Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

        This morning, Jessica and I hopped back on the city sightseeing bus.  We got off shortly after in District 6.  We wanted to go to the museum; it was well worth it.  There were plenty of stories about the people that had been living there and what it had been like to be displaced.  This really rocked their whole world.  They grew up in their homes facing Table Mountain, only to be forced out of the new “white only” area.   These same people are also mad that the homes they were forced to sell to Awhites at dirt cheap prices are worth more than they ever had been.  The government still has to figure out what they want to do with the land that is left from the time.  Groups that the people joined as recreation groups were even segregated.

          After that we stopped shortly at the Castle of Good Hope and walked through the garden.  From there we walked to the next bus stop, and we hopped on a bus for the botanical gardens.  The gardens are ranked 7^th in the world!  It was a 40 minute ride through the hills of the mountain and past beautifully preserved land.  When we got there the views were amazing.  The garden was so large; it would have been easy to get lost there.  There were sprawling lawns with flowers and trees all over the hills; there were some ponds and a natural ampitheater.  In the background of this all was Table Mountain.  I would love to return here someday.

          The next bus stop took us to the Mariners wharf, where I got some ice cream, but there was not much to see there.  We got pictures at the oldest lighthouse in Capetown.  Despite the lighthouse, over 2000 ships have still sunk off the southern coast of the country.  The rocks there are very treacherous.  Then we stopped at Victoria’s wharf to get some food and use the internet!