Day 33, Saturday, April 6, 2024

We wake up to find we are still at the dock in Capetown. Winds are still strong and are blowing whitecaps at our ship in the harbor. So off to breakfast and then to meet friends for Morning Trivia. During Trivia, we feel movement and look out to see we are in motion. I go to my cabin and grab my camera and up onto deck 14 it is to get some photos!

We are, interestingly enough, being towed sideways by two tugboats until the ship lines up with the harbor exit. When we line up, the ships engines roar to life and we sail away out into the Atlantic Ocean, heading slightly Southwest towards our next destination. We are planned to be 4 days at sea, and are told the ship will make up the 12 hours lost due to the strong winds!

During the day, the winds are again strong and the seas are 6-8 Meters and I love it as they are my favorite seas! Enough motion to rock me to sleep at night but not enough to prevent me from walking the ship! Okay, we all look drunk as we walk the halls but that is the price you pay! The afternoon bowling game set up in a hallway was interesting to say the least and we all had a fun time!

Then it’s off to Ukulele Lessons even though we just had a concert on stage 2 days ago! We will have another in four weeks! Back to the room to dress for dinner!

Day 34, Sunday, April 7, 2024

Today is unremarkable except for the winds. We start the day with 5-6 Meter seas and by afternoon they are down to 3 Meters. This is promising as our next port will be a Tender Port and we won’t be able to board the Tenders in strong winds. We’re hoping the winds subside a bit more tomorrow and the next day! Throw in a food shot of dessert for good measure!

Toinight’s show was fun. Toons from around the world!

Good night All!

Day 35, Monday, April 8, 2024

Today is a normal ‘At Sea Day’. I spend time photographing the elevators as each one is different! It’s amazing how they aligned the images on the side walls and the back and even the floor to work perfectly with each other!

A show in the theatre that is fun to watch with a South African singer that is extremely talented. Then it is off to ‘Center Court’ to listen to ‘Isabella Eagle’, who happens to be not only one of the most beautiful performers on the ship, but one of the best voices we have heard!

To bed we go!

Day 36, Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Another Day At Sea and we are Painting, Playing Trivia, Playing cards, Playing silly throwing games, Ukulele Lessons, Taking Naps, etcetera! And then it’s to dinner with our Scottish (well almost) and Aussie Table Mates and all is good! We are improving on our understanding of the UK Dialects!

After dinner (which, in itself. is delicious!) we go to the nightly Trivia games to find out it is the ‘Human Jukebox’ where we all have a remote control and vote on bands and songs that we think are the best! Out of 5 choices, I get one, LOL.

Then we go into the theatre to watch a Comedian/Magician that is absolutely hilarious! A couple of Brits next to me apologize and tell us it is British humour. I look at them and acknowledge that I get it and tell them he was “Brilliant”, which is the same as saying in the States that he was ‘very good’!

Then it is off to the Purple Turtle for another musical trivia game that is less than inspiring. It is time to turn in so I will bid you all ‘Goodnight!’

Tomorrow will (hopefully) bring a fantastic adventure! Stay tuned!

Day 32 Capetown Friday, April 5, 2024

Today we awaken at 6:30AM to a message from the bridge that winds have caused us to bump into a freighter while attempting to dock. The captain says we have no damage but we will be docked in a different place than originally planned. Turns out is is only a ships length from the original plan.

We have breakfast and disembark to find we have to walk through a wind tunnel to get to the Terminal. The wind is so strong that it actually blows my legs so hard that I have to fight to step where I want to! I take photos of the back corner of our ship that has sustained a dent, albeit a very small dent.

We make it into the Terminal and are told it is faster to walk another half mile than to wait for the small shuttle bus. So we walk. Not too far we find the HO HO Bus Stop (Hop On, Hop Off).

We board the bus and start our tour of Capetown. Just like several friends have told us, Capetown is a beautiful Port City! It is very modern and quite different from other African cities we have visited. The backdrop of Tabletop Mountain makes for stunning vistas! And then the bus starts to climb the hills and we get more stunning vistas of the port from above.

The winds are very strong and we are sitting in the top of the open top bus but our cameras have insisted that this is the place to be! So on we go until we get to the bus stop for the cablecar to the top of Table Mountain. As expected, though, the cablecar is not running today due to the high winds. A bit disappointed, but we also realize there is no way we’d want to be in a cablecar in these winds anyway.

So our cameras guide us as we walk around and a friendly Traffic Control guy takes us under his wing and shows us around as he describes everything to us. Thabo (pronounced Taa-Bow) is very friendly and quite knowledgeable about the area and even takes us to the beginning of a hiking trail that we climb for only a short distance on the very rough path in the strong winds before we decide ‘not today’. Our cameras get some fun views of the port below and Table Mountain above and then we head back to the bus stop. Thabo meets us again and shows us the different displays of cable cars used since 1929 and we are amazed at how tiny they are and how many people they carried!

Back on the bus, we drive over the pass between Table Top Mountain and Lion’s Head, a pointy mountain that reminds me of photos I have seen of a mountain in Iceland that I someday want to photograph. Off to the other side of Table Top is a third mountain known as ‘Devil’s Peak’. The scenery here is fantastic and soon we descend down the mountain pass to beautiful beaches with waves crashing in the high winds!

We drive through what surely must be a very expensive place to live with beautiful beach and cliffside houses, meticulously cared for, overlooking the beauty of rock strewn beaches and crashing waves. The winds are so strong that we have to strap our hats on tight! Then our bus stops and we are informed that we need to change buses as ours has got a flat tire!

After a while, we come to a bus stop where we get off and board a different bus to take us around the ‘Wine Trail Loop’. We stop at Jonkershuit Wine Estate, also known as Groot Constantia Wine Estate. This turns out to be the Oldest Winery in the Southern Hemisphere! It is so windy, we opt to go into the first building we can and it turns out to be the restaurant. We get seated and place our orders for lunch. We share an appetizer of ‘Smoked Kudu Carpachio’, a kind of African antelope. It is excellent! Then I order Ostrich Steak and am informed they are out of it. But instead they give me Springbok Steak, another kind of antelope. It is fabulous and cooked perfectly! Elee orders ‘Beef Bobotie’, a ground beef dish with egg. It was also delicious! To compliment the meal we order the ‘Governeurs Reserve Wines, White for Elee and Red for me. Both excellent choices!

We walk outside and brave the winds again and walk over to the wine tasting building. We look at the wine tasting menu and see the top choices were what we had with lunch so we move on and head back to the bus. The next stop is a walking trail down an extreme slope and we opt out and go back to the bus.

By the time the bus gets back to the start of the route, we are tired and still need to do some shopping. There is a Mall a short 10 minute walk from the bus stop and we pick up some sundries that we need. We also find the magnet for our stateroom wall. Armed with the items we need, we hire a taxi back to the ship and it costs 185 Rand, approximately $9 USD. The taxi driver comments that one of the ships had an “Oopsie” this morning. I tell him, “That’s the ship! Take us there!” The ship’s crew has painted over the dent in the back of the ship!

Back at the ship, we need to go through Immigration Passport Check and then it’s back on the ship. We grab a bite to eat in the Borough Market, aka the Buffet Restaurant. Walking around the ship, looking for music, we inadvertently miss the local Zulu Show in the theatre. Oh well, I find some other entertainment to listen to with a glass of wine.

Finally, back in our stateroom, we hear the captain come on the intercom and inform us that the winds are too strong and we can’t leave the pier tonight. We will attempt to leave in the morning!

Good Night All!

At Sea, April 3-4, 2024

Ukulele lessons continue and I have 7-10 Chords down. Tomorrow is the Ukulele/Choir Concert and I will be in the shadows in the middle of 100 Ukuleles! Believe me when I tell you that my Ukulele sounds fantastic in the middle of 100 Ukuleles! But it’s all in fun! Today, the 6 Meter swells in the ocean continue as we round the Cape of Good Hope! We’re told the seas will drop to 1.5 Meter swells by morning. Bummer, 5-6 Meter swells are my favorite!

Tonight in the theatre there is a show, “West End Wonders” where parts of Miss Saigon, West Side Story and other performances are performed by the entertainment crew. It is a good show!

So we sail along heading for Capetown, South Africa. We’re told that Capetown is one of the most beautiful Ports in the world! Time will tell and we’ll give you our opinion soon! Tonight in the theatre they are playing the movie, Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman. I walk into the movie 15 minutes in and watch 30 minutes worth. Not doing it for me and I walk out.

A half hour later, a guest group of guitar players called the, “Traveling Tilburys” plays and are very entertaining! Wish I took photos of them! But it is time to turn in and I bid you ‘Adieu’!

See you all tomorrow!

Thursday morning arrives and I head up to breakfast. The ship’s foghorn blows every 5 minutes or so as we are enveloped in pea soup fog.

Then it’s off to join friends for Morning Trivia. We don’t win like we did yesterday but it’s all good fun! Then back to my room to make sure my Ukulele in is tune before a sound and stage check at 12:30.

The concert is fun and I actually can play most of the songs! The name of the Ukulele group is fun also, it is “ABandOn Ship”!

At dinner, I can’t decide between appetizers so I order 2!

Good night everybody!

Durban South Africa, Tues April 2, 2024

Finally back in port after 4 days at sea. The weather has substantially cooled to 21 C or 72 F. Humidity has also dropped substantially and the weather here is perfect! The ship docks at 8AM at the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal. We don’t rush off the ship but let all the planned tours leave first. Around 10AM we get off the ship easily and approach the Immigration booths in the terminal. It takes all of 5 minutes to get through immigration and we walk out to the taxis.

It takes only a few minutes to barter with the taxis and get a rate of 450 Rand per hour from an original offer of 600. That comes to about $22 USD per hour. I bet we could have done better but that is an acceptable price for a dedicated taxi for the day.

Our driver, Thadwyn, turns out to be an excellent tour guide and driver! If you’re ever in Durban, South Africa, and need a good and reasonable driver for the day, feel free to give Thadwyn a call at 062-521-0622 when in town!

Thadwyn takes us to the Victoria Market and walks around with us. We wish there was such a Market at home! But I believe the Los Angeles Health Department would have a field day in just such a market! Even whole Sheep’s Heads for sale! Would love to harvest the cheek meat from them! Sorry if any of my followers are creeped out by this! There are some very creative names on some of the spices!

Fish delicacies galore also! We find fabrics and products as far as the eye can see! We even find a fun magnet for our wall map in our stateroom! One of the fun things we do on a long cruise is buy a location magnet for each port and put it on our wall, making a map of our journey! This is easy to do because ships stateroom walls are metal! The fish market sections are interesting!

We wander through spice markets and our cameras are in heaven! We even spend about $12 USD on several fresh spices to use when cooking back at home!

Thadwyn next takes us to the Botanical Gardens and finds a friend of his, Vishnu, a golf cart tour operator in the Gardens and we pay Vishnu $10 USD each for a private tour, replete with extensive knowledge of all the plants and trees in the Gardens! Well worth the 45 minute tour! We even see a tree that has been alive since the dinosaurs and is called the loneliest tree! It has been determined that the tree is male. There is no surviving female tree of its species and it cannot reproduce! We are told that somewhere in the UK, they are working on trying to clone a tree and turn it female. As I don’t understand the science, I will accept it is a lonely tree!

We next drive off for views of the Durban Soccer Stadium, a feat of engineering in itself! More city views and we arrive at Umhlanga Pier, with what appears to be Whalebones built in! A very photogenic pier and our cameras thank us! Even a miscellaneous vendor selling everything from hats and scarves to kites that realistically looks like a large bird!

Next it is off to lunch where Thadwyn finds us our requested meal of “Bunny Chow”, a famous dish here that is a hollowed out bread bowl filled with Mutton Curry! It turned out to be fabulous! The restaurant staff asked where we were from, and when we told them Los Angeles, they informed us we were the first ‘Foreigners’ to dine in their new restaurant since they had just changed location!

Then, after a few more views of the local stadium, we arrive at a bird sanctuary where our cameras are blessed with views of many exotic and common birds. Some are very fun!

After the birds, we drive along the coast and come across some very well done sand sculptures at the beach! The Zulu Dancers that frequent the location aren’t there on a Tuesday so our tour comes to an end and we head back to the ship. Just before we get there, Thadwyn stops at a Match Factory where a Lion Sculpture in front “Roars” every hour on the hour! Fun!

Then, back on the ship, we unload our gear and new possessions and head for a bar and refreshing cold drinks! We visit with old and new friends and swap stories of the day. The one thing we didn’t see, Zulu Dancers, was seen by some, it seems.

We go to the nightly trivia in one of the pubs, The Purple Turtle, and we come close to winning but a clerical error occurs and we are too late to claim the prize! Oh well, the prizes are basically ‘kudus, you won!’ so all is good!

Then I go out on deck and take a few night shots as the ship pushes off the pier and we set sail (so to speak) for Capetown, South Africa. Two Sea Days are ahead of us and we are immediately warned of 5 Meter Seas tonight and a smile forms on my face! I love some motion in the ocean! I will be rocked to sleep tonight and will likely be totally refreshed in the morning! Call me weird!

So goodnight All as we head around the Cape of Good Hope!

Friday-Monday, Mar 29-Apr 1, 2024

On the ship for 4 days, it is ship days as usual. Breakfast, Trivia, Lunch, Cards, Games, Ukulele Lessons and Dinner, followed by a Show and other musical offerings! Will post what we have! We even saw the “Green Flash”! Although I wasn’t prepared to photograph it! If you don’t know what the “Green Flash” is, Google it! Spectacular!

At two o’clock on Friday afternoon, the entertainment crew hosts the “World Cruise Boat Regatta”, a silly entertainment where passengers that wanted to, built some kind of floatable boat out of recycled materials on the ship (so that’s where all the coffee stirrer sticks disappeared to!). Then they were put to the test in the pool where a crew member would put a full bottle of water (the ‘Captain’) somewhere on the boat and if it stood up gor 3 whole seconds, the boat would pass! The final winner was voted by rounds of applause from the spectators. All good fun, lots of laughs and it kept the cocktail waitresses busy!

Fabulous shows in the Paladium each night! On Saturday, we attend the “Chef’s Table”, a 7 course meal with way too much wine! The food courses are fabulous and plated beautifully!

Sunday is Easter! Decorations abound all over the ship! Our room steward speaks English well but apparently doesn’t read it so well. Elee put a “Happy Easter” sign on our door and the steward thought it said “Happy Birthday”! We found this in our room!

With the Chef’s Table, you automatically get a tour of the galley where the food is prepared. We have toured ship’s galleys in the past and for the most part, we are uninterested. Instead, we request to tour the Bridge and are granted it! So, we are invited to a “Bridge Tour” on Monday! A fabulous tour of the Ship Bridge which is a spectacle in itself!

Dinner tonight is Filet Mignon and it didn’t disappoint!

Then the night show was a couple of ‘Diva’ friends that grew up together, Kirsty and Kirstin, a fun duo of voices depicting Divas from the history of music!

Then it is back to the room for the night!

Good night All!