Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[WCB]

Report # 97 April 9, 2009 Thursday Mombasa, Kenya

 

Well, we finally arrived to our first much-anticipated African port, Mombasa, Kenya. The Captain had sped up last night in order to get us here early by 4 am. Hundreds of passengers had booked overlands for two days, so it helped to be cleared by the officials and ready to go before 8 am. We had booked a tour called Tsavo National Park Safari Quest with our travel group.

 

The pier area was very typically a working port, not pretty. There was a lot of truck traffic, since Mombasa is the major shipping port for all of Kenya and inland connecting countries. The number of vendors outside the gate was astounding! We have never seen so many wood carvings of animals, bowls, masks, and you-name-it! We bet many of these will end up on the ship after three days of being docked here. There was no time this morning to shop, but we'll be back soon!

 

We had good company in our safari van (non-air-conditioned) that held seven passengers. They are all CS members who we have sailed with previously, but did not know each other well. They were Willie, John, our tablemate, Peter, Yoshiko, and Carole. We had been assigned to vans with Ellen's help, who must have stayed up until the wee hours of the night arranging compatible people!

 

The road we took north towards Tsavo East was better than expected. It took us across a causeway that linked the city to the mainland. Mombasa is actually built on an island that is surrounded by two rivers and the sea. The road was flanked with decrepid shacks, stalls, and tent cities. Not a good place to walk. Once we got out into the countrysides, we passed farm houses, small but adequate, with herds of cattle, sheep, and goats walking the roadsides.

 

We were following the train tracks, where a train takes people to Nairobi everyday. With all of the stops on the way, it takes 12 to 13 hours to complete the trip. Our expert train friend, George, had wanted to do the train ride, but could not find anyone interested in going with him. Too bad, since he was nervous about going alone. That is why he rarely leaves the ship.

 

The speed limit was about 115 kilometers, and we think our driver, Mohammed, exceeded most of the time. The name of the game was passing the big rigs all the way for 350 kilometers! Gosh, that was half way to Nairobi! We held our breath many times, as our driver just barely made it back into our lane! What makes it scarier is the fact that they drive on the left side, like in England. It's hard to get used to that.

 

We passed many bundles of burlap-wrapped charcoal, used for cooking. Apparently, the cooking gas is expensive, so using charcoal is much cheaper. We think the use of electricity is also expensive, and the country folks avoid using it, if they even have it.

 

It was evident that it had just rained here a few days ago, judging from the water left in huge puddles everywhere. Mohammed pointed out that this is the start of the rainy season, mid-April, and all of the people were starting to plant their crops of beans, corn, and root vegetables. We saw fields of rich, red soil just tilled and ready for planting. Passing a large plantation on both sides of the road, our guide said the plants were sisal, strong fiberous plants used for making ropes and fiberglass. It looked like fields of cactus to us!

 

We had our first pit stop at a curio shop near the Bachuma gate of Tsavo Park. The store was rather large, but the items were expensive, as we all agreed. The best buy here was Coke or beer. We have to add that our guide supplied us with copious quantities of bottled water. We were surprised how quickly we became dehydrated just riding in the vans. We also noticed that there were few bugs, especially mosquitos. However, we were sprayed so heavily with repellant, nothing should come close to us for miles!

 

Mohammed stopped at the gate's entrance, and paid the fee of $50. US dollars per person. This is where the paved road ended and the red dirt roads began. It was rough going, but not too bad. The road surface was more like washboard bumpy, not pothole bumpy. It wasn't long before our bug-sprayed bodies were covered in the red silt! Oh well, that's part of the fun, right? All we know, is don't wear white! The blouses and t-shirts turned orange-tinged in no time!

 

The animal sightings were long in coming, but this park is 7500 square miles, so we had to be patient. We did see one baboon by the park gate, then we spotted hawks and large secretary birds. Soon, we came upon shallow muddy waterholes, where herds of zebra and oryx were competing for space. They seemed to take turns, as if they had appointments with the water! Zebras first, then the oryx, followed by rather ugly warthogs. Only a mother warthog could love them!

 

We also passed huge termite mounds under the larger trees of acacia and baobab. They reminded us of the mounds we saw in Australia's Kakadu Park, only not as high. The termites help keep the ant population under control. The whole time we were driving, Mohammed kept in touch on his CB radio with the other drivers. They reported what they saw and where, that way, all could follow their paths.

 

Continuing on, we saw hardebeests, impalas, and hornbill birds. But the best, were the herds of red elephants, called that because they coated their bodies with the red soil to prevent sunburn and keep the flies off. They sure seemed to pose for us with the backdrop of the nearby mountains behind them. It just doesn't get much better than this! Actually, it did get better, when we viewed a huge bull elephant mounting a female, trumpeting loudly. Our guide claimed he had only seen this once before in his 15 year career as safari guide! So it's no surprise why there are so many baby elephants in each group! These are happy elephants!!

 

By 1 pm, we arrived to the Ashnil Aruba Lodge, built near the Aruba Dam, which attracts many beasts to drink and graze. The lodge was built on existing campgrounds and finished in April of 2008, so it was very new. Despite being new, there was no air-conditioning, just two fans for cooling off the rooms. We had no problem with that, since we do the same at home in Clayton during the summertime. The rooms were built on painted concrete floors, with a netted bed and nice bathrooms with showers. What we loved was the outdoor patio with two chairs and a table that overlooked a nearby pond, where animals would come at night. The worker that brought us to our room, said that they had just sprayed for insects. Despite that, we did see some crickets and tiny ants in the bathroom.

 

It was time for lunch, which was a very nice buffet of recognizable food. We started at the corner stand, where a chef was preparing freshly cooked penne pasta with sauteed garlic, peppers, and tomato sauce. He sprinkled the pasta with cheddar cheese, and we were happy campers! A squash soup was offered with crispy croutons. We were allowed two drinks of soda, wine or beer with each meal. The waitresses also brought bottles of cold water, which we all needed. Speaking of the water, we had been warned not to eat or drink anything that had been washed with the local tap water. We could not even brush our teeth with tap water, so plenty of bottled water was at our disposal throughout the trip. As far as we know, no one got sick with the travellers disease, thank goodness. It paid to be careful.

 

The rest of the food items offered were fish, beef, and chicken cassaroles with potatoes and rice. The fresh rolls were very good. And the desserts were great. They had cakes and puddings with caramel and chocolate sauces on the side. No one went away hungry!!

 

We had an hour or so to spare, so we made use of the cool and refeshing swimming pool on the electric-wired fenced property. Can you imagine swimming while looking at the nearby elephants and impalas grazing in the grass? Even the small birds in the shade trees were beautifully colored with peacock blue and bright yellow feathers. A few large lizards were lurking around the pool area. They were also brightly colored with blue bodies and orange heads. After cooling off in the refreshing water, we dried off quickly while laying on the lounges in the Equatorial sun, before we had to get ready for the afternoon game drive.

 

The seven of us met with Mohammed right on time to go to a different section of the reserve. Groups of elephants were everywhere we looked. Mohammed said there are about 5000 elephants on this preserve. We think we saw at least 1000 of them! On both sides of the dusty road, we saw ostriches, impalas, dik-diks, a very small antelope, Cape buffalo, many giraffes, vultures, and weaver's nests hanging from the naked tree limbs. Some of the birds we saw were francolins, and the bustard birds.

 

As the daylight was leaving us, the full moon, the first one of Spring, was starting to appear on the horizon. What a sight to see the fields of elephants with the moon shining above them. Even in the darkness, the elephants continued to eat. Our guide said they eat 20 hours a day, only sleeping 4 hours. That's what it takes for them to maintain their massive weight.

 

The last animals we saw were a pride of lions, lying on top of a knoll, far in the distance. With high-powered binoculars, we could see them well, and our good camera caught them perfectly. What concerned us, was the proximity of the lions to our lodge, which was about a mile away. Our guide said we may be able to hear them roaring during the evening. Now we were glad that the lodge was totally enclosed with an electric fence!

 

It was dark by the time we got back. The camp was lit with small pathway lights, which we needed to see our way to our room. We had just enough time to clean up a bit, and relax on our patio before dinnertime. We were supposed to have a bush dinner under the star-studded sky, sampling the delicacies of Africa. However, the stars were hidden by layers of clouds, that the staff felt were rain clouds. We had seen several lightening strikes in the nearby mountains, so the dinner was held inside the open-air restaurant. That was fine with us, because we like to see what we are eating!

 

While we relaxed outside, the power shut off and on three times. That got us nervous, because it was downright spooky in the dark! Apparently, during the cooking time, the electicity use was at its max, so they needed to switch to a bigger generator. That was a relief, because we had to charge camera batteries for tomorrow. With no power, we would have been out of luck. Oh yeah, by the way, the converter plugs we received from HAL on the 2007 world cruise, did not work in this part of Africa. Luckily, the gal at the front desk loaned us one that did.

 

And we were not disappointed with the evening meal. We started with the freshly cooked spaghetti with pork loin slices, then added sauted vegetables and a few slices of thinly cut BBQ'd steak. The light desserts went well with the light Cokes. The conversation was wonderful as we compared safari sightings with each other. By 9 pm, we were more than ready for a hot shower and bed!

 

Like we said previously, there was no air-conditioning here. Our room had heated up to 94 degrees, which registered on our alarm clock. We started the fans running on high speed, and made sure all the screened windows were opened. While the room was cooling off slightly, we sat on our patio, listening to the thousands of frogs and toads croaking away. We could see some small animals, like antelope, grazing in the field, but saw nothing big coming to the pond.

 

By 10pm, we climbed through the ample bed netting, hoping we didn't get tangled up in it during the night! At least we would be mosquito-free, as long as the fans didn't blow the nets up in the air! It was so darn hot, we didn't care! And unfortunately, with the fans running all night, we never did hear the roaring lions. Doubt we would have slept a wink, if we did!

 

We set the alarm clock for 5 am, looking forward to another great day!

 

See you all then!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[DFD1]

Wow!

[PrincessYoga]

What an amazing experience.

[preciouspup]

Double why. Lurker who has to say thank you for taking me on your trip.

[WCB]

Report # 98 April 10, 2009 Friday Mombasa, Kenya

 

Well, 5 am arrived all too soon! Sometime during the night, the breeze had cooled off the rooms somewhat. Still, it was hard getting to sleep without the aide of a TV or radio. Strangely, we had no telephone either. Just the bare necessities.

 

Buffet breakfast was served at 6:30 am. In the same pasta corner, was a chef cooking made-to-order omelettes. We were his first customers! He added the whipped eggs to simmering onions and bellpeppers, and cooking them to perfection by adding cheddar cheese on top. We picked up some sausages, potatoes, and hot cross buns, along with grapefruit juice.

 

After taking the last of the photos and videos of the lodge, we met our group and headed off by 7:30 am towards Tsavo West. Before we left the east park, we saw the last of the red elephants and giraffes of the lowlands. Leaving the park, we joined the paved highway once again. But first, we needed gas. So Mohammed drove across the road to buy diesel at 66.9 shillings per liter. We figured the price to be around $3.20 US a gallon. While waiting, several men approached our van trying to sell their carvings. Bill could not resist the large heavy wooden carving of a rhino. Bargaining is his middle name!

 

On the way to Tsavo West, a patrol cop stopped all traffic, checking for seatbelt use. If we did not have them on, our driver would have had to pay a fine. We made sure we stayed belted until we reached the park gate.

 

We also stopped at a piece of the Ugandan Railway, where the movie "The Ghost in the Dark" was filmed, starring Michael Douglas. It was here, in 1898, that several Indian railroad workers were killed by the elusive Tsavo lions. A nearby lodge is named the Man Eaters Lodge.

 

It took at least two hours to reach the west park gate, where we had a brief pit stop. While we were lined up, Mohammed popped the roof up, like he did yesterday, so we could stand and take pictures. It really helped let in the breeze too, since it was really hot out today.

 

The terrain was sharply different compared to Tsavo East. We left the savannah plains and climbed the hillsides. At this higher elevation, the hills were dry with no grass and dry river beds. We had a long, dusty drive to the base of the mountains. The only animals we saw here were vervet monkeys and baboons. As for trees, the most impressive were the native baobab trees, with their bulbous trunks and bare limbs. Mohammed said they are used for producing shampoo, of all things, and their fruit yields sugar for candy. These trees lose their leaves during the dry season, and leaf out when the rain starts, which is soon now.

 

We did pass a group of zebras, crossing the road in front of us. However, Ellen's van took a different route, where they saw waterholes with giraffes and water buffalo. They said they just missed a leopard that had been drinking there. We don't know why our guide passed that area, but our time was tight today.

 

Our destination was Mzima Springs, where an underground river flows through lavabeds, and ends up in crystal-clear ponds. We parked at the site where we had a one kilometer walk through a forest of trees. Two armed rangers took us in small groups on the paved walkway lined with native trees. He gave us a description and use for each tree as we headed towards the springs. We saw many hippos and a few crocodiles in these clear waters. Since they could dangerously charge at us, the ranger warned us not to get too close to the water's edge. Of course, the serious camera fellows didn't hear that! They did get some very good photos, and survived the experience!

 

Groups of small monkeys were running the hillsides, climbing trees, and checking us out. One young monkey was sure I had food in my bag, as he followed me for a few minutes. Obviously, tourists feed them, even though they shouldn't.

 

Continuing on, we headed for the Kilaguni Serena Lodge for a sumptuous lunch. This complex was fabulous. The restaurant was quite large, with a vaulted thatch roof. It was also tiered on a hillside, with a view of a waterhole below. After we went through the buffet line, filling our plates with freshly cooked spaghetti, rolls, BBQ chicken, steamed vegetables, and lyonnaise potatoes, we sat with our friendly group and enjoyed the activity of the animals below. In the large set of ponds, we watched a family of zebra drinking, followed by waterbuks, ostriches, warthogs, and storks. Many baboons frolicked around the water's edge, like kids playing. The storks were interesting when they fanned their wings, trying to keep cool. And the smaller hornbill birds flew to the lodge's wall to eat bits of bread a customer left for them.

 

We finished our meal with black forest cake and apple pie. Coffee, tea, soda, or beer was offered with our meal. All too soon, it was time to leave, but not before the ladies had a chance to shop, of course. We left by 1:45 pm.

 

Mohammed, our driver, flew out of the park, never stopping for us to take photos of more ostriches or zebras. Guess he thought we had enough by then, and we did have a long ride back to Mombasa. We were stopped once again for a seatbelt check when we reached the highway. There was so much traffic heading the same way as us, because this was a holiday weekend.

 

We passed many herds of goats and brahma cattle walking the roadside with their owners. We did see a few that had gotten hit by cars. It was obvious that the nightime predators make short work of them. The natives were very busy in every village we passed through either packing bottles of water, or buying food and charcoal, etc.

 

It took three hours to reach the curio shop near the original gate we entered for Tsavo East. We were sure glad to stretch our legs after that long ride. While waiting for our group to gather, we watched an older man carving wood into the figures we saw in the curio shop. Once done carving, he used what looked like shoe polish to darken the wood. He was quite proud of his work, which he held up while we took his photo.

 

We got back to the ship by 6:30 pm. We could not believe the chaotic scene on the pier! The passengers were out in droves negotiating their best to obtain the treasures the locals offered. And it was obvious that everyone was successful. We still have one more day here, so we can check out the merchandise tomorrow.

 

What we needed most was a shower! We were sticky magnets for dirt with all the bug repellant we used! But we can report that neither of us got bitten.

 

There were only four of us at dinner tonight...John, George, and us. That was great, because we finished early, and we happy to go to bed. Tomorrow, we will have to get up early, because we booked a tour to an elephant sanctuary for 7 1/2 hours.

 

Sweet dreams,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 99 April 11, 2009 Saturday Mombasa, Kenya

 

We slept like logs last night, that is, if logs sleep! We were surprised to see that it had rained during the early morning, leaving deep puddles everywhere. The skies appeared blue and the air was clean and clear, so maybe the rain will stay away for today, if we're lucky.

 

We were ready to go by 8:30 am for a tour to the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, south of Mombasa. Our guide for today's safari was named Frederick. We had seven passengers in the same type of safari van we had for Tsavo. The tour guides were from Akorn Safari Tour Company. We forgot to mention that the guides for the Tsavo trip were from Abercromie and Kent, a very reputable company.

 

We had a short ride to the Kenya Ferry, where we drove onboard to cross the Lukoni River. Hordes of locals were filing on the ferry by foot. Our guide said they were free, while the cars and trucks had to pay a fare. While we were waiting for the ferry to offload, many street vendors were trying to sell us newspapers, sodas, and wire firgurines. Frederick warned us to keep our cameras and bags in the middle seats, because these vendors are known to grab and run. Once the van was loaded, it took maybe 15 minutes to cross to the other side.

 

The shore excursion book described this part of the ride as a scenic route through lush coconut and cashew plantations. Well, this part of the township was far from pretty. We passed roadside delapitated stalls selling all sorts of food items, clothing, and shoes. The rain had left huge puddles of mud, and people had to through it getting to these stalls. Even furniture was sitting for sale out in the mud. Frederick drove like a bat out of hell despite the crowded street. It was difficult to get pictures

 

It did get better after about 5 miles, where we entered the more tropical-looking landscape. We began climbing hills until we came to a crossroad where Shimba Hills, a smaller game park, was on the left, and Mwaluganje was on the right. We continued on for several miles to the crest of the green mountains. Here we descended into a far diverse terrain of steep canyons, dry brush with little vegetation, and trees stripped of foliage.

 

At this point, we left the paved road to a very bumpy gravel/rock road. Gone was the red soil that we saw yesterday, and the smoother dirt roads. After passing through the gate, we took a short bathroom break. A small gift shop had a few articles made from elephant dung paper. Now, that's a different gift!!

 

The ride took us on a windy, steep road all the way down to a muddy river in the bottom of the canyon. We stopped midway to see a few bull elephants far in the distance.......so far in the distance, you could not spot them with the naked eye. Judging from the barren landscape, it was apparent to us, that many of the elephants had left for lower ground, where they could find food.

 

Frederick drove slowly, looking for more animals like warthogs, impala, bushbucks, and Cape buffalo that were supposedly residents here. We never did see any. All of these animals are grazers, and will the lack of food, they also must have migrated out of here long ago.

 

We did get many photos of the stately baobab trees, that seem to withstand the extreme dryness here. Frederick said that once the rains begin, the trees would rapidly leaf out.

 

We arrived at the local camp, where lunch was served on a nice open-air patio. The cold and tasty Tusker malt lager beers were most appreciated by most of us. We enjoyed watching the baboons and vervet monkeys that ran the hillsides behind the restaurant, whiloe we waited in line for our buffet lunch. Today we had chappati bread, fresh rolls, BBQ chicken and slices of steak, curried fish, fried potatoes, beef stew, guinea fowl, and saffron rice. What a feast! Refreshing diced fruit was our dessert.

 

While I waited in the ladies bathroom line, always the longest line, Bill was bargaining with a Maasi local who was selling jewelry. He ended up surprising me with 2 beaded necklaces from the warrior. Hmmm, maybe the long bathroom line wasn't such a bad thing after all!

 

After the lunch hour was over, we joined our group and drove back towards the park gate. Moments after leaving the camp, two large bull elephants crossed the road right in front of us! Now, we were happy! Come to think of it, the guides said these elephants come to the camp everyday around noon. And there is only one reason they would do so........for food! We hadn't had the time to look before leaving, but we're certain these animals know a good thing! Whatever the reason, we did get some very good close-up photos.

 

From here to the gate, we saw nothing else in the way of wildlife, except for one lonely moniter lizard, escaping the heat of the sun.

 

Passing through the small villages, we enjoying watching the people, especially the women dressed in their colorful clothing, going about their daily business. We saw more cows and goats being herded down the streets to greener pastures. many makeshift stalls were selling pots and pans, plastic bottles to hold water, and more clothing and shoes. It was like Kmart, except all out in the open!

 

Back at the ferry landing, we noticed guards with rifles at the entrance. There were just as many people waiting to fill the ferry as there was in the morning. But this time, they were packing groceries, big bags, and even matresses on their heads! It was obviously cheaper to buy stuff on this side of the river.

 

Once on the ferry, we noticed warnings not to take photos. We never found out why we couldn't. Anyway, there were vendors selling more jewelry through the vans windows, so we took the opportunity to buy some. These hawkers had only 15 minutes to make their sales, so they bargained quickly to our advantage.

 

We were back to the pier by 4 pm, just in time to see the smart passengers doing the last minute shopping. We had not planned on buying anything, but ended up buying a 3 foot zebra carving! Bill just can't resist bargaining! Other smart passengers were bringing used clothing, bags, and unwanted ship gifts to barter for treasures. And they waited until just before boarding time at 4:30 pm to do their buying. We saw many people, including Ellen our host, packing giraffes that were 6 and 7 feet tall back to the gangplank! We're sure they got a good deal! Now they sat in the hallway on deck one to be taken to the freezer overnight to kill any unwanted insects that may lurk inside the wood.

 

At the sailaway on deck seven aft, the Captain announced that we may see the just released Maersk Alabama, the freighter that was held hostage by pirates a few days ago off the coast of Somalia. Their captain was unfortunately being held by the pirates on a tender boat. We are all praying for his safe return.

 

Cocktail time was fun, sharing all of our stories from our different safari trips. Frank and Sandy had gone to Taita Hills and thoroughly enjoyed it. We all agreed that we had never expected to see so many animals.

 

We realized that we were too tired to go to dinner tonight. So, for the first time during this cruise, we ordered room service, and enjoyed chef salads and delicious cheeseburgers, the best we've eaten so far!

 

We sure are looking forward to three lazy sea days ahead of us!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 100 April 12, 2009 Sunday Day at Sea

 

We woke up at 5 am with the noise of dragging chairs on deck 7, right above our room. There was an Ecumenical Easter Sunday sunrise service at 6 am. We don't know how many people attended, but judging by the number of chairs being set up, there must have been 500!! Just as the service ended, it rained. By the way, Happy Easter to everyone!

 

During our walk this morning, we could spot land, which could be the Comoros Islands. We were scheduled to stop here, but that port was cancelled weeks ago, as was Madagascar. The plan now is to sail south through the Mozambique Channel, situated between Mozambique and Madagascar to the port of Maputo. We should be there on Wednesday, the 15th.

 

The seas became rough overnight after leaving Mombasa. Lightening flashed on the horizon last night while we ate dinner in our room. The skies were mostly blue by 11 am this morning, but the wind was still there.

 

We will probably be room bound, downloading pictures, and writing reports for the last three busy days.

 

Anyway, the Easter Day activities included an egg hunt at 9:30 am and an Easter brunch in the dining room at 11 am. Later in the day, there will be an Easter bonnet competition for the ladies.

 

And to finish the day, there will be the 1948 movie, "Easter Parade", with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, shown in the theater.

 

A new exploration speaker has joined us. His name is Robert Shire. His talk will be about Africa, the hopeless continent. Howard K. Walker will speak about Madagascar, prize of the Indian Ocean for France, Britain, and pirates.

 

The jewelry shop will be selling tanzanite, launched with a drawing by spotting the fake piece of tanzanite jewelry.

 

We received another shipboard account statement, which means that this segment will be coming to an end in Cape Town. We don't know if we ever mentioned the fact that we don't have to pay this bill until we're home. The balance gets charged to our credit card the day we disembark on May 13th.

 

It was a tad bit cooler today with temperatures in the low 80's. The high winds have reduced the humidity too. It was a perfect afternoon to rest a bit by the aft pool.

 

We did spend the rest of the afternoon downloading thousands of photos from our safaris. We also watched the foreign language film, "Tsoti", about gang life in Johannesburg. The subtitles were easy to read, compared to "Slumdog Millionaire". This movie was well done, in our humble opinion.

 

In the Crow's Nest, we finally saw friends Frank and Sandy, who had gone to the Taita Hills Sanctuary overnight out of Mombasa. They reported having had a great trip with many animal sightings. Their rooms were elevated off of the ground with cement pillars, so the animals could walk underneath them. How cool is that? They did get a lot of rain, but said it helped keep the dust down.

 

The Easter dinner menu had some nice traditional choices tonight, but we chose the 20 ounce T-bone steaks. The juicy grilled steaks covered most of our plates! And they were delicious, although we tried to finish them, but we could not.

 

Annie Francis, a singer from Australia, was the entertainer this evening. George, our quirky tablemate, said he would go, but would walk out of the Queens Lounge if she screeched like a howler monkey!! He is so funny!

 

Two more lazy days at sea until Mozambique!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 101 April 13, 2009 Monday Day at Sea

 

The seas were rolling today when we got up, and the breeze was noticably cooler. That sure made it easier to walk on the promenade deck.

 

We are now sailing in the Mozambique Channel, which is 285 miles across at its narrowest point between Mozambique and Madagascar. The channel is 1000 miles long with a warm current running in a southwest direction.

 

The best news of the day was the rescue last night of the captain of the Maersk Alabama . What a terrible experience he endured for several days while being held by three pirates. It sure did not end up well for the pirates. To say that we are all relieved to be out of those dangerous waters, would the the understatement of the year!

 

Well, life goes on while onboard the Rotterdam with dance classes teaching the rhumba.

 

A large display of safari photos were being sold by the ship's photographers near the casino. They were taken from every overland tour that HAL had while in Mombasa. That is nice for the folks who did not go on a safari. At least they got to see some of what we did without getting dirty!

 

Card games continued, while other passengers rewarded themselves with massages, arthritic relief remedies, and beauty treatments.

 

At 11 am, a special Grand World Voyage overview was given by the future cruise consultants, Denise and Mike. To assure a big turnout, they included a glass of champagne. We understand that the "bubbly" worked quite well to fill the Queens Lounge. Lower prices were announced in most categories, along with extra shipboard credit if the 2010 world voyage is booked while onboard now. That is an obvious indication that the cruise is not selling well at this point.

 

Dr. Robert Schrire, a professor of international relations and director of the policy institute of the University of South Africa lectured on the South African miracle. We're not sure what that entails.

 

Professor Victor T. LeVine ran a public forum about African dictators and democrats in the Ambassadors Lounge.

 

We watched th afternoon movie, "Empire of the Sun", a story about a young boy surviving in China during World War Two. It was an excellent film.

 

Tonight was formal, so we dressed up, and headed to the Crows Nest. Except we found it closed for a private party for the AAA travel group. We can't complain because we have had three parties with our group so far, also closing the lounge to outsiders.

 

The cocktails in our room were just as good as upstairs, except free! So far, we have opened only one of the bottles we received when we boarded in January. We'll probably end up bringing them home. Around the world booze!

 

This evening's theme was "Casino Royale", a new idea for decorating the dining room and casino. Huge playing cards were hung on the walls and ceilings, with big red and white dice attached to the dining room domed ceiling. Our waiters were dressed like casino dealers, and loving every minute of it.

 

After dinner, the casino followed up the theme with a champagne reception and a grand raffle prize give-away.

 

The entertainers tonight were Gary Arbuthnot, an Irish flutist, and Annie Francis, the Australian singer. We heard the show was very good from our tablemates.

 

We had three gifts tonight when we got back to our room. Two darling stuffed monkeys were laying against our pillows, and we got to set the clocks back one hour again. That is always a gift!

 

One more sea day to go!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 102 April 14, 2009 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

During the night, the seas became dangerously rough. The ship was pitching and rolling so much that the drawers in our room were opening and closing on their own. Captain Olav warned us that we would be getting 12 to 15 foot swells, which had not been in the forecast yesterday. It was mandatory that we be careful while walking around the ship, especially going up and down stairs.

 

Suddenly, "Bright Star" came across all the speakers around 11 am. It was an emergency call for all medical staff to go to deck 8 immediately. We later heard the bad news that a man had taken a bad fall down the steep stairs near Club HAL. A friend of ours found him shortly after it had happened, and said it looked bad for him. We sure hope he will be OK.

 

It was amazing watching the horizon disappear, and the high spray of the waves fly from the bow, as we did our AM walk . For the rest of the day it only got worse. We are sure that all of the sports activites were cancelled, but the Mongolian Cookout went on anyway by the Lido pool. We heard that the water from the pool was flooding the deck, and the waiters had to mop it up before someone fell.

 

We sunbathed for awhile until it got cloudy and downright cool. The pool was flooding the deck and rolling down the stairway to deck six! Time to pack it in!

 

We used the time to print some of our best safari pictures for our waiters and Tsavo safari van friends.

 

After lunch, we met with Jeff to compare notes on our upcoming 4 day overland to Victoria Falls, leaving April 18th. If all goes as planned, Bill should have a pretty good birthday, which happens to fall on the 18th. Packing for this excursion that we are doing on our own with Jeff may be difficult, since we are only allowed 44 pounds and one bag each. We are bringing just one small suitcase to make it easier at the airports. We may have to wear the same clothes over again, even if they are dirty. We started planning this overland trip last year, and it is hard to believe it is already here!

 

Both explorations speakers lectured on South African politics, while Barbara spoke all about Cape Town, where the ship will be docked for three days. And the snowball bingo was held later in the afternoon. More money had to be won before the end of this segment.

 

Dinner was nice tonight with only four of us. John is still down with a bad cold, but is feeling better. We like sharing dinner with him, but not sharing his cold!!

 

The Rotterdam Singers and Dancers were scheduled to perform tonight, but more than likely that got cancelled. The show in the Wajang Theater was "Iron Man", a repeat, darn!

 

Tomorrow, Maputo, Mozambique.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

I continue to enjoy reading all your adventures. And I also enjoyed reading about the rough seas! I know the Rotterdam can take it, as I was aboard in similar roughness.

I saw the waves crashing against the Crow's Nest windows! :eek:

Thank you, again, for taking us along on this marvelous journey.

[baroness51]

Darn, no episode tonight. I love your story. It's better than tv. Keep writing. You're going to have a great book when you return home.

 

Linda

[CruisFran]

I'm with you...really enjoying the reading!!

 

I believe they are off on a 4 day overland journey to Victoria Falls...and Bill is having a birthday TODAY! Hope it is/was happy!

 

This time I paid better attention....LOL ;)

[Johnny B]

Hey Bill,

Hope you're having a wonderful birthday in Africa. Be sure to have some "Baba Ganoush" and hope you can cork-fork wherever you are. Love to Mary Ann, too.

John and Diane

(Looking forward to 2010)

[preciouspup]

Anxious for an update! Great thread.

[Allis154]

Have enjoyed ready about your voyage, making me dream of when I go!

[WCB]

Hello all!

 

We are sorry to be so back-logged on reports, but we just got back from a five day journey from Durban to Johannesburg to Zambia and Botswana, then back to Cape Town. But we promise exciting reports to follow soon!

 

Bill and Mary Ann

 

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

[Paul123]

Hello all!

 

We are sorry to be so back-logged on reports, but we just got back from a five day journey from Durban to Johannesburg to Zambia and Botswana, then back to Cape Town. But we promise exciting reports to follow soon!

 

Bill and Mary Ann

 

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

 

Happy belated birthday wishes Bill.

 

Each year, it would seem, your Grand Voyage cruising blogs just go from strength to strength. Well done Mary Ann and Bill. I know exactly how this daily commitment to your readers can occupy so much of your precious ship board time.

 

We will not now be sharing the aft deck of the Amsterdam with you in January/February 2010 on its GWV. We have decided to opt out of this one. Understand that it is not selling at all well. No doubt there is a big push to fill GWV 2010 cabins on your current cruise.

[OHCruisin]

I've seen Jeff's blog and photos about your overland trip, now I'm waiting for your story! I've been following both since you left on your world cruise and loving every moment of it.

[seafun]

No need to apologize for resting up from your adventures!

We all certainly look forward to reading of your adventures once you get caught up. (I think of it like 'money in the bank' -- it's there; it's just building interest! LOL :) )

Take your time, and as always, Thanks!!! for letting us ride along. :D

[WCB]

Report # 103 April 15, 2009 Wednesday Maputo, Mozambique

 

Today's port of call, Maputo, Mozambique, was a maiden visit for the Rotterdam or any other Dam ship to date. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and the largest city of this war-torn country. Their chief exports are coal, cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwoods. Besides the native African residents, Maputo is mixed with Portuguese, Arab, Indian, and Chinese cultures.

 

There is much war history here. Once under Portuguese rule, Mozambique fought for their independence and won it in 1974. A civil war erupted when the country's economy failed. It lasted until 1992, before the country stabilized. Today, tourism has helped boost the nation's GDP. With this information in mind, HAL issued a letter describing Maputo as a third world country with extremely poor inhabitants. The infrastructure has a long way to go before it will reach any kind of acceptable standard as we know it. We were also warned not to expect modern air-conditioned buses or well informed guides.

 

Now why, we all asked, are we going here? We guess to enjoy the tours and accept it for what it is. With all that information, we guess that the shore excursion department had many tour cancellations! We were game and decided to keep our tour.

 

We felt that all of the tours were quite expensive, considering the short duration and limited descriptions. Our tour was only five hours with the lowest price of $119 per person. The reason for the added expense was because the buses and guides came from South Africa to do the tours.

 

When the ship got to the pier, two small train-like vehicles with passengers cars in tow, were waiting for some people to board.

We heard later that the Mozambique City Tour Company had agreed to give a city tour for $20. a person. That was a good deal, because they ended up seeing much of what we were to see for far less.

 

We joined our small group to board the rather tight and cramped bus. Our young guide was originally from here, but has lived in Cape Town for the last eight years while attending college there. We were lucky, because she was knowledgable about the area. However, we had to remind her to speak loudly, since we all had a hard time hearing her speak with no microphone.

 

Our first stop was at the Railway Station, designed by Gustav Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. While there, we spotted the little train tour company's office and picked up their brochure. Their usual price for hop-on, hop-off train ride was $35. per person, so the HAL folks got a really good deal. Hundreds of local people were waiting for the train to Johannesburg. Across the street from the train station was a statue of a woman with snakes coiled around her feet. Legend has it that centuries ago, a woman figured out a way to eliminate snakes that were killing the people by attacking their heads while hanging from trees. She packed a pot of boiling porridge on her head, and when the snake came down from the tree to bite her, it fell in the pot and died. One smart lady!

 

The next stop was at the Natural History Museum. Usually we are not into big museums, but this one was just right. The colonial style two story complex was filled with mounted African animals. Most of them were posed in dramatic scenes of grazing, while others were being attacked by some of the big five predators.....lions, leopards, and hyenas. The most interesting was the elephant fetus display, starting with a sample of a week one fetus to a full term baby elephant.

 

The upstairs floor held exhibits of birds, retiles, fish, and frightening insects. Despite its small size, this museum covered the animal kingdom quite well. However, the only downside was that the descriptions of the subjects were not in English.

 

Continuing on, we took a long ride to the beachfront hotels and new condo complexes. Nightclubs, nice upscale hotels, and the Casino were in this neighborhood. It was a sharp contrast to what we saw later on.

 

In the low tide of the beach, we saw a group of religious members standing up to their waists in the water, fully clothed, seemingly baptizing someone. Our guide said that this was more of an exorcism to drive away evil spirits. The more evil sprits a person has, the more they get dunked under the water. Sometimes, they get carried away with the dipping, and the person drowns! Our guide mentioned that there are still strong beliefs in witchcraft, voodoo, and casting spells upon one another.

 

A little further down the narrow strip of beach, many local women were digging for clams. We stopped briefly at an old outdoor market, where these clams were being sold. The vendors also had huge lobsters, tiger prawns, squid, and a variety of fish.....all so fresh, there was hardly any smell. Strangely, some of the local men objected to my video camera, but not Bill's still camera. We guess it is always better to ask first before taking pictures or video in this part of the world. Some people take offense at having their picture taken.

 

We drove back towards downtown and the Polano area. Taking a shortcut, the driver took us through the poverty area where the people were going about their daily business. The dirt streets were lined with small make-shift houses that were surrounded by hardware stalls, and food, clothing and shoe tables. The recent rain had left huge muddy puddles and potholes. Everyone just walked through it, including the little kids. But the Polano district had the nicer homes and upscale stores. We even passed Nelson Mandela's home, but were not allowed to take any photos of it. We had also been warned not to take any photos of government or police buildings, or we could be fined or imprisoned. What an awful thought!

 

We noticed that the street vendors were selling rather poorly made wooden carvings, paintings, and jewelry. You would assume that all African carvings would be the same, but they're not. Mombasa had much better artisans.

 

In the central area, we visited the Iron House, another Eiffel design, totally impractical for this hot climate. It was turned into a museum for tourists to visit. We were glad it was not too hot today, because it would have been like an oven in this house. Down the street, we saw the statue of the country's first president, Samora Machal.

 

Nearby, we walked to the Tundura Gardens, a respite for the local people. It did not look as lush or manicured as most central gardens we have seen, but in time, maybe it will.

 

A short distance away, we saw the colonial-built City Hall, Independence Square, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral.

 

The Central Market was interesting. At least one quarter of their stalls were selling hair pieces and wigs. Yes, you could buy wigs, falls, bangs....some straight, some curly, some fuchsia color. Our guide said that Mozambique women like to have fake long hair woven into their hair, then braided into many narrow braids. It's very expensive to have done, but who can put on price on beauty? The rest of the market sold fish, meat, veggies, and the usual souveniers.

 

Along the way, we did buy two large pieces of fabric, and a wooden carving of native-dressed women. Most vendors we encountered were very pushy and persistant, and not particularly friendly.

 

We got back to the ship early, and there was no shopping on the pier due to tight security.

 

The sailaway party was held on the aft deck at 4:30 pm. We only stayed until 5 pm, because Bill had a date with the barber in the ship's salon.

 

We were glad to have seen Maputo, but probably would not wish to come here again. At cocktail time, we asked friends Sandy and Frank how they liked their tour to the nicer hotel with a lunch. They really did enjoy their experience, so maybe they picked the better tour.

 

Tonight we had a very delicious dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, finishing by 9 pm. The steaks in here just don't get any better, and the side dishes are always cooked to perfection. We look forward to our next four dinners here!

 

Tomorrow, we shall be in Richards Bay, South Africa!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[baroness51]

Goody, another great episode from your wonderful trip. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. It's a true gift for all of us.

 

Linda

[matondo]

We spent several years living in Africa. Where we were the people did not like to have pictures or videos taken because they believed you could steal their spirits. I'm glad you were sensitive to their wishes. Your blog brings back a lot of memories. Thank you for taking the time to take us along.

[WCB]

Report # 104 April 16, 2009 Thursday Richards Bay, South Africa Day One

 

The Rotterdam did not arrive to Richards Bay until 10 am. Todays port was the substitute for missing Madagascar. Now we shall have two days here instead of one.

 

It was nice not to have to be up very early this morning, since we booked a tour that should leave later this afternoon.

 

After a leisurely breakfast, we caught up on pictures and e-mails. Before we arrived to Richards Bay, we had to collect our passports from the staff in the Queens Room on deck five. We will be required to carry our passports with us while in Richards Bay and Durban. This will be a big help for us, since we will need to have our passports for our 4 day overland trip. That's one less thing to worry about!

 

The weather was beautiful as we sailed into the Richards Bay harbor. This is truly a working port with several industial sites such as an aluminium smelter, fertilizer plants, titanium, silver, and gold mines, and an oil/gas pipeline to Johannesburg. The port area was not pretty, but the interior beauty made up for it.

 

We were greeted by a large group of Zulu dancers dressed in native African costumes made of animal hides and bird feathers. Some warriors played the drums, one fellow blew a 10 foot horn, while a few girls and guys danced a wild Zulu dance. It hurt our backs just watching them kick theirs legs high over their heads, then fall to the ground in a sitting position. Ouch! Oh, it's nice to be young!

 

This morning we left the ship by noon to check out the vendor's treasures on the pier. It didn't take us long to find a few items we couldn't live without. Then we had just enough time to put away our stash and eat lunch before we met with the HAL group for our evening Hluhluwe game drive and Vula Zula cultural show with dinner.

 

There were two very comfortable buses waiting for us when we left at 2 pm. Once we left the flatland and green swampland of the port area, the bus passed a modern two story shopping mall. It had every store and restaurant we have at home, even a McDonalds! Lining the roadside, were many small tents that housed hairdressers, of all things. Our excellent guide said that these beauty operators could not afford to rent mall space, so they just set up business on the grass outside. Now, that's different and probably very inexpensive for their customers.

 

It took 1 1/2 hours to reach the game reserve. On the way, we passed miles and miles of eucalyptus groves. The wood from these trees is cut when they are 5 years old, ground into pulp, then processed into fine glossy paper products. Other items from the wood are furniture and firewood. Nothing is wasted, and the trees eventually grow back.

 

We noticed that the houses of Richards Bay were quite civilized and built like regular city homes. But once we were out in the countryside, the homes were small, basic cement complexes with veggie gardens, outhouses, graneries, and animal pens. Most country folks owned cattle, which is considered their wealth. According to Zulu traditions, only the boys in the family are allowed to take the cattle to graze daily. The women and girls stay inside the homes, cooking, cleaning, etc.

 

Our guide mentioned that 97,000 hectares ( multiply 2.471 for acres) are commited to the game reserves we were about to visit. The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is one of the oldest and largest in this area.

 

We entered the Memorial Gate of the reserve by 3:30 pm, where we were met by six safari drivers, their safari vehicles, and two tame warthogs, who were busy eating the grass!

 

The vehicles held 10 passengers, so we hurried to get the back seats, which are usually the best for picture taking. Friends Martha, Hannah, Leslie and Handler joined us. This would not turn out well for Handler later in the game drive.

 

Anyway, our game sightings were slow in coming. But eventually, we saw many elephants, two graffes, and a few warthogs in the dense brush and trees. This game park was much different in its terrain compared to Tsavo East, where the animals have no place to hide. We really had to listen as well as look for the animals. The windy road led us by watering holes, where we could see where the elephants and warthogs had cooled off in the gooey mud.

 

Our guide worked his way up the hillside , where he stopped on a plateau. It was here that he said we could get out of the vehicle, stretch our legs, and take some pictures. Well, that's when Handler, who was sitting next to us, proceeded to climb down the metal step to the ground below. That's when the step broke off of the ladder, and poor Handler fell like a sack of potatoes on the ground below. With a five foot fall from the van, he landed hard on his side, arm, and hip. His camera had broken a rib, he learned later on by the ship's doctor. He was bleeding profusely from his arm and leg, which the guide cleaned with alcohol, then bandaged his wounds. What angered all of us, was the fact the the guide blamed Handler for getting out, and the fact that he did not make a move to help Handler up. Bill jumped down from the van to help him. The guide was too busy hiding the broken metal step where the welds had snapped off. Boy, we knew Handler was going to hurt later on.

 

The rest of the game drive was better, because it was getting dark. We came across a white rhino, grazing a foot away from the roadside. What great pictures we got. We also passed by a hyena laying near the road. He looked either sick or injured, and would probably not last the night.

 

As we headed towards the park gate, a herd of at least 40 elephants marched across the road in front of us. We never did see the lions and leopards reportedly in this park, but that was no surprise, since they are night hunters.

 

By 6:30 pm, we loaded back on the buses, where Leslie and Handler reported his accident. Jodi, one of the shore excursion staff members, said she would see to it that he was taken care of once we were back on the ship. At least we were able to give him Tylenol, which helped ease the pain for a while.

 

Our next stop was an hour's drive further north to Vula Zula, a traditional homestead for an African show and dinner. It was pitch black by now, and there was little in the way of lighting out here in the bush. We don't think that the age of our group was considered for this venue!

 

We literally followed each other closely down the narrow trail, lit with lanterns every 10 yards or so. The best part of this experience was the unexpected treat of seeing the stars in the sky. We will never forget the stunning view of every constellation and the Milky Way, so close, we could almost reach up and grab a star! No kidding! All of us were so engrossed with the view above, we almost didn't notice the dance group was about to greet us. We had been promised a group of 50 to 100 warriors, but this highly animated group of dancers numbered maybe 20.

 

Dressed in native costumes of hides, skirts, beads, and feathers, six topless girls greeted us first with a song. Then they led us to the caged theater setting lined with benches and chairs. It was then that we noticed one of the guides following us was packing a rifle. Oh boy, now we feel safe, or not!

 

The performance depicted the Zulu age-old dancing rites as was done prior to and after battle. They convinced us with their wild gyrations and spears not to mess with them!

 

After the show, we filed out of the enclosure into the night's darkness once again. A 5-star dinner was waiting for us at the outdoor picnic area. They served beef stew with a cornmeal polenta, veggies, squash, rice, and fresh rolls. A beautiful salad selection was offered, but we all declined for fear of "traveler's problems", which could ruin our trip for days. Dessert was delicious fresh fruit.

 

We shared a table with Martha, Hannah, Leslie and injured Handler. He was silently hurting, so we gave him more Tylenol to get him through the ride back. We enjoyed our meals with wine, beer, and Coke. But was it really 5-star? Well, not quite, but it was good.

 

Of course, before we left, we visited the small gift shop, where we bought a neat woven Zulu basket. For a change, the price was way better than at the pier.

 

We got back to the ship by 10 pm, and headed right for bed. Tomorrow, we have another safari day with Cruise Specialists, starting early in the morning.

 

Until then, good night!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 105 April 17, 2009 Friday Richards Bay, South Africa Day Two

 

We had another sunny morning with temperatures in the 70's, perfect weather for another game drive in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. Our CS tour was titled "Lions, Leopards, and Elephants - Oh, My!" Well, we did see the elephants, that's for sure, but never did see the big cats once again. Since it was not possible to arrive at the park by dawn, we knew the possibility of seeing the lions and leopards was nil.

 

Today we chose our safari vehicle and driver carefully. We did not want a repeat of Handler's accident last night. Nor did we wish to have the same rude driver. Lucky for us, this group of drivers were from a different company than the ones last night.

 

So, we ended up with a pretty young woman guide/driver with a newer vehicle. All of the safari vehicles are difficult to climb into, but this one looked sturdy with good steps. Bill, our neighbor and friend on the ship, joined us on the back seats. Unfortunately, Leta, his wife, had to go to another truck because all of the seats were taken. Her safari truck went in a totally different direction, and ended up getting to the lodge later for lunch.

 

We headed for the hills, just opposite of where we drove yesterday afternoon. The vegetation and trees were dense the higher we climbed. We saw no wildlife for the first hour, except the pet warthogs at the gate, and a few elephants. It was a scenic adventure, however, as we reached one hilltop after another. Then, we crossed a small river running over the road, where we finally saw a young crocodile and a couple of fish he may have been hunting for lunch.

 

By high noon, we arrived at the Hilltop Camp, built on the summit of a forested hill. The views from here were spectacular of the countryside below. It gave us a better idea of the size of the preserve, which was established in 1895.

 

Our group was led into the camp's open-air dining room, where we collected our one beverage, and found a cozy table for two. The buffet tables offered cheese and crackers, fresh rolls, soup, salads (green and potato), sliced roast beef and gravy, fish, chicken, beef stew, curry rice, and pancake bread. Ice cold beers went well with the cuisine, as well as the sodas and wine they offered. Cakes, mousses, and mixed fruit were the dessert choices, and creamy vanilla ice cream too.

 

There were few items for sale in the lodge's shop, just expensive stuff.. At some point, you just have to stop looking!!

 

The rest of the safari drive proved to be more successful. We saw Cape Buffalo, rhinos, warthog, zebras, giraffes, and lastly the elephants. Actually, more elephants than we wanted. A herd of them decided to cross the road in front of us and block our exit. Several baby elephants of different ages were in this herd, and so were the protective moms. It was quite apparent that they were irritated with our trucks being there. All we could hear was the clicking of cameras before the larger females began trumpeting in protest. When their huge ears go forward, and the tail goes straight back, we were told we would be in trouble. A full size elephant is capable of rolling these 4-wheel drive vehicles over! So our guide quickly put the truck in reverse, to get more distance between us and the herd. That finally worked and we were on our way. As a result, we were a half hour late getting back to the gate, but it was worth it for the great photos we got.

 

The ride back to the pier was uneventful. In fact, we probably slept half of the way. The guides seem to know this, so they keep quiet because they know their guests will snooze anyway.

 

We finished the last of our packing for the upcoming overland excursion when we got back. This four day trip will require just a few essentials, so we figured that we needed one bag that could not exceed 44 pounds. With our nifty little hand-held scale, we had no problem checking the weight. We will need to be up and ready to go by 5 am tomorrow morning, so we decided to stay in and order room service for dinner. The chef salads and cheeseburgers were just perfect, arriving soon enough to eat and go to bed at a reasonable time.

 

Looking forward to tomorrow!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 106 April 18, 2009 Saturday Durban, So. Africa to Livingstone, Zambia Day One

 

Well, the day has arrived for our great journey into the heart of Africa to see Victoria Falls in Zambia. We were packed and ready to go when the ship was to be docked at 5 am. Except, that didn't happen. Even though we were docked, the local authorities had not boarded to clear everyone on the ship. We waited patiently with two other groups waiting to go on their adventures to the falls too.

 

Sometime around 5:30, Captain Olav came down to the gangway where we were all huddled around the exit. He gave us the good news that he was setting us free, despite the fact we were not cleared. We guess he could cover for us. We thanked him and went off to find our transport to the airport.

 

Guess what? It was NOT there. Instead, there were two buses, one for the HAL group, and the other for Cruise Specialists. No other vehicle was in sight. We waited , not having a phone to call, for the ride to come. It was apparent that NO ONE was coming, so Tom and Ellen, our kind CS hosts, offered us a ride with them. Thank goodness we were members of their group, or we may have been stranded. We know that the HAL group would not have been able to take us (insurance problems or something like that). CS did have plenty of room, since there were only 21 of them. In order to make our flight on time in Durban, we had only minutes to spare, or we would miss both flights.

 

As it turned out, we did make it on time. There was no traffic at all on the freeway to the nearby airport in Durban. The check-in was fairly easy. We only had the one bag to check, and the weight was fine. We also did not have to fumble with reservation numbers or any other paperwork. All that was needed was our passports, and all the information was up on their screen for the entire series of flights.

 

Originally, back last fall, when we were planning this excursion, we were booked with Zambian Airlines from Johannesburg to Livingstone. A month after we left in January, Zambian Airlines went out of business. Great! We had to rebook the first flight with South African Air, an hour earlier, and book with British Air to Livingstone. Luckily, the defunct airline will refund the airfare through the travel agency, and we will see the check by the time we get home in May. Hey, better late than never!

 

We found South African Air to be very nice, even in economy class. We had a one hour flight to Johannesburg, and were served sodas or wine and a turkey croissant sandwich with yogurt. We sure would not get that on a domestic flight in the USA!

 

The British Air flight was just as nice. Here we had a chicken lasagne lunch with rolls and candy. This time we opted for the white wine, since we had about a two hour flight. It was relaxing, helping to take the "nerves" out of flying.

 

Our luggage had gone straight through to Livingstone, so we just needed to retrieve it, and go through customs in Livingstone, Zambia. We had filled out the request for Zambian visas on the plane, and were prepared to pay $135. each. However, they only charged $80. Yippee! That's more $$$ for treasures! It was a surprise to see something go down instead of up for a change!

 

Once cleared, we were met by our driver Steven with Wilderness Safaris, who would take care of us for transfers for the next four days. You don't know what a relief it was to see our names on his sign coming out of the airport! At least we were not stood up here.

 

The ride through the small, quaint town of Livingstone revealed the area where the Zambezi River runs its course. At one point in the road, Steven stopped for our first glimpse of the massive spray from the actual falls themselves. He also pointed out that the river was at an almost all-time high, near the point of flooding.

 

Our accommodations, The Zambezi Sun Hotel, was a short distance from the airport, taking perhaps 20 minutes to get there. This resort was one of two hotels on the property within the Mosi-Oa-Tunya Nature Reserve. The Royal Livingstone Hotel was a walk away from the Zambezi Sun, run by the same management. Our hotel was 4 star, with southwestern design and excellent restaurants, stores, and touring facilities. It was our "cup of tea"! The Royal Livingstone was "presidential", a 5 star hotel, regally built with grounds facing the riverbanks. But we think we had the edge on the availability of walking to the falls. The path was right behind our room, so close, that we could feel the thunder of the falls under our feet!

 

When our van arrived, we were greeted by a group of painted warriors with shields and spears. That was a first. We had to have a photo with them! Once we were checked in, we quickly put our things down, took our cameras , and headed to the falls. It was necessary to sign ourselves out at the gate. That way, if one or both of us got lost, the hotel personel would know. We surely did not want to go over the falls anytime too soon!

 

We walked the stone stairs down to several levels to see the thundering water cascade down the sheer cliffs to the gorge below. What a sight! The mist of the falls rose up into the air forever! The further down we walked, the more mist was blowing. We were concerned about our cameras getting wet, and being that we have a tour here tomorrow morning, we decided to head back.

 

We had a short time to walk the property, taking pictures of the roaming monkeys and zebras, before we had to meet the driver to take us to the Sundowner Cruise on the Zambezi River above the falls. We met at the Activity Center of the hotel, since this tour was booked through them. At least ten other hotel guests joined us.

 

We were taken up the river for a 20 minute drive to board the African Queen riverboat. It was a double-decker boat, so we headed for the upper deck for seats at the railing. We were happy to see our friends from Cruise Specialists had joined us. And since it happened to be Bill's birthday, Ellen, Carole, and Yoshiko toasted him with birthday wishes once they found out. It's hard to keep a secret with them!

 

The two hour ride did not produce a lot of animal sightings, but we did see many species of colorful birds. One in particular, a saddle billed stork, flew by and Bill got the "perfect shot", photo of course. While on the lookout for wildlife, we were served peanuts, and various hors d'oeuvres with all the local Mosi beer we could drink. Judging by the frivolity the guests were showing, we think the beer and wine flowed very freely!

 

By the time the sun was setting, we were back at the dock, and ready for our ride back to the hotel. With the early wake up time this morning (3 am), and flying all day, we just needed something light for dinner. We opted for pizza and cheeseburgers by the lovely hotel pool. We were ready to hit the sack, when we were disturbed by the waiter who had trouble finding Bill's name in the computer. He had signed Wm. on the restaurant receipt, an abbreviation of William, but the waiter did not know that. Since the waiter did not understand, we just paid the bill in cash, hoping to clear up the problem tomorrow. By the time we fell asleep, the front desk girl called to apologize for the previous interruption, not knowing she had waken us up again! It's funny now, but at the time, it was not!

 

We're looking forward to tomorrow with a walk of the falls, and an elephant ride!

 

Until then, Mary Ann & Bill