Today we willingly put ourselves in a bobbing cage in ice cold water during horrendous sea conditions in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while trying to catch glimpses of great white sharks without getting our limbs ripped off. Today was not normal.

Today we boarded a ferry bound for Robben Island.

The trip was equal parts sobering and inspiring. 

Here are some things we learned:

Robben Island was used as a prison for political prisoners and convicted criminals from 1961. It was a maximum security prison for political prisoners until 1991. And was closed as a medium security prison in 1996. 

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid.

Tours of the island and prison are led by guides who were formerly prisoners here.

Today, former prisoners and guards live side-by-side on the island together, hosting get-togethers with their families every week. Unbelievable. 

The island is referred to as a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over diversity.

Here are some things we saw:

Nelson Mandela's prison cell.

Diet restrictions for the prisoners during apartheid.

Nelson Mandela's garden, where he hid pages being written for his autobiography.

Itumeleng Makwela, our tour guide and ex-prisoner.

A beautiful view of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

Today was a moving day.

Lately we've eaten all of these things, including orange beans plated in the sands of Namibia and tacos found twice on the streets of Cape Town.