That's It!

Yes, it has certainly been an Incredible Voyage! From Manila, to Borneo, Brunei, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Penang, Phuket, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Richard's Bay, Durban, Port Elizabeth and finally, Cape Town. This blog was actually for us, so we could remember all the things we've done and places we've been. Thankfully, the seas were calm – except for a couple of days, no pirates, no illnesses, no mishaps... Today we're off the ship early for our last look at Cape Town, and then a shuttle to the airport for our flights this evening – first to Frankfurt and then back to Houston.

We'll definitely be happy to get back to our great family and friends, and thanks for coming along with us!

Cape Town, SA

Our sail into to Cape Town this morning was magical. The air was crisp and the sky bright blue. There was Table Mountain in the background, with the city down below. The harbor had quaint restaurants, a clock tower, and shops. The only movement on shore was the sun coming up and the seabirds flying overhead. Our first stop was Robben Island. After a short ferry ride over, we boarded a tour bus and drove around the island with our guide. We saw the guard barracks, the solitary cells (Nelson Mandela's in particular), the rock quarry, and the dog kennels. Our guide was a former political prisoner himself who had spent 7 years on the island and recounted personal horrific stories. It was hard to believe that freedom had just come within the last 20 years. Mandela's message of a country with equality for all people, was a message repeated many times during our tour. On our return to the mainland we took the “hop on, hop off” tour bus and our first stop was a craft market in the center of the city. From there we went to the Jewish Museum and learned about the Jews and where they came from, worked, lived, vacationed – and their life here in general. Very interesting, given that so many of our friends came from SA! Our next stop was Table Mountain. Wow! a cable car ride (that rotated – so cool!) sheer up the face of the mountain. From the top we could see Cape Town below, as well as distant beaches, mountain ranges, the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, and other towns. The weather was ideal – bright blue skies and no wind! Back down and back on the bus for a tour of the ocean road and Camps Bay beach. Incredibly beautiful avenues, homes, public areas, and beaches. Truly the most picturesque city we have ever visited!

Port Elizabeth, SA

Our ship's tour to the townships had been canceled, so we decided to venture out on our own. We found a taxi driver who would take us out to the Addo Elephant National Park. Little did we know, we would find such a great guide. He had lived in the bush in Namibia, was a hunter and had ran a game reserve of his own. We drove through the city and past the townships. They were huge areas of small block houses, tightly packed and crowded. Despite the changes that have taken place in the last 15 years, we were told most blacks still live under these conditions. Our driver gave us more insight into the local situation and ongoing and growing problems in South Africa. The Park, 60 miles from the city, is a sanctuary to many game species – and we were able to see loads of elephants, kudus, warthogs, ostrich and the “flightless” dung beetle! Our driver had a keen eye and could spot animals hidden from (our) view. We even saw carcasses of animals who had been recently devoured by lions. The game park was huge and we really only covered a small part of it in the 5 hours we were there! Beautiful day!

Durban, SA & The Kingdom of Lesotho

Our early departure from the ship took us through the busy central business district of this big modern city of Durban into the hilly and beautiful suburbs. The landscape was lush, the homes beautiful and the terrain mountainous. As we got further from the city, we could see many small Zulu villages on the hilltops – with traditional round houses and small vegetable gardens. It was incredibly beautiful with large cattle farms, planted pine trees, corn fields and rural life. After 2.5 hrs we arrived at the Sani Pass Hotel, where we transferred into 4 x 4's for our journey farther inland into Lesotho. Our first impressions where that the road was rough, but we had no idea what was to follow. At the South African border we had to present our passports for inspection. From there we traveled only 8 km in one hour through “no man's land”. And then, another “pinch me” experience of climbing the rocky, windy, steep road up to the top of the Sani Pass! The whole area was just gorgeous – high mountains, rugged vegetation. No one lives on this land as it's been designated a World Heritage site. After another hour's drive up, we arrived at the Lesotho border (which we were not permitted to photograph). We entered into a small village of some 10 stone huts and a handful of people. The men were all shepherds who had come down from the mountains to see the “tourists” who had arrived. They wore little else but wool blankets and hats and rubber boots. The women welcomed us into their hut where we could see their meager living style. The vegetation was alpine, the weather much cooler, and the views incredible. We spent a couple of hours at the top of the mountain, taking it all in. Many of us shared our box lunches with the villagers, which they welcomed. Our journey down was slow and cautious, and we even passed a few people who were walking up, carrying their supply of wood. We were back at the ship almost 13 hours later. After the many stories our guides and others have told us about South Africa, we're beginning to realize the complexities of this vast country.

Richard's Bay, South Africa

We arrived after two days at sea – one of which was rainy, rocky and really windy, and the second which was beautiful, sunny and calm!
Richard's Bay is one of South Africa's largest harbors, and is situated on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The terminal here is the largest coal export facility in the world. Our ship's tour took us through the newly built town of Richard's Bay into the outlying countryside. We saw field after field of planted Eucalyptus trees for miles around. The farther we got from the city, the more traditionally the countryside became – round homes with thatched and metal roofs. We visited Dumazulu Village, which is home to over 50 Zulu residents forming part of a 'living museum'. We were first welcomed by the locals by teaching us some native chants. Our guide invited us to meet the medicine man, learn about basket weaving, spear and shield making, bead work, pot making and traditional Zulu dancing. As is custom, the unmarried women go topless,. We learned that a groom must bring 11 cows to the bride's parents before marriage – a (costly) custom still held to today. It was really an amazing cultural experience! We returned to the ship and hoped a shuttle bus back to a shopping center in the city. It was a busy and huge place. A couple of white women we spoke to expressed their fears about South Africa and it's future – extremely high crime, no jobs and poor education. I know we'll learn more in the next few days about this fascinating country!

Tulear, Madagascar

Our first introduction to Africa was definitely an “eye opener”. Tulear, situated on the southwest coast of Madagascar, is home to some 100,000 people. As a port town, it is said to be hub for commodities such as soap, hemp, cotton, rice and peanuts (according to the guidebook). When we arrived, we certainly didn't feel it was a hub for any organized industry at all. Very few, if any, cruise ships ever come to this part of the island. After our long dusty hot ride into town, we entered an open street market. Young women were carrying live chickens for sale and stalls with nothing but sticks for sale of all sizes lined the streets. The mode of transportation was the rickshaw pulled by young men, and bicycles. Very few cars, if any, were on the roads. The roads were lined with many walkers carrying their firewood sticks to market. We drove out to the countryside for about 35 miles. Along the way we passed tiny villages of nothing but grass huts and red earth, with young children playing unattended in spots of shade. The terrain was dry and barren, with little areas of agriculture or brick factories along the way. Other than vans filled to the brim with passengers, and luggage piled high on top, we never passed a single private vehicle at all. We stopped at a small quiet village, but within a few minutes were surrounded by about 25 children and adults. Of course they wanted “un cadeaux” (a gift). They were looking for sweets, pens, lipstick, a T-shirt, or anything we could offer. Stephen let them take pictures of each other with his camera, and they were excited to be able to view the photos right away. Their homes were extremely primitive- made of straw and mud, and it looked like their main “industry” was selling charcoal. The average wage, we were told, was $1.25 per day, but we weren't sure if that was even possible there. The taxi we were in kept stalling, and we had to get out and push a few times. These vehicles were driven many hours from the capital so they could accommodate our ship. Needless to say, we were worried we might not make it back to the ship on time! At one point we thought the car kept squeaking, and then realized our taxi driver had bought a basket of chicks and they had escaped and were wandering around the taxi! We stopped to visit a grotto by the sea, and a baobab tree grove. The trees have fat trunks that store hundreds of gallons of water. A terrific day, once again, and very different from anything we've seen yet!

Just a note...

Sorry no pictures - just not possible from the ship, and shore internet places are few and far between. So, just use your imagination.... miss you and love you all.

Miriam's Birthday at Sea

Beautiful balloons and ribbons decorated our door and a wonderful message, as follows, from all the kids...

M – is for Mom , what you are to me!
I – is for incredible, as you continue to be.
R – is for radiant, as your smile glows
I – is for impressive, as your talent shows
A – is for adoring, as you always are.
M – is for marvelous, like a one of a kind star!

Wanted to wish you Happy Birthday from all points of the World.
We're thinking about you.

Much Love
Nancy, Zach, Adam, Sera, Naz, the Bump, Jo, Nava and Raziela

Day at Sea – March 5th

Whoa, the waters are really rough today. In fact, we spent almost all day in the cabin, in bed – watching TV, reading and trying to hang on! Drawers are opening and shutting, things are swaying – a rocky day on the waters with 15ft swells, and word is, it will be the same all the way to Madagascar. Yuck – dread it so much. Most of the ship's passengers have “stayed home” today, and not ventured into the halls or attended activities. Since the room steward mistakenly gave me my birthday balloons and card from the kids one day early, he apologized by bringing me a bottle of champagne and huge bouquet of flowers. Really not necessary – I can see it being a problem acknowledging a birthday one day late, but one day early – really!? I was very touched... We did venture out for dinner tonight, and was greeting with birthday songs by the crew and a beautiful cake. Great birthday afterall!

And, another day at sea!

Swells have subside somewhat – although windier and a little cooler temperatures. Folks have emerged from their cabins with stories of queasiness and unsettled stomachs yesterday. Either we're all getting our “sea legs” or things are truly better. In any event, a good day to take it all in. Stephen's started water color classes, and becoming a little artist.

Reunion Island, French Territory

Yes, believe it or not, this is an island, still under France. Little provincial towns and tiny French cars everywhere made us think we were in France! Creole and French are spoken, so we quickly had to practice our French. The terrain is volcanic and we headed to the Piton de la Fournaise volcano that is still active. It fortunately hasn't spewed lava in five years. The ascent up followed a zig zag skinny road, and as we entered the center of the volcano, the road eventually became a rough lava trail. The vegetation went from tropical on the coast, to evergreens, to small brush and then a moon-like terrain. At one point on the way up, the scenery almost looked like Vermont – with cows crazing, rolling hills, and small forests. It was a six hour round trip journey that took us past canyons and sugar cane fields. Homes appeared along the narrow flat coast, and then villages were scattered up the sides of mountains. It started raining, so we never visited the beach front.

Accustomed to cheap prices at other former British colonies we've visited on this journey, Reunion uses Euros and is expensive, just like France. A great day on this surprisingly large island, only a speck on the map in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.

Port Louis, Mauritius

The island has a population of some 1,250,000 people – and is 85 km long and 50 km wide. When we pulled up this morning we could see high peaks in the center of the island – all irregularly shaped and stunningly beautiful. Again we hired a taxi for the day with another couple. We made many stops with beautiful viewpoints of the valleys, waterfalls, sugar plantations, and seashores below. You could tell that the place is very well run – good roads, nice housing, and lots of business everywhere. The main industries are tourism, sugarcane, rum and textiles. Many American clothing labels are manufactured right here. One small town we visited in the center of the island had many shops selling familiar brands at discount prices. We stopped into a factory that made models of ships – we could see how they were intricately hand made. Also visited an old sugar plantation home with it's original furniture. An enormous statue of Shiva sits atop a mountain where hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims visited just a few days ago for a festival. A nearby lake was also a holy sight where many families came to give offerings. Today was a holiday where Hindus splash colorful paints on their faces and bodies. We stopped for lunch in a typical Mauritius family restaurant (just across the street from a fancy place our taxi driver really wanted us to eat at). Our last stop (after a road “made like a serpent”, with 52 hairpin turns) was at Flic en Flac beach – a welcome dip in the warm blue waters.

Port Louis, Mauritius, Day Two

We decided not to take the water taxi, but walk the 2 miles into the center of Port Louis. The city was busy with rush hour traffic and stores were not quite open yet. A new waterfront complex, with palm trees, and plazas, had some great craft shops and high end souvenir stands. Not really much appealing to buy, but fun to browse around. We wandered into the market areas – mostly clothes, kitchen utensils, cosmetic items and shoes for everyday use. The central park had huge banyan trees and comforting shade from the daytime hot sun. Back at the ship, there was much going on, since half the passengers were leaving the ship, and new passengers were arriving. It was sad to say goodbye, and anxious to see who would arrive. We'll definitely miss our new friends Mike & Cathy from Salisbury, England. We sure enjoyed some great times together since we all boarded a month ago in Hong Kong.

At Sea for two more days

Have to say that our sea days are welcome, although very busy! There's much going on – lectures (on health, nature, history, computers -whatever you can imagine), craft classes, choir practice, bridge lessons, exercise classes, trivia contests, dance classes, movies, etc. etc. It's starting to feel a lot like summer camp! We're both off to our respective activities all day long and meet up for lunch and dinner. Today I made my second beaded necklace and love it. We do try to get our time out on deck, to read and for a swim in the pool. Definitely an interesting group on board – all big world travelers. Today about 30 fellow passengers performed a medley of songs led by a choir master – it was truly incredible. More than half the passengers will be getting off in Mauritius (including our captain), so we had a “farewell” party last night for everyone. We sit at dinner at a table of 6, of which 4 of us will be staying on. We're interviewing for our next table guests for the last leg of the trip!

We're still under pirate watch – 24 hr surveillance on decks, port holes closed, internet down. Barbed wire is still around the lower decks and water hoses are hitched up and facing out. People have pretty much forgotten about it all and discussion about it all is over. I think after Mauritius, we'll be out of the “trouble” zone...

Mahe, Seychelles

A town of some 24,000, it was certainly a big change here than on the “out” islands, yesterday. A busy place – loads of cars, commerce, shoppers and markets. The island is a mass of huge mountains, with homes perched on the slopes and the town down below. We walked into town from the port, and just looked around. There were still remnants of British rule (I would say most places we've visited have been under British control as some point in history). Again – creole is the main language. Yet you do see a mixture of people – African, Indian and European. The rain was heavy and sporadic all day – just enough to keep us extremely hot, sticky and humid (kind of like a Houston summer!). The vegetable and fish markets were busy and colorful.