After a pickup to the airport we ditched Saasveld Lodge and rented a car for some freedom along the Cape. A note on the differences of driving in South Africa vs. the U.S.:
1. Left side of the road here, and steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle.
2. Any and all traffic laws in Africa merely are suggestions. It's a stinkin' free-for-all out there.
3. It seems half the traffic lights in Cape Town are functional. Maybe this is due to the energy loading (planned power outages do to shortage of power). So approach an intersection, take your best guess if you should blast through or regard it as a 4-way stop. There is no standard rule as far as I can tell.
4. Taxis. OK. There are "tourist" taxis, which are metered and very much safe. And there are local taxis, which are little white buses that pick up the thousands of locals literally roaming the roads. While they pay based on where they're going, these poor folks are literally crammed into these taxis. We've seen as many as 12-15 passengers crammed into a bus that should seat no more than 8. Anyway, the white bus taxis are far and away motorized renegades held to no law whatsoever. They're completely dangerous, they start and stop without warning, and I honestly think as part of their DMV inspection, all blinker and brake lights have been removed.
5. Pedestrians: I touched on this briefly, but the common person on the street cannot afford a car. So streets in many cases are basically sidewalks. Jaywalking is the norm, not the exception.
6. Carjackings: I won't go into much further detail, but driving in Africa requires you to not just notice pedestrians, but to read their body language too. That's perhaps the most nerve-wracking part, as I'm constantly leaving room between cars and planning escape routes at traffic signals. You may think I'm being paranoid, but I'm not kidding. Carjacking is very much a part of driving here.
Other than that, it's a pleasure to drive around on your own in South Africa.
After a much rushed journey to the VA Waterfront, (and my faceplant into a deceptively clean revolving door), it was off to South Africa's version of Alcatrez: Robben Island. Robben Island was used for a number of forms of separation (including a leper colony in the early 1900's). It was most recently used as a prison for political prisoners during apartheid. It's famous for being the "home" to Nelson Mandela for 20+ years, as we got a look at his tiny cell (no more than 6 x 10 feet. The most stirring part of our tour was the fact that our tour guide was Mkotze, a former political prisoner himself. Arrested for his beliefs and protests for equality, he was tried and locked at Robben Island for 7 years, Mkotze told us exactly what it was like to live during apartheid. He was actually released the day Mandela was sworn into office: April 27, 1994. Speaking of, "Freedom Day" is coming up soon, and I'm excited to be in-country to see how people celebrate. Anyway, our tour to Robben Island was not something I'll soon forget, and I wish it was a tour that was mandatory for all Americans. There are places in the world still today equally as savage as South Africa was 14 years ago, but it's jarring to meet someone who's lived it and has a story to tell.
To lighten up the rest of the day, we spent some time shopping and enjoying the SUNSHINE. It's again gorgeous, hitting 85 today. We hopped aboard a sunset sailboat cruise, draining far too much champagne and watching the sun drop into the Indian Ocean.
Dinner followed at Belthazer, touted as Cape Town's premiere steak house the last 3 years running. It did not disappoint with it's filet, and we stumbled into a cab to our hotel. Perhaps I've not mentioned it, but we booked ourselves a treat in advance at the Southern Sun Hotel. Just a bit off the waterfront, it's the poshest place we've stayed yet (athough can't even touch the views at some of our other hotels). We're talking about a shower that doesn't flood the bathroom, 2 ply toilet tissue, and functional lights in the case of energy outages (mandated 3 times per week). Even ESPN, CNN, and 12 other channels on the flatscreen TV. I don't know what I'll do without the 1980's Kung Fu movies we've been watching, but we'll figure it out.
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