Day Five- Last Day in South Africa

By some fluke, my group’s flight to the Amazon is scheduled to leave a little later than everyone else’s, so here are a few blog entryies!

Emily and I decided to spend our last day in South Africa on the Hop On, Hop Off bus. This is a double decker bus that takes you all around the peninsula. We took the blue line, which went farther from the city.

We spent half an hour jetting through Cape Town seeing everything from popular hostels to the University of Cape Town at the foot of Table Mountain. We got off the bus at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was gorgeous and boasted bajillions of flowers as well as sculptures and birds. There were local families picnicking and children chasing birds up and down the sprawling open grassy areas.

After spending an hour or two at the gardens, we caught the bus over to the World of Birds, a bird and monkey preserve that Emily really wanted to see. It ended up being an excellent decision. The birds were fun, but the best part of the World of Monkeys. We got to go into a monkey habitat and they climbed all over us! Tiny, cute, yellow and black monkeys all over! We weren’t allowed to pet them because they would bite, but if we stood still they would jump on us. There was even a momma monkey with a sleeping baby clinging to her back. Serious fun. I love monkeys!

We were running out of time, so we caught the next bus and decided to just take the tour of the peninsula right back to the ship. The drive took over an hour and the view was breathtaking. We passed enormous beaches and tons of seals. There are houses of all size built into cliffs right on the water and famous waterfront restaurants and guesthouses.

As were got close to the ship, we passed the World Cup Stadium and once again, it reminded me of the Olympic stadiums in Beijing. I wish I could be in South Africa to see the World Cup. Right now the stadium is quiet, but I can’t even imagine how crazy it’s going to be in a couple months. Emily and I hopped off the bus and spent a few minutes in the mall at the port buying FIFA/Springboks gear. We were back on the ship at 6 and set sail for Ghana at 8PM.

I need to go back to Cape Town. I had an amazing time and certainly don’t regret leaving for the safari, but there’s just so much that I didn’t have time for in Cape Town itself. Seriously… you could easily take a two-week vacation and keep busy/have an amazing time without traveling more than 45 minutes away from the city center.

Next time I’m in Cape Town I’m definitely:
-Hiking Table Mountain and rappelling or taking the cable car down
-Visiting Robben’s Island
-Spending the day in a township
-Cycling through the winelands
-Doing a one-day horseback riding safari
-Going to every single famous beach
-Visiting Seal Island
-A million other things


Also, another event that I’d forgotten to talk about: Before we even got off of the ship in Cape Town I had the privilege of meeting Linda Biehl, the mother of murdered anti-apartheid activist/American student Amy Biehl. If you’ve never heard of Amy or Linda Biehl, Google them right now.

Amy Biehl was a 26-year-old American student studying on a Fulbright Scholarship in Cape Town in 1993. She was working with local people to end apartheid, but the night before she was supposed to return home she was murdered. An angry, oppressed mob of young black men, the very people she was working to help, stopped her car, dragged her out and stoned/stabbed her to death because as a white person, she was perceived to be the enemy, an evil oppressor. They did not know Amy, or the work she was doing; they only saw her skin color and she never made it home. Three young men were arrested and found guilty of her murder; they went to jail for murder. Amy’s parents flew to South Africa, stayed for the trial and even met with the young men’s families. They started the Amy Biehl Foundation in their daughter’s memory because they knew how much she loved the South African people. Shortly after the murders went to jail, apartheid was ended and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to promote honestly and healing. If people who had committed crimes during apartheid came forward to present their cases, they would be considered for amnesty and forgiven. With the support of Amy’s parents, both of whom realized how much the young men’s families were suffering with them in prison, urged the three men to apply for amnesty. The case was presented and Amy’s parents urged the TRC to grant amnesty to the three young men who had stoned and stabbed their child to death. They were among the relatively small number of people who did receive amnesty. Amy’s parents forgave them and they were released from prison. Today, two of the three men work for the Amy Biehl Foundation and have been practically adopted into Amy’s family. Amy’s dad passed away, but Linda Biehl works every single day with the men who took her daughter from her. She is like a grandmother to their children. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met. I obviously don’t have any children, but I already know that I wouldn’t have the strength to do what Amy’s parents did.

Anyways, I’ve learned about Amy Biehl in Political Science classes throughout college and never imagined that I’d meet her mother. It was an honor. She has managed to transform a personal tragedy into a foundation that works every day to better the lives of South African children and communities. Wow.


Okay, that’s the end of South Africa.


Love,

Molly