Cape Town, South Africa is sinply amazing. The history, the landscape and the people. We have followed some of the trail of Nelson Mandela and learned about the Apartheid in 1948 in which races were forced 'apart'. We visited District 6, now a thriving center but with a sad history. Trevor Noah of the Daily Show has parents who were split by the Apartheid, in case there are any watchers who want to know how recent this forced segregation really was. As a local explained, there was a classification court you could go to if you claimed you were a different race to stay with your family. They would put a pencil in your hair and if it fell out you were classified as white. If it did not you were classified as colored. You needed a Dompas (literally meaning a 'dumb pass' or 'domestic passport' officially to move around in areas you werent assigned to. This was for 'dumb person's which meant you could only be in the place where you worked during certain hours which was largely in the Sea Point area where the white people lived. These were Dutch and British settlers who had come in and divised the system. It was not ended until the early 90s as many adults will recall the protests.
We are also experiencing load shedding first hand as it is a current phenomenon happening while we are here. There is no hydroelectricity here. Cape Town has its own electricity. But those in charge have not invested in maintenance and now the systems are failing so forced power outages in levels are impossed. The number of times of day varies based on need to address these challenges.
Nelson Mandela's legacy is ever present. We also see the history of Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela here as key figures in moving South Africa forward. The culture is lively and diverse. The weather is cooler than expected which has been the case throughout our trip. We are loving the history of this special place. We will post more pics once Table Mountain is visible.
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