Leanne on the opening of Parliament

Last Thursday, February 10^th, most of our group decided to go to the opening of the South African Parliament.  The Parliament building is located in the center of the city of Cape Town, so we had to take public transport into the city.  Teddy, Anna, Brenna, Marie and I took the train from Mowbray into town.  This was my first experience riding an actual train, though I have made use of the T system in Boston and the subway in NYC a handful of times.  The station was initially confusing because we needed to cross the tracks and didn’t know how to do that, but a friendly local guy directed us towards the (creepy) underground passageway.   The train was right on time, and we learned that it is important to get on as soon as possible – South African trains don’t mess around, it pulled into the station and then was on its way again in about one minute flat.  We saw a couple people jogging up and hopping on the train when it was already moving, having to hold the doors open as they leaped in – that’s way too much excitement for me!  The train fare was inexpensive, R5 for regular class and R7 for first class.  Since R7 is approximately one US dollar, that’s a bargain for a 20 minute ride! We were directed to buy the tickets upon arriving in the Cape Town station, so I’m not sure how they keep track of who rides what class.  Also, I have since ridden the train to the beach and was not required to purchase a ticket at any point.  I’m not sure how the system makes any money. 

Many of the city roads were blocked off in anticipation of the procession, so it was hard for us to get close to the front of the Parliament building.  I’m assuming it was full of people, since the sides of the main roads were moderately crowded.  We watched President Jacob Zuma drive by in a vehicle with huge glass windows, preceded by armed guards on horseback and followed by a motorcycle convoy.  A woman standing near us said that each branch of the military would then follow.  We could just catch sight of airplanes flying over some of the nearby buildings.  Teddy and I decided to go closer to check it out, and to hear Zuma’s speech, but wound up wandering up and down side streets, trapped in by the roadblocks.  We gave up after about twenty minutes and decided to engage in one of Teddy’s favorite pastimes – eating Indian food.  We found a bustling place that looked promising.  The “traditional Indian ice cream” was disappointing but they did have fabulous mango lassis! 

Long Street

We met up with the rest of the Malleson Road group at The Neighbourhood, a restaurant on the corner of Long and Wale Street, and were soon joined by the big group from Loch road, who had apparently gotten a late start and missed the first train.  We had appetizers there, and then walked around Long Street, which is known for its vibrant nightlife.  All in all, it was a good night, though the opening of Parliament was somewhat disappointing.  I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I’m still glad that I went – it’s probably a once in a lifetime experience because who knows if I will ever be in South Africa in mid-February again!