Robben Island

This afternoon, while Evan attended the conference, I decided to take the ferry out to Robben Island. It is a little island 12 km off the coast of Cape Town, similar to alcatraz. And just like Alcatraz, it was used as a prison, though much more laid back.

The weather was terrible, and the water was choppy. I felt myself getting sick from the get-go. Why do such neat places put us through so much to get there? As we arrived, busses were waiting to take us on a tour around the island before we toured the prison.

This island was (and still is) inhabited soely by employees of the island, about 200. There are 29 recorded shipwrecks, some with visible debris, lots of jack rabbits, a wilderness, a lighthouse, a small military base, and 1 store.The guide that took us through the prison was an actual prisoner there for 5 1/2 years. He was charged during the apartide with treason, terrorism, illegal importing... he had a lot of good stories about what went on there. Did I mention Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here? Also Robert Sobukwe, and others heavily involved in the apartide/separation movement. (For those readers who don't know, Nelson Mandela went on to become one of S.A.'s presidents in the 90's. I hung out with a couple from Washington state who were so nice to give me a dramamine for the way home. Talking with them was a good distraction!

Here's our guide telling us about getting mail

From there I raced to the University to watch Evan play in his annual soccer game. They split into teams when they get there, and his team played well. They won one game and lost one, putting them in 3rd place overall! They all played exceptionally well due to a general language barrier. They had an awesome Italian goalie that saved the day. Way to go Evan! He had the longest shorts of anyone on the whole team! My sweet athlete.