Cape Town, South Africa

We were excited to arrive in the beautiful city of Cape Town, where Lindy grew up before moving to Denver 16 years ago. Known fondly as the "Mother City", Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa. The city is a cosmopolitan mix of culture and business, industry and leisure, history and innovation.

The city of Cape Town is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the iconic Table Mountain.

A little over 100 miles south east of Cape Town is Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans converge.

We are awakened every morning at sunrise by the awful screeching of guinea fowls, which are "protected" and roam freely in residential neighborhoods.

The Protea is the national flower of South Africa.

We took a few hours strolling through Kirstenbosch, a huge botanical garden established on the mountainside just north of Cape Town.

The V&A Clock Tower, named for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (later of tobacco fame), is the entry to the vibrant waterfront district.

These statutes on the dock at the waterfront commemorate South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize winners: Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW De Klerk, and Nelson Mandela.

We spent a rainy afternoon at the incredible Two Oceans Aquarium, a world class exhibit of ocean swimmers.

Our personal favorite - The Thinker!

Fish on a stick anyone?

No, this is not Boulder, Colorado.....but Boulders Beach home to.....

South African penguins.

Also at the V&A Waterfront is the Nelson Mandela Gateway for departure to Robben Island. Here we experienced a moving tour of the maximum security prison where many of the leaders in the struggle against apartheid were incarcerated.

Besides apartheid leaders, other notorious prisoners convicted of violent crimes, were held at Robben Island. Each group had different menus with political prisoners given less food to emphasize their "lowest of the low" status.

Prisoners were given a number and never referred to by name. Billy Nair was known as 6964.

In 1992, after more than 20 years of prison life, apartheid ended and the new regime leaders were freed.

We're leaving civilization to visit the "wild" parts of SA. Coming next the "Big 5".

Ben & Lindy