Robben Island.Our last full day was spent back in Camps bay and Cape Town. I woke up and started reading the Mandela book again and I had just gotten past the Robben Island years. It certainly seemed a bit odd to wake up in the posh surroundings after waking up in Kayamandi for 2 days straight. Althought the place was still beautiful and very comfortable it seemed to be too quiet and sort of cold.The Boxer I think I missed lilly’s smile for breakfast. I certainly missed her bran muffins. There were certainly strange feelings going on but it was another day and time to get on with it. Ian had an interview at the “Big Issue”. It’s the same “Big Issue” that is sold in other big cities by the homeless to aid the homeless. We had an interesting morning as the woman ran Ian through the standard questions again. “Why are you doing this?”, “Where are you from?”, “Why Kaymandi?”, blah blah blah..I knew the answers and entertained myself until the fun part. “Can you please box for the camera Ian?”. He’ll do anything to get extra pledges for the kids!! Including looking like a goon in front of his friends boxing for a camera. You can see him wince as he does after each interview it but the cause is on his mind. Yes it is always funny and no it never got old. This guy is dedicated.

After the interview we set off for Robben Island. Robben Island holds the prison that many political prisoners, especially high level leaders, were kept during the Apartheid era. Mandela spent 17 years of his life there and it’s interesting in his book “Long Walk to Freedom” to read about his time there. Our guide on the prison tour had been held on political charges and was on one of the last boats out in 1994. We toured the prison and saw the cells where people had be kept and the lime quarry where they had worked. It was very interesting but difficult to imagine what it was truly like to be there with those people trying to change a government.After Robben Island we did a little walking about in Victoria and Albert and heading back to pack, read, and grab dinner. We had a nice last night in Camps bay and awoke to the leaving feeling.Heading home.We said our goodbyes to Selewyn and hopped on the plane. Neither of us slept and after I finished the last pages of “Long Walk to Freedom” it was time to give the in flight entertainment system a workout. I watched a movie called “In my country” which is about the Truth and reconciliation trials in South Africa. Basically it’s trying to reconcile the atrocities of Apartheid and the ability to heal the country and create a future. You read about it in Mandelas book and it’s difficult to understand why. The movie isn’t tremendous help as it basically hollywood so it includes a love story. I picked up the book “Country of my skull” and it sheds more light on the situation at the time.After Ian and I got off the plane and he was heading to take care of his son Conor who hadn’t been feeling well while he was gone. We were both a bit tired and a bit jet lagged from the trip, grabbed our bags, and quickly said goodbyes and our see you next weeks. It was definitely an eye opening experience for both of us and a bit sad that it was over. I think given the chance we’d have happily hopped directly back on the plane to go build lilly’s BBQ.