Africa in Short

We may or may not have edited this slideshow during a 16-hour flight. Don't judge us too harshly. :) Also . . . disclaimer . . . I didn't write the captions.

Africa from regina kruglyak on Vimeo.

Kwaheri Africa

The next morning, after coming down from our chocolate rush, we had breakfast at Javas--yes again--before heading back to Cape Town. There we had a chill day, shopping and movies (and making fun of Alexis) at the waterfront and Ethiopian at Addis (yes again) for dinner, before heading out for our last hurrah in Cape Town. We started the night back at the Penthouse bar. When that party slowed down, we made our way to Jo’Burg, the hip-hop bar. I was loving the music despite the miniscule dance floor. I met a nice, local girl in the bathroom, who insisted on showing me her moves. I was getting a lesson about looking angry while I danced, when a guy tried to cut in. Next thing I know, they are fighting over who got to dance with me. The girl pushed the guy into a table and I had to talk a bouncer out of throwing her out of the club. I quickly made my way back to the friends I had come with. Meanwhile, Kaitlin and Regina had signed out and Alexis had made a few new friends. Those of us who were still left decided to try out another, huge techno club that some people we had met earlier kept talking about. By the time we made it home, it was already after 3. That did not stop us from staying up to talk to Thembolie (Timbo), the night watchman, who had a very interesting point of view about the political situation in S. Africa. He lives in one of the townships near Cape Town and made it clear that racial tensions are not a thing of the past. It was haunting to hear about what had happened to him and his friends, neighbors, and family during apartheid. It was with that perspective that I went to a Catholic mass with Alexis the next morning. I had been looking for an opportunity to attend church since Kaitlin and I overheard the local congregation singing in Uganda. I was hoping that there would be a lot of singing. There was not, but that did not stop it from being an interesting cultural experience. The preacher (? head honcho) was white, as was most of the congregation. There was a lot of incense. And, perhaps most interestingly, the preacher spoke about how 1 in every 4 Cape Town residents had been imprisoned and what the congregation needed to do to improve conditions in South Africa. Even though we were dead on our feet, after mass and picking up Kaitlin, we headed to Robben Island. Although there were many other types of prisoners at Robben Island, it is most famous for its anti-apartheid political prisoners. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there from 1964 to 1982. It was very moving to see his cell and the rock pile that he started by Mandela and that was added to by political prisoners each year at their reunion. We were also surprised to see seals and, though we didn’t actually see any penguins, a penguin crossing sign. Later that night, after a nap, we celebrated our last night in Africa with a multi-course dinner at the Gold Museum. The drum lesson was so fun and the dancing was even better, though both made me feel very uncoordinated.





Alex bought a nice champagne to celebrate. After dinner, we had a goodbye party in the upstairs tv room. Alex busted out a bottle of vine from his family’s vineyard. Then it was time to say our goodbyes. None of us could believe how quickly three months passed. On our last day, we ran around finishing last minute errands and getting a pedicure (our feet were seriously nasty after three months of abuse) before the long plane ride home, which we spent editing our slideshow. Once again, I have had the chance to experience a once-in-a-lifetime trip that will forever change me. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and job, who let me go, and my friends and family, who always support me. I know how lucky I am! Now, back to the "real world."