This morning, we visited the settlement of Bo-Kaap, the Muslim settlement in Capetown. When the VOC landed on the Cape, they were not allowed to technically enlave the native Khoi San people. First of all, it was illegal. Second of all, the Khoi-San wouldn't have been able to perform the types of jobs the Dutch needed. So the VOC imported slaves from North Africa, Indonesia, India, and other Islamic countries. And when the Group Act was passed, it confined "colored" people to one section of the town. It was a very beautiful part of town. There were many mosques that were as elegant as any cathedral. The houses around the neighborhood were painted like Rainbow Road in Charleston. Don't worry, Mrs. Prickett, Sarah got a bunch of pictures for you! :-)
After that, we decided to have lunch around the settlement. It was Cape Malay food, which meant it wasn't quite as spicy as some Indian foods. It was so delicious and I felt bad that I got so full so quickly!
Then, the final event for the day happened: We tried to go up Table Mountain. Unfortunately, the wind was so strong that they weren't running the cable up to the top of the mountain. A small group of 9 (myself, Kristen, Sarah P., Sarah T., Matt, Cam, Josh, Charlee, and Melinda) decided to try and brave the wind and hike up it. It was a rough hike. Like the stairmaster times 20 with rocks. Eventually, time, the wind, and the clouds got the best of us. We hiked down, sad that we couldnt' get to the top, but happy that we were together and talking about all things fun and exciting.
Since it's our last night SA (ahhhhhhh!), we have already gone out for a nice dinner (don't worry, Gumbo and Ruthie, I look cute lol). I hope I'll have the chance to go out with some friends to get a springbok shot later on tonight. Don't worry, I don't do anything crazy. We've got to leave in about 10 hours to catch a flight to NAMIBIA!!
Can't believe it's already halfway done!
Love,
Hill
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