Company Garden

Hidden by the towering buildings of the Cape Town city center, the Company’s Garden was a welcoming break from the busy city life. It is known as the “Green heart” of the city and stands as the oldest public park of the country.

Our first stop was Desmond Tutu’s church. Desmond Tutu is an activist who gained world recognition for his opposition towards apartheid. He is the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. These are a few photos of his church. In the West, Tutu is placed in the same category as Mandela, but in Cape Town he makes frequent airings on the evening news.

Outside of the church

Inside of the church looking up

Back of the inside of the church

Inside front of the church; instead of benches they have individual wooden chairs

We spent the next few hours roaming the grounds of the Company’s Garden. There were magnolias, bamboo, bird of paradise, and more. Here is a quick tour:

People here are very happy

Somewhere in the Company Garden

Birds of Paradise plants

bamboo forest....or is it a baboon forest?

The search for the pink-assed baboon begins

This looks like prime pink-assed baboon habitat

Duck with ducklings, but no pink-assed baboons

I stopped to ask this squirrel harassing people for food if he had seen any pink-assed baboons. He said to ask the squirrel up the way.

"You just missed them man, the pink-assed baboons were just here. They're heading for the museum."

...tune in later for our trip to the museum and our continuing search for the ever elusive pink-assed baboon.

FYI, a public bathroom does not mean it is free. In the city, the stalls were free to enter, but it will cost you 2 Rand for a few sheet of toilet papers. The same trend applies to shops (you will have to be a customer i.e., buy something) and shopping malls (coin operated) when using someone else's restroom.