A Birthday in Cape Town!

WELL, WE WANTED TO GO…

My sister booked a flight to Cape Town for her birthday. Cape Town? We were in. I haven’t been to Africa and we’d been talking about Cape Town for a while. She said we weren’t invited. I think she meant my parents weren’t invited but we just let her do her thing. So we settled for pictures and updates.

I would just wait for her to let me know all the mistakes she made, so my trip would be perfect!

…It seems like she didn’t screw up much. She skipped the Constantia Valley vineyards and St. James beach huts. But… oh the weekend wasn’t about me…

Below are the texts she sent to remind us every day that she was in Cape Town and we were not. She isn’t as much of an exclamation point person but she had fun!

TEXTS FROM CAPE TOWN!

Made it to my hotel

Just finished my spa day

6 hrs

Tomorrow I’m taking a boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years

The tour guides are former political prisoners who were incarcerated with Mandela

Heading to Robben Island

Mr. Peter Vusi Kube was a political prisoner on Robben Island for years. He was charged with murder, conspiracy, terrorism, and assault among other things. He taught us how they smuggled political papers and other documents back and forth from the prison to their contacts on the main land to keep the movement alive. Today he is 63 years old and is one of the many tour guides for the prison-turned-museum.

Fried red snapper, cabbage, coconut rice, beans, and a red stew side, with a drink… $5

Uber is cheaper than public transit

Uber is cheaper than renting a car

An Uber ride to the airport…. About a 30-minute drive from downtown… is $7

I hired a guide to take me up table mountain tomorrow

2 hr hike

Made it to the top

Very foggy

2200 ft above sea level

Landed in Amsterdam

Heading home

Cover Photo: Duncan Meyer/Unsplash