Sunday, March 15th-Alyssa

We had the option to hike up Table Mountain at 5:30am or wait until 8:00am and take the cable car to the top. A bunch of us chose to hike up the mountain so we started before sunrise. It was definitely a much harder workout then we anticipated but it was worth it. The view as we climbed up the mountain was breathtaking and we got to see the sunrise as we hiked. We ended up taking the cable car down the mountain with everyone and we were glad we chose to hike on the way up because the experience was much more rewarding. The view we got to see of the city of Cape Town was incredible and I got to appreciate it more after the hike.

When we left Table Mountain we headed to the District 6 museum. The tour guide informed us that Africans (Blacks) and Colored people were forcibly removed from their homes by the Whites. The entire neighborhood was changed. We got to see pictures of people being relocated from the township we were in the day before. I think this museum was very informative and made me more aware of the terrible situations people were forced into. After seeing this museum, we went to the Bo Kapp neighborhood where people were told they could only have white houses. To rebel against the government, they painted their houses in every color but white. It was more then just a color of a house, it was standing up for their rights as citizens of South Africa.

We also went on a boat to Robbin Island.  On the island is the jail where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.  We took a bus tour of the island and got to see the quarries where the prisoners were forced to do manual labor and a cemetery where prisoners were buried. This was an intriguing experience because we were taken through the prison by an ex political prisoner and got to hear about the jail from his perspective.

For dinner, we had an amazing dinner at the Lelapala restaurant in Langa township. The restaurant is located in a woman's house, but she has renovated over the years so it was big enough to fit all 75 of us. There was a band playing and the music was great, we all got up and danced. This was one of my favorite meals because everyone was together and had such a good time.

Alyssa McCarthy
Undergraduate Finance major