Back to Africa

Nov 29 -   Walvis Bay, Namibia We finally put our feet on Namibian soil today! The tour we took today was a “free” one for us through Travel Leaders Network, which Stuart arranged. We left at 11am. The first tour highlight was a scenic drive to Walvis Bay Lagoon to view the flamingos. It is a swampy-like area but there are a lot of flamingos! It was very windy with sand blowing so photos are not great. Back into the small truck/bus/van vehicle with our next stop at Namib Dunes. This looked mostly like a place to rent dune buggies and take a drive. We weren’t there long, then we were off to Swakopmund. Swakopmund was established by German colonists in 1892. This coastal city is west of the capital, Windhoek. Today it is best known for its unique blend of German colonial architecture, recreational activities, and as a gateway to attractions such as the Namib Desert and the nearby resort town of Walvis Bay. There are sandy beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean. (We will stop ther...

Nov 27 - Another lovely day at sea. There was a lovely sunset tonight. We also had Pinotage on board. It is special but I like other wines as much or more. Nov 28 - Luderitz, Namibia We had been forewarned about the possibility of not being able to get into this port. The captain was right. While the water didn’t seem all that rough it certainly was when we left the area just outside the location where we were anchored. The officials did come on board and we did pass customs. So, now we are all set for our port in Namibia tomorrow. We did have a brief rain shower today.

We left on time for our excursion today. We had a nice drive somewhat north of the city. Stopping at Big Beach for a good view of Table Mountain and bay. The Cape Town Ostrich Ranch was the next stop. A cute place where we were told about the raising, feeding, etc. We did feed them having a nice walk around the area. When they offered that people could sit on one for a photo it was disturbing. The poor bird was not happy. I walked back to the entrance when that was going on. It was fun, except for seeing that.  Next was Durbanville Hills Winery. I texted Chuck for his recommendation of a winery here near Cape Town but he didn’t have one so this was our plan today. We hope to taste the Pinotage wine, which we did. It was okay, but I like others better. We did buy Chuck a couple bottles as they don’t ship to the US, only Europe. The wine tasting itself was nice with some live music by a guitarist who sang. We had plenty of time so we ordered a pizza for lunch between the white and re...

This morning, we got a review of our travels so far. It’s going to be a great port for us since we will stay overnight and it is an impressive wine area.  We had an excursion to a winery near Stellenbosch today. We departed quayside and traveled to the town of Stellenbosch, founded in 1680 and set in a broad, fertile valley of the Eerste River. Stellenbosch is a major university town characterized by Cape Dutch-style architecture. The streets are lined with oak trees, some of which have been declared living National Monuments. We had a brief orientation with an hour on our own to explore the town on our own. We skipped the suggested museum and walked around the quaint little town looking in an art gallery and a few shops. We refreshed with a glass of wine for me and a beer for Stuart. Our bill was US$6. Prices here are so reasonable! Sadly, we didn’t have enough time for a meal. I did find a place to mail a post card to Sierra, I was happy about that. Next was the winery Blaauwklip...

At Sea - Thanksgiving As usual the ship was decorated for Thanksgiving with lovely settings in the dining room. The turkey dinner was nothing like home. The crew has also been putting up Christmas décor. Each day there is a bit more in place. We had rolling seas today; actually, it started in the night. Not the sort of sea that makes one sick really but a bit challenging to walk. I am really surprised how calm the seas have been thus far. The Sea View pool was wild. I was surprised they didn’t close it. I do miss the kids today. I hope they are having fun at Millerton. Julie posted a couple photos of Tony. At Sea Last day for Mexican train as our friends depart in Cape Town tomorrow. We have had fun with them and hate to see them leave.

Durban, South Africa We canceled the tour we had planned due to the heat warnings. I just can’t take the heat and Stuart is kind and accommodating about that. Of course, he could have gone on his own but he is getting tired of the extreme heat and humidity as well. We heard later that the specific tour we planned was not very good. Who knows? Since we had no tour scheduled, we were one of the last to pass the on board, face to face, immigration. We were due to go at 2p but then they called our deck right after 12 noon. We were at the pool and it took a bit of time to gather what we needed. It was very fast, almost a walk-through process but they did check our passports. The necessary form was pre-filled by HAL, that is always nice. We took the provided shuttle to the drop off point. It was an aquarium, which we did not go to but we went the other way along a nice shopping area. I was happy to find a shop with postcards and stamps. As we walked on, we ran into our Canadian friends (J...

Day 43 – Nov 21 Maputo, Mozambique I woke up to a Happy 75th Birthday banner hanging over the TV. It was a lovely day. I got messages from everyone at home wishing me happy birthday. The ship has a shuttle that takes us to the Feima Market down town. It was quite a little drive and we saw both part of the city and along the beach side. There is a sparse cement walk along the sea but no one is walking because it is just too hot. We walked around the market a bit, no postcards anywhere but we had a nice lunch. I didn’t plan a tour today because I am going back to the ship for a nice massage! We met Rick and Tina in Ocean Bar for a pre-dinner drink to discuss cruising. Stuart took me to Pinnacle Grill for dinner. No photos but the meal was outstanding. When we went to the casino afterwards, they sang me happy birthday as did Stuart when he got there. When I played a slot machine a happy birthday message appeared when I put my card it. After that a quick stop at the Rolling Stone lounge w...

A nice sea day to sleep in, do some laundry, and return to Mexican Train with our friends. “Glamp Out” was tonight. They had a few things going on up on the Lido Deck. The menu was also cute and the crew is dressed up a bit with lovely decorations all around. During the day there was an odd yellow substance in the water. No, it was not from the ship but more like an algae or maybe something similar to a Red Tide. I might look for information on Google when I get home.

Andoany (Hell-Ville) Nosy-Be, Madagascar It is exciting to be here! Lemurs are the choice for today. Once again it is terribly hot and humid. There is little point in saying that because that is just the way it is in Africa, summer in the southern hemisphere, and so close to the equator. This is a tendered port again. There was quite the warning that if you were not mobile you could not get off in this port. Actually, the tender was not that much of a challenge, but our tour boat was. The step down the boat was 3-4 ft. Luckily the crew for the tour was strong and able to help everyone get on and off. It was also a water landing on the Isle of Lemurs.  The return trip was “plan C” for disembarking the tour boat. We ended up getting on one of the tenders and proceeding up the ramp from there. There was an equally tall step up but with assistance everyone made it! They did have to lift one woman up. She was small and her legs simply could not make the stretch. The tour itself was a...

Mamoudzou, Mayotte (France) Tendered port. Today I rather expected a taste of France but there was nothing to remind me of France here today. We didn't have an organized tour but instead we walked about the port town. There were lots of stalls and such. We found a Pharmacy so I could by more Salonpas patches. They didn't have those but something similar for my back. After the walk uphill in the heat and humidity we stopped at a Boulangerie for a delicious sandwich. I will say the bread was fantastic. We were pretty tired after the walk back. Stuart is very thoughtful in helping me and stopping for a rest whenever I need it. Oh, we also went to a store for a few snacks. Yes, there is plenty to eat on the ship but sometimes we just want a few snacks for the room. Another lovely day exploring this French island off the coast of Africa! A beautiful sunset tonight as we leave this area. I also find it interesting that someone wrote a long complaint on the FB group. They were unhappy...

Zanzibar, Tanzania Arrive: 8:00 AM Temp 88° / 73°  “Maruhubi Palace Ruins & Spice Plantation”    About the Excursion: There was a time when the archipelago of Zanzibar produced 90% of the entire world's clove supply. Karafuu (or cloves) were introduced to the island in 1818, and the combination of the rich soil and warm climate saw a vast number of plantations develop virtually overnight. Soon, other spices such as cumin, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and many others, were also cultivated here, lending Zanzibar its 'Spice Island' nickname.   We left the pier and drove past the house of Dr David Livingstone. This is where the explorer lodged while planning his expeditions into African interior. Then we visited the Maruhubi Palace, built as the Sultan's harem and later destroyed by fire. Then we head to the countryside. What an amazing place. We trekked around the jungle with our guide pointing out various spices and herbs. He gave us tastes of almost eve...

This morning the ship horn blew and we had 2 minutes of silence to honor those Veterans who gave their lives. Another blast noted the end of the 2 minutes. I thought that was very meaningful and I am not the only one who shed a few tears. Tomorrow there will be a service on the big stage honoring Veterans Day. Today we took a much shorter walk to the Hyper Market to buy some more spices and just generally see what is on the shelves. It is always interesting to look in different super markets to see how the locals eat. This was a huge market, I likened it to a Wal-Mart Super Store. Christmas decorations are going up and we saw people buying lots of toys in that section. We got a few snacks and then ventured upstairs to the Food Court. It was small without too may choices but we had a piece of fried chicken. Then back to the ship. Today I took time to take photos of some lovely flowers along the walkway. Sail away was 4:30-5p, I forgot to look at the actual time. Now we will have 2 sea...

Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles. A new country and really starting to touch base with Africa now! The Seychelles are rather in the middle of nowhere in the Indian Ocean. Kenya is due west; Madagascar is south southwest of us. High is 85F low is 84F with humidity 87% - Yes, it is a warm day for exploring! However, we are here and enjoying it. Along the Esplanade we went on the “20 minute” walk into town – we do walk slow but it was certainly no “20 minutes” but we made it to the clock tower! The clock tower was a gift to the city of Victoria, Seychelles honoring the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, gifted in 1903. Along the way we passed many stands selling things. I was happy to find a postcard to send Sierra, and Stuart walked to the post office while Fred and I rested.  Time for lunch. Neither Fred nor I cared where we ate, so Stuart picked Coco Blu. It was open air on the second floor and gave us lovely views of the center of town. People are so friendly. There is quite a bit of traf...

While we slept last night, we crossed the equator around 4:30a. We are officially in the southern hemisphere. We have put off learning French so we finally started in earnest today! My mind is boggled. The lessons are audio and over an hour long. It is a challenge. Skipped the pool, enjoyed Mexican Train, and I skipped dinner. Stuart ate with Fred again and we will all go out together tomorrow to explore the new country of Seychelles. It had been a melancholy day for me. Thinking about those at home and what they are doing today. Oldest daughter Debra lost one of her close friends from high school. The funeral is today. A life cut short is so tragic for those left behind.

Got up early!!! Well, 8:30am really isn’t early but the pool was the place to be today! I was there by 9am and stayed until noon. Then it was time to shower and be ready for Mexican Train. I think that was too long at the pool as I am pretty “pink” but it doesn’t hurt so it should turn to brown tomorrow. We had dramatic rainbow views off and on almost all afternoon. It is Barn Dance night. Just a few passengers were dressed “country” but the staff all had on red and black plaid shirts. Country music was playing in most venues. Slot machine credit was enjoyed tonight. That may have run its course with me by now.

I’m really enjoying these sea days.   They do have activities on the ship but I rarely have time for that. I’m enjoying the pool, Mexican Train, and tonight we had dinner with Fred again. He is an interesting guy. We again talked about the loss of our spouses and it is amazing how this is a positive thing for us. Not the loss of course but the ability to talk to others who know just what we are going through personally. Not a lot of gambling tonight as I lost my allotted amount pretty quickly. I had a credit on the slot machine so I played that. It was fun, I still have a small credit!!!

Another wonderful day at sea. I am getting very spoiled sleeping in late! Some people don't like sea days, but I DO! Lunch was by the pool followed by Mexican Train. We also found out 2 of the couples we play Mexican Train with have also booked an Asian cruise we booked last week. You really get some wonderful perks by booking on the ship. That is exciting but far away in 2025! I had a lovely pedicure in the afternoon. After that we played cribbage on the verandah. It was so surprising to see a huge pod of dolphin, probably 40-50 of them on our port side of the ship. No photos because I wanted to keep watching them and all too soon, they disappeared. They were smaller dolphins, the size of spinner dolphins I have seen in Hawaii, off the coast of Kauai. It was formal night but we decided to just go to the Lido Market (buffet) we dressed up but not formal! Dinner was good. I returned to the casino to visit a slot machine and gave back most of my winnings!

We did plan to get off today. I certainly got up early enough but we decided to have a pool day instead. It is a working port here and it is unsure to us just how far “town” is, so we skipped it. It was still a nice day on the ship for us. We heard varying prices and horror stories of the taxis in this port. Everyone who got off was sorry they did. It is too bad because this port will now have a bad reputation. The one place I thought I might like to see was the tomb of Job. Those who went said there was a piece of green carpet in the purported location, that was it. So, again, happy I stayed on board.   The best part of the day was talking to these faces!!! I wish all the family was there but at least I got to see some of them!!!

Today was a typical sea day but the evening dinner was quite spectacular! We booked the Cellar Master’s Dinner with 5 courses along with wine paring. It was really better than I thought it would be. Here is the menu and photos of each course… except the soup… I ate it and forgot the photo!

We are safely through the Hormuz Strait. The captain told us of all the security measures in place but I didn’t catch it all. Anyway, we are through that without a glitch. Next will be t he Dutch Navy escort us by Somalia. One more day at sea before reaching Salalah, Oman. I have been to Oman before but only to Muscat, which was a trip with John and I plus Stuart and Darlene. So, it is a different port but we saw so much in Oman we are fine without a tour for this new port. We plan to go into the town and find local food.

A fun sea day as always. We did all the usual things we normally do. I wasn’t feeling great part of the day but that disappeared by dinner time. We enjoyed dinner, the casino, and went to the evening show.

Today’s water temperature in the Red Sea is 89F! You would think it doesn’t matter really, but it does. The ship and crew are doing an excellent job keeping the ship cool. The heat of the water affects the cooling system and ship operation. The Captain said it is the warmest water he has ever sailed in! Today we had the Halloween parties that were first planned for yesterday. Since our schedule changed somewhat the parties were switched. Almost everyone on the ship wore a costume. The dinner had a special menu and it was probably the best prime rib I have had for years. We met more new people, played in the casino, attended Billboard, and Rolling Stone Lounge. It  was a fun time. There was even a costume contest. Another hour ahead tonight. Those are killers several nights in a row.