The boat ride at Maropeng teaches you about the four elements: wind, water, fire and earth. And because the museum is interactive, part of the fun is to experience these elements – you get wet, you get windblown and then you get dried off with heat. While this is all very entertaining, it doesn’t really leave you very photogenic. As soon as you get off the boat, the resident photographer snaps pictures of you and your companions, first as a group and then individually. I’m giving you fair warning now so that when the time comes, you’re prepared and have managed to wipe your face and brush your hair before your dishevelled state is forever immortalized in print (see picture below).
Like the rest of the museum, the photos are actually quite fun as well, because you get various options of how you would like to have your individual photo displayed. The two most memorable options were a picture of the evolution from ape to man with your face as the last step, or your face on the cover of National Geographic with a quirky title I can’t remember the wording of, but was something like “Famous Explorer Discovers the Cradle of Humankind”, or something like that.
The photos cost R30 each, which is exorbitant if you ask me, but nevertheless a good memento of the trip.
Labels: Africa, Cradle of Humankind, Maropeng, South Africa
