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Second day in Luanda, and went to slave museum, outdoor crafts mall, and Miradoura de lua, and interesting weathered rock formation.  Long drives out of the cities, but worth it seeing all the sites.  Of coarse, the slave museum was sobering, but needed to see it.  Still lots of poverty and poor living conditions in Luanda, even with oil wealth.  Problems with getting monies to the people.

crafts spot had a lot to choose fro. We managed to avoid buying a lot, but did contribute to the economy.

the Miradoura was interesting, and reminded me of Bryce Canyon.  Really interesting rock formations.

two sea days to recuperate, and renew our batteries for the rest of the trip.  

Here Rd are some photos.

Wes, thanks for the offer to join you all on the Moon cruise, but we have a trip to Egypt and Jordan long planned for that time.  I am sure with all those folks it will be a wonderful trip.

We are currently in Luanda and finished a city tour.  Hot and Humid, so glad athe tour was in the morning.  Interesting sited honoring Neto, the first Angolan president after the civil war.  Will go to a performance tonight which is a somber look at those time.  Lots of discussion about Portuguese colonialism.

intersting after visiting Namib and Lobito in Angola, the stark contrast to Luanda.  It doesn’t seem like a lot of money has trickled down to those areas, but more modern buildings and potentially better lifestyle in Luanda.  The guide we had said that the oil industry is in tough shape these days, lots of layoffs including him, and life is tough.

anyway, here are a few pics.

Made it to Namibe, Angola.  Went to the desert to see Welwitschia Mirabilis, a plant that is up to 2000 years old.  Root could go down a kilometer or more.  Plat doesnt look pretty, but long lasting.  Then went to see some arches in Arch Lagoon, where arches out of rock are formed naturally.  Long hot trip, but interesting sights.

got back in time for lunch and rest.  On our way to Lobito, Angola and another early start.  I guess it is good to beat the heat, but makes for an early morning to fit in breakfast.  Expedition cruising must be like that.

here are a couple of pictures from today.

To all that have been giving suggestions concerning places to go and things to see while in the ports upcoming for us, thanks a lot.  Nice to have other insights before we get there.

Yesterday was a great excursion out into the Lagoons of Walvis Bay.  Pelicans and seals up close and personal.  Nice weather, and the wildlife is plentiful.

we are now cruising to Namibe, Angola.

Celles, security concerns is the reason given for cancelling the ports.  Not the first time that reason was given by a cruise line to cancel a port.

Rachel, so far so good on the Cloud.  All folks friendly and helpful.  Food is good.  Different ambiance than Regent, and certainly smaller.  Expedition team is wonderful so far, and met a couple of them that will be on the Iceland trip.

will report periodically on the other ports as we arrive.  First time with a butler, and she has bent over backwards to be helpful, but definitely not used to having a butler.

here in Walvis Bay they have included a “dinner in the desert” for tonight with entertainment.  Unexpected delight, so will see how that goes.

We went on our tour today in Lüderitz.  The Shenzhen 5rail.  Very desolate area, sand dunes, 1.2 billion year old rocks.  Discussion of diamond mining and the German ramparts during WWI, and the fight against South African troops during the war.  Lots of discussion about European colonialism in Africa.  Saw some wild horses, very little greenery and even a group of ostriches.

Heading over to Walvis Bay for a couple of days and more excursions.  Weather has been reasonable, and even a bit cool.

here are a few pictures of our excursions.

Well, as Little Red John said, a number of folks arrived at the hotel, Table Bay.  We were one of the early arrivals.  Getting there about 10 am and into our room about 1pm.  All of our luggage showed up, a wonderful thing.  

Turns out we were at this hotel in the year 2000 when we did  a Kenya to the Cape safari tour land tour with another company.  Lots of new construction since then, and a lot more people in Capetown these days.  Still a nice facility and the view of Table Mountain out our window is great.

supposed to transfer to ship about noon tomorrow to start our adventure.  More later.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes for our travel.  Hope springs eternal that everything will go with out a hitch, or maybe just minor ones.

JP, thanks for the info about Silver Cloud potential docking.  We will see.  Transfers are included for us so whether it be close or long we will be taken care of.  Our adventure will start when we leave the house, and will be glad when we get to Capetown and the ship.

Well, today is the March 25th and we will be catching our flight to Capetown via Dallas and London.  Total time to get to Capetown is about 30 hours, and we should get there about 8 am on the 27th.  We will have a nights stay at the Table Bay hotel before boarding the Cloud on the 28th.  I imagine the transfer to the ship will be sometime early afternoon.

This is our first cruise with Silversea, and looking forward to the expedition ship and seeing all new territory for us.  Been to Capetown before and also Lisbon, but none of the countries in between.  I think about 10 countries in all will be visited.

i will try to keep anyone that is interested updated daily as to activities and sights.  We will see how that works out, and how the internet is onboard.  Don’t need any Viking Sky action, thank you very much.  What we need is safe flights and all of our luggage to get there with us.

Posting again when we get to Capetown.

Rachel, have a wonderful cruise from London to Dublin.  Have a pint for me.  I am sure we will have stories to tell about our cruises when we meet up on the Cloud in Reykjavik.  

Jpalbany, looking forward to meeting you.  Always willing to share in some liquid refreshment when combined with learning about packing tips, travel, and a myriad of other subjects.  Looks like a memorable cruise coming up in August.

Wes, RachelG, and alithecat:

Thank you all for your very helpful posts.  Rachel, we are currently packing for our fist Silver Cloud expedition along the west coast of Africa.  Geoarge and I definitely think alike.  No coat and tie for me, but smart casual for Barbara and I will do.  By the way, we hope you are still signed up for the circumnavigation of Iceland in August.  Really looking forward to that one.

Alithecat, thanks also for chiming in as I haven’t travelled on the non expedition ships, but may sign up for one while on the upcoming cruise so that info will help me out as to what one might expect for our packing.

Wes, hope you are enjoying your second cruise.  The tour to the island from Man with the Golden Gun is worth it, did one from Regent.  Also lots of stuff to do in Yangon.  Some folks to an extended trip to the Temples of Bagan and really enjoyed it.  

Safe and healthy travels to all.

Hey Wes,  Rich here.  Glad you are having an enjoyable cruise, and as usual doing a great job posting.  Just curious, are you needing to get up at 5 am to get good internet for posting and pictures or is internet pretty good all day.

also never been on a Silversea that is not an expedition ship, so curious if coat and tie are a must for dinner or if it is more like Regent and smart casual applies for dinner.

thanks, and keep on enjoying cruising and life.  You and Ida are doing a good job at both.

LittleRedJohn:

We, Rich and Barbara from Tulsa, will also be cruising the Cloud from Capetown to Lisbon.  Haven’t seen a separate thread for that cruise, so sorry to bust into this one to introduce ourselves to LittleRedJohn.  Looking forward to meeting you on that cruise.  Not long now.

We had temps in the high 80s, but generally a breeze was helping.  It was not overly hot, and great for snorkeling and water activities.  When we went on a land tour we generally went in the morning to avoid the afternoon heat, but if the afternoon was all that was available it was bearable.

We made it back to Tulsa yesterday after many hours in the air and in airports.  All of the luggage showed up and now we will see how long it takes our body clocks to reset to Tulsa time.  Overall a fantastic trip, even though we had to miss some ports and excursions due to weather.

met so many wonderful people, and some we will be cruising with on future cruises.

tnr, glad you made it back safely, and terrific meeting you and Ray, and hopefully we will sail with you again.

xrvlcruiser, looking forward to meeting you as well on our future cruise.

Papaflamingo, Jim and Margaret, great meeting you and sharing some wonderful excursions together.  Maybe we will see you again on a future cruise.

last but not least, Wes and Ida, you were a joy to be with, and thanks for our time together, and especially the memorable anniversary lunch you planned for us.  We will always remember that special time.

Thanks to all who have been a part of this blog.  It has been a joy to contribute and participate.

Finally here are some photos of our cruise into Sydney Harbor about 6am.  There were a few of us stirring at that hour.  Glad the weather cooperated.  There were even people that we’re climbing to the top of the bridge at that early hour.

Yesterday was a sea day, and also a day for packing.  Today in Eden.  The Krew kapers show was yesterday.  They again put on a wonderful performance with some new Christmas acts.

here are some photos.  Not great quality, but you get the picture.  Great rendition of YMCA, and had the guests rockin’.

We spent our second day in Melbourne with friends we met on a previous cruise.  What a wonderful day, and perfect weather.  Went to a botanical garden that showed many of the plants that would be in the Australian bush country, the a great picnic, followed by the Healesvile sanctuary.  A great number of Australian native animals.

Then off to Geelong.  Went on a tour of a National treasure House and gardens followed by the botanical gardens.  Many plant and trees from all over the world.

Yesterday we went on a city tour of Melbourne.  Eureka sky deck, tallest building and sky deck on 88th floor.  Elevator took 40 seconds to get there.  Went to Melbourne Museum and monument for soldiers.  Good weather day, and saw a lot of the city.

here are some photos

Yesterday we made it to Burnie, Tasmania.  Another great weather day, and the Wildlife sanctuary we went to had lots of animals that had been rescued and cared for.  There is breeding in captivity, and those little ones stay in the sanctuary.  We were fortunate to see Tasmanian devil feeding and spent time with Kangaroos.  Nice drive there and back with beautiful rolling countryside.

just arriving in Melbourne, where we will spend two days, and more nice weather has been predicted.  As we are rapidly coming to the end of our cruise, we have been mainly blessed with good weather after our bout with hurricane Willa off the western coast of Mexico.

here are a few photos from yesterday.

Yesterday we spent the day cruising Fjordland National Park in southwestern New Zealand.  Absolutely beautiful weather and awesome scenery.  Glaciers really worked their wonders carving out the fjords, and the Dusky and Doubtful fjords were great, but Milford was the most spectacular.  Snow covered mountains, waterfalls, and fantastic weather all combined to make that last one a memory moment.

now cruising to Tasmania.  Expected arrival in Bernie on our 9 th of December.

enjoy some photos from the fjords.

In Dunedin today where we were supposed to go on the train ride to Taipei Gorge.  Unfortunately it was cancelled because the rains over the last few days have caused some of the surrounding countryside next to the tracks suspect, so the Train company cancelled that excursion.  Sadly the 12:30 train ride was still scheduled, but our ship is leaving at 6 so no luck.

instead we did a Dunedin tour, Olveston House tour and Botanic garden tour.  Rain let up enough to let us do those things without getting soaked.  It was an alright excursion, but still disappointed that we couldn’t do the train ride.

here are some photos

Well, we woke up this morning, and Christmas arrived on the Mariner.  I am sure entertainment team and staff worked well into the night to surprise us.  They did a great job.  Here are some photos.

Made it to Wellington yesterday, and the weather turned out to be stunning.  Warm, no wind, sunny.  Perfect.  Our tour “In the footsteps of the Lord of the Rings” was enjoyable and quite informative if you are a Lord of the Rings fan.  Went to Weta workshop, where they showed us a film about the origins of the place and also showed us about the making and use of some of the props and costumes.

we then went to some of the locations where scenes were shot of the firs Lord of the Rings movie. Showed photos, and then some identifying trees so we could picture the scene.  Gave us a history of the scene shooting.  Really a good presentation. Went to Mt Victoria lookout for some spectacular views of Wellington.

Here are a few photos, but can’t do the entire tour justice with only a few photos.

Yesterday we were docked at Tangarua. So the trip to Hobbiton yesterday turned out much better than expected when we left the ship.  It was rainy, cold and windy.  Everyone’s umbrella from the ship were turning inside out, so no use at all.  On the bus for ride to Hobbiton, near Rotorua, continual rain and wind.  Arrive at Hobbiton, and the wind was lessening and the rain was letting up.  Started the tour and the rain miraculously stopped and the wind let up.  Turned out to be a nice day for touring the site.

if you are a “Lord of the Rings” fan, I highly recommend it. Interesting site, loads of insight into buildings and filming of the movie and characters.  Beautiful location.

after the tour, scones, muffins and a drink.  Nice way to end the day at Hobbiton.  On the way back, started raining again and rained continually to the ship.  Again, driving rain, wind and cold.  We really lucked out at Hobbiton.

here are a few pics.

WesW(Wes & Ida):  we are glad you continue to enjoy our posts.  Pleasure traveling with you, and maybe will see you down the road.

arrived in Auckland to clouds, but no rain.  Went on a turnaround day excursion, north side and Davenport, and nice scenery and views of the harbor.  Made it back to the ship for lunch, and now time for a little nap before lifeboat drill.  Tomorrow it is off to Hobbitown.  After we pulled in here comes a huge ship, the Golden Princess.  Probably about 3000 people.  Mariner is dwarfed, but I like the Mariner much better.

here are a few pics from today.