We got up at 4:00 A.M. this morning so that we could catch our plane from Nelspruit to Cape Town. After a 7 hour drive and a stop at Wimpy’s for breakfast, we got to the small airport. The airport is a few hours outside of Johannesburg. Our flight to Cape Town was very comfortable. We were picked up from the airport in Cape Town by a bus that is being used for Clint Eastwood’s movie about Nelson Mandela’s Rugby Team. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon are starring in the movie.

Cape Town is nothing like I ever could have imagined. It reminds me of several cities combined into one large metropolis. Cape Town has traces of San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Miami, and Malibu but it seems much cleaner, and more elaborate! Even the fields and countryside of South Africa remind me of home. It is amazing to see how much South Africa is like California.

The bus took us to a lookout point atop Signal Hill, near Table Mountain. The view was spectacular. It was absolutely breathtaking. Our chaperones worked hard to convince us that we would be staying in a very modest hotel, but the hotel we arrived at was glamorous and ritzy! Upon our arrival, we were given fresh fruit juice and a warm welcome from the hotel staff. There was a huge grand piano in the lobby. Leah sat down and played beautifully. Her playing touched me. After freshening up, we went to a lovely dinner on the waterfront.

The first week seemed to fly by. There were flashes of lions, elephants, giraffes, poverty stricken townships, a city where the wealthy live on one side of the street, and across the street, live people who barely make enough money to feed and clothe their children. Our second week here has just begun, and it is already proving to be just as exciting. We are taking some time now to recuperate, gearing up for Philani, and our interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I can’t wait to see what this week has to offer!
-Mariel Fox & Trevor Forry

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