Western Cape

Today I started my next leg of my trip with Acacia. I meet my group last night for a pre departure information meeting. Harmony and Crispen are our tour guides who are both from Zimbabwe. There are twelve on this leg of the trip (two Americans, two from New Zealand, one from Singapore, two Germans, two French and two Aussies).

Our first activity in the trip was a township tour of Langa in Cape Town where we met Mufassa. Mufassa grew up in this township and he brought us around the area explaining the history of townships. This township was developed during the Spanish flu in early 1900s as black people were thought to be transmitting the virus. This meant black people were segregated into this area however this got worse when the apartheid system occurred. Mufassa showed us the old houses and the newer houses that people are been given for free as compensation for the Apartheid system.

After the tour we had an hour free time in Cape Town. I walked through the Orangjezicht market beside the waterfront. It was a cute food market with lots of people hanging out with friends and treating themselves to nice lunches or sweet treats.

We then drove to the Highlanders and stayed in the Highlanders campsite. We set up our tents overlooking the vineyard valley. We met Sparky the owner who did a wine tasting for us. He explained that the valley grows specialist types of grapes and is irrigated by 270km manmade canals. The wine tasted very nice and it was a good activity to start getting to know the rest of the group.Read more