Tourist Break

I thought after a few weeks of reflection I would break it up by updating you on all of my touristy adventures. So far I have been to the:

-          V&A Waterfront

-          Sky Diving

-          District Six Museum

-          Slave Lodge Museum

-          National Art Gallery

-          Table Mountain

-          Botanical Gardens

On my first day in Cape Town I went to the Waterfront, a beautiful tourist attraction with many shops, food markets and street performers, it is one of the 'go to places'. There is a distinct holiday atmosphere as you walk around the cobbled streets weaving in and out of camera clutching tourists from all over the world. I have enjoyed the food market on a couple of occasions during the day and admired the way everything lights up at night. This will be the first stop of my family trip at the end of May and already I am making plans of what we can squeeze into their time in Cape Town.

Sky diving was spectacular and certainly a bucket list event ticked off, whilst being the most expensive thing I have done it was worth it! When I look back at the photos it feels quite dreamlike, then I watch the clip and get the rush of adrenaline again and remember how great it was to fall from the sky.

Would highly recommend jumping out of a plane to get the rush and running off a mountain to take in the views as I did in Turkey last year.

Now to a couple more serious activities, the Slave Lodge and District 6 were brilliant, thought provoking museums that aim to educate people about South Africa's transition from slavery to Apartheid. 

Some quotes from the Slave Lodge include:

‘a shameless fortress of human misery’

‘When they (slave traders) embark on this unworthy trade them must divest themselves of every humane idea; their hearts must be steeled by insensibility and their crew be equally callous to the finer feelings of humanity’

‘For to be free is not merely to cast off ones chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others’ – Nelson Mandela

District 6:

District 6 was a place in Cape Town that attracted a wide variety of people, it celebrated a wide range of cultures. However in the 1960s black people were forcibly removed from their homes as it became a 'whites only area' this took place as a result of the Group Area Act. More than 60, 000 people were removed and relocated in the Cape Flats, a barren area that made getting into the city for work difficult. This museum was formed to remember the experiences of the people who lost everything during Apartheid.

‘Courageous people do not fear forgiving for the sake of peace.’

This artistically shows the street signs from District 6.

This mosaic flooring piece was put together by people who used to live in District 6. This was my favourite comment 'From the deck to the desert from the mountain to the sea, Cape Town has become part of me'

National Art Gallery:

They were showing an exhibition on the role of women, how this is portrayed through portraits and craft. Was fascinating to see the politics involved in selecting art for an empowering exhibition, SWEAT an organisation that supports the rights of Sex Workers decided to remove their art work because it was being shown alongside almost entirely work done by male artists. Including a man on trial for raping and killing a girl in the community. They refused to have their work that aims to show the strength of women in an exhibition that doesn't acknowledge the work of female artists.

Was an interesting exhibition, really liked this opening title stand.

As the sign above explains this piece of work was made to celebrate the bond between child and daughter. On the inside their was a padded floor and pink lighting, very cosy and slightly odd!

Believe it or not, this is made entirely from beads! Using beads to create art and small animal models is very popular in South Africa.

Interesting quote – ‘Providing safe spaces for the voices of women becomes a form of activism that raises awareness of the oppression they experience in their day to day lives, and allows for their presence to be asserted.’

On Saturday I went on a Red Bus Tour exploring the city, famous statues and hearing about different buildings. Then went around the coast admiring the beautiful beaches and expensive hotels with their sea views. Saw the other side of Table Mountain which looks much pointer and more mountainy as opposed to the typical flat top view. Then we went up Table Mountain on the cable car and walked around the top, it was incredible! Every few steps bring a new spectacular view. Lots of wow moments. Finished the day watching the sun set at Camps Bay which was also amazing, really enjoyed having such a full on day with so many moments of stillness. Struggled to understand how quiet it was at the top of Table Mountain with so many other tourists there with me, but with everyone absorbing the views there is an almost stunned atmosphere.

On Sunday I went to the Botanical Gardens after a 'hike' through the forests and almost got lost but with the magic of GPS found our way to the gardens. They were beautiful! We walked through a tree canopy, stopped for lunch and snoozed in the grounds. Of course fitted in a notebook session there also!

Prayer requests:

- Continue to have a balance between my week days and weekends.

- To not get overwhelmed by the amount of injustice in South Africa.

- To keep being motivated and energised by good conversations in the projects and small movements in the right direction in case work. 

Look forward to ticking more places off my list as the weekends pass here. 

Apologies for the late post! Thank you for making it to the end of my tenth post.

Hope you are all having a relaxed week.