Afrrican American Museum, Charleston

There was so much to see at the International African American Museum, that I was disappointed that I had so little time to take it in properly.

In fact, from all appearances, it appeared to have a far more comprehensive history than many others I have visited. For as it promises; it tells the unvarnished stories of the African American experience across generations, the trauma and triumph that gave rise to a resilient people.

The pictures and story boards I was able to see during a limited period, were really good.

So, below I have recorded all the pics and stories I was able to take, in the hope that soon I will be able to return to them and educate myself thoroughtly. 

section of thesculpture garden outside the museum

If I ever visit Charleston again, I will certainly put aside an entire day to spend inside this beautiful and educational museum.

 

High drama in Cape Town.

 Today we should have traveled to explore Table Top Mountain which is a UNESCO National heritage site, and go visit the penguins at the Cape Point.

Because of an unfortunate situation however, we had to turn back. 

As it happened, my cousin’s bag was stolen. Passport, credit cards, money, Air B&d key everything gone. To make matters worse, by the time she missed it, the bank was sending messages to say it was declining use of her card, because of the many attempts to use it in quick succession!

Long story short, and good news, by the time we got to police station, passports were returned but everything else gone. The passports were left on a huge rock and someone retrieved them and and informed the US embassy. 

Phew.

I must say how wonderful Luke, the young man leading the tour we were on, was. He told us to go to the Police station and didn’t stop until he found the emergency contact number for the US embassy as it had closed half day.

 Then he got an Uber, made sure it arrived and instructed the driver which police station to go to before taking us home. 

The other people on the tour were wonderful and understanding, not grumbling about the long delay the incident had caused. They all made everything so much less traumatic.

 We really have to be thankful for small mercies, as the Airbnb owner also quickly located and sent us a spare key, as she was out of town, some 3 hours away.

Before the high drama, we did get to see how the super rich live. (I was shocked when our guide named Fidel Castro as one of the famous leader's who owned a holiday home in the area?!)

                     Apostle mountain range

We had just reached Clifton,  the most expensive suburb of Cape Town, as it sits on the rock side beneath the Apostle Mountain range, overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

Lion head peak

 It's a beautiful area so I am sharing pics with you. 

Soon, I will record what I am learning about the real situation here though, for while the Cape is super beautiful, the gap between rich and poor is wider than ever. 

Yes, apartheid is no more and under that system the whites were 20% of the population. However although they are only 8% now, they still control the resources.

For example, according to my taxi driver Siya, although whites and the coloureds (high color people) are seen jogging on the beach at Clifton and the nearby Camp Bay etc, if blacks do, private security appear  immediately to question them. 

More on the other side of the Cape anon. 

In the meantime, enjoy the pics of the beautiful area.

Cycling, surfing, scuba diving, horseback riding, are popular at these beaches where the water temperature is usually in the 30’s!

Memories .