28^th of April, 2018. Happy, Happy 15^th birthday to our second grandson, Alex! We love you very, very much!

Greetings from somewhere off the coast of Western Africa! Today is the second of eight sea days before we reach Tenerife. Sea days mean the same routine, so my blog may be less than exciting. Despite the similar schedule each day, I quite like sea days. It's time to catch up with long chats with friends, read a book, work on a crossword puzzle (I still have a few from the Sunday New York Times that I saved for this cruise.), Trivia (the least said about our score yesterday, the better. We've lost Lin and Bryan, and gained an infrequently attending third couple. Lin knows Roman and Greek mythology well and Bryan is great at pop culture. They decided to spend more time together in the afternoon.) attend lectures, etc. But before our sea days began, we had Cape Town!

Wow! What an amazing city! The sail in is beautiful, past an extended town and suburbs all on the water's edge. We had a very special day the first of our two days. Last fall I was celebrating my birthday with friends at Jack Dusty at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota, and our friends Randell and Bobby were also celebrating another friend's birthday. Also present was the National Director of Sales for Red Carnation properties: hotels and Uniworld River Cruises. When he found out that we were going to be in Cape Town, he arranged for us to tour the spectacular Twelve Apostles Hotel. At 10 am, we met a car sent by the hotel for the four of us. Eric, our driver, gave us a short tour of Cape Town on our way to the hotel. The sea front in Cape Town is dramatic ocean! Crashing surf against huge boulders form the coastline, and strikingly modern condos, apartments and private homes line the shoreline. Interspersed are building bearing the hallmarks of the early Dutch design. Some interesting facts about Cape Town:

Africaans is the most widely spoken language in Cape Town, followed by Xhosa and English.

Table Mountain's peak, Lion's Head, hasn't seen a lion in 200 years.

Each cable car climbing Table Mountain holds 65 people and the car rotates as it climbs to give everyone a view. (Clouds covered Table Mountain until our sailaway on day two.)

We arrived at the hotel and were greeted by the Deputy General Manager, Lukas Laubscher. What a gracious young man! We were escorted to the main lounge where we had coffee or tea. I tried Red Bush Tea, an African staple thought to encourage good health. I liked it and bought some later in the day. After chatting, Lukas turned us over to the Guest Satisfaction Representative, Prince. Prince is part of a program that 12 Apostles is very proud of. They have encouraged promising local young people to pursue training in hospitality at the luxury level. Prince has been working for Red Carnation for three years, and just returned from a two year internship at The Rubens at the Palace Hotel in London. He had a great personality. It reminds me of the ethos of Crystal: they hire for personality and train for the job. The hotel has 70 rooms and suites and 300 employees. That tells you quite a bit about the service you will find if you visit the hotel. It is set into the mountain overlooking the spirited ocean. The guest rooms and suites either have mountain view or ocean view rooms. Every room was luxurious and very comfortable. Mrs. Bea Tollman, who owns Red Carnation, along with her husband, personally oversees the colors and décor of every hotel. Having stayed at the Rubens, and having had guests stay at other Red Carnation properties in London and Guernsey, and sailed Uniworld, I could easily see Mrs. Tollman's touch. No two rooms are the same, but the style and use of color was familiar. There are several interconnecting rooms for large families or entourages, and these connect with the amazing Presidential Suite. You will see photos of the rooms at the end of the blog. My favorite touch was the huge bathtub overlooking the ocean with glass walls all around. The glass is treated to be able to look out, but not look in. I think everyone was a bit concerned when I removed my clothes and ran a bath! The rooms have balconies or patios and comfortable seating. One thing that I noticed was that each shower had a large plastic tub to catch the gray water. Housekeeping empties the tubs into the landscaping. As you know, Cape Town is suffering a from a severe drought, and 12 Apostles is doing its best to lower the amount of water that is used. Guests are encouraged to have contests to see who in each family can take the shortest shower. Prince than showed us the casual dining restaurant and then the spa. Wow! What a unique setting. The spar is carved into the mountain with private pools that extend deep underground. There is even a sensory deprivation pool.

After our tour, we met Lukas for lunch in the fine dining venue, Azure. After 4 months of fair fare, this was a sparkling dining experience for our taste buds! Our table overlooked the ocean and we each ordered something different. A huge selection of fresh bread was brought to the table, still warm, but definitely not microwaved: flaky cheese sticks, focaccia, seeded bread, crusty rolls, etc. I had garden pea risotto as my starter. My main course was Cape Salmon, moist and delicate, unlike the salmon I was used to having. Dessert was a hard choice, so David ordered the tapioca with caramel sauce and caramelized nuts and I ordered the cheese cake so that we could share. Lukas asked the waitress to bring a copy of Mrs Tollman's cookbook to the table so that we could see the recipes for some of the dishes we had ordered. Upon leaving, Lukas presented each couple with a copy of the cookbook. I am eager to try some of the recipes at home. Randell and I decided we would do a dinner party and each make something from the cookbook.

Eric drove us back into town around 2:30, and dropped us off at the Victoria and Alfred seafront. This is a popular area with locals and tourists and is a short distance from Duncan Dock where the Queen Elizabeth was docked. We bought some South African wine to take on board, even with a $20 corkage fee, it is less money for better wine than on board. We took the shuttle back to the ship, and stepping off, I twisted my knee. I could hear it crunch and grind. I hobbled back to ythe cabin and David immediately got me ice, but, sadly, we had to forego our friend Paul's birthday dinner at Groot Contantia that night. I was so disappointed....

Our second day in Cape Town was dramatically foreshortened by South African Customs and Immigration. We were supposed to sail at 5 pm, but they insisted all guests be back on board by 2:30 to go through immigration. One would think they would prefer that we stay later and spend more money in South Africa. We did, however, bring bucketing rain to Cape Town that evening. I am taking responsibility for helping eliminate the drought.

We had our morning taken up with a scheduled appointment with a lawyer to notarize documents for the sale of our second condo at One Watergate. We took Uber from the port, with me limping along with a cane, to the law firm in a large, modern building downtown. Lots of security is evident, but perhaps no more than office buildings have in large US cities. By the time all the documents were signed and notarized, we had to return to the ship. South African law is quite different than the US. All of our documents had to be taken to court for the attorney's signature to be notarized by the court. Far more complicated and expensive!

The sail away from Cape Town was equally beautiful with a sunset and curious seals. David was able to get clear photos of iconic Table Mountain as we left, with the “tablecloth” of clouds dissapated. As we got further away from city lights, we were able to see phosphorescence on the sea caused by plankton. Magical!

We feel that we missed much more than we saw in Cape Town, and we are excited to return in 2019 on Crystal Serenity. We have three nights in Cape Town, so we are looking forward to that.

A word about personal safety in South Africa. The ship was very strong in reminding us that crime does exist and to use common sense. This is the same warning that we have received in every port, but it was more emphatic in South Africa, with a sheet to carry with emergency phone numbers, etc. I did not hear any stories of anyone getting mugged or getting their pocket picked.

We had one sea day before our arrival in Walvis Bay, Namibia. The seas were a bit rough, but not bad enough to cancel any activities or performances on board. A Wing and a Prayer came in second again in Trivia. Boo hoo!

Everyone has begun to talk about the winding down of the World Cruise. We only have about two weeks more onboard. Sad...but looking forward to the crossing on the Queen Mary 2 with Randell and Bobby.

Walvis Bay, Thursday 26^th of April! Walvis Bay is a town of 85,000 inhabitants, but growing rapidly based on the construction we saw. The port is right in the middle of Namibia's coastline and the Chinese are busy increasing the size of the port to serve as a large distribution center for all of Africa. The Chinese are “colonizing” Africa in almost every country, tapping into natural resources, building infrastructure, and making their presence of chief importance. They will own Africa in the future. The largest uranium mine in the world is located in Namibia, and China buys all of it.

Walvis Bay is also known for its natural beauty—it is the gateway to the Namib Dessert with the undulating, changing huge dunes and the rare plant and animal life. It also has an amazing lagoon that attracts thousands of birds including flamingos and rare white pelicans.

David elected to do the Living Desert tour in a 4x4. I wanted to go, but was worried my knee wouldn't help me climb the dunes. The shore excursion team warns against anyone with a bad back doing this trip. David had a great experience and saw sidewinders and rare lizards with transparent skins. He returned with about a pound of sand in his shoes!

I took the shuttle in with Randell and Bobby. Again, the shore excursion desk was incomplete in its information. The shuttle dropped us at a mall, far away from the real downtown of Walvis Bay. The mall could have been anywhere in a first world suburb. It was anchored by two upscale supermarkets and wine shops and had plenty of shops with familiar brands. Disappointing! Our ride in and back to the ship passed one housing development after another with new modern homes, each with its own satellite dish. Each development had high walls, and each house had walls around it.

Another sea day yesterday, and I will not mention the weak score of A Wing and a Prayer. It wasn't the worst score, but we have certainly done better. Part of the problem is that the entertainment staff use outdated and erroneous information to create their questions. At times there is a great deal of push back from the guests.

Last night we were invited to a cocktail party in Paul and Andy's new Queens Grill Suite. They upgraded for this segment. This is a Queens Grill 3, and each number indicates more room. So this is about a mid level Queens Grill. What ever it is, it is still lovely! For those of you familiar with the Penthouse on Crystal, the square footage is about the same, but the layout is very different. There is more room in the living area on Crystal, but greater storage on the Elizabeth. Andy and Paul are gracious hosts and we had a lovely time. Everyone looked smashing because it was a formal night and the Black and White Ball. Thank you, Paul and Andy!

Off to Trivia now, lets hope our score improves!

22 April, 2018 En Route to Cape Town, South Africa!

We did it! We've visited all seven continents! The culmination was yesterday's visit to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, although our stops at The Seychelles, Mauritius, and Reunion could be termed African ports.

Let me take you back to where my last blog entry ended—En Route to Port Louis Mauritius. We had two sea days between The Seychelles and Mauritius. Friends always ask about the sea days. “Don't you get bored? “What do you do all day?” etc. As you know from the schedule of activities I posted before in this blog, the days are chock full and go very quickly. I am discouraged to announce that “A Wing and a Prayer,” our Trivia team, continues to come in second to “The Team in the Corner.” We are about to put a contract out on that team!

Saturday 14th of April was Big Band Night, and the music was great. The Queen's Room was filled with dancers.

Sunday, 15^th of April was an active one with lots of good lectures. Celebrity Speaker, Nicki Chapman spoke on “My Life in the Music Industry.” Nicki's history included working with the Spice Girls, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Annie Lennox, Van Morrison, etc. There were lots of anecdotes. Gavin Robinson lectured on “Game Capture Techniques in Southern Africa.” He focused on the different methods of translocation of wild animals. Cally Oldershaw spoke on “The Future of our Seas and Oceans—out of sight and out of mind? From this lecture, I learned that the oceans may hold the key to our dwindling natural resources, and the solution can be mining our oceans.

Speaking of oceans, being at sea for so long emphasizes the vastness of our oceans. We sail for days without spotting another ship. As we get closer to a port, small and large fishing boats appear, and just outside of ports, we may see large container ships and tankers. In Mauritius, we were mesmerized by the docking and unloading of cargo ships right next to our dock. The logistics of where to find the containers in their rows, and where to place the new containers is amazing. Heaven knows how many containers there are in use all over the world. I'm thinking of buying stock in Maersk! I wonder why countries don't convert the empty containers into refugee housing or houses for the homeless. I've read articles about them being converted into homes, swimming pools, etc. Our friend Bryan purchased one that had been used only once, to serve as storage for farm implements. Evidently, it is possible to shred these containers and convert them back to steel.

Monday, 16^th of April, our arrival in Port Louis, Mauritius was at 8 am. We were determined not to have the same experience that we had in Port Victoria. No Cunard hotel visit/beach break for us. We talked to staff members about their favorite things to do in Mauritius, and which hotel to visit, and had a plan. After a quick breakfast, we took the shuttle into town and found a taxi to take us to the Cannoniera Hotel and Resort. For the equivalent off $70 US, our driver would take us 20 kilometers outside of Port Louis to the hotel, wait for us for 3 hours and then take us back to the ship. The hotel is beautiful, with sandy beaches interspersed with boulders and natural formation swimming pools. There are several restaurants and lounges, recreation facilities such as tennis courts, pool tables, children's playgrounds, etc. It seemed like everyone that we met staying at the resort was French. We enjoyed a relaxing 3 hours using the facilities. Our driver was waiting for us, and drove us back to the ship just as the skies opened up. Just a brief note about Mauritius. The island nation has a history of being ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch (who named it in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau, the Stadholder of the Netherlands.) The Dutch abandoned the island because of tough climatic conditions including cyclones. The British took over it seizing control from the French during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius gained its independence from the UK in 1968. Mauritius is known as the only home of the now extinct dodo.

Only an overnight sail of 175 kilometers from Mauritius is Reunion. The official language of Reunion is French, and Reunion became an overseas department of France in 1948. It is considered part of the Eurozone. Since we had business to take care of, we took the shuttle to St Giles les Bains, 24 kilometers away from the port. It is a beach community, with beaches for swimming with shark nets, and gorgeous spirited sea locations with crashing waves and “Do Not Swim! Sharks!” signs warning the unwary. We found a pleasant beach side cafe with free internet, and took care of business with the accompaniment of cup after cup of cappuccinos and cafe vanille's. It was a delightful morning. We ran into our friends Randell and Bobby who joined us for a while. All aboard time was 4 pm, and we were back well before that time. The island looks like suburban France, with modern, new shopping centers, schools, etc. The highways were in great condition and it appeared to have an excellent infra-structure. Reunion deserves a return visit!

We had spirited seas on our first sea day after Reunion. I finally have found my sea legs, although this merited Meclizine tablets! We had lunch with our friends Brian and Lesley Samuels, Safari Girl of Cruise Critic fame. We will be sorry to see them leave the ship in Cape Town.

Our second sea day, Thursday 19^th of April was a busy one. We had scheduled a “Cabin Party” and I got carried away inviting friends despite the size of our cabin. All total, we had 17 for our party, and lots of fun, laughter and lively conversation fueled by gin and vodka. One of my dear Lido chefs made a beautiful cheese platter, which we supplemented with chips and nuts. Chips in the ports we have visited are a bit different from our usual variety at home: chicken flavored chips, lime flavored chips, cheese and onion chips, balsamic vinegar and sea salt chips. People were crammed on the sofa, the bed, the table from the balcony, etc. But it just increased the fun!

One more sea day and then Africa! En Route to Port Elizabeth with an arrival on Saturday, 21^st April. The theme for tonight's formal ball was “African Ball.” There were not as many guests dressed in themed clothing as usual, although the ones who did dress up were pretty outrageous looking.

Saturday, 21 April, Port Elizabeth, South Africa! How appropriate that we have visited this port on HRH Queen Elizabeth's 92^nd birthday. In fact, upon our return to the ship in the early evening, we were welcomed back with glasses of champagne to toast the HRH.

This was a port I have looked forward to for quite a while. We have a private shore excursion with 2 other couples to Addo Elephant Park. We had to meet at 7:15 am for a pick up at 8 am, because we had a face to face meeting with South African Immigration officials. This took all of 60 seconds: we picked up our passports, gave them and our arrival slip to an immigration official. She did not look at the slip, stamped our passport, and then we gave the passport back to QE staff. (By the way, we had to pick up our passports today to carry in Cape Town.) We were met by our driver/guide promptly at 8 am outside the port gates. Our friend, Evana, organized our safari with Alan Safari Tours based on their excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. They didn't disappoint! We boarded our 4 wheel drive vehicle with space for 7 which meant we had plenty of room. Our safari was with Evana and Alan and Paul and Andy. We rotated seats at several stops. Mike drove us the 35 minutes to Addo Elephant Park, which is a National Park with hundreds and hundreds of acres of open land so that the animals roam freely. In the park are animals that are indigenous to that part of South Africa: elephants (over 600 live in the park), cape buffalo, wart hogs, black rhinos, lions, leopards, honey badgers, kudus and other types of antelopes, zebras, cobras and other snakes and a variety of birds including ostriches and secretary birds. I can't tell you how excited we were to see our first animals: wart hogs! Throughout the day, we saw many, many wart hogs, until it became “Only just another wart hog.” How easily jaded we became! The tusks on a wart hog can slice your arm off, and the males have four huge warts to protect them during battles with other wart hogs. There “follow me sign—which all animals have” is that they run with their tales upright at 90 degrees. The baby wart hogs were adorable!

Our next big sighting was a massive bull elephant alone in a field. I thought “OK, I've seen an elephant, I'm happy.” but we were to see HUNDREDS of elephants during the course of the day: frolicking in water of the watering holes, tossing dirt over themselves to act as protection from the the sun, play fighting, caressing their baby elephants with their trunks, calling to them if they stray too far away, etc. The elephants crossed the road within touching distance: huge, wrinkly skins with long luscious eyelashes, they moved almost silently on defying their weight and size. It was thrilling!

Zebras were amazingly beautiful with manes that look as if they have been groomed and stripes that are different one from another like fingerprints. They really can't be tamed, but didn't seemed concerned when we stopped near them.

Kudus had beautiful markings and long twisted antlers. Elegant and majestic!

One of the rarer sightings was the Secretary Bird—very large and unusual to see even in Addo Elephant National Park.

We had a lunch break and a chance to stretch our legs, and then off to try and find the lions. Unfortunately, we were not successful. They like open areas to hunt and are only successful 25% of the time when they stalk and attempt to seize another animal.

We weren't that disappointed because the day was exciting, educational and entertaining. Mike drove us back to the ship arriving just before 6 pm. It was a particularly long day, because I forgot about the clocks going back an hour before getting to Port Elizabeth, so I set the alarm for 5 am accidentally. We couldn't face going into the dining room and getting dressed up. We were dusty, dirty and tired from being jostled around in the safari vehicle, so we showered and went to the Lido for dinner. We were in bed by 8:30 and I was asleep by 9 pm! But it was a brilliant experience!

Sea day today and Cape Town tomorrow!!

P.S. One of my readers asked about the free laundry that we receive. We get 20 pieces a week and the laundry does a beautiful job. We send it out on the same day each week—all 20 at one time. We still need to do socks and underwear in the launderette every two weeks.