John and Diane are at it Again!

[Johnny B]

Saturday, March 29 - Day 84

Victoria Falls, Zambia

 

What an amazing day! After we woke to our view of the Zambezi River, we decided to try out the gym across the way and actually exercised for awhile before going to have our “full English breakfast.” We knew that an omelette, toast, sautéed mushrooms, fried potatoes and a grilled tomato (pronounced to-mah-to, of course) would be too much, so we compromised and shared.

 

Later in the morning we had a great tour of Victoria Falls with a local guide who took us to all the best vantage points and said that even though people across the river in Zimbabwe say that they have the best view of the falls, 1.6 of of the 1.8 kilometers of the falls are in Zambia - so there! He brought ponchos for us against the mist, but when the mist began to feel like some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever experienced, the ponchos didn’t do much good. It was wet hair and wet clothes and I was very glad to have been wearing sandals.

 

Over lunch on the terrace overlooking the river (did I mention that this place is just gorgeous?), we discussed a boat tour to Livingstone Island in the middle of the river because it had been recommended by new friends at Chobe. We decided it was a good idea, so after lunch we booked the 3:15 tour which included high tea.

 

It was only a 3-minute speedboat ride to the island, which was where Dr. Livingstone first saw and was amazed by Victoria Falls. The island projects right to the edge - the very edge - of the falls and one step too far and you’d be falling about a thousand feet into the water below. One thing that we realized about this tour is that it would never happen in the U. S. For one thing, insurance rates would be ridiculously high. After walking around the island a bit, we went to one side and had the opportunity to cross part of the river (by walking on slippery rocks) to a small, still pool. Because the current was extraordinarily fast, we took a pass, but almost everyone else in our 12-person group did it, including two little boys of about 4 and 5 years, and everyone survived.

 

Then we proceeded to the other side of the island to a spot where it was possible to stand right at the edge of the cataract and look down to the bottom of the falls. It still amazes me that this was possible. Each of us held the hand of a guide on each side and walked carefully over rocks to look down. John was really brave and just stood there and looked, and next it was my turn. I thought it would be really cool, but I forgot momentarily that I’m terrified of heights, and as soon as I looked down I closed my eyes and stepped back, incredibly frightened. If you want to see what we did, Google “Victoria Falls” and imagine standing right at the edge. I still can’t believe that we did this and it’s something that I’ll remember forever.

 

By then we had earned our tea, and a large white tent had been set up with places for all of us around a sizable square table. I was surprised that it really was a “high tea,” which requires that it have meat and cheese. (The other kind is more properly called “afternoon tea.”) It also had the added advantage of a full bar, for anyone who wanted more than just tea, which was just about everyone except the two little boys. I had my first Pimm’s Cup on the recommendation of another couple at the table and it was pretty darned good. Another advantage of our teatime was our table discussion, during which we learned that the mother of the two boys as well as three other people were State Department employees, one of whom works in Dakar, Senegal, where we’ll be calling on April 16. He gave us great ideas for sightseeing and even the name of a guide to find on the internet.

 

Sadly, tea was soon over and it was time to take the speedboat back to the hotel. There’s a young couple we’ve met in the last two days because we seem to always be at the same place at the same time, so we invited them to be our guests for “sundowner” cocktails on the riverside terrace, where we sat for about an hour until a beautiful orange sun set over the Zambezi.

 

It was an absolutely perfect day, and John has posted some wonderful photos of it on Facebook. I especially like the one of us on the edge of the falls - I think it just calls out to be on a Christmas card.

[momatibm]

I just checked out your photo -- great Christmas card.

[alibabacruisers]

What great photos and blog!! I think there are quite a few contenders for Christmas cards and/or personalized post cards! Thanks for sharing!

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 30 - Day 85

Victoria Falls, Zambia to Cape Town

 

Oh, travel days. You do nothing except sit in airports and on planes, and then you’re exhausted at the end of them. That was today. We actually began quite well, with a walk over to our neighboring hotel, the Zambezi Sun, for a walk through the native market. What was amazing about it was that there were small trays like the ones we bought from the fellow as we arrived in Zambia who assured us that he carved it himself. Well, surprise - everyone at the market carved the identical trays themselves too! One man did ask us to come in and see what his grandmother had made, but we thanked him and kept walking.

 

We were picked up at 10:40 and driven to the airport for our flight from Livingstone to Johannesburg. Once there, we wandered through a huge airport, from Terminal A to Terminal B, and finally found our gate - which said that there was a delay in departure. We finally had our flight to Cape Town, where Jason picked us up and drove us to the lovely Mount Nelson Hotel. I guess that Ryan, our South African travel agent, told them that we were celebrating a big anniversary (#50), so they decided to upgrade us to a suite with living room, dining room, bedroom and even a powder room. Good Grief! I’m not used to this kind of living! Each of the rooms in this suite is bigger than our first apartment. John thinks it’s just too big.

 

Since the food on the planes was pretty basic, we headed down to the bar patio for a glass of wine and a plate of calamari. It was a good way to end the day and we’re off to bed to get ready for our 8:00 pickup for a trip to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s prison home for many years. It should be educational and emotional, and we’re really looking forward to it.

[Johnny B]

March 31 - Day 86

Capetown, South Africa

 

A wonderful day in Cape Town. Our trip to Robben Island Museum, its official name, was very moving and, as expected, very emotional. We were dropped off at the Victoria and Alfred area in front of the ticketing building for the tour, but as we had already been given our tickets, we just headed in and joined the queue for the boat.

 

I think I expected a boat ride like the one to Alcatraz, short, cold and windy, but it was almost an hour each way. We sat on the front of the boat going over, getting some spray from time to time and cursing the chilly wind. The swells on Table Bay were up to about 12 feet, and some people on the boat were really feeling it.

 

When we arrived at Robben Island, we walked along the “Nelson Mandela walkway” to our bus for a 45-minute tour of the island. Our guide was a young woman who not only spoke about what we were seeing, but gave us a great deal of background on the system of apartheid and the “crimes” that were grouped under the heading of “sabotage.” She talked about the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement and about the Sharpesville Massacre (check Google). As I think all of us agree, it was a terrible system and it has led to problems within the country now.

 

When the bus tour was complete, we were turned over to Sparks, a former political prisoner who now lives on the island. An interesting result of the end of this repressive system was that many of the former prisoners forgave their oppressors and both former prisoners and former guards now live on the island - in great harmony. Sparks told us his story, including how he was convicted of recruiting members for the ANC (African National Congress), which had been made illegal by the white rulers of SA. He served seven years at Robben Island and now escorts tours throughout the prison buildings.

 

Of course one of the highlights of the tour was seeing Nelson Mandela’s cell, and we all lined up to take photos. We were shown prison records which listed daily food allotments, with about 20% more for prisoners who were either Indian or Coloured (mixed race) than for the Blacks. There were no women or white prisoners on Robben Island; political prisoners in those categories were incarcerated on the mainland.

 

We felt that we could understand a bit more about what it was like to live under apartheid from our tour today, and while today’s South Africa has a ways to go to include everyone in the economic success the country is having, we hope that it will keep working toward that end.

 

After our tour, our boat ride back was warm and sunny, although the seas were still high and some passengers had problems. Once back at the V & A, we found a great outdoor spot on the waterfront for fish and chips and (even more) calamari. Since we’re staying at the Mount Nelson in such (unexpected) luxury, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel and around the pool.

 

We stopped by our South African travel agent’s office today and spent time talking to Ryan, who has been the wonder-worker putting this trip today. If you plan a trip to anywhere in southern Africa, just email PerfectAfrica.com and Ryan will fix you right up. As we chatted with him, we decided it would be fun to see something outside of the city of Cape Town, so tomorrow we’ve booked a private tour to Cape Point, where we’ll see Cape Penguins and baboons before heading to some wineries for a little tasting. Then, at long last, we’ll be dropped off at our ship and move back into our little cocoon on the Amsterdam.

[Johnny B]

April 1, 2014 - Day 87

Cape Town, South Africa

 

The last day of our ten-day overland couldn’t have been better. Even though we were just supposed to be transferred to the ship this morning, we arranged for a full-day tour of the Cape of Good Hope and some wine tasting. We were greeted this morning by Rory, our driver/guide, and we sat down to go over maps and decide on a route. Rory was great; he’s Afrikaans on his mother’s side and English on his father’s, and he speaks both languages fluently. He’s also funny and able to give us some interesting background on South African history.

 

On our way south, we stopped at an ostrich farm, where we saw some of the critters and then bought some ostrich jerky and pate for our son-in-law, who likes exotic foods. They also had ostrich skin purses, shoes, wallets, etc., but the prices were prohibitive, so I don’t have any of them.

 

Then we drove toward the Cape, and saw lots of baboons along the way. When we arrived at the the most southwestern point on the African continent, we fought our way through the tourists from the bus and were finally successful in getting our photo in front of the “official” sign. A short drive took us to Cape Point, where we sat on the terrace of a lovely restaurant for lunch.

 

Afterwards, we drove to the beach where the largest number of Cape Penguins live and got some good shots of them. There was, of course, a large number of tourists besides us, and we saw a tour group from the Amsterdam. The beach where the penguins live has been declared a sanctuary, which apparently annoys the nearby residents, because it’s a beautiful beach and they couldn’t use it any more.

 

It was now time for a visit to one of South Africa’s famous wineries, and we drove to Constantia, the oldest winery in the country, begun in 1685 and favored by Napoleon and Louis Philipe of France. A little tasting was in order, and our $3.00 (30 Rand) provided us with five half-glasses of the fruit of the vine. I chose 3 whites and 2 reds and all were exceptional.

 

At long last, it was time to return “home,” so we hopped on the freeway and arrived at our beautiful ship at about 5:00, ready to unpack, send out the laundry, and settle into our room. It was an amazing ten days of wild Africa and luxury hotels, seeing more animals that we could have dreamed of, and we will never forget it.

[ger_77]

I am in awe that your 10 day overland trip is over - it went by in the blink of an eye. I can only imagine how quickly it went for you!

Welcome back to the Amsterdam!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[cccole]

Fabulous 10 days. So far this is my favorite part of your adventure. I can't even imagine the fun you and friends will have enjoying cocktails and dinner, discussing your African adventures. Thank you for letting us join in. Cherie

[alibabacruisers]

That was a very fast 10 days! Thank you so much for letting us go to Africa with you!

[Traveling Dot]

I couldn't believe that you were headed back to the ship already. It seemed the 10 days went so fast, I can only imagine how fast it went for you. Loved your description of your travels through Africa. Thank you for taking us along.:)

[Johnny B]

April 2, 2014 - Day 88

Cape Town, South Africa

 

Another wonderful day in Cape Town, but it was a short one. We awoke this morning to a heavy rain, but by the time we boarded the shuttle to the Victoria and Alfred area, it had stopped. We even had a list of what we needed to buy today: two masks (one for the wall and one on a stand), a table runner, a large round carved wooden bowl with African designs in it, something for Jonathan (the young man living at our house this year), and a tee-shirt for John.

 

We wandered through the V & A looking at all the African products stores, and finally found one with three floors and at least a thousand masks. We found our two and soon were on our way. We found the table runner fairly easily, but then found another, so now we have two. They had some great African animal print socks, so those are for Jonathan. The only thing we couldn’t find was the bowl, which every open market sold but apparently not every store. We’re hoping that, since we have three more African ports (Namibia, Senegal, and Gambia) that we’ll be able to find one.

 

Even though we were supposed to sail from Cape Town at 2:00, all aboard time was 12:30, so we were back by about 11:30, just in time to watch part of Desmond Tutu’s talk on our stateroom television. He’s an amazing man, with a great sense of humor and an honesty about his own and Nelson Mandela’s goals early on at the beginning of the ANC.

 

After lunch, it was time for our sixth (and last!) emergency drill on deck, and it really went quite smoothly. No one was playing poker on their IPad and everyone was listening quite carefully during the entire drill. Manny and Nestor, our two favorite wine stewards, are two lifeboats down from us, and we really wish we were in their lifeboat in case of an emergency - I know they’d have brought a couple of bottles with them!

 

It turned out that the captain didn’t plan to sail until 3:00, so the 2:00 sailaway party was a bit early, but still enjoyed by all. There were a lot of people out on deck, and our friend Cherryl, a South African by birth, was quite emotional as we left Cape Town harbor. I guess leaving the city and country of one’s birth is always difficult, no matter how happy one is with a new country.

 

The crowd began to thin out at about 4:00 (finally), and we had a beautiful view of Cape Town from Table Harbour and then the sea. There’s quite a good swell, but we really enjoy it - now we know we’re on a ship, after 10 days on land. We’ll have one day at sea before Walvis Bay, Namibia, and I’m sure we’ll enjoy every moment of it.

[Oahucruiser]

Thoroughly enjoying all your posts on here and on Facebook. It's such a long and wonderful adventure for you. Also love the FB photo with the leis on you and the mention that you enjoy the music of Israel K. who is still extremely popular here.

 

Aloha from Hawaii, Patti

[Johnny B]

Thursday, April 3 - Day 89 and

Friday, April 4 - Day 90

At Sea and in Walvis Bay, Namibia

 

I was a bit under the weather yesterday, so I’ll try to make up for it today. It was a fairly quiet day on board, with many of those who had been on overlands resting up from their travels (including us). I even did a bit in the gym, but then took it pretty easy for the rest of the day. I think I was just plain exhausted from all the travel.

 

Last evening we invited our friends Bill and Marty to join us at our table for dinner, and before that for a drink in the Crow’s Nest. They had been on safari in Kruger National Park, and Marty had already shown us the video she took of two leopards walking in a leisurely manner across the grass next to them - amazing. Then Bill brought his computer to the Crow’s Nest to show us the video from his adventure yesterday: shark cage diving! I think of myself as a fairly brave person (for an old lady), but that is one activity that I’d skip. There were two of them in the cage, and Bill was wearing a Go-Pro camera around his neck. Through that, we were able to see each of the half dozen sharks that approached him. They ranged, he said, from about 9 feet to over 15 feet in length. No thank you. While he did that, Marty took the ferry over to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Bill not only got to go shark diving, he got the Robben Island tee-shirt, too.

 

This morning we docked in a foggy Walvis Bay at about 7:30, and at 8:00 we began our “face to passport” inspections with the local immigration officials. Then, at about 9:30, we hopped on the shuttle bus into town. As we headed for the bus, I asked Barbara, our port expert, what was the one thing we shouldn’t miss. She told me that we needed to go to the Boardwalk across from the Anchor restaurant. The first three people we asked for directions had no idea what we were talking about, so we just began walking in the general direction of the sea. After a few blocks, we saw a pleasant-looking man loading things in the back of his truck, so we asked him if he could tell us where The Boardwalk was located. He did better than that; he insisted that we get into his truck and then drove us there. People generally are pretty nice around the world, we’ve found.

 

Once there, we wandered through the shops and watched the ship’s dolphin and seal-watching tour take off from the small dock there. We found an artisan shop where they sell things hand made by various artists, and I bought two pairs of earrings made from pieces of ostrich shells; one is painted with two somewhat impressionistic black giraffes and the other with two dancers. We also found the Namibian post card that will go to our granddaughter later this afternoon. A bonus of visiting The Boardwalk was walking down to the small beach nearby on which there were a couple of dozen beautiful flamingoes.

 

On our walk back to the ship shortly before noon, we found that there was a small impromptu market set up outside the port’s gate. Since I was still looking for my bowl, we decided to take a look. By the time we left the merchants, we had the bowl, another mask, and a pair of traditionally dressed (or undressed) carved Africans.

 

Arriving back at the ship shortly before noon, we remembered that there was going to be a “Celebration of Beer” on the midships Lido deck around the pool. It looked great, with the servers attired in Bavarian outfits and blue and white checkered tablecloths covering every table. There were several types of wurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, suckling pig (the WHOLE thing), salads, breads, and an entire table full of desserts. We decided to eat before the crowds arrived, and we loved every bite. There were two beers on tap as well as bottled, and one of them was the product of the Namibian brewmaster who’s been on board for the last two days to speak about beer-making.

 

In the afternoon the ship had forty adorable visitors: a children’s choir from the Bernhard Nordkamp Centre, an organization whose “primary mission is to facilitate education as a means of combating . . . poverty.” It’s basically an after-school program which focuses on teaching the children more English and mathematics supplemented by sporting, cultural, social and craft activities, including this amazing choir.

 

The children came on board at 11:30 and were taken to the Crow’s Nest, where one of the passengers made balloon animals for each of them. They then continued to the Lido, where they had what our cruise director Gene called, “a very non-nutritious lunch.” The sang and danced for about an hour and were incredibly talented. On John’s Facebook entry today, he included a movie clip (which we hope will translate onto Facebook) showing the children performing.

 

Sailaway was a little quieter than usual, but they were still featuring the Namibian beers, a bargain at $2.00 for a draft and $2.50 for a bottle. Sales were brisk! We wished our friend Ellen Bethel (formerly of CSI) a happy birthday and made arrangements to meet in the Crow’s Nest for a small celebration. I just like the fact that she’s now the same age as I am - at least for the next six months.

 

Three wonderful sea days are coming up and I can’t wait.

[cruise_rima]

I am enjoying following along with your travels - thanks. I also enjoy reading about your purchased "treasures". But how do you get them all home?

[erewhon]

You had a wonderful overland tour, very special to see the family of lions.

Thanks for all your reports.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, April 5, 2014 - Day 91

At Sea en route to St. Helena

 

So far, it’s been a great day. The weather was too windy for Jeff and our other friends to stay on the aft deck, so they went to the midships pool, where the glass roof was still closed and the sun made it fairly pleasant. We actually slept late this morning, not rising until almost 8:00, so we got an all-around late start to the day.

 

The highlight (so far) was our sommelier luncheon. Our friend Ellen Bethel found out that Jacques, the cellarmaster, had arranged a sommelier luncheon for some passengers, so she was determined to have one for her friends, including us. What is the difference, you ask? The sommelier dinners have four courses, each with a paired wine and cost $79.00 each. The luncheon has four courses, each with a paired wine, and costs $25.00. Duh! Tough choice.

 

Ellen had also made up a list of fourteen people to sit around the big table in the Pinnacle’s back room, and we were all told to arrive slightly before the 12:00 start so there would be no problems. It was a lively group, including everyone from us to our friend Barbie to Peter, the ship’s purser, to our friends Anne and Cathy, to Karen, the captain’s wife - you get the picture. It was a diverse group, but we had a wonderful time.

 

We began with a crab and avocado tower (paired with a South African sauvignon blanc), proceeded to a wonderful soup which paired with a South African chardonnay, then broke up the meal with an avocado and lime granite. The main course was lamb chops, which were paired with a wonderful South African (do you see a pattern here?) pinotage, and the finish was a dark chocolate enrobed banana, accompanied by a pretty little cookie basket with ice cream and paired with port. If it weren’t Lent and I hadn’t given up sugar, I’m sure I would have liked it; everyone else did.

 

We sat and talked and laughed and drank more wine for almost three hours, and then it was nap time (of course). When we arrived back at our cabin, we found a letter from Captain Jonathan telling us that because of concerns about Ebola, we have had to change our itinerary. We will now skip Ascension Island, Gambia and Senegal, and instead make two different calls on Cape Verde Islands: Praia on Santiago Island and then Mindelo on Sao Vincente Island. After we cross the Atlantic, we have added St. Lucia to our ports, in addition to Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten before arriving at Ft. Lauderdale.

 

On every world cruise we’ve been on, there have been changes of itinerary. Sometimes it’s because of weather, but in this case it’s because of a disease running rampant in West Africa. We had looked forward to the additional African ports, but are not too disappointed in the changes. After all, who wants to expose themselves to a deadly disease?

 

Today is book club, and our book this time is A Blade of Grass, a story of life in apartheid Africa in the 50’s or 60’s. We’re only to the end of Part 2 of three parts, but the book is hard to put down. I remember reading Cry the Beloved Country in high school, but this book speaks to me more than that one.

 

Our friends Bill and Marianne (not the bloggers) are coming to join us for dinner tonight so that we can compare notes about our overlands in Africa. We’re also looking forward to hearing about their overland in India, although Bill is still suffering after-effects of that trip.

 

It’s been wonderful to enjoy our first of three sea days, but because of the change in itinerary, it looks like there will be more wonderful sea days ahead.

 

P. S. We get our "treasures" home by using the free bags that HAL allows for full world cruisers. Heck, we may have to buy another bag and pay for it.

[localady]

Thank you for your update! :D

Sorry to hear you will be missing some of the scheduled ports, but it seems a wise move on the Captain's part. The luncheon sounds like a hit, wish that they would offer something similar on all cruises during a day at sea. I do love the Pinnacle for lunch.

Continued safe seas and thanks again for your reports!

[Johnny B]

Sunday, April 6 - Day 92

At Sea en route to St. Helena

 

I have no idea if Captain Jonathan knew what would result from the small sheet of paper placed under our doors yesterday. It only announced that, because of threat of Ebola, we would be eliminating two west African ports in Senegal and Gambia and replacing them with an additional port in the Cape Verde Islands as well as St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Boy, did it hit the fan! We heard carping and grumbling everywhere, both during Crow’s Nest drinks, dinner, and the evening show. We were at breakfast this morning when Captain Jonathan, heading back after eating, stopped for a chat. We asked him if he was feeling the need to go about armed today, and he made a joke about a shoulder holster. He said that he’s only received six complaining letters, but that passengers have made negative comments when he’s been out and about. He did confirm that there actually IS Ebola in both of those countries, something that some passengers denied, and that he really was concerned about the safety of the passengers. I certainly wouldn’t want his job, since the buck really does stop with him, but I do believe that he does the very best job he can and is willing to take the grief that goes with it. You just can’t make everyone happy all the time. Yes, we’re disappointed that we won’t be in those countries, but figure it’s better to skip them than to contract a deadly disease.

 

Our remaining ports are now all islands: St. Helena, Cape Verde Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, and St. Maarten before arriving in Ft. Lauderdale. On some of them we’ll do some sightseeing (especially on St. Helena, which is full of Napoleon history), but on others I think we’ll just go to the beach. Since St. Maarten has a Dutch side and a French side, I think we’ll just grab a cab, head for the French side, and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean water and a good French meal for lunch.

 

Last evening we had a great get-together with Bill and Marianne, our former tablemates, and we exchanged overland stories. They had done a five-day overland in India and then three days in Botswana and Zambia. Bill is still feeling the effects of India, but he’s getting better. We talked about the wonders of Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park.

 

After dinner, we headed to the Queen’s Lounge to watch an Elton John tribute (we used to call them impersonators, but I guess “tribute” is the new word). He was really, really good, and he had us clapping and singing along to all the songs to which people “of a certain age” know the words. He had three changes of costume, but my favorite was the one with the incredibly high stack heels. I think he’ll be putting on another show in a few days, and we’ll be there.

 

Tonight is our next-to-last formal night because the last one, two days before arrival, has been cancelled. I don’t know why, so I’ll have to ask Gene what happened. I have a couple of dresses that I haven’t worn, so I’m a little disappointed. Tonight’s formal night theme is “The Great Gatsby,” so I’ll be wearing my mid-calf heavily beaded black dress along with a band around my hair. I guess I’ll have to work on my Charleston, since there’s a ball after dinner - the last one of the cruise.

As it’s Sunday, we had our first Sunday service without Pastor Florence and with Pastor Don. He has a great speaking voice and an entirely different style from Florence, but she is greatly missed. We all signed cards for her, which will be sent to her home in Florida where her husband Joe is undergoing treatment for heart problems. We wish them both well.

 

I think we’re finally rested up from Africa, and because Senegal and Gambia have been eliminated, we can stop taking our Malarone much earlier than we had thought. Actually, I think we’ve taken our last pills this morning, so it’s clear sailing from here on out.

 

P. S. Just sitting out on the verandah, we spotted a huge shark, just below the surface, swimming in the opposite direction of the ship but close to us. The coloring looked like a great white, but we’re not sure.

[Shelley G]

Thank you so much for taking us along with you on this world cruise. I enjoy your writing style. I have a recommendation for you. When you go to the French side of St. Martin, there is a wonderful restaurant there. It is called L'Oiseau Rare (the Rare Bird). We have eaten there several times and the food has been consistently good.

Cheers

Shelley

[carri cruiser]

Sunday, April 6 - Day 92

At Sea en route to St. Helena

 

I have no idea if Captain Jonathan knew what would result from the small sheet of paper placed under our doors yesterday. It only announced that, because of threat of Ebola, we would be eliminating two west African ports in Senegal and Gambia and replacing them with an additional port in the Cape Verde Islands as well as St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Boy, did it hit the fan! We heard carping and grumbling everywhere, both during Crow’s Nest drinks, dinner, and the evening show. We were at breakfast this morning when Captain Jonathan, heading back after eating, stopped for a chat. We asked him if he was feeling the need to go about armed today, and he made a joke about a shoulder holster. He said that he’s only received six complaining letters, but that passengers have made negative comments when he’s been out and about. He did confirm that there actually IS Ebola in both of those countries, something that some passengers denied, and that he really was concerned about the safety of the passengers. I certainly wouldn’t want his job, since the buck really does stop with him, but I do believe that he does the very best job he can and is willing to take the grief that goes with it. You just can’t make everyone happy all the time. Yes, we’re disappointed that we won’t be in those countries, but figure it’s better to skip them than to contract a deadly disease.

 

Our remaining ports are now all islands: St. Helena, Cape Verde Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, and St. Maarten before arriving in Ft. Lauderdale. On some of them we’ll do some sightseeing (especially on St. Helena, which is full of Napoleon history), but on others I think we’ll just go to the beach. Since St. Maarten has a Dutch side and a French side, I think we’ll just grab a cab, head for the French side, and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean water and a good French meal for lunch.

 

Last evening we had a great get-together with Bill and Marianne, our former tablemates, and we exchanged overland stories. They had done a five-day overland in India and then three days in Botswana and Zambia. Bill is still feeling the effects of India, but he’s getting better. We talked about the wonders of Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park.

 

After dinner, we headed to the Queen’s Lounge to watch an Elton John tribute (we used to call them impersonators, but I guess “tribute” is the new word). He was really, really good, and he had us clapping and singing along to all the songs to which people “of a certain age” know the words. He had three changes of costume, but my favorite was the one with the incredibly high stack heels. I think he’ll be putting on another show in a few days, and we’ll be there.

 

Tonight is our next-to-last formal night because the last one, two days before arrival, has been cancelled. I don’t know why, so I’ll have to ask Gene what happened. I have a couple of dresses that I haven’t worn, so I’m a little disappointed. Tonight’s formal night theme is “The Great Gatsby,” so I’ll be wearing my mid-calf heavily beaded black dress along with a band around my hair. I guess I’ll have to work on my Charleston, since there’s a ball after dinner - the last one of the cruise.

As it’s Sunday, we had our first Sunday service without Pastor Florence and with Pastor Don. He has a great speaking voice and an entirely different style from Florence, but she is greatly missed. We all signed cards for her, which will be sent to her home in Florida where her husband Joe is undergoing treatment for heart problems. We wish them both well.

 

I think we’re finally rested up from Africa, and because Senegal and Gambia have been eliminated, we can stop taking our Malarone much earlier than we had thought. Actually, I think we’ve taken our last pills this morning, so it’s clear sailing from here on out.

 

P. S. Just sitting out on the verandah, we spotted a huge shark, just below the surface, swimming in the opposite direction of the ship but close to us. The coloring looked like a great white, but we’re not sure.

 

I thought you may like to know, that just a few days ago, before the announcement of the change in your itinerary, I had received a letter from

Samaritan's purse, a ministry of Franklin Graham, (Billy Graham's son), that was asking for prayer for the people of West Africa, because of the Ebola outbreak, so believe it when it is said that this is a true problem, and be glad your captain has decided to make a detour!!

[erewhon]

Thanks for the update.

[Johnny B]

Monday, April 7, 2014 - Day 93

(only 21 left!)

At sea en route to Jamestown, St. Helena

 

What a wonderful evening it was with the Gatsby theme. All of our friends met in the Crow’s Nest at 7:00 to ooh and aah over each other’s 20’s attire, and feathers in hair were quite the fashion accessory. As it was a formal night, we joined Jeff’s table for dinner, where we were hosted by Sarah and Chris, two of the four art auctioneers who boarded in Cape Town. They were lively and charming and added a lot to our table (including the wine, of course).

 

After dinner we enjoyed the last ball of the cruise in the Queen’s Lounge. The Amsterdam orchestra was great, and the dancing was fun. I didn’t get to use my Charleston skills, however, as the music was all pretty contemporary. After the ball ended, our merry little group migrated back up to the Crow’s Nest and just sat and chatted for quite awhile. Even though we were there until about 12:30, we turned the clocks back another hour last night, so we got to bed at 11:30 instead. It seems strange that during the first part of the cruise we move farther away in time from home, but as the cruise draws to its inevitable conclusion, we get closer and closer, time wise, to home. Now we’re only 7 hours from Pacific time and 4 hours from Ft. Lauderdale time.

 

Today we’re having what they’ve called an “African Sizzler” on the midships Lido deck for lunch. It will be a barbecue, and the featured drink will be a Pimms Royal, but lunchtime is just too early for our drinking. I joked last night in the Crow’s Nest that I don’t know where we’ll go first when we get home: the Fat Farm or Betty Ford!

I don’t know whether we’ll participate in the barbecue or not; I think it’s time to get back to half a grilled tuna sandwich.

 

Yesterday we decided it was time to patronize “Dive In,” the hamburger and hot dog grill in the corner of the midships Lido. It used to be just the Terrace Grill, but now they have a new menu and a lovely new sign and it’s fun to decide which of the several choices to have. They do have the best fries on Planet Earth, however - nice and crunchy and they don’t even need catsup. We were moderately good yesterday; we had the bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, but we shared it and an order of fries. Today I’ll be better behaved, though. The temptation for me is the noodles at lunch; I just love noodles and I think that pad thai is one of the best foods on earth.

 

At our sommelier luncheon the other day, I was talking with Karen Mercer about purchases we’ve both made, and she talked about two of her wooden wall hangings coming home with bonus extras: bugs! She says that now she just puts anything wooden in the ship’s freezer for a few days and that solves the problem. On her recommendation, I put our bowl, statues, and masks in a large shopping bag, took them down to Shiv, the head of housekeeping, and he was happy to freeze the bag for me for 36 hours, which should be enough. It will make me feel better to know that when I place our souvenirs around the house I won’t have any extra “guests” joining us.

 

It’s our last of three restful sea days, but we’re really looking forward to St. Helena tomorrow. We just plan to find a taxi to take us on a tour of the Napoleonic historical sites, but I don’t know if we’ll be climbing the many steps of “Jacob’s Ladder” on the island. After St. Helena we have five sea days before the Cape Verde islands, and then another five days before the Caribbean. We’re approaching the conclusion of the cruise, but we’re still enjoying every day.

 

P. S. Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We'll look for it.

[Johnny B]

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 - Day 94

Jamestown, St. Helena

 

Do you remember those posters headed “Everything I Learned in Kindergarten?” Well, this morning as we lined up to board the tenders, I wished that everyone there would remember what they learned in kindergarten. There were harsh words, nagging, cutting in line - all the things that Mrs. Battestini would have punished me for. Because the dock where we were disembarking the tenders had very rough water, it took a long time for all the passengers in any given lifeboat to get on shore. Because of this, the line became longer and longer and people began to look for friends or say, “Oh, we’re on a tour together so I need to be with him/her.” Then other people got mad, and the people who had cut in line got mad right back - it was as good as an opera.

 

Anyway, we finally found ourselves on shore at the dock in Jamestown, ready to go see the island. The taxis were lined up and ready to be hired, so we paired up with our friends Joyce and David and found Wilson, our driver for the morning. As we drove out of town and into the mountains, our first impression was that what we saw from the ship (the outside of the island) and what we saw in the interior were absolutely opposite. From the sea, St. Helena looks rocky and forbidding, and while the island is quite rocky, the interior is green and lush, and we even found a bit of rainforest.

 

We drove up, up, up until we reached a beautiful viewpoint where we exited the car for photos and a good look. We could see the French consul-general’s house (huge!) and the lovely house where Napoleon lived for a short while. When the English first imprisoned him on the island in 1815, he stayed in Jamestown and then was moved to this pretty little house. Then, after the mold and the rats had been eliminated from Longwood, he was moved there.

 

Our next stop was at the hill above Napoleon’s first tomb. We exited the taxi and walked the thousand yards down the hill to the vantage point above the tomb. The guide there told us that Napoleon often walked in this beautiful, tropical valley and that he had two requests of the English government when he was dying: he wanted to be buried on the banks of the Seine in Paris, among his people, but if he couldn’t, he wished to be buried in this lovely spot. Napoleon died in 1821 and was buried here until 1840, when he was, at long last, moved to Paris where he now resides inside seven coffins in the Invalides, a French military academy.

 

From the tomb, we proceeded to Longwood House, Napoleon’s residence for most of his six-year imprisonment. It’s a beautiful old place, and although there is Empire furniture throughout, the guides told us that none of it is original; after Napoleon died, all the furnishings were returned to France. However, we did get a feeling of what it was to live here, as well as see the room where he died, his bedroom, an enormous dressing room and several others. The walls are covered with paintings and memorabilia, including copies of the several pages of his will. If we thought the house was nice, the acres and acres of gardens are even better. One of the guides told us that there are three full-time gardeners who tend the extensive gardens around the house as well as those in the valley surrounding the tomb.

 

Our next-to-last stop was at Plantation House, built in 1792, the residence of the Governor of St. Helena, a position appointed by the Queen (since St. Helena is an English colony). It’s a beautiful Georgian structure with 52 rooms, but since someone actually lives there, we couldn’t go in. We could, however, walk along the fencing of the grounds to see Jonathan, the island’s oldest inhabitant. He’s a tortoise and is reputed to be 178 years old. There are four additional tortoises, but none as old or as large as Jonathan. After getting all the photos we could of the house and its “pets,” we took a partially hidden trail with a sign saying, “Butcher’s grave” and an arrow. We hadn’t any idea what that meant, but we followed the signs and the trail into an absolutely lovely rain forest, with redwoods, bamboo, and all kinds of greenery. There was a small fenced area with two headstones, one with a cleaver cut into it and the other with a skull, one crossbone, and a spear. Apparently the graves are of a slave who worked as a butcher and his wife. The sign said that there were several stories about their deaths, but as they didn’t include any, we’re still curious.

 

Our final stop before returning to Jamestown was at the top of Jacob’s Ladder, a stairway of 699 steps rising 800 feet that was once the only way to get to the signal station at the top of the hill. The ladder goes almost straight up and, while I think I’d have little trouble climbing it, my fear of heights would drive me mad trying to get back down - and that’s the only way to return unless you want to walk the several miles of switchback road that lead to town. Sadly, I had to take a pass.

 

Our tour was excellent, and we had no problems paying Wilson our $25.00 each for the three hours, especially considering that the ship’s tour did exactly the same route for $85.00. We felt that we got a great deal.

 

Upon return to town we wandered the main street, enjoying the British colonial buildings that reminded us of Cornwall, in southwest England. When it was time for lunch, we headed to the Consulate Hotel which has a nice interior patio, good beer, and fairly good food. When we walked up the stairs in the back to enjoy the garden, we found our friend Barbie sitting there, waiting for Aart, Ellen and Peter to return. We joined them, had a cold beer and fish and chips (made with fresh tuna), and then decided it was time to head back to the ship. On the way, as we passed the castle, we saw the Governor, and he was having his photo taken with a few ship’s passengers in front of his beautiful Jaguar with the crown on the license plates.

 

Getting back to the ship was just as rough as getting there, but fortunately everyone was happier and played well together. It’s been a wonderful day and we’re so glad that this port was included.

 

P. S. During sailaway, the Captain announced that in two days we will indeed go to Ascension Island, and if it’s too rough to go ashore, we’ll have a scenic cruise around it. I guess more people were upset about missing Ascension than the African ports, because there was a loud cheer at his announcement.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 - Day 94

Jamestown, St. Helena

 

Do you remember those posters headed “Everything I Learned in Kindergarten?” Well, this morning as we lined up to board the tenders, I wished that everyone there would remember what they learned in kindergarten. There were harsh words, nagging, cutting in line - all the things that Mrs. Battestini would have punished me for. Because the dock where we were disembarking the tenders had very rough water, it took a long time for all the passengers in any given lifeboat to get on shore. Because of this, the line became longer and longer and people began to look for friends or say, “Oh, we’re on a tour together so I need to be with him/her.” Then other people got mad, and the people who had cut in line got mad right back - it was as good as an opera.

 

 

 

 

P. S. During sailaway, the Captain announced that in two days we will indeed go to Ascension Island, and if it’s too rough to go ashore, we’ll have a scenic cruise around it. I guess more people were upset about missing Ascension than the African ports, because there was a loud cheer at his announcement.

 

I don't know why but I would expect people on a World Cruise would not act like this - it is such a privilege for them to be able to do such a cruise. Oh, well. silly me - I guess I expect too much.

 

But pleased to see that you are stopping at Ascension Island. Glad HAL was able to make that adjustment.

[Susieyarb]

I am reading through your World Cruise posts and am mid-February now. I have wondered if there are any children on board? What a classroom that would be for some very fortunate homeschoolers!