Cape Town

Cape Town is A LOT different than Grahamstown.  Grahamstown was a small town and Cape Town is a big city.  It has gorgeous beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.  There are endless shops and markets and there are a lot of things to do!  So far we have been going to the beaches a lot.  It is really easy to get around here on the taxis and the taxis are cheap - only 5 or 6 rand per person (which is less than $1) so that is pretty sweet!

The hostel we are staying at is AMAZING! It is brand new (opened in June) so it is really nice and there are a lot of really cool people here.  I have met people from England, Holland, Germany and I even met someone from the USA (Wisconsin - which was sweet and New York).  They are all so awesome and we all hang out as a group which is really neat.  It is interesting learning about where they are from as well as where they have traveled, one couple have been traveling for 8 months!

Besides the beach, we also went to Robben Island, which is the island where a lot of political figures were kept in jail during Apartheid.  The tour included an hour ferry ride across the Atlantic (30 min each way) and then a tour of the island.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about the history of the island.  At one point it was a place where people who were contagious with leprosy went to be isolated.  After the leprosy period and before Apartheid people could actually live on the island.  We were also given a tour of the jail where Nelson Mandela stayed and we saw the cell where he was contained.  The tour guides of the actual jail were old cell mates that were contained in the jail (I should probably be referring to the jail as prison).

Tomorrow we are climbing Table Mountain and hopefully going to the Aquarium as well.  We are also looking into getting a tour of the Green Point Stadium where some of the World Cup soccer games were held.  That is what I am up to at the moment, when i come back I can be more in depth with the actual cultural experience, but it is hard putting it all into words.  It truly is a third world country and a first world country built into one.  Well one more week and then I will be heading home!  I am enjoying my experience, but I am excited to come home :)

Atlantic Ocean at Clifton Beach

LOVE THIS BEACH

Oh! Riding an ostrich :)

This is the only picture actually riding it, because I only lasted about 2 seconds before I fell off

Nelson Mandela's prison cell

The ferry we rode, it was CRAZY WINDY!