Our Last Look at Cape Town

Having  recently read Nelson Mandela's autobiography, "The Road to Freedom," standing in his tiny cell on Robben Island was a moving experience. Robben Island is the equivalent to our Alcatraz, and Mandela's "home" for 18 of his 27 years held as a political prisoner. Over the years, Robben Island served as a "lunatic asylum" and a leper colony. Today it is home to thousands of cormorants, some of which escorted our ferry on the half-hour journey to the island.

We have packed so much into our two full days here: penquin viewing at Boulders Beach on the seascoast where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet; a visit to the Cape of Good Hope; a ride on the Cape Point funicular to spectacular views on the top; a stroll through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardents; going to the top of Table Mountain by cable car and getting a full understanding why last week, on 11/11/11 at 11:11 a.m. Cape Town's signature Table Mountain was designated one of the worlds seven natural wonders. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is an upscale happy place to shop, dine, and stroll to the live music that fills the air. It is here I bought a striking telephone wire basket made in Africa that will long remind me of this fabulous place.

Tomorrow we fly to Namibia, to the coast where Matt Lauer broadcast for the Today Show last week. Two days later we go in to the interior for game viewing and experiencing the 1,000-ft dunes at Sossusvlei.

No Wi-Fi connections guaranteed where we are going next.