Venture with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2013 GW Voyage "Postcards from Paradise" 115 days

[2bout2c]

Rather than so many sitting on the stairs and such, were the folks in the inside rooms able to just stay in their cabins during the pirate drill?

[cat2610]

I just discovered your thread. I loved "travelling along" on your last world cruise. Can't wait to read more!

[WCB]

Report # 86 Day at Sea March 27, 2013 Wednesday

 

The weather continued to be warm and muggy as the Amsterdam sailed one day closer to the Seychelles. The breeze picked up which was most appreciated for the handful of daily morning walkers on the promenade deck. We have had the company of two guards standing constant watch on the horizons for any suspicious activity such as pirate boats. Luckily, none have been spotted by them or any of us.

 

Things to do and see in Maputo was the subject of Barbara H.'s talk. That is one place we really feel more comfortable taking an organized tour with a large group. It's a third world country, and not really up to speed yet with tourism as we remember.

 

Exploration speaker Joe Daley lectured on modern nautical safeguards that make pirates think twice, or so we hope. HAL Chorale is practicing for another performance later next month. And with Easter Sunday coming up in a few days, the ladies (men too) are invited to create a fun and festive Easter bonnet, which will be modeled at the Parade on Sunday. Lastly Chef Geary showed the guests how to make pasta sauces from scratch using roasted garlic.

 

Speaking of garlic, we could smell it cooking all over the ship at 11:30am. There was another Mongolian cookout in the Lido pool area. The aroma carried all the way to the aft pool for 2 hours. It must be popular with a lot of folks, because we saw the plates being brought to the aft deck piled a mile high.

 

We watched a good movie, Skyfall, the newest James Bond flick. It's a good way to cool down in the late afternoon in our room, while snacking on cheese and crackers and one Tim Tam each. Ice cold sodas make this snacktime the perfect light lunch.

 

There were only five of us at dinner tonight, since Martha and Bob went to Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill. Joan was spending some quality time with her new buddy, Pete, dining in the Lido we understand. Sometimes it is nice to have a smaller group. It gives us a great opportunity to get to know each other better.

 

Looking forward to the gorgeous Seychelles tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 87 Victoria, Seychelles March 28, 2013 Thursday

 

Although a group of 115 isalnds comprise the Seychelles, the largest of the central islands are Praslin, La Digue, and Mahe, the port of call for today. These three islands of the Seychelles are made of granite, reportedly the peaks of a huge underwater plateau that fell off of the edge of India 65 million years ago. Mahe is rich in vegetation.....a truly tropical paradise, and home to peculiar type of coconut palms, orchids, bouganvillas, hibiscus, gardenias, and frangipani trees. Victoria, the island's largest city, is one of the smallest capitals in the world. It also has the largest seaport of the archipelago, despite the fact that much of the city has not changed much since colonial days.

 

We have the honor of saying that this is our fourth visit here. Yes, we have taken almost every tour, but short ones. So when we saw the 7 hour tour with lunch, we decided to book it with our travel agency. We would visit some familiar sites, but also go to a few new ones. With our bag packed with sodas, we met in the Ocean Bar to get "stickered". Kween Karen spotted us first, and said to get on bus D, accompanied by Maureen, the arts and crafts gal who we know.

 

Scheduled to be docked by 8am, we were delayed because a naval vessel was in our spot, we think. It did not set us back by much...only about 20 minutes. Even at 8am, we could tell it was going to be a very hot day with temperatures in the mid 90's. Occassional clouds did help to cool things off.

 

The tour buses are all small in Victoria, mainly because the roads are full of narrow hairpin turns. A total of 16 passengers were on each vehicle. The first stop was at the Botanic Gardens in town. The highlite of the steep walk into the gardens were the giant land tortoises that reside there. On past tours, we were allowed to feed these old tortoises with leaves of cabbage. Not so today. We just filmed them as they roamed around the enclosure. Later on, a group of guests on their own (no guide) went into the pit with them, and were amused that the giant tortoises were coming at them. Thinking they liked their cameras, we informed them that, no, they were looking for food, and without it, they could be bitten. Funny how fast they exited that pit.

 

Continuing up the main road, we saw the famous "coco de mer" palm trees with the extra large double seeded coconuts hanging from them. Many souveniers sold here depict these coconuts in an x-rated fashion. However, to buy one of these real coconuts and export it off the island would cost one over $200. for a special permit to do so. Other attractions in this park were the numerous fruit bats that were content to hang upside down in the huge endemic trees. Granite cliffsides, pools of water lilies, and grassy knolls were near the top of the garden, and along the road back down to the entrance. One hike up to the top left us all soaked from sweat.

 

Glad to be back on the air-conditioned bus, we drove to the center of town, passing the antique clock tower, the National Library, a temple, a mosque, and a few churches. Our guide then led us through the bustling market, which was housed in the city center. Here were multiple stands of fruit, veggies, fresh fish, and chickens for sale. It was so crowded trying to pass through there, that we wondered why. Our guide stated that since this was Easter week, and all of the shops and markets would close early for the weekend. All of the locals were shopping today to stock up for this special celebration. As for us, we had another added mission today.....looking for a new camera lens.

 

Last week while in Langkawi, our good camera started to misbehave. We attributed the problem to excess moisture, and hoped it would correct itself after we returned to our room. Well, it never did, despite all of the suggestions we got to fix it. With our safari coming up in South Africa, we figured our best bet would be to find a new lens. Well, even with the help of our nice guide, we were unable to locate anything close to a lens in Victoria. Just like the majority of us, we figured the internet filled the needs of the locals for such items. We will continue our search in each port we visit, and hope to have some success. We do have a small camera that will work, but it eats up the rechargable batteries very quickly. The crazy thing is that all we had to do was take the extra lens with us that is now sitting at home. Hind sight is 20/20 right?

 

Anyway, continuing on, we joined the bus after a quick stroll through the souvenier stands in town. Everything being sold was very expensive, and only a few folks bought stuff. It was time to leave the crowded city, and head down the east coast on a winding seaside road. Every cove presented a picture-perfect beach lined with coconut trees. It went on for miles.

 

We stopped at a Craft Village, where we could observe local artists displaying their traditional items for sale. There were paintings, coconut crafts, model boats, and local jewelry, as well as the usual t-shirts and pareos. We stayed long enough for all to make a pit stop before we left for the next venue.....lunch.

 

At a local restaurant, we were led to an open-air patio filled with picnic-style tables. There were problems however, because lunch was not close to being ready for our group. We were all handed a ticket for one drink, either soda or water, which we had to get at the bar. From there, we lined up to wait for the buffet line to start. We waited for 1/2 hour, and quite patiently we may add. The restaurant was right on the beach, where we were to be given some time to swim or stroll in the surf. Waiting in a buffet line was not what we had planned, nor did any of our friends. The other problem was that we were crossed over with the HAL group once again. It turned out the restaurant staff were waiting for more buses to arrive before setting out the food. Our hosts and guides did try to get things rolling, but the staff was not cooperating. This must be like island time, such as in Hawaii.

 

Finally, we did eat, but most of the food was not to our taste. The safer bets were rice, top ramen noodles, and the potato salad. Chicken chunks and sliced sauage was cooked Creole-style, spicy and hot with peppers. The dessert was good with slices of a fruit cake, some type of banana custard, and banana fritters with a fruit topping. Only one small bottle of water was complimentary. Beer and extra water was at our own expense. On past excursions with our tour group, we always had wine, soda, or beers with extra waters on the buses. Guess that is a thing of the past now.

 

Since we had been delayed, twitttling our thumbs for 1/2 hour, our group was told we would have until 2:15pm to enjoy the beach and surf before departing. Walking the white sandy beach was pleasant, although blistering hot. Some of our friends went swimming, but there was a whole lot of seaweed drifting in the waves. It was more fun combing the sands for seashells and small bits of broken coral, while cooling our feet in the surf. There was a line of mangrove trees along the narrow strip of beach, and that was where the locals were hanging out....in the shade.

 

It was essential for us to purchase two large bottles of water before leaving the restaurant if we chose to survive the rest of the tour. At this point, we had a long ride around the southern tip of the island and up the west coast. The bus brought us through one village after another, passing resort dwellings old and new. Some of the luxurious hotels were perched high on the hillsides, while the older ones, some now abandoned, were beachside. Near the north end of the island, we stopped at the Mission Viewing Station, once the site of a school for children of the freed slaves. Very little of the school exists now, just a pile of ruins. What has been added to this site was a covered viewing platform of the valley and scenic ocean below. Our guide remarked that the kids in the old days walked here daily from Victoria to attend classes. That was a feat within itself, since it would be a vigorous hike straight uphill in the heat.

 

We also had a stop at a tea plantation where we were able to enjoy a cup of the local brew or have a soda. We opted for the cold beverage, which was an old fashioned orange Fanta. Boy did that bring back memories of days gone by. Boarding the bus, we had a short, but rainy ride back to Victoria where we began our journey. At one scenic viewpoint, we stopped to take photos of our ship docked in the harbor, complete with a rainbow over it.

 

Hoping to buy a new t-shirt at the pier stands, we found we were out of luck. The few that remained were not the right size or color, so we left here with only our memories. Sometimes, that is a good thing.

 

Sailaway was at 5:30pm where we watching the fishermen sorting through and cleaning the nets that were recently used for the tuna catch. You could smell the fish aroma, probably coming from the oil left on the netting. We were tied up next to one of the large boats, while more were arriving to do the same off-loading process. In the company of some new friends from Australia and old buddies, we ended up staying on the aft deck well beyond the setting of the sun....a truly spectacular sight this fine, warm evening.

 

Having spent such a long, hot day in paradise, we really appreciated the extra hour we got back on the clock tonight. After a very much needed day at sea tomorrow, we will arrive to the island of Madagascar on Saturday.....a new port for us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[seafun]

A plague of locusts in Madagscar? Saw it on the news last night. That should make things interesting. Hope they don't cancel the port stop on you again! Best wishes. :)

[Gummie]

I've been following your trip and found the visit to the Seychelles interesting. I was there twice in the 72/73 timeframe. The first time I was there, the airport had just opened to flights the month before and the first modern hotel (bathrooms in the room) had just opened. It was not the playground of the rich at that time. Somewhere I have slides of the clock in Victoria and the botanical gardens. I tell others that is why Dominica is one of my favorite ports, it reminds me so much of the Seychelles of that time period.

[carri cruiser]

A plague of locusts in Madagscar? Saw it on the news last night. That should make things interesting. Hope they don't cancel the port stop on you again! Best wishes. :)

Hey!! I was on that same cruise!! I remember you from CC and the meet and greet!! hope you are still cruisin'

[WCB]

Report # 88 Day at Sea March 29, 2013 Friday

 

Today was a good day for being laid back and relaxed. The seas turned a bit rough with the winds picking up making deep swells. Of course with the winds blowing strong, the temperature cooled down somewhat. There were a few morning showers too. It was good walking weather and if you paid attention, you could watch the flying fish and some occassional dolphins flipping around the ship.

 

With yesterday's long tour, we got behind in the downloading of photos. So today was the perfect time to update everything. We sort of watched a movie, catching it in the middle, then starting at the beginning. They run continuously every two hours all day, so you can piece them together.

 

In the meantime, we tried to figure out a way to locate a new lens for our camera. We asked our port guide, Barbara, about the possibility of finding a photo shop in Richards Bay. She suggested that she could email the port agent, who should know where we can find one. Our biggest obstacle now is the fact that it is Friday, and Good Friday at that. The start of a long holiday weekend is upon us, so we can only hope for some news by tomorrow or Monday. Anyway, it was nice of her to offer to help.

 

Two lectures were given in the Queens Lounge. One was all about geckos, chameleons, and lemurs in Madagascar, delivered by George Sranko, a new speaker. The other talk was given by Lawrence Kuznetz about NASA. Barbara also spoke about things to do and see in Richards Bay.

 

Because of the high winds, we did not bother going to the pool this afternoon, at least not to sunbath. We did visit with friends while munching on ice cream cones outside. As luck would have it (or not), we both have a touch of the sniffles. We hesitate to take any medications for it, because we have started the anti-malarial meds. Worse comes to worse, we may be in for some sleepy periods during the day.

 

At dessert time tonight, friends Bill and Leta celebrated his birthday, even though it isn't until Sunday. Oh well, we all joined in the song and wished him a happy 80th. With that, they came over to our table and offered us their "birthday cake" which was really a very large keylime pie. Our waiter plated it up and served us the delicious treat. Good thing our Aussie buddies happened to visit, because they helped finished the pie up. While we were over-indulging, our waiters brought our desserts we had ordered. We'll have to walk 20 miles tomorrow!!

 

Looking forward to seeing the lemurs tomorrow in Nosy Be in Madagascar.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 89 Nosy Be, Madagascar March 30, 2013 Saturday

 

Nosy Be, our port of call for today, is an island 5 miles off the northwest coast of Madagascar. It happens to be Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist resort also. This volcanic island has an area of 120 square miles with its highest peak being Mont Passat at 1079 feet. We happen to be visiting in the hot and rainy season (November through April), while the rest of the year is cooler and dry. We can say for a fact that today was a sunny scorcher, as well as humid. However, we lucked out and it never rained. The ground was damp from recent rains, but not as muddy as it could have been. Being isolated from the rest of Africa, Madagascar has a unique mixture of plants and animals, found no where else in the world. We would have the pleasure of seeing some of the flora and fauna on our adventurous tour today.

 

The Amsterdam arrived to the commercial center of Nosy Be called Andoany or Hell-Ville as the locals call it. The ship was at anchor, so we were required to take tender boats to the ferryboat landing area about a mile from the town's center. Having never been here before, we opted to book a tour called "Nosy Komba: Isle of Lemurs", which would provide us an up close and personal view of the famous furry residents. With only three tours being sold, we found out that this excursion had 280 people booked on it. Oh boy, this island will be crawling with that many folks we're afraid.

 

Usually when we come into a port, we go to the promenade deck to take photos. For a moment, we thought we were in the Amazon, where native dugout boats with young fellows and girls had rowed alongside the ship, greeting us, but also looking for handouts. You would not believe the stuff people were tossing to them. Pillow candies, small room lotions, of course, but also items of clothing like socks, shoes, t-shirts, even underwear! In the past, we have seen this same thing happen where some of the locals were hit by coins or heavy things and got injured. So we expected to hear a warning from the Captain to stop throwing stuff overboard. Just as we started taking photos, who should show up right next to us, also taking pictures, was the Captain. Guess he found nothing wrong with this, as long as no one got hurt.

 

One good aspect of taking a tour in a tender port, is the fact that we did not have to wait in line to get ashore. Paid tours get priority. We joined up with Martha, who had been here on a previous world cruise, but wanted to be guaranteed to see the lemurs too. Bob, her husband, went to the national park to see the animals in the wild and have a seafood lunch. Our group was split into smaller numbers, 10 of us, to board the charter boats once we reached the shore. Our group was number 7, and we were quick to access the small boats from the bow, with a lot of help from the locals. We were each handed a life vest, which really gave a lot of color (orange) to our photos as we sped towards the nearby island of Nosy Komba.

 

We had a "wet" landing at the village of Ampanngoriana...wet meaning that we had to take our shoes off and walk in the shallow water of the beach to access the village. What the source of the streams of water coming downhill from the rustic houses on shore was something we probably did not want to know. Once we got the shoes back on, we decided we weren't going to take them off when going back. Naturally, we could have used our aqua shoes that we left at home...... duh. Anyway, this village looked like it was from the distant past, with huts made from wood and roofed with woven traveler palm leaves. They were basically for sleeping, because the kitchens were outside. Kitchen is a long stretch of the word, since all they had was a long table with buckets of water and basic simple cooking tools. The women were cleaning fresh fish or preparing and cooking food over outdoor pits, fueled with charcoal from burning wood. There is no electricity on this island at all, we were told. Like we said, primitive. Our guide told us that many babies are born here, but not all survive due to diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. Most of the kids do not go to school regularly, because few qualified teachers will come here to teach.

 

On our way up to the Black Lemur Sanctuary, we must have passed a half mile of houses where they displayed their souveniers for sale. Our guide said we would be given ample time to shop after the animal visit. The hike was basically a stone path and stairway that led straight uphill to where a handful of lemurs resided. We found them lounging in the trees, and soon realized they were not exactly wild, but handfed pets, more or less. How do you tell a male lemur from a female one? It was easy.....by color. The smaller male was totally black, while the larger female had shades of brown in their dense coats. They were easily coaxed out of the tree limbs to be fed small bits of bananas. Some even jumped on the shoulders and arms of the tourists, lured there by food. Naturally, a tip was expected. The same went for the boa constricter that the guests wrapped around their necks, tortoises, and the ever-changing colored chameleons. We did get great photos, despite the fact that it seemed like 200 people were crowded up there at the same time. There was no doubt in our mind that the villagers greatly benefited from protecting this small group of lemurs for us to see so closely.

 

We slowly made our way back downhill, and past the souveniers being offered for sale. Not really for sale, because these villagers would not bargain less than 10%, just like our guide had informed us. As for us, we did purchase a large tablecloth, handmade here, that had many lemur designs in it. Hope when it is washed, it will still fit our dining room table at home. At least they were definitely made on this island, since we watched the ladies, young and old, at work embroidering them, while sitting in the sand or leaning on their houses. By the way, the local money is called Ariary and it takes 2,200 of them for one US dollar. Lucky for us, they gladly accepted US dollars.....quite glad as a matter of fact.

 

We had been handed a drink voucher, which was most appreciated since the heat of the day was again draining. We opted for the quart-sized beers and had no problem finishing them. There was a tableful of fruits to go with the drinks, but with the many flies dancing on the plates, we chose to pass on it. A continuous traditional show was being performed by some of the younger children among the seated passengers at the open-air snack bar. We must have been the last of the guests coming down from the top, because few if any chairs were left. So we walked to the end of the beach, where there was a strong breeze, thank goodness, and enjoyed our beers while sitting on the volcanic rocks.

 

By 1pm, our guide gathered group 7, and reboarded the uncovered boat, the same one we took over. But this time, we left our shoes on, deciding that getting cut by broken glass, beer tops, or sharp coral could possibly lead to some nasty infections. The speedy ride back to the main island of Nosy Be was refreshing, this is, until we arrived to find two local ferries had blocked our only exit out of the boat. By now, all of the 20 or more boats, had lined up to disembark their passengers. Much yelling was going on between the boat drivers and the guides as to who was first. It obviously was not us. We were first in line, but kept falling back when the small boats had to move and make way for the ship's tenderboats. Remember we had no roof for shade? By the time we finally got off (over 30 minutes later), we were all fumigated by the gas engines, and toasted , especially those who were lily white with no sunscreen.

 

Now the biggest problem was the line, which was a mile long by now, because all the land tours had arrived at the same time. No way were we going to wait in the blazing sun for an hour to board a tenderboat. Other wise guests also left for shade and or beer too. We decided to hike up the road to see what was there. You know what we found? A long road of souvenier stands selling tons of interesting stuff. We ended up bargaining for t-shirts, another round tablecloth, and a couple straw-made lemurs, chameleons, and a turtle. All you had to do was sit down in the shade, while sharing a soda, and wait for the girls to come to us. That's when the bargaining got good, and you had lots of choices.

 

On the ride back in the tenderboat, one gal told us that a man had collapsed when his local boat reached the shore of Nosy Komba. He had to be rushed back to the ship. We have not heard any further news, but hope he is OK. See, we told you the heat was oppressive.

 

All aboard time was early at 3:30pm, so we had to get moving. The line was still long, but it was moving OK by now. Thinking our buying spree was done, we found that buying a wooden mask from one of the local canoe guys at the tendering station on the ship was a good deal. So we hung back and bargained right from the tenderboat opening. It was so good getting back to the cooler ship. We quickly changed to go to the aft pool and cool off more. Much to our surprise, no one was in the water. Why? Well we found out soon enough when we jumped in, and found the water to be well over 100 degrees. We simply got in, and got out fast. Hope this pool gets dumped tomorrow, or there will be lots of complaining.

 

Staying through the sailaway, which was late due to a crew tour getting back late, we left the island at 4:30pm. The best part of leaving was picking up the sea breeze once again as we headed south towards Mozambique. It was really a memorable day spent in Madagascar in many ways. Our friends that took different tours were also pleased that they got to see the animals, or go snorkeling in the waters abundant with tropical fish and coral.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. This probably was not the best evening for us to go there, since we had spent such a full day hiking in the heat. But we had already postponed the reservations twice, and did not want to lose our "freebie". The service was fine in the beginning, even though the restaurant was not even close to full capacity. We certainly did not enjoy the extra attention that the table next to us was receiving, such as extra this or that, even freshly ground pepper offered. Why, we don't know, or maybe we do. Sounded like these folks were frequent guests, where we were the "freebie" guests tonight. By the time we were finished with our bone-in rib steaks, baked potatoes, and mushrooms, (we did our own pepper) we sat and waited almost 1/2 hour for the waitress to come back with the dessert menu. We and some other guests near us must have disappeared into the woodwork or something. We gave up, and decided we really did not have room for coffee and dessert anyway. We simply left as the staff wished us a good evening. Certainly not up to par with the usual dining experience in there.

 

What was a treat, was watching the night sky filled with lightening.

 

Two days at seas will be great now.

 

By the way, we do hope that we can locate a suitable lens for our Canon SLR camera in Richards Bay, since we are still getting the "error 99" code which disables the camera completely.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 90 Day at Sea March 31, 2013 Easter Sunday

 

First things first, we wish you all a very Happy Easter! Many activities were planned today on the ship to commemorate this special event. An Easter Sunrise Ecumenical Service took place on the aft deck at 6am, a bit too early for us weary travelers. At 8am, another Interdenominational Worship Service was held in the Queens Lounge. Then, a 9am, an Easter Mass was given by the Catholic priest onboard. Guess that covered about everyone.

 

An Easter egg hunt took place at 10am, followed by the Easter Bonnet Fashion Show and Competition, once again, in the Queens Lounge. A different kind of Easter Egg seminar was given by a guest gemologist in the Wajang Theater, while what would Easter be without an egg toss? That happened at 11:30am in the sports court, deck 9. Oh wait.....one more event, the Easter Bonnet Bonus Bingo for guests who dared to wear their Easter hat or bonnet to the game this afternoon.

 

What was obviously missing was their famous Easter Brunch, always held in the La Fontaine Dining Room at 11am. What happened there? That is an extravaganza that most all guests looked forward to seeing and indulging in the meal. We have always lined up early to take photos of the food displays, especially the dessert trays. And this is where we knew we could help ourselves to the foil-covered chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs. We did find the dining room highly decorated with Easter mobiles and fancy-covered columns, but that is for the formal dinner tonight. Perhaps they are saving this event for another venue. We surely hope it has not bit the dust and gone by the wayside like many traditions do.

 

We noticed that during our morning walk, the razor wire on the promenade deck was gone. In fact, we did not notice the guards on duty last night when we walked after dinner. Seems to us that we are still in a very sensitive area for pirate activity, sandwiched between the island of Madagascar and the mainland of Africa. But what do we know?

 

When we returned from our walk, we had two boxes of truffles and two very cute Steiff bunnies on a keyring laying on our bed with Easter cards and a gift card. It said the staff and precious crew, along with the Captain and Hotel Manager wished us all a Happy Easter with the delicacies of chocolate and bunnies in the form of the traditional gifts. Later in the day, Barb said that foil-covered chocolate Easter bunnies and Easter eggs were in the Lido at lunchtime, and they all got scooped up immediately. Can you believe we have chocolate horders on this ship???

 

Barbara H. was the only speaker today with things to do and see in Durban. As for us, we don't need to know because we won't be here. That's the day we leave for Kruger National Park and the safari we planned last summer. The other lecturers had the day off, due to so many different activities happening onboard.

 

Grasshoppers, that was a subject brought up by the Captain in regards to our visit to Madagascar. Recently in the news, we heard there was a plague of them, but in the southern part of the island. Although we never saw one while we were in Nosy Be, two of them did land on the aft deck this afternoon. Quite large, they hopped away before we had a chance to get a really good look.

 

The usual friendly yum-yum boy in the dining room was not in his spot tonight, dispensing the Purell. That was due to the fact that he was dressed up as the Easter Bunny instead. His job was to go to each table and look cute or something. We felt sorry for him, because that furry costume, complete with a bunny head, must have been so hot and unbearable. We were joined tonight by our new Aussie buddies, Pamela and Stuart. They are both in the medical field, doctors we think,and have great senses of humor. Too bad they are leaving in Cape Town. Anyway, dinner for us was ham, the home-style cooking entree. Sometimes simple is good.

 

Hope tomorrow's weather is as good as today's.....sunny and breezy. It was nice.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Esri]

Barbara H. was the only speaker today with things to do and see in Durban. As for us, we don't need to know because we won't be here. That's the day we leave for Kruger National Park and the safari we planned last summer. The other lecturers had the day off, due to so many different activities happening onboard.

 

Oh, I can hardly wait! I'm taking an overland to Kruger next year!:) I hope you see LOTS of animals.

[aussieoz]

Have a great time !!

Jean :)

[WCB]

Report # 91 Day at Sea April 1, 2013 Monday

 

Happy April Fool's Day to all! It's quite possible that this holiday came from the changing of the calendar in the 1500's. The Gregorian calendar was introduced that changed New Year to January 1st. Many people did not receive the news of that change and continued to believe April 1st was still New Year's Day. These people who refused to change were called backwards fools. Thus, April Fool's Day evolved. Of course, the staff on the Amsterdam would never pull any hoaxes on the passengers, or would they? Yes, just check the elevator carpet for the day of the week. Bet it says Friday instead of Monday. Do you think anyone will attend the 2pm whales and dolphins release on the promenade deck? Or will they attend coloring with crayons, the power of junk food, paint the ship's hull, or little toe exercising? You may be surprised to find the folks show up for these activities.

 

We were treated to the first bloom of one of our tiger lilies opening up in our window garden. It has given a wonderful scent to the room. There are many more flowers to open, and we're afraid the smell may drive us out of here. Honestly, we never thought these would bloom with such large flowers. Spring has arrived to our room!

 

It was a good thing that there were some inside activities today, because it rained intermittently. It was a relief to have some cooler weather. Barbara H. gave a talk on Cape Town, while the international space station was discussed by Lawrence Kuznetz. The mighty ocean currents and feeding frenzies was the topic discussed by George Sranko.

 

Dunking for Dollars was a different activity held in the Lido pool area late this afternoon. Some of the crew, including officers and the Captain, volunteered to get dunked for a charity in Namibia. This was the highlight of the Lido Pool Party with music, food, drink specials, games, and lots of prizes. Originally intended for the aft pool area, it had to be moved when none of the tables could be set up for the drink stations. It was far too windy. Waiting for the sunset on deck nine, we got some photos of the Captain being dunked in the pool. For some reason, the folks really liked that.

 

With lots of discussion back and forth with our tour in Richards Bay, we made a decision to cancel it, taking the 10% cancellation fee on it. Hopefully, we will be successful in finding a new camera lens there. Barbara H. has a call into the port agent there to find out if there is a good camera store there in the shopping mall. So far, she has had no response.

 

We had our last dinner with our current tablemates, as Martha and Bob will be going on a safari tomorrow to Kruger National Park. They will return in Durban, where we and Van and Carol will be leaving on our separate safaris. Since Bob and Martha will be disembarking in Cape Town, we won't see them again this trip. Sure has been fun having them join us, but all good things come to an end.

 

Maputo, Mozambique is our port of call for tomorrow. Wonder how much, if any, it has changed in four years since we were here?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[windsor26]

Such a shame you had to cancel Richards Bay tour we had a fantastic private tour there for a safari with a marvellous company The lunch was also something special Thanks for your blog I love to hear about the places I would love to see.

[WCB]

Report # 92 Maputo, Mozambique April 2, 2013 Tuesday

 

The Amsterdam arrived early to the port of Maputo, the capital and largest city of Mozambique. We have reached the mainland of Africa finally. The country's history is a mixed bag of different cultures, such as Portuguese, Arab, Indian, and Chinese, along with the local Bantu natives. Because of its location on the Indian Ocean, Maputo grew in importance with the exports of coal, cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwoods. And with the construction of the railroad in 1895, linking Maputo to Pretoria, South Africa, the city's population soared. Unfortunately, the African majority did not profit from this great prosperity, so when the Mozambique Liberation Front fought for independence from the Portuguese rule and won it in 1974, the government was turned over to largely unskilled workers, causing the economy to bottom out. The Soviet Union and Germany tried to help, but eventually lost everything by the 1980's. The country was bankrupt. A 30 year Civil War broke out and lasted until 1992, when it was finally over, and the country began a recovery, but slowly. For that reason, no cruise ships stopped here until much later, when stability returned fully. We can say that we have seen a marked improvement since we visited here in 2009, proving that tourism has played a part in boosting the economy. At least we felt a lot more comfortable, and the attitudes we encountered today were far more positive than in the past.

 

We still felt it wise to stay with a group when going off the ship today. Booking a tour with our travel agency, we joined bus C with Maureen, the arts and crafts teacher onboard, and 10 other passengers. Our first stop was at the Train Station, built in 1910 by Gustav Eiffel, famous for designing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This station is an architectural highlight of the city with its bronze dome, constructed in South Africa, then assembled here. On our last visit, this station was bustling with passengers heading for South Africa. Today, we must have arrived later, because the station was empty of locals. But that gave us all the chance to really see the ironwork and classic colonial designs. Two locomotives, one built in France and one here were cool to photograph.

 

Of course, as with every major site, there were street vendors. Lots of them. These fellows were selling masks, fabrics, drums, wooden jewelry, beads, and cashews by the bag. We quickly bargained for a few things, but knowing their typical routine, we knew they would follow us to the next stop.

 

That happened to be the local produce and fish market. At this stop, we walked among the several stalls of hearty-looking veggies and fruit. That market led into the fish vendors, where we quickly made our way past the piles of fresh fish, squid, octopus, shrimps, and live crabs. The smell was not offensive, or perhaps we were lucky to still have the remnants of our headcolds blocking the aromas. Continuing deeper into this market, we found household goods and souveniers. Some of the interesting items being sold to locals were hair extensions. We were told that the ladies have these woven into their hair to give it great lengths. And the hair pieces were really human hair. Some of us tried to bargain for some carvings and drums, but these vendors were not bargaining well. We knew that by going outside the building, the other fellows would be waiting for us.

 

The next stop brought us uphill to the Independance Square and the adjacent Roman Catholic Cathedral. We did not have time to go inside, so we took pictures of the exteriors. Very close to these buildings was the Iron House, another one of Eiffel's doing. Walking inside briefly, we decided building a house out of iron in this hot climate probably was not the smartest idea. It had been meant for the governor's residence, but was never used for that purpose. Outside the gates, we ran into the same vendors from the Train Station, and had some more luck buying some fabrics, a beaded bracelet, and two stick people carvings. One of the vendors was chasing us with a pair of masks that we really did not need, but would have bought if he met our price. He never did, so we didn't either.

 

Continuing on, we visited the Museum of Natural History, a place we remembered well from our last visit. Full of life-sized African animals either grazing, in flight, or on attack were the focal point here. Even more intriguing was the display of elephant fetuses from one month old to full size newly borns. This is the only place in the entire world with a collection like this. Our time was short here, which was fine.

 

Now we were off to a drive through the upscale Polana area to see a modern Catholic church and the summer home of Nelson Mandela. That brought us to the beach and a road that housed resorts, hotels, a casino, and shopping. Our driver stopped at a spot where there was a craft market and a beer stand. We ended up with a wooden bowl with colorful carved wooden fruit, 16 pieces total. It was a good thing we had run out of time for this tour, because our room won't be big enough to hold all the stuff.

 

We were back to the pier by 12:30pm, with enough time to board the free shuttle to check out the shopping situation in town. Still searching for a good camera store, we hoped we would go to a regular mall or something like it. Instead of the regular shuttle, we went on a commandeered bus that had just arrived back from a tour. Well, unknown to us, the driver did not know where he was supposed to take us. Handing him our ship's map, we tried to tell him the name of the market. But it was obvious that he headed in the wrong direction, because he kept turning around and going back. Maybe he was from other parts, like South Africa. Four years ago, all the guides had come from South Africa to do these same tours, because there were no qualified guides here. Anyway, he stopped and asked a local where the Feima Market was located, and we were soon on our way. As it turned out, it was a total craft market. We would have no chance to find anything close to camera supplies. Making the best use of our time, we strolled the many displays of carvings and paintings, vowing not to buy anything else. Well, that lasted 10 minutes before we found a good bargain. There was a neat tray made of sandalwood with two carved giraffe heads used as handles. Since we noticed a "fixed" crack in the wood, we bargained for far less than the vendor wanted. He knew it was flawed and got permission to sell it for cheap. It's nothing that some glue could not fix if it did break. It smells really nice too. We got back on the next shuttle and were back to the ship by 4pm.

 

Another ship had silently slipped into the pier while we were gone this morning. It was the MSC Sinphonia, an older vessel about the size of the Amsterdam. It looked like it held a lot more passengers than us with more tenderboats than we have. We figured it had about 1600 or more people. They left ahead of us by 1/2 hour.

 

All aboard was 4:30pm, with the sailaway beginning at the same time. It had gotten so windy by then, we thought we would blow overboard the aft deck. The flags were flying wildly. What was nice was that the wind cooled us all off. Before we knew it, we were on our way, following the MSC Sinfonia out of the harbor.

 

At 7pm, we joined our tablemates along with Aussies, Stuart and Pamela for a lovely dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant, compliments of Barb. She said it was a "birthday" gift for each of us, whether we already had one, or were going to have one soon. We ordered one filet mignon and one New York strip steak. They were both cooked perfectly and were delicious. Tonight we had dessert too....chocolate ice cream and bread pudding with berries. The meal ended by 9:30pm, and we were all happy to call it a night well done.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Richards Bay, South Africa. As we recall, it was a very nice port.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 93 Richards Bay, South Africa April 3, 2013 Wednesday

 

What a surprise to wake up and see our window splattered with rain early this morning. The Captain had mentioned a "blow" that was due to hit this area in a few days, but little did we expect to be in the middle of it. What a shame. On our last visit, dozens of native dancers came into the pier area and performed a riviting dance. Today all that was there were a few brave vendors, who had set up their carvings on tarps in the driving rain. Sales will not be too good unless the rain lets up when the tours get back.

 

Speaking of tours, we were so glad that we chose to cancel ours today. Doubt we would have seen much in the way of birds or animals on Lake St. Lucia. Perhaps the folks that headed that direction had better weather than we do here in Richards Bay.

 

Before we were able to go anywhere, except breakfast in the dining room, we were required to have a "face-to-passport" inspection by the South African immigrations officials. Our group number was 11, and knowing that they always start with "S", for suite and President Club members, and number 5, we knew we had plenty of time to linger with extra cups of coffee. By 9am, our number was called, and we went through the line fairly quickly. There were four officials we had to see before our passports were stamped and approved. We will have to pack these with us during our entire stay in South Africa.

 

Now we had some free time to explore Richards Bay and the nearest shopping mall where the shuttle took us. Ten minutes away was the Boardwalk Shopping Center, a modern 2 story mall with dozens of stores, shops, restaurants and a grocery outlet. There were three large buses to take guests there until 5:15pm. Good deal. We got there around 10am to find the mall was already getting busy with locals and the cruise folks. With the help of Barbara H.'s map, we located the camera store that had just what we were looking for. The new lens fit and worked beautifully. The only disappointment was that we could not find batteries for the smaller waterproof camera. We'll make do with what we have, since it still works, only the batteries don't hold the charge that long anymore.

 

Walking the two levels of the mall, we realized that we did not need anything else, so we headed back to the ship. We had considered eating lunch there, but the only restaurants were more the take-away type. Think the pizza may be better onboard. And besides, we still had to pack for our overland , which has us leaving tomorrow in Durban at 11am.

 

Richards Bay happens to be the largest harbor in South Africa. Situated on a lagoon off the Mhlatuze River on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, Richards Bay is tied the oil/gas pipeline linking this port to Johannesburg. Eventually an aluminium smelter and fertilizer plant were built here, while titanium was mined near the lagoon. The discovery of diamonds and gold added to the prosperity. And with so many game reserves nearby, tourism is now an integral part of the local economy.

 

Outside the fairly modern city, the countryside is the place to see. Four years ago, we took a night safari as well as a day safari to Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Reserves. The evening excursion remains one that we will never forget, since it was a last minute unplanned stop. At that time, we had a very successful evening run in the safari vehicles, seeing herds of wild elephants, rhino, gazelles, and hyenas. But the best was to follow, when we got to see the stars in the galaxy in pure darkness without any artificial lights. It was so stunning of a sight, that we almost forgot that we were here to see a native Zulu outdoor show. A dinner under the stars with friends ended the perfect evening.

 

By the time we gathered our things for four days away from home, the afternoon evaporated, and it became too late to go back to the mall. We enjoyed a few slices of pizza and split a roast beef sandwich at the sandwich bar in the Lido. That held us until dinnertime, which turned out to be only four of us. Van and Carol had arrived back late from their day safari, reporting that they had a good time, but it also rained there all day. They were wet, cold, and exhausted, so they nixed dinner in the dining room. Can't say we blame them.

 

Right before leaving the pier, the Captain warned all of us to secure all delicate items in our rooms. Once out of the harbor, he expected rolling seas and deep swells for a few hours. He was quite correct, because by dinnertime, we had to carefully make our way to the dinnertable. We don't mind some rocking, but late at night, when all are in bed is OK.

 

With no internet service available where we are going, we will be offline for four days. We'll re-join the ship in Cape Town on April 8th, hopefully with some good stories to share.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[DFD1]

Have a great time. We'll miss you.

[Cruzin Terri]

Enjoy your safari. Glad you were able to find a new lens for your camera.

Terri

[seafun]

Anyone else suffering from "withdrawal" while they are on safari? :) I know I am! Hope they're seeing lots and having a great time.

[cccole]

Anyone else suffering from "withdrawal" while they are on safari? :) I know I am! Hope they're seeing lots and having a great time.

 

YES!!!! Africa is one of my favorite places and I can't wait for their report. I've also been checking Jeff's blog for pictures. Cherie

[startwin]

Kween Karen has also been posting some incredible photos from the safari.

[jbhcw]

Kween Karen has also been posting some incredible photos from the safari.

 

Yes:):):) Karen's photos are amazing!!!

[trikeman]

Jeff just posted a ton of photos for those of you going thru withdrawal. ;):)

[disfanatiks]

What are we all going to do when the World Cruise ends? I am already dreading it. ;)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

What are we all going to do when the World Cruise ends? I am already dreading it. ;)

 

I believe Kazu said she was doing a Live From the Transatlantic and Baltic on the Prinsendam from mid-May to mid-June.That should be interesting as well.