CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Departing from the harbour we'll head for the Bo-Kaap, which means "Above Cape" because of its location up against the slopes of Table Mountain. In the early 18th century, thousands of slaves from Java, Ceylon and other Far Eastern regions were brought to Cape Town. After slavery was abolished, their descendants, known as the Cape Malays, settled here. We'll visit the museum, which portrays the lifestyle of the typical Malay family residence found in this area.

Our next call is at the haunting District Six Museum, named for the sixth municipal district of Cape Town. Here we'll learn how a once bustling community was transformed to a desolate wasteland by the Group Areas Act, designed to ensure racial segregation. After the apartheid government decreed District Six a white group area, over 60,000 families were forcibly removed between 1966 and 1982, and their properties bulldozed. The area never recovered, and the museum speaks eloquently of the human toll.

Many of those evacuated from District Six were moved to segregated townships, and we will head next to Langa, the oldest existing black township in the Western Cape. In Langa we visit the Tsoga Centre and experience a walking tour around the community as well as traditional beer tasting.

This tour does involve some walking over relatively level ground and a few steps. A bottle of mineral water will be supplied.

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