The Meeting Point

The wonder city,is more than just another getaway. Your horizons broaden as you stand on top of Table Top mountain,a fabulous geological structure,nominated just this month as one of the world’s seven natural wonders. Here you reckon with how the inner-city residential area District Six functioned,when tens of thousands of Blacks were confined in a ghetto during apartheid,or how Nelson Mandela learned patience on Robben island,a penal settlement where he was jailed for 18 of the 27 years of his imprisonment. Most of all,when you watch free South Africa nonchalantly display the flags of its colonial rulers,the Dutch,the British,the Afrikaners on the Castle of Good Hope,built by the Dutch East India Company,you learn the value of letting it be.

Cape Town is South Africa’s second largest city,housing its Parliament. It is also a beautiful colonial settlement,with a street named Strand,which can confuse Londoners,as it is almost exactly like the Strand,with its rather European ethos and appearance. Its waterfront is among the most posh in the world,there is also a bit of the Berlin Wall here,gifted to Mandela on his visit to Germany.

The Slave House and District Six are highly rated museums of South Africa. Slave House,centrally located,just a few metres from Parliament,housed the slaves. Through photographs,the reconstruction of the interior of a ship in which indentured labourers were transported,snatches of recorded conversations of slave children and the clanking of chains,a visitor is taken into the world of slavery. A world where slaves learned skills,constructed buildings,worked in mines,created a whole city and were yet denied access to their memories. It was the seat of the court till it was reclaimed recently. With the Slave House,South Africa chronicles the meaning of slavery in the ancient and modern world. It reminds the younger generation of the horrors of apartheid and tries to ensure that those aren’t repeated.

But the most evocative marker of South African history is Robben Island. Mandela,Walter Sisulu,Mac Maharaj and several other leading lights of the liberation movement were imprisoned here. Robben island might mean a “jail” for tourists who come in,but symbolises “freedom” for them at the end of the tour. Over here,one understands how these leaders used their time to engage with their jailers,educate fellow prisoners and further the anti-apartheid movement. The Lime Quarry where Mandela and other teachers,lecturers,doctors were forced to work is barren,except for the pile of stones which lie there as a mark of respect for the time they spent there. A visit to the 34 cells of political prisoners and the courtyards with a former inmate Sparks as a guide are invaluable.

Among the oldest mountains in the world,the over 1,000 m tall Table Top mountain,with a designated national park that is accessible by foot,is an arduous trek for the intrepid. For the rest of us there is cable car. Barren rockface meets moss and shrub as snowflakes and blustery winds blow through this 3 km wide plateau,full of mongoose,deer and tortoises. But the most charming thing atop this plateau is how within metres,you experience completely diverse climatic types,thanks to the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Each with a completely different current type,the warm Agulhas meets the cold Benguela current,a perfect parable for Cape Town with its varied hues and currents.