Cape Town Experience

Greetings family and Friends,

As if it has not been reiterated enough, Cape Town, South Africa (SA) is an amazing place.
Yesterday was an incredibly fun-FILLED day full of activities and knowledge filled experiences.

Our group took a tour of Cape Town where we learned some of the history of SA. We had the opportunity to see the site of District 6. This is an area of SA where black Africans were forcibly removed from their homes by the apartheid government and relocated to far away townships. Their homes were bulldozed over to insure they would not try to return to the area.

We also traveled up the famous Table Mountain (under consideration to be one of the 7 natural wonders of the world) and witnessed the beautiful expensive homes built along the mountain sides. We learned about different parts of the mountain like Devil's Peak, Lion's Head and Signal Hills. The city view from the top the mountain is breath-taking.

We had lunch at a cafe on the beach at the foot of the mountain. It was on the Atlantic Ocean side of the cape. The food was excellent and the water was cold and wavy. There were many street vendors selling their goods (arts, crafts, jewelry etc.). These locals like to engage in bartering prices for their goods.

Cape Town is truly rich in ethnic diversity. The diversity was greatly felt/seen during our New Year's Eve celebration in downtown Cape Town. Black African, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Dutch culture make up the ethnic diversity of Cape Town, South Africa. You can hear it in the music, taste it in the cuisines and see it in the dress and appearance of the people.

I was often greeted and seen as a "Rasta" because of my darker skin and dreads. It did not mean that I had to have a Jamaican ascent and an affinity for the gonj, but just my color and "good" long hair:) I felt quite welcome and a sense of belonging - even respected. They didn't even know me. Best New Year's ever (at least to date)!!! South African's really know how to party. It was like Mardi Gras on the downtown streets at midnight and well after. Stay tuned..........

Greg