We were informed that during slow season in Cape Town, we’d have no problem walking up and getting on a tour to Robben Island. But, when we arrived at 9am to the ticket office we were told we could only get on the 1pm. The only good thing about this is we had time to wander around the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront; this is the very “touristy” area, equivalent to Fisherman’s Wharf in SF. We did however manage to find Jason’s Asic’s shoes he’s been on the hunt for, so it was a blessing in disguise we had to wait.

At 1pm, we boarded the “Sea Princess” ferry and set sail on the 30 minute ride to Robben Island. The views of Cape Town were magnificent from the back of the boat. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the visit, since the whole ferry process was quite hectic and unorganized, not to mention we were informed that the main attraction of Nelson Mandela’s prison cell was under retrofit and we would not be able to enter it.

The main attraction to Robben Island is similar to that of Alcatraz, as it served as a prison primarily to political prisoners during apartheid. It only closed as recently as 1995, and now is a popular destination. We began our tour of the island on a bus, guided by a very knowledgeable Yolanda. She showed us the limestone quarry where Nelson Mandela served 18 long years doing hard labor, prison cells, some of the incredible wild life that occupies the island, as well the amazing views looking onto the Cape.

The next portion of the tour was more interpersonal. We were greeted by an ex-prisoner who led us through some of the barracks, sharing with us his experience serving in the prison as well telling us some of his political views. His passion and commitment to his beliefs and hopes for South Africa were incredibly moving. In fact, I was so moved by his story that I left my hat in the cell he was talking to us in. Amazingly, the girl sitting in front of us on the ferry (out of 150 people) happened to find a hat and low and behold I was reunited with it.