COUNT DOWN - CAPE TOWN

Ooh no - only three days left!

MOSQUITOS!!

The morning we left Hermanus I woke to find the left side of my face covered in bites.  We haven't had one mosquito bite all the time in the last four weeks and this made up for it!!  Gradually my face went down with the help of antihisan!!!

HEALTH

Our health has been fantastic while out here. I am off my daily inhalers and psorious cleared completely on my legs.

Barry hasn't had a cough and his energy levels are better than mine!! So lucky.

An English woman who has a place here for winters said the SA private health is excellent. Her son broke a leg, specialist X-rays & treatment was £45.  Plenty of centres and doctors - we are in Cape Town!!

........

CAPE TOWN

One night in Cape Town & I had reserved a special deal at the Victoria & Albert but we couldn't bring ourselves to pay  the deal of £200 after the amazing value B & Bs over the last four weeks.  So Barry found a new apartment (even had washing machine & dryer!!) overlooking the canals and we could still walk into the waterfront for £80 

It was great.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

We did it!!! Barry wanted to go up Table Mountain. I didn't push him so he got tickets online. Thank goodness. cos the queues even with a ticket were horrendous and it was hot.

Barry hung onto the perimeter rail and was ok until the floor of the cabin 

started rotating.  That did it!!  Going round whilst going up horrendous heights.  We wobbled out and walked a little but soon went down again.!  Not worth it for anyone squeamish!!!!  

At least we did it!!  AMAZING VIEWS

ROBBEN USLAND

This was a very emotional trip but something we've really wanted to see.

The guides in the camp are ex political prisoners themselves so the facts come over very strongly.  The island, always a prison was used initially for lepers.  Then a prison camp for black convicts.  The political prisoners were kept isolated from other prisoners in case they influenced them!!!!

Looking at Mandela's cell was sad but even worse was seeing the quarry where they worked in the sun all day for five days solid .  At weekends they had to break up rocks in the yard until they were powder. No one escaped.  When the prisoners were finally freed they all placed a stone on the ground so there is a pile of stones to commemorate their prison sentence.  Very humbling and amazing that Mandela could walk away without anger and with forgiveness.  This guide says he still finds it hard to forgive at times.  Mandela was in prison in total 27 years, moved around a bit but this cell 11 years!!

It was lovely to be able to chat to a couple of Nigerians who were on the boat trip too.

We enjoyed our time in Cape Town wandering around the Waterfront but it was so busy.  Good for the South African business

Now last two nights in Camps Bay.  It's quirky - hopefully not too quirky!!!