So it begins

Reunions & Regrets

Published Date : February 21, 2005

After months in a tent, I’m used to waking up with the sun now.  It felt decadent to sleep in until 08:30.  My only plan for the day was to post the last of my souvenirs off to Australia.  I was considering catching a ferry over to Robben Island in the afternoon or maybe heading up Table Mountain.  Honestly, I didn’t really care what I was going to do. I was just happy to be doing anything that was unscheduled and to be doing it on my own.

View of Cape Town from Table Mountain

First though: breakfast.  The hostel provided an all you can eat breakfast of eggs, toast, cereal, and tea/coffee for only R15, which I was happy to partake in.  While I was eating, one of the guys who worked at the hostel asked me if I was married and then asked to see my ring.  It was a bit random to say the least.

When I stopped by the front desk to confirm directions to the nearest post office, I was surprised to be handed a note.  It was unsigned, asking me to be at the summit of Table Mountain at noon.  Dismissing it as just one more farewell event from the overland tour, I set off on my day.

While I was waiting in line at the post office, I re-read the note, trying to figure out why it kept niggling at something in the back of my mind.  The dots suddenly connected: Greg!!  He had always been one for surprises and grandiose gestures, and I knew it had to be him.  I should have been thrilled at the idea of seeing my husband again after four months apart.  I was pissed off though.

I was burned out after months on tour and I was really looking forward to some solo travel time.  Greg and I had talked about meeting up in Singapore and travelling together through SE Asia. That would have given me 6 weeks of alone time that I badly needed.  Also, our last few emails and phone calls had been tense.  The last thing I want right now is to be dealing with relationship drama.  Sigh.

After finishing at the post office, I hurried back to the hostel arriving just a few minutes before noon.  The day had started to grow warm, so I swapped my hiking boots for trekking sandals and grabbed my camera.  On my way back out the door I stopped to ask for directions to the cable car that would take me to the top of Table Mountain.  Confirming my suspicions, the staff member who had asked me earlier if I was married, looked at me in distress and asked, “Why aren’t you there yet?!”

Greg, with an entourage of strangers he had met at his hostel in tow, greeted me at the summit with an over the top production.  He was thrilled.  I was mortified.

Awkward reunion complete, we left his groupies behind and spent the afternoon exploring Table Mountain National Park.  The iconic image of this mountain, with the clouds cascading down its slopes like a waterfall, had been burned into my mind as a young child watching documentaries on Africa.  I had always wanted to see it for myself.  The reality was most definitely not a disappointment.

Table Mountain from V&A Waterfront

We were treated to clear blue skies and stunning views of Cape Town and the South Atlantic Ocean as we wandered the trails.  As the afternoon turned into early evening, the clouds began to roll through, surrounding us in a cool grey fog before dropping off in front of us.  Breathtaking doesn’t even begin to describe the experience.

Back in the city, we stopped off at my hostel to pack my things.  Greg had booked us a private in another hostel across town.  Settled in to our new digs, I rescheduled my daytrip to Cape Point until the day after tomorrow so that Greg could join me.  We rounded out the day with a fantastic seafood dinner at a Portuguese restaurant at the V&A Waterfront.

Emotional drama aside, it was a fantastic day in Cape Town.  I love this city and it’s only Day 1!

Robben Island

Published Date : February 22, 2005

We had a lazy start to the day, enjoying a leisurely morning before going for brunch at Kauai.  Fruit smoothies and breakfast burritos hit the spot!  After eating we walked around the waterfront enjoying the sunshine and beautiful scenery.

When we passed the ticket booth, we decided on spur of the moment to head out to Robben Island.  R150 each bought us a 25-minute ferry ride, a tour of the infamous cell blocks and a bus tour of the island and town.

Cape Town seen from Robben Island

Robben Island was first used as a political prison in the 17^th century.  Over the years it has served as a leper colony, a quarantine station, a fortified defense post in WW2 and once again a political prison during the apartheid era.  Today, the island is a World Heritage Site and museum, preserving its past and offering tours of the prison which once held Nelson Mandela.

The prison cells were simple and barren, much like the island.  The tiny spec of land seemed out of place.  With little vegetation, it is a tiny windswept plateau surrounded by nothing but deep blue sea.  Only 7km from shore, it does offer some stunning views of Cape Town and the surrounding mountains.  The proximity to the mainland somehow makes the island seem even more isolated.

I was only 10 years old when Mandela was released from prison, so I grew up generally oblivious to apartheid and the racial struggles of this country.  The prison and the museum were certainly informative.  However, without much knowledge of Mandela or the politics of South Africa, I was more interested in exploring the rest of the island than dwelling on the prison.  I could have spent hours sitting on the beach, watching the seals and enjoying the view of the mainland.

Another short ferry ride brought us back to Cape Town.  We wandered around the waterfront a bit more before heading back to the hostel.  Back to a dorm room once more, we spent the evening chilling in the lounge and chatting to other backpackers.