So Apparently Cape Town Has Awesome Boutiques

Margo and I jumped off our 6:25 am flight from JoBurg to Cape Town, dropped our bags at the hostel and dove right into Long Street. Long Street is a young, touristy strip that has tons of quirky hostels and restaurants much like a college - 20 something town, and probably one of the best boutique selections I've come across.

Most of the shops we stepped into had rooms off to the side where the owners worked and had alterations available - and boy do they know how to sell their stuff. One shop owner had a home made 'runway' in front of a mirror and kept dressing me in her clothes, suckering me into a dress/belt combo. OH WELL I guess it's worth it to be fabulously unique. Another surprising thing is the sprinkling of antique and vintage shops. If I wasn't worried about my bag getting stolen I might have bought more... who knows.

The vibe in Cape Town is odd - it's hard to get a grasp on it all. Everyone seems really chill and the streets are bustling with activity and purpose, but whether I am creating the unease in my head or not, I don't feel completely secure. I left my camera at home yesterday so I didn't have to worry about someone running by and jacking my purse leaving me in the hole a $600 camera. While I don't have pictures of the architecture or gardens, the memories will suffice for now.

ROBBEN ISLAND - island that Dutch used as a safe haven until they exiled lepers, military hid Mach 9 and 10's during WW2, and where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. Margo and I had an interesting time with that. I am not one to get on a tour bus of sorts or go on any type of trip with more than four people. We read in guide books that you can rent a bike and ride around the island and explore yourself so we waddle up to the desk to buy our ferry tickets for 1pm, returning 4pm - sweet let's do it. Boat ride gives great view of Cape Town, Table Mountain/Lion's Head trio. We unload and start walking towards the archway noted 'Robben Island' we walk through and are stopped by a van yelling at us saying we have to get on the bus...soooo we join the other lazy zombies and hop on a bus, which drives us around the island and narrates the history of the Island blah blah blah.

We then get off and are led into one of the old communal prison cells and told the experience by a former political prisoner from the 80s. He walked us through the typical daily experiences he had and walked us to the exercise yard that still had plants from a garden Nelson Mandela had helped start. Towards the end he told us where Mandela's cell was which I spent all of two minutes trying to see since the tour bus coo coos were all trying to take pictures of their faces, pony tails and finger nails with Mr. Mandela's old cell.

All in all it was a great experience and I'm glad I got that bit of history because it is a horrendous practice to jail people for wanting equality or just because they fit in a category that equates to a racial slur. It was just disappointing to be lumped together with the tour bus types that don't really want to soak in the experience and just want to see their lives through a window. I lost a bit of the history because of all the exhaust I inhaled.

I should sign off now because James and Hannah are picking us up from this internet cafe to take us to a house in Camps Bay for the weekend! Tomorrow is a wine tour and Sunday driving to Cape of Good Hope to see penguins!