Namibia and Cape Town

Horseback Riding!

9-21-08
The next morning we woke up bright and early so we would make it in time for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. We then called a number my friend Lizzy had taken down from the travel guide at the ship’s library for horseback riding! The company came and picked us up from the hotel and we went horseback riding for two hours in the Namib desert! Once again it was such a beautiful sight to see with nothing but miles and miles of sand. Our guide’s name was Leon and he said he had been working for this horse ranch for fifteen years. He asked us if we wanted to learn how to trot, so we tried it! It was quite bouncy and little scary to go faster than casually strolling through the desert but it was fun! We would only do it for about thirty seconds at a time, so our bouncing booties had a little time in between trots!

We then got a ride back to Swakopmund and had lunch at a restaurant called the Lighthouse which was right on the water. After lunch we went to a museum nearby which had everything from the city’s history and racial divides, to culture, to technology, to animals and so much more. We spent close to two hours in it. Although it was quite small in size, it was packed with exhibits and things to read. We then ran into a group of our SAS friends. It was exciting because we didn’t have a hotel room reserved for that night and wanted to find people to stay with, so it worked out perfectly.

The next morning we went to the market on the street where all the locals were selling their art and jewelery. Bargaining is definitely a new skill for me, and I’m learning how to be increasingly firm in each country we go to. I’ve discovered on average one should pay at least 40% less than their original asking price. It’s so funny because they are so friendly and say “sista come into my shop! I give you special price today!” And by shop they mean the 6x6 old blanket lying on the dirt road with their crafts neatly spread on top of it. I managaged to spend a few Namibian dollars on gifts for family and friends and hopefully made the days of some of those salesmen. After that we took a taxi back to Walvis Bay, and had dinner on the boat. We then went out for dinner and a night on the town. I ate some really great banana pizza!

Township

9-23-08
The next morning we went on an SAS trip to a Township. Our first stop was at an educational center where the group of children welcomed us with singing. They were all probably under six years old and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they sang a butterfly song and a “welcome visitors” song. Their accents were darling! The woman who runs the center showed us around and told us they only have two computers. She was glad that people like us were coming to visit them because she said our awareness of their situation gave her hope for the future. She stressed how important education was and how it is not always available to the children. We gave them a donation and then hesitantly got back on the bus. My roommate and I were the last ones on the bus, as it was so hard to pull away from the children jumping and hugging all over us. They were jumping up and climbing the fence to wave goodbye as our bus drove away.

We stopped for a snack break at a small restaurant where they had prepared some traditional Namibian food for us. There was a dough type food that is in a big glob on the plate and it is eaten with the hands. Once you pull a piece of it off, it is dipped in a spinach sauce. It was different but quite tasty. Then there were bugs to eat...fried millipedes of some sort! I was one of the few that decided I had to try one...when in Africa right?! It actually had a nice spicy flavor but a little more crunch than I would normally enjoy. I was proud of myself for trying it!

The next place we went was an organization called New Start. It is a counseling and disease testing center. The woman who runs it said they have limited computers but they are teaching technology and computer classes to as many people as they can. She said it has been especially important to educate women about their health and AIDS so that they understand the realities of what can occur. Many of them enter into prostitution, or their husbands who travel at sea are with prostitutes. By raising awareness they can teach these women to make smart and safe decisions for themselves and in turn reduce the number of people with AIDS in Africa. Our tour guide said he even volunteered at this center when he was younger. The original founder of the organization was not there because she was traveling to other parts of Africa to open up more branches in different Townships. Their presence within these poor communities really can make a difference and begin to create change through education.


Cape Town, South Africa!

9-26-08

The night before arriving in Cape Town my roommate Andrea and I decided to attempt sleeping out on the deck. This is somewhat of a tradition to sleep on the deck the night before arriving in port so that you can see the ship pull in. We even pulled out the lawn chairs to sleep on with our sleeping bags! However our plan failed miserably when it started to rain in the middle of the night!

Our first morning in Cape Town I went on a city orientation tour. It was by bus and our first stop was the Castle of Good Hope. It was basically a fort built around a large courtyard of grass. There was a museum inside of it of historical furniture, artwork, clothing and weapons. We climbed some stairs to the top of it and could see a wonderful view of the city and of the famous Table Mountain. We then went to a garden and park area in the middle of the city. We stopped at a small café and had tea and crumpets with jam which were delicious and melted in my mouth! Right outside the gardens was a government building where the new temporary president of South Africa was just sworn in the day before we arrived! The former president Mbeki resigned about a week before we arrived in Cape Town. It was interesting to be there during a time of change for them. We asked some students from the University of Cape Town what they thought about it and what all they knew about the political situation. They were aware that something was changing within the presidency but didn’t really know much about the details of it which was interesting. I am so much more interested in global news and global politics now after experiencing all these different countries. For my business management class we are required to come to class each day with a current event, so that is keeping me informed about world news as well.

Also, right outside the gardens were benches that the city had left in remembrance of Apartheid. One said “whites only” and the other said “non-whites only”. I suddenly felt closer to the reality of segregation and all the terrible things that came with it. It was also crazy to see that although racism and apartheid and segregation is considered a thing of the past, many aspects of it all are still very present in Africa.

As we were taking pictures of the benches all the sudden we see a man running towards us with police officers running after him. There was yelling and commotion and all the sudden the guy crouches on a nearby bench as the police start beating him with their baton. The hitting was fairly brief but still seemed unnecessary to use that much force. We were not sure of what all the situation entailed but it was a little nerve-racking! We then went to a natural history museum which was interesting as well.

That evening me and some Santa Clara friends from the ship met up with two of our Santa Clara friends that are studying at Cape Town University for this semester. We went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant where I had sushi as well as a delicious cream of mushroom soup. It was nice to see some familiar faces from school and home, as one of the girls I went to high school with as well. I'll continue with the rest of my Cape Town adventures soon!