Farewell Capetown, hello life
I am sitting looking out over the Simons Town Bay enjoying a last coffee before I begin my long trek home.
Sadly the whale watching did not happen. The weather has been dodgy all week and I have been really lucky with what I have been able to do. Instead I went to the Simons Town museum. A fascinating story, which does nor portray the British in a very good light. And this is a little British town really. When they came here in the 1780's they came to support the Dutch against the French, if they swore allegiance to the British Crown. There were sown the seeds for the Anglo-Boer War a hundred years later. They treated the San (Bushmen) as pest, like rats, and decided the most efficient way of killing their children was to smash their heads against rocks. They did experiments on them and cut them up to test Darwin's Theories. At the end of the Anglo-Boer War they sent all the Boers home but kept their black servants as cheap labour, severely punishing them when they objected. There is a theory around in New Zealand that the British Empire was benevolent. Clearly not, if your were black, Aboriginal, or Maori.
So now I am ready to spend many hours in a planes winging my way home and to embrace all that awaits me there. This last 6 weeks has simply been amazing. I have met great people, been part of life changing conversations, and seen some breathtakingly beautiful scenery. It has been a gift from God. I am thankful for this gift.
Sadly the whale watching did not happen. The weather has been dodgy all week and I have been really lucky with what I have been able to do. Instead I went to the Simons Town museum. A fascinating story, which does nor portray the British in a very good light. And this is a little British town really. When they came here in the 1780's they came to support the Dutch against the French, if they swore allegiance to the British Crown. There were sown the seeds for the Anglo-Boer War a hundred years later. They treated the San (Bushmen) as pest, like rats, and decided the most efficient way of killing their children was to smash their heads against rocks. They did experiments on them and cut them up to test Darwin's Theories. At the end of the Anglo-Boer War they sent all the Boers home but kept their black servants as cheap labour, severely punishing them when they objected. There is a theory around in New Zealand that the British Empire was benevolent. Clearly not, if your were black, Aboriginal, or Maori.
So now I am ready to spend many hours in a planes winging my way home and to embrace all that awaits me there. This last 6 weeks has simply been amazing. I have met great people, been part of life changing conversations, and seen some breathtakingly beautiful scenery. It has been a gift from God. I am thankful for this gift.
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