Day four: robin island and table mountain

Thursday was our robin island tour which we booked months before arriving. It is an ex political prison 11km off shore of Cape Town where nelson Mandela, amongst others was kept as a prison for many years.

The boat ride was a pretty trip away from the city with superb views of the mountain. 

That's table mountain in the middle and lions head to the right. The pointy one. 

The whole experience of seeing robin island was rather profound and humbling. It did not seem right running round taking photographs of a place where other people had suffered and been imprisoned for reasons of race or belief. We were shown around by an ex prisoner who had spent 4 years as a prisoner there. 

I was a little disguised to see people climbing under the blankets on the floor pretending to be prisoners, and closing the barred gates having their pictures taken in front of an ex prisoner.

After a walk around the prison we were shown around the island by bus and had a quick stop at a cafe owned by nelson Mandela's guard. He described Mr Mandela as a humble and gentle man. 

We headed back to the main land and had lunch in a good market at the waterfront. Soft shell crab was on the agenda. 

We then had planned to hike table mountain. However due to cold and high winds the cable car was shut. So we decided to do an hour or so hike up then head back down before dark to ensure it was safe. The views were still spectacular. 

The evening concluded with yet more sea food at the famous willoughbys, with sushi, sashimi and tuna. All super fresh. Stephens favourite meal so far!