From the Tip of Africa

Africa is multi-faceted, much like a diamond. Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa are vastly different: each one shines brilliantly. Morocco has an Arabian flair; alive with commerce. Namibia is very bare; raw and arid. South Africa is rich and colorful; bold with freedom. Africa is an ethnic and racial kaleidoscope. Languages, colors, and cultures abound.

In Morocco, we visited Casablanca and Marrakech. We caught a commuter train down to Marrakech. The trip took 3 hours and the train was very crowded. In Morocco, it is culturally taboo for strangers of the opposite sex to look each other in the eye. When we boarded the train, we were unable to sit in the same car because there were too many people. I sat in a car with 4 Arab businessmen. I wasn’t frightened by them at all, but I did notice something interesting about their demeanor. They seemed highly evasive to making eye-contact with me – the only female in the car! I eventually decided to stand outside the car near the windows. Morocco’s countryside is beautiful, and I was growing weary of the evasion.

Finally, when we arrived in Marrakech, we took a cab to the largest medina in the city. It was stunning! Quite honestly, I felt as though I had stepped into a scene from Aladdin. There were stalls selling dried fruits, lanterns, rugs, and leather goods. We decided to stop at a “restaurant” in the middle of the market. We ordered cous cous and meat skewers. To finish off the dinner, we had some fresh mint tea. The owner of the restaurant gave us a free cup of tea, but it was so sweet that we could barely finish the second cup!

We stayed in a hostel while we were in Marrakech. It was hidden from the public eye to say the least. We ended up tracking down several winding alleyways before we found it. The hostel looked quite simple from the outside; it was just a solid oak door in the middle of an expansive alley. Luckily for us, it opened up into an amazing establishment! Our room was basically a four-person dormitory with cool, Arabian-style decorations. The common area had floor cushions and incense. We loved it, although I was slightly wary of bed bugs. We had been warned that hostel beds sometimes have scabies and bed bugs, but we woke up bite-free. In the morning, they served us crepes and orange juice for breakfast.

Our second day in Marrakech was kind of soggy. Out on the streets, the merchants had switched to selling umbrellas. We saw quite a few monkeys in the square, all performing tricks for spare change. As we traversed the market, we picked up some fun souvenirs including a few beautiful hand-made carpets. The trip back to Casablanca was pleasant. We were all in the same car, and we were able to watch the countryside whiz by while munching on snacks. A little girl kept darting past our car window, stopping occasionally to smile at us. She’d sing songs to us in Arabic, pressing her face against the glass before she continued skipping along the hallway.

In Casablanca, we decided to visit Rick’s Café. For all you avid movie-watchers, that the name of the bar and café in “Casablanca.” It was all decked out in memorabilia. We had cheeseburgers and cokes… the first “American” meal of the trip, and very likely one of the few cheeseburgers we will be having for the next 2 months! The ambiance was very fun. We topped off the meal with a delicious piece of cheesecake; a perfect ending to our visit to Morocco.

After Morocco, we ported in Namibia. Namibia used to be a part of South Africa. It recently gained independence as a nation in the 90’s. Namibia is a very natural, beautiful country. It reminds me, to some degree, of Arizona; extremely hot, dry, and sandy. A majority of the country consists of a desert landscape. Just 7 kilometers outside the city limits of Walvis Bay (where we were ported), the 4th largest sand dune in the world stand at 1,200 feet. Being the intrepid travelers that we are, we decided to hike it! Hiking a sand dune sounds a lot easier than it actually is. It took us 20 minutes of crawling and slipping to get to the top! It is extremely difficult to climb a mountain of sand when you can’t get a solid footing! We ended up taking off our shoes and using our hands. The view from the top was incredible and worth the effort, though.

While in Namibia, we took a tour of the harbor by boat. Many different types of animals inhabited the harbor including pelicans, dolphins, and some very friendly seals. Literally, they were VERY friendly. The captain of our boat opened up a gate, and several jumped on-board! We were able to pet them, feed them, and take pictures with them! It was quite an experience. Afterwards, the captain served us oysters on the half shell. I almost didn’t try one… but I decided that I would be missing out if I didn’t. I’m so glad I did… although they were quite slimy.

After Namibia, we ported in Capetown, South Africa. It is truly one of the most ruggedly beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. The city rests at the bottom of 3 mountains: Devil’s peak, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head Peak. Our first day in South Africa, Abby and I bought tickets to see a play performed at Cape Town University. The played was called “Pictures of You,” and it was written for the deaf community. That means there was no speaking during the show! The actors expressed themselves brilliantly by means of body language. I was impressed.

The second day, we took a ferry to visit Robben Island. Robben Island is probably one of South Africa’s most famous monuments. It is the location of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for several decades during the struggle against Apartheid. He wrote his book while he was in captivity there. We sensed a great deal of pride in the people who worked on Robben Island. The South African people do not see the island as an atrocity. Rather, they see it as a triumph over racism.

We went to the top of Table Mountain on the third day. Initially, we were going to hike the mountain, but we had heard that it wasn’t always safe to do so. People were getting mugged on the trail. We took a cable car and hiked around on top of the mountain instead. The top of Table Mountain is perfectly flat; it’s a pretty amazing sight to see! We took sandwiches up, and hiked out quite a distance. Eventually, we settled down to eat lunch on top of Table Mountain, overlooking the entire peninsula! I can’t think of any place more amazing to eat lunch.
Tomorrow, we will be visiting a township. Typically, townships are home to the poorer inhabitants of Africa. I’m super excited to go. Cape Town feels somewhat surreal to me. It’s amazing, beautiful, and filled with endless activities, but I find myself wondering what life is like outside the city limits. I embarked on this voyage to learn and experience. I feel like I need to visit the township before we depart. I need to see all the different facets of Africa. They might not be individually pretty, but each one makes up a beautiful whole.