Extra pictures from my trip...by popular demand

Venus De Milo's Crack

Me preparing to leave from Dulles Airport

My two new friends from Michigan that I met at the Paris Hostel

Outside of Buckingham Palace

The people I participated in the protest with in Paris
Hall of Mirrors in the Palace at Versailles

In front of the oldest pyramid in Egypt

Some place in Rome...I forgot

The Egyptian God Horus

Stephanie and I won the mummy wrapping contest on the cruise...very corny, but we won.

Kids we met in the Internet cafe in Aswan, Egypt

Merchant in Aswan who sold me my galabeya

Table Mountain Lion's Head. I climbed the smaller one on the right

On the way to the vineyard Backsburg in South Africa

Taya's friends outside Mzoli's in Gugulethu township in Cape Town

Merchant/ Artist I befriended in Green Market

Slave Lodge in Cape Town

Nelson Mandela's Cell Robben Island

Sunset on the Nile

One of the many temples in Egypt

Barcelona

Another shot of the sunset on the Nile

Ubuntu!

Well, today is my last full day in Cape Town and the end of my month long journey. I don't know how many people were actually reading this blog, but I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have been writing on it. The one good thing about this blog is that it encourages me to reflect on my trip at various points.

The ending of my trip was marked by my visit to Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela spent most of his imprisonment as a political dissenter. I was of the belief that the highlight of Robben Island was seeing the single cell that held Mandela for many years, however, Robben Island tells a bigger story that goes far beyond the iconic bars of cell block C.

The tour guide for my group was absolutely amazing. On the tour there had to be at least 12 different countries represented. The tour guide had a way of connecting every person and country to Robben Island. He wanted us all to feel as though our lives, no matter how far away, played an important role in the development of Robben Island/ South Africa and the ending of apartheid. He also brought to life the basic African principle of ubuntu, I am because we are. The best part about that guide is that he said he wanted to got to America to visit NASA and Graceland. If there is one thing we Americans love to do is to get in our pick up truck and take a weekend trip to Graceland.

When you finally get to the actual prison, you are guided by a former political prisoner of Robben Island. That guide made me consider a word that I have never really thought about before, reconciliation. Instead of persecuting those who persecuted them, the South Africans choose to forgive their oppressors. The prison were not a jail, but a community of freedom fighters that continued their struggle even behind the bars of the jail. The educated men that were behind bars actually took the time to teach even the white prison guards that were less educated. That is why South Africa has National Reconciliation Day.

I did take a picture of Nelson Mandela's cell, but I needed to put some context to the island.

Overall, this truly was a trip of a lifetime. I wish I could have told you all of the stories from this trip and the people that I have met, but then you would have no need to talk to me when I get back. Also, I would not be able to tell you about the freakish international obsession with David Hasselhoff and Knight Rider, or as the Italians call it "K2000".

If you have been following the blog from the beginning I did not get a chance to tell you what happen to the old lady in the Paris hostel. So, the whole time we were there she offered all of us in the room everything. She bragged that she was carrying a pharmacy with her on the trip. On the second to last day she fell ill (it was not that bad, but by the way she was acting you thought she had caught the bird flu). I asked her if she had Imodium because she had packed a pharmacy. But the Super Prepared old mother who packed a pharmacy did not pack Imodium. Well guess who did? In the African principle of ubuntu, I lent her a helping hand and gave some of my Imodium. In fact, I walked to the store and bought her some 7up. I guess that ubuntu is innate? She could not handle her sudden illness so she packed her bags, cut her trip short, and went back to the states.

Thank you for sharing in my experience with me!

Adam Hunter

Perfect Timing

I don't even know where to begin. Cape Town fells like my second home. It is mostly because of Taya (one of my friends that convinced me to go on this trip), Fidel, and Mary-ann. Taya and her family had open their home to me for the weekend. It is one thing to live in a hostel or stay in a hotel, but when someone opens their home to you in another country you feel as though all of South Africa has welcomed you in.

Taya and her friends allowed me to be a part of their many discussions on current South African affairs, politics, and culture. On Saturday we went on a wine tour and tasting of South Africa's best wines...or at least some of their best wines as you can see from picture below. One experience that I have never done, but I will be doing again. You start in the morning by having wine with breakfast, tasting of wine during the day, and wine over a late lunch. Now that I think about, I'm surprise I remembered anything. Yes, you are suppose to spit it out but why waste all of that good wine.

I could not leave any vineyard without leaving my signature in the guest books.

Yesterday, was our physical activity by tackling one of the two famous mountains in Cape Town, Lion's Head, the other being Table Top Mountain. Before we took to the mountain we all made a pack to make it to the top together. To help exericise the lungs and prepare the respiratory system for such a rigorous task, half of the group decided to indulge with a very healthy cigarette. Me, on the other hand, took the more healthier route and ate a Twix bar with is delicious caramel and cookie crunch.

So up the mountain we went. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that we went up to catch the sunset. It is said the the best view of all of Cape Town is from the top of Lion's Head. From the start it seemed like a pretty easy trail nice and wide.

It was all pleasant looking towards to the top of the mountain.


We must pause to look at the view mid way up the mountian. (Someone should start selling my scenic pictures)

Wait one minute! This trial is not as easy as we thought. There was actual CLIMBING going on.

To cut the trial in half you can climb up the chains to safe time. The sign at the bottom said "Use the Chains at Your Own Risk". We took that to mean go ahead and kill yourself....so we took the chains.

All I kept on thinking was please don't fall.

As we got closer and closer to the top the sun started to disappear.

Finally we all made it to the top. However, the sun was gone, we were tired, and that meant hiking done the whole mountain in the dark. That is what I call perfect timing.

Good thing Fidel knew to pack a flash light.