The Other Side

Day 195-196, Sunday 1st – Monday 2nd March 2009 (Al)

After saying some final goodbyes to more of our Oasis friends this morning, Emma joined us for the trip to Robben Island. During the seven kilometre ferry ride we focussed mainly on the video so as not to get seasick. But soon our attention was drawn outward as three whales were swimming some fifty metres away! We really felt like Africa kept on showing us new things every day, as if the continent thought we might be getting bored – so decided to add some whales to the shimmering sea.

After its previous existences as a prison and leper quarantine colony, Robben Island became the infamous Apartheid political prison in 1959. We had two guides today, both members of the ANC who had been incarcerated here. The first guide showed us around the cell blocks, discussing prison life and answering questions politely. Although he normally does not talk about such things, he admitted to being tortured several times – including by waterboarding. He mentioned how more or less rations were given to prisoners based on their race – solely to create an air of distrust and hostility. And, of course, he talked about Nelson Mandela. A visitor asked if he felt part of the reason Mandela was so revered was that he was the only anti-Apartheid activist most people knew, and in fact a lot of other people deserved some of the credit. Our guide (who was an ANC member) replied that although of course there are other people who deserve and receive credit, in fact Nelson Mandela should be celebrated even more than he is – that it is impossible for South Africans to thank him enough.

What most people came to see – Nelson Mandela’s cell for many of his 27 years of incarceration

The prison yards with the mainland viewable in the distance. The isolation felt by the prisoners would have been unbearable if they couldn’t talk to each other.

As our second guide (taking us on a tour of the island by bus) told us, Robert Sobukwe – the former leader of the Pan African Congress – did not have this luxury. He was thought of as such an influential threat that he was kept in a nearby cottage by himself for several years. When he was released he had difficulty speaking as his vocal chords had withered away during his solitary confinement. Even upon release, he was forced to live in an isolated part of the country, and forbidden to travel abroad or be involved in any political activities.

This second guide had such a regal and commanding, dramatic voice that he was a joy to listen to. He would tell stories as if he was reciting Shakepeare, and made an effort to mention how the countries of each passenger on his bus contributed to Robben Island and the struggle against Apartheid. This included Australians invading a rugby pitch in protest during a South African tour. His other mentions of Australia’s impact on the island were not as flattering: the introduced rabbits were a pest and the introduced thirsty Eucalyptus trees had assisted in depleting the island of any natural water supply. We did try to tell him that the English introduced rabbits to Australia, creating a pest that still bothers our country today, and that the Eucalypts flourish in Australia precisely because of their abilities to drink every last drop from the ground, to help them survive through dry times. But these facts would have got in the way of a good story, and we forgave him, because he was very funny.

Shipwreck – Table Mountain visible in the distance

The limestone quarry where prisoners were forced to work (in not the most satisfying way – moving the rock out, then later moving the rock back in) under the blinding, scorching hot sun. To this day, Nelson Mandela has problems with flashing cameras because of the damage his eyes suffered whilst working here.

On returning to the mainland (once again seeing the whales on the way), Cathy and I went to see a wildlife photography exhibition which was great. We almost felt like some of our animal photos could have made it in – if we were eligible for the under 13 age group perhaps. A final seafood dinner down in the waterfront area of town was the scene of our final, final goodbyes to some of our Oasis friends. It was a very bitter-sweet evening, and we wished we had a lot more time to stay and explore this really beautiful city (we had looked into changing our flight to a later date, but it just didn’t work with the rest of our plans).

We realised that we were not only saying goodbye to our friends, and to Cape Town, but also to Africa itself. We had been there for over two months, and the continent had shared with us its amazingly varied landscapes, beautiful wildlife, fascinating cultures and friendly people. We can’t recommend south east Africa highly enough, and would love to come back to spend more time in one or two places, with lots more money to spend at local markets and to pay local tour operators and businesses (probably the best way, as far as we know, to offset any negative impact tourism might have on local communities). And we’ve really only seen such a small corner of a huge, diverse continent.

We were off to the airport quite early the next morning – with some important news for our families. Sitting at Johannesburg airport waiting for our connecting flight to Hong Kong, we made the final decision that we would come home one month early and surprise our families and friends  – with plans to return to south east Asia a few weeks later. We wanted to tell only the people we thought needed to know we’d be home for our plan to work. So we called Cathy’s parents, my Mum, and then my brother Hamish (I decided the brother who picked up the phone first would be the one to be told). All were surprised and pleased to hear that we’d be home in two weeks – and we were starting to get really excited by that idea too!