16 July Tuesday Cape Town

 

This is the ultimate luxury a hotel which has everything, we had dinner here when we arrived, the plates were taken away after you finished the last mouthful and the wine topped up.

 

 

Had a glorious sleep in the most divine bed, best sleep I have had since we left home. They have the same granite on the steps going into the dining room as on our kitchen bench tops seems strange to be walking on your kitchen bench.

 

The waiters and waitresses are all so much fun, their sense of humour and general helpfulness makes you feel really welcome.

 We have spent the morning emailing then we went to the company gardens, lots of trees and all the government buildings so old and of course took lots of photos.

 

 

The disparity of wealth is everywhere is and this blind man earning his keep busking is a classic example, we are feeling a little uneasy about the way we are living as all of this is very cheap compared to prices at home and can only be funded on low wages of the people here, and we are taking advantage of them. As our driver of the 5 day tour said when we were looking at the shacks on the side of the road that are everywhere. “The people who live in these shacks are the people such as nurses and workers in all industries as well as the 27 per cent of the population that is unemployed”.

 

Government buildings build on the back of slaves.

 

 

After that we went to Iziko, the Slave museum, very interesting but so sad, Tony really wanted to see it and spent a lot more time than Karen and I in it. I guess most people know the history of slaving and mans inhumanity. Our Maoris think they had it tough in the early years of colonisation they have no idea.

 

 

They still have the concrete placed in the middle of a busy street that was used to auction the slaves on. Spent several hours walking the streets getting asked for money in all manners until it began to become a pain so headed back to the hotel.

                                                                                     

 

 

Went down for dinner again, Tony had the buffet Karen and I just had soup and I had spicy chicken livers, so much I could not eat it all. Have eaten so much food in the last week I reckon we do not need to eat for another week, both our guides have laughed at us going on the truck and said they hope we like sandwiches, never mind if the food is not up to scratch we can eat in the lodges we are staying in so it is not a problem.

 

Karen and I were outside the hotel taking photos of the outside lifts when the ushers came out and guarded us said the street people would come and take our cameras from us, we were a bit slow about the tipping them as we are not used to it

 

 

Tony was trying Karen’s cocktail and it went down the wrong way, he coughed and spluttered Karen reckoned it was a real waste of a good cocktail and he had to go up hand wash his jersey, teach him for fooling around.