In 1997 Robben Island was made into a museum. As you travel by ferry to the island, make sure you turn and look behind you at the spectacular view of Cape Town nestled at the base of Table Mountain. When you arrive at the Island you will be met by your guide and you will board buses that will take you to the various sites. This was a prison and it has been left in its original state. No attempt has been made to make it into a tourist center. There are rest rooms and there is a small store about half way along the bus tour where you can get a cold drink or a snack. There are some photographs along the wall by the dock. That's about it. Don't expect restaurants, dioramas, and tourist walkways.

The tours are conducted by former prisoners and, believe or not, by some former guards as well. The tour guides still live on the island. They will tell you about their own experiences, the day to day routine of the prisoners housed here, and the experiences of some of the famous people - like Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe.

You will visit the infamous limestone quarry where many of the most notorious political prisoners were forced to work. You will see the lime cave which served as both eating area and outhouse - without the house. It was in this quarry that the erudite Mandela conducted university level classes during the breaks. These classes were open to both his fellow prisoners and their white guards. That's right - he invited the men guarding them to attend the classes as well, for he believed that they, too, were victims of apartheid. The guards were mostly poorer lower class whites without much formal education. Mandela believed that education would help them see the injustice of apartheid.

How could a man imprisoned for 18 years for trying to bring justice to his people be so giving and forgiving?!! As our guide described this aspect of the tour my eyes filled with tears. Nine months later, as I write this, they are tear filled again.

We go on vacation to our timeshare resorts to enjoy ourselves and to leave the troubles of the world behind. I was told that to go to South Africa and not see Cape Town with it's wine country, it's scenic Table Mountain, it's fabulous restaurants and nightlife would be to rob the senses -- but to visit Cape Town and not visit Robben Island would be to rob the soul.

With only about 20 passengers on board, the Nauticat set out for Seal Island and an unexpected surprise that none of us, including the crew, had anticipated. The day was textbook perfect; sunny skies with only a few puffy white clouds in the sky and the temperature about 75-80 degrees f. We left the docks and traveled about 20 minutes towards the mouth of Hout Bay to the pile of rock named Duiker Island and endearingly known as Seal Island. The seals on the Island were quite cooperative, showing off their swimming and playful talents and demonstrating the wonderful art of relaxation - just lying on the rocks, oblivious to all the picture taking that was going on.

When the passengers had their fill of these cute creatures, we started back. We noticed the Captain was taking a course to the right of the normal route, and when the crew appeared on deck, many with cameras, we knew we were in for a treat. The Captain had spotted a large pod of dolphins and headed straight for them. Once he got their attention, they began swimming alongside and in front of the large pontoons, cutting back and forth through the waves created by the Nauticat.

We estimated 50 to 75 dolphins, too many for anyone really to count. I believe the dolphins were having as much fun as we were. Cameras clicked for over 10 minutes. Then, one by one, the dolphins started dropping back. When the last one left the side of the boat, we all took a deep breath and "WOW" was the only expression anyone could come up with.

One the most spectacular views from the boat is Chapman’s Peak. There is a road that winds around Chapman’s Peak and is said to be one of the most scenic marine cliff drives in the world. It was hewn into the side of the mountain between 1915 and 1922, cut on the dividing line of the base granite and sedimentary sandstone. Brilliantly colored layers of red, orange and yellow silt along with dark purple lines of manganese are extraordinarily beautiful. Unfortunately, several months before our visit, a portion of the road was closed due to rockslide, so our only chance to see it was from the Bay and the open sea.

Be prepared - take your camera and lots of film. You never know what you might see!

After passing the lime quarry, leper cemetery, the prison house of Robert Sobukwe, the rugged southern coast of the island with its accompanying tuna boat wreck, it is time to stop at the prison itself for a contemplative tour. Following the shock of finding out that today ex-prisoners and ex-guards and their families live together in the village on Robben Island (an example of improving the present rather than dwelling on the past), the guide is introduced as an ex-prisoner, who’d spent only five of his seventeen years there before being told one Friday lunch time, to be ready to leave the following day. No reason supplied.

Due to its remote location, Robben Island has often found itself a "human dumping ground." From the seventeenth century onwards, offense-causing Dutch, British, Moslem holy men and Afrikaner Nationals have found this island their home. Both lunatics and lepers were outcast there. However it is as a symbol of apartheid that this prison is known to most visitors. Most the buildings remain and the guided tour gives the opportunity to hear about and see places such as the tiny solitary confinement cells, dormitory cells, exercise yards, Nelson Mandela’s cell and even the grape vine under which Nelson Mandela hid the manuscript of his life story. Although found by the guards, a copy he managed to smuggle outside still formed the basis of his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom." Surprisingly this harsh place was a place of learning and study.