Thursday, January 06, 2005
Day 4 Robben Island and Waterfront
6 January 2005
Today we visited Robben Island. We barely made it to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront in time for our 10 AM boat ride to the island. But we did. The Robben Island Museum folks almost gave our tickets away to another set of students from Caroll (Carrol?) College, because the names sound similar in a noisy room
The island is famous because Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for political "crimes." Now, the entire island is a museum. And, former prisoners are the tour guides, providing a first-hand account of life on the island. Because we are an educational group and because we requested it, we walked around the island instead of taking a bus as the tourists do.
Here is the group going into the prison.
Here is a picture of a prison cell.
Our tour guides were Lionel Davis, a former political prisoner, and his daughter Sandra Davis. One of the highlights was a walk to the limestone quarry where Mandela and the others mined limestone without a purpose. While working in the quarry, the limestone dust got in their eyes, and the glare from the sun was blinding. Many of the ex-prisoners have had recent eye surgeries and wear dark glasses. The next picture shows us in the quarry.
After visiting Robben Island, we did some shopping at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The first-world shops, harbor atmosphere, and music provided an enjoyable mix.
We're having a great time and everyone is safe. Tomorrow we visit the Amy Biehl Foundation and intend to hit the beach in the afternoon.
Thanks for checking in on us!
Matthew Heun