Taking A Boat Out To Robben Island

So as per usual, my plans have slightly altered. While I'm still doing what I've always been intending on doing - the Garden Route - I have decided to do it via an organised tour. Originally I was going to do the hop on hop off Baz Bus which takes you to all the stops and drops you off at your accomodation, but I was told it was overpriced and not worth it. I would also still need to find my way to all the points on the Garden Route that I would want to visit. The other option was to hire a car and do it, but being by myself I wasn't particularly keen as it would be a lot of driving on my own and probably more expensive.

Instead I have booked a 5 day Garden Route tour for Saturday morning, and I should hopefully end up in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday, where I will then travel to Johannesburg and catch a flight out of Africa on the Friday! While I'm not that big on organised tours as I feel they limit my flexibility, it seemed like the easiest way to see everything without having to organise any of my accomodation or route. It's a busy time in South Africa (it is summer holidays) and since I've been prone to not booking my accomodation until a day beforehand at the earliest I figure this minimises the risk of showing up somewhere and not having a bed!

As a result, my 2 day stay in Cape Town has extended to four days, which I'm not complaining about at all. While last week I was in Keetmanshoop and dying to leave because there was nothing to do, here in Cape Town there is an abundance of activities, shopping and food (which really is a top priority tbh)!!.

Yesterday I spent the day shopping on Long Street (where I bought a really cute pair of vintage overalls) and then at V&A Waterfront where I hung out for a bit, found some vegan ice cream and bought a ticket for Robben Island the next day. I also had a really good margherita pizza and iced matcha at The Hungry Herbivore. I have been eating very well here, and while eating out at vegan brunch spots and cafes is cheaper than Melbourne, it is adding up a bit ...

After a lot of walking I made my way back to my accomodation in the city, I have several blisters on my feet because of my shoes, but at least I am burning off all the food???

I booked a ticket for Robben Island for the 11am tour. Last time I had been in Cape Town we had plans to go to the island, but our tour was cancelled at the last minute due to "technical difficulties". This tour ran however, and at 10:30am I was sitting on a ferry where I would head to the island where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. 

Looking out at sea Robben Island doesn't seem that far away, and I was expecting a 15 - 20 minute ferry ride, so when the attendent said we would reach in 45 minutes I was already wishing I was off the boat. While I have grown out of the motion sickness that I used to get during car rides (save for really hilly and curvy roads), I am still prone to sea sicknesses and I don't feel entirely at ease at sea. Luckily the ride wasn't too bad, I was sat up top and kept my mind on other things. The view of Cape Town and Table Mountain from the boat was quite beautiful though.

 

(Not Mandela's cell)

The Robben Island tour is well-oiled machine, which you would hope considering that there are 3 tours a day and I would imagine 100+ on each tour (that's a complete guess though). As soon as you step off the ferry you are loaded onto buses which take you around the island. The guide tells you about the different buildings and some of the history of the island, and you get to stop for a break to take pics of the Cape Town coastline. Following that we headed into the jail cells, where an ex-prisoner gave us a tour, showed us Nelson Mandela's cell and then told us about himself. 

It was all very interesting, he told us about how the prisoners used to pass time, the hunger strikes they went on as protest (in one case it was because they wanted white sugar instead of brown sugar) and the solidarity of the men who were imprisoned there.

While I'm certain I learnt more while at the Apartheid Museum, it was interesting to see exactly where the prisoners actually were. But I'm not exactly sure if it was worth the ferry ride. Knowing that I had another 45 minute boat ride ahead of me made the return journey even worse and I spent the whole trip with my eyes closed and hoping for the best (and everything was alright of course).

Tomorrow is my last day in Cape Town for this trip and the plan is to get my hair done and do some final shopping!