The one great thing that came out of registration was receiving free tickets to participate in the Peninsula Tour, which drove along the coast beginning in downtown Cape Town, to Clifton, to Boulder's Bay, and ending at the Cape of Good Hope. After the LONG day of drinking, big hats, fabulous horses, and all around fun, it was a bit difficult to wake up early and make the hike onto Campus. But with massive buses and orange juice waiting, I felt rejuvenated for the day.
After a drive through the heart of Cape Town, we were driven along the coast (literally on cliffs towering over the ocean on double decker buses, I was a bit nervous) to Clifton. Clifton is an absolutely beautiful beach. The blues in the water are so intense the pictures just don’t do them justice. Clifton is split into 4 smaller beaches catering to different interests, such as Clifton 4 is primarily for surfers and Clifton 2 is for the nudists (the only nude beach in Cape Town).
After Clifton we headed to Boulder’s Bay, the general hangout for the penguin population in the South Africa. Penguins everywhere. I still don’t understand why they are here, but they are adorable and I will never be disappointed to see them waddle around in the sand.
From Boulder’s Bay we headed to Ocean View, a township of colours forcibly removed from their homes in the 1960s. Symbolically naming their new home Ocean View, the township lies in a pretty desolate area, with no train to take people in or out of the region, and no ocean in sight. The township had a huge braai set up for the 500+ international students on the excursion. During lunch, a bunch of kids gave performances, including a tribute to Michael Jackson. It is truly fascinating how connected the kids are to the American hip-hop and pop scene here. I guess music and dance can cross over cultural lines and oceans. I never really know how I feel about townships. I know it is necessary to see the townships in order to truly see the extreme range of living conditions in South Africa; but I always feel uncomfortable when the townships are feeding us a feast after they discuss their hardships and needs of the area. Stop feeding us; we are already fat from our processed foods and over eager parents.
Straight from Ocean View we headed to the Cape of Good Hope. After driving pretty much through un-touched land, we reached cliffs reaching out into the ocean. To the east lay the Indian Ocean and to the west the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. It was a pretty intense hike up to the sole lighthouse in the area, but the views were incredible. From the lighthouse we hiked to the Cape of Good Hope and I literally felt like I was at the edge of the world.
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