Cape Town

June 3rd

I had heard rumors that Cape Town was beautiful, however, I have had the good fortune of traveling around a lot of the world and I have yet to see a more beautiful city. It occupies one of the most stunning locations. In the middle of the city stands a tall mountain which is surrounded by beaches and wine vineyards. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty, I did not know where to look first!

After lunch at the charming Victoria & Alfred Waterfront harbor, we took a ferry to Robben Island, which is South Africa's most infamous prison due to the involuntary residency of Nelson Mandela for 27 years. While, it is no longer a prison today, it acts as a monument to the freedom struggle during the apartheid era. We had a guided exploration of the island by a former political prisoner.

Walking around the grounds was emotionally stirring (I was able to see Mandela's jail cell), but not as much as the intense speech our humble guide gave us at the end of the tour recalling his 11 years in the prison. I tried to fight back tears as he talked, but I was unsuccessful. When he was finished I walked up to him, gave him a big hug, and thanked him for being both brave and inspirational.

Dinner was at the Waterfront again. Since, Sarah and I needed a break from the others, we excused ourselves after the meal and made our way to club Opium: Buddha Bar. Even though one had to be on the VIP list to get into the club, we somehow managed to get ourselves in (maybe it was our cute foreign accents?). Inside we found a comfortable place to people watch at the bar. No adventure is complete without meeting a model, and that is just what happened next! A handsome man approached us and asked if he could buy us drinks.

Bruno, an Angolan model famous in Africa for his smile, bought us glasses of champagne and proceeded to fill our heads with glamorous stories.

June 4th

The morning was spent walking through some of Cape Town's townships. It was impossible to comprehend the level of poverty that exists within those shanty towns. It is estimated that 1 in 2 African's (315 million people) live on under $1 a day. All I saw was shack upon shack with 10-15 people living in each one. I asked my guide how people could have any hope in life living in this situation. He then taught me about the African philosophy, Ubuntu, which is about humaneness and caring for each other. This gives the people strength to survive. He elegantly stated, "People are people through other people.

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The next part of the journey led me to climbing Table Mountain with Sarah. This mountain gets its name from being completely flat-topped. It is 1,073 meters tall and lies in the center of the city. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring tennis shoes with me to Africa, so I had to borrow a pair that were the wrong size. I was not going to let that stop me from climbing the mountain, but I did suffer consequences in the form of huge blisters. Nonetheless, the four hour hike to the summit was one of my most proudest accomplishments and the view was simply breathtaking. Since I could barely walk at the top, we opted to take the cable car back down the mountain.

Famished from the climb, we found a quiet Mexican restaurant to regain our energy.

June 5th

Six of us met for an early breakfast, which consisted of little conversation.

I suppose we were nervous about the day ahead of us, but no one wanted to be the first to admit it. I would like to preface this story by stating that my biggest fear in life are sharks. So, why I chose to swim with them I have no idea? The coach picked us up and we had a 2 hour drive to Dyer Island in Gansbaii. The scenery along the way definitely took my mind off of what laid ahead of me. As soon as we got to the island, we got on a boat. There was no turning back now! About 30 minutes into the boat ride we spotted our first shark. It was no regular shark, it was one of the world's deadliest predators: a great white shark. We stood around in awe of the majestic creature and then our shark guide announced that 2 more were approaching. He told us that we had to get in the water immediately. Without any preparation, we put our wetsuits on and jumped in the cage. The water was frigidly cold, but because of my high adrenaline levels after the initial shock I did not even care if I got hypothermia. So, there I was in this tiny cage with 3 great white sharks circling around me trying desperately to take pictures with my underwater camera while at the same time not letting my hands and feet drift out of the cage...and it occurred to me that this was the most extraordinary experience of my life. I stayed in the cage for about an hour, when I began to experience a nasty bout of sea sickness from swallowing too much salt water.  I quickly thanked the sharks for not eating me and found a spot on the boat to lie down on.

Feeling much better on dry land, I joined the entire delegation for dinner at Africa Cafe.

We ate a traditional African meal. Even though it was yummy, the only thing on my mind were the sharks.

June 6th

The day was spent making ward rounds at both public and private hospitals. The difference between the two was baffling. Despite the shocking aesthetic and technological differences, one also got the feeling that the doctors at the private hospitals were strictly practicing medicine for the money, whereas the doctors at the public hospitals were practicing medicine for the love of it.

Off to Johannesburg...