well, I ended up eating the chicken. Another fellow who can't eat hot stuff either, dumped the lentils over his rice which ended that part of the meal. Afterwards he played some of his own compositions on guitar an piano. Then his daughter came home and sang two familiar jazz tunes. He also played a melodian I think it was. Very entertaining. We then piled into our vans and headed for a jazz club which is in the townships. They have converted a home into this club. The band was good but amplified so way too loud. We got home about 1130. So this was a very cultural experience. Have any of you heard of Hilton Schilder? That's whose home we were in.
No comments:
Post a Comment