November 29, 2008 – At Sea

The South Atlantic was surprisingly smooth as we awoke to sunny warm skies. Terry Breen began her South America lecture series with an overview of the entire continent with a lot of information that would be new to those who have never visited there and think it’s all like Mexico. It’s surprising how much of South America is heavily influenced by Italian, German and African ancestry as well as Spanish & Portuguese. The lunch pool grill was billed as Oriental, but the lobster tail, steak & fish from the grill were definitely not stir fry. It was pleasantly warm & sunny so the pool deck was packed. We played Pooch after lunch and finished in time to be the winning trivia team again. We had cocktails & dinner with friends and watched the tribute to jazz show. Following the show there was a special show in Galileo’s put on by several crew members who sang and played instruments. They really got the audience involved in singing & dancing and there are some very talented crew members. It makes one wonder why they bother with professional entertainers when such talent exists on board. Since most crew members work 14 hours 7 days a week it is really quite special that they devote personal time to rehearse and put on these shows for us.

November 28, 2008 – Jamestown, St Helena

We anchored off St Helena at 8:00 under cloudy skies and left at 2:00 also under cloudy skies. St Helena is in the South Atlantic Ocean due east of Angola. It was originally discovered by the Portuguese, later used by the Dutch and finally settled by the British to serve as a water & provision layover for British East India ships. Its main claim to fame is being the location of Napoleon’s final exile until his death in 1821. There were no indigenous occupants and the first inhabitants were company employees and English settlers accompanied by indentured slaves from Africa, Goa, Malaya & Madagascar. The slaves could work off their indenture and become free and over the decades they all intermarried becoming an unusual brown skinned mix with similarities to all those races. The island was also a prison for Boers from South Africa during the Boer War from 1900 to 1902. New Zealand flax was grown for making rope & string and was the only export until the market disappeared in 1966. The only export is now some fish and the island is supplied by a mail boat that sails from South Africa to St Helena to Ascension Island to England and back, visiting about once a month. There is no real economy and the inhabitants don’t have money to leave. 2 or 3 cruise ships visit each year giving the locals an opportunity to give tours in their vehicles. 5 of us hired a van to drive around for 2 hours and we took the narrow road up in the mountains with some photo stops until we arrived at the path to Napoleon’s tomb. It’s a 10 to 20 minute walk down a grassy path to a clearing where a stone slab surrounded by a low iron fence rests. Napoleon isn’t there anymore, having been taken to Paris at a later date. The walk back uphill takes about double the time but the scenery is beautiful. We then drove on to Napoleon’s exile residence Longwood House, now a museum owned by the French Government. It would have certainly been quite a trip on foot or horse to visit in the early 1800s, but Napoleon entertained regularly. He had been permitted to bring an entourage with him which included 3 generals. Just past Longwood House is the Longwood Golf Course, one of the world’s remotest golf courses. It has 9 holes and 18 tee boxes, the fairways and greens are regular grass (weeds included but kept mowed) and bunkers are dirt. It was fun to see it and it looks like it’s a par 3 course. We drove leisurely back to Jamestown and left the van at the top of the town and walked back to the waterfronts, poking our heads into stores and pubs. There is nothing modern here and, in fact, many of the buildings ate to the 18th & 19th centuries. There is a 700 step stairway named Jacob’s Ladder which goes about 600 ft up a steep hillside and was originally built to transport manure up the hill to fertilize crops and to bring the crops back down. Those who walked up & back had quite sore legs and backs. We went up 5 or 6 steps to have a photo taken and then visited the small museum at the bottom of the stairs.

As we found in many of the stops we’ve made on this cruise, we stretched the limits of the local resources to provide tours (there are currently 380 guests on board.) Next year the 700 guest RSSC Voyager is scheduled to do this cruise and I fear there will be many disappointed guests who won’t be able to get on a tour, snorkeling trip etc. because there aren’t the number of vehicles, boats or space to accommodate the number of guests the company hopes to have on the cruise.
There was a special dinner for full cruisers called “Truck Stop Diner” in the crew mess featuring non-fine dining with no extra charge for the plastic cups for our wine and the dress code was “Truck Stop Casual”. The Portofino restaurant was closed to guests and the crew ate there. The party was a blast, beginning with cocktails in the crew bar. It was amazing what type of clothing people imagined being truck stop casual. It ranged from biker duds with a wig to hooker style with mesh stockings to regular country club casual. The predominant dress was jeans, t shirts and ball caps worn backwards (the captain was one of those.) Some talented crew members played music while drinks were served in plastic glasses and snacks were passed. The Regent singers & dancers all wore outrageous costumes with 2 of the girls being “pregnant” and holding cigarettes. Eventually we were directed to the crew mess room where we went through the buffet line with an extensive choice which included such mundane items as meat loaf & bland hamburgers but also included shrimp, crab leg and prime rib. Some guests left after eating and missed some of the best part of the evening. A guitar came out and talented staff members sang and involved us all in the singing for about ½ hour. When we finally left the mess, one of the girls who had been “pregnant” was in the hallway with a flat belly and holding her “just born bsby” wrapped in a sheet. The singers & dancers stayed in their roles throughout the entire event. I’ve been to 4 previous Truck Stop Diners on this ship as well as the Mariner & Voyager and this was by far the best one. We watched some of the show but we were tired and went to bed and missed the late night rock & roll dancing.

November 26 & 27, 2008 – At Sea

On the 26th we awoke to a chilly overcast morning with a light drizzle so we skipped our deck walk. It was a day to take it easy and catch up on sorting through the hundreds of safari photos we took. The sun finally came out but it stayed cool. Terry Breen gave a talk about Napoleon’s exile in St Helena. We had cocktails and dinner with 3 other couples and were the last to leave the Compass Rose. The evening’s entertainer wasn’t too good on his last show so we spent a few minutes in the casino before going to Liar’s Club. The LC is a game where an obscure word is given and each of three panelists gives a definition of the word, only one of which is the correct definition. There were 14 teams guessing each of 3 words and we were one of the winning teams with 2 correct guesses. You can only guess because the words aren’t common and each “definition” seems to be correct. The clocks were turned back another hour to put us on the same time zone as London.

On the 27th (Thanksgiving in the USA) we awoke at 5:00am to warmer temperatures and with the sun poking through the clouds. With 2 time changes in a row it’s hard to sleep late so we got our 1 hour deck walk in before 7:30. Terry Breen gave a great narrative on what to see and expect in Jamestown, St Helena and following that we had Tex Mex lunch on the pool deck. We had two tables of Pooch followed by trivia (which we won again.) The evening dress code was formal and the Seven Seas Society (SSS) cocktail party was held before dinner. The Compass Rose hosted a dinner dance and, in addition to a traditional turkey dinner, the standard SSS menu included escargot, steak au poivre and (the best choice) rack of lamb. The show was one we’d seen twice before so we did some casino play and chatted with friends in the Navigator Lounge.

November 25, 2008 – Walvis Bay, Namibia and Sailing Away.

There were shuttle busses to Walvis Bay but nothing was there. Six of us rented a van and went to Swakopmund which the other four hadn’t visited. We started at the craft market and then went through the local history museum which was small but provided a superb glimpse of the history, flora & fauna of that section of Namibia and it was well worth the visit. Next we went parked by the Hansa Hotel where the nicest shops in the city were located. We spent about 1 ½ hours there before returning to the ship for lunch and sail away at 3:00. There were a couple of games of Pooch before tea time. At 6:00 there was a Block Party where everyone steps outside their suite door with a wine glass to be filled by staff and meets & greets other guests on the floor. The Captain, General Manager and Cruise Director try to pass through all floors for a quick “cheers.”

A Brazilian samba troupe boarded today and before dinner they performed in Galileo’s. There are 3 musicians and a dance couple. After several minutes of performance they grabbed guests to dance and soon the dance floor was packed. They ended the session with a long conga line dancing around the perimeter of the lounge. We had dinner with friends, watched Marty Henne’s show and went to bed after turning the clocks back 1 hour to be on the same time zone as Amsterdam.

November 24, 2008 – Walvis Bay, Namibia

As we approached the coast of Namibia in overcast weather we saw large groupings of seals leaping out of the water. There apparently is a large concentration of brine shrimp in the waters here which also give the flamingos their pink color at certain times of the year. The temperature was in the low 60’s so we had to don jackets to go on deck. We were delayed leaving Cape Town and faced head winds so we were 2 hours late in arriving. Namibia has been controlled by Dutch, British, Germany (some portion), Union of South Africa (later Republic of South Africa) and finally became independent Namibia in 1990.

Six of us privately arranged a van to tour the area. We drove 30 km along the seacoast to the German town Swakopmund. The Atlantic was on the west side of the road and the sand dune desert on the east. The desert is massive and full of sand dunes similar to Dubai and the housing along the way was new, clean and modern architecture, some with thatched roofs. There are several uranium mines in the country managed by American, British and Australian companies. We only had a driver who wasn’t a guide but we knew where we wanted to go. We first stopped at an outdoor craft market where the driver thought we’d spend 2 or 3 hours and eat at the hotel behind the market. We told him to give us about 30 minutes at the market and we’d tell him where we wanted lunch. On the way into city center we had seen a sign for the Hansa Hotel with 4 stars by the name. After driving around a bit (the driver wasn’t familiar with anywhere than the market area) and asking directions we finally found the hotel which truly was 4 star and had a wonderful lunch at a very good price. We walked around the shops by the hotel and bought some Amarula, the African liqueur made from the fruit of the marula tree and fresh cream which is similar to Baileys but with a better flavor. Pat also bought a beautiful caftan dress with a hand painted giraffe on the front and we each bought a safari shirt. It’s the most shopping we’ve done on the cruise so far. We stopped to see flamingos but they were away somewhere. We got back to the ship in time to help our team win trivia and then got ready for the evening event.

There was a complimentary event for all guests, a “Dinner under the desert stars.” At 6:30 we were taken in mini vans to Dune 7 in the desert where three tents were set up in a horseshoe shape with a fire in front and high dunes on 3 sides. We were greeted with champagne and listened to a local German school a capella choir singing Namibian songs. Several of us adventuresome folks climbed the close by dune which was at least 5 stories or more tall. It isn’t easy walking up the steep slope with soft sand. The view from the top with the sun setting behind another dune was spectacular. There were 4 camels for guests to ride if they chose and later a fire baton dancer entertained. Good South African wines were served as was stir fry chicken and sweet peppers in phyllo appetizer. The main course was a buffet which consisted of several Namibian dishes including butterfish, chicken, ostrich done 3 ways, and lamb & tiger prawn stir fry. Several deserts were also on the buffet and we were treated to native music while we ate. It was a beautiful setting and we all enjoyed the event. Unfortunately it was overcast with a slight drizzle so we didn’t see stars and the moon which would have been magnificent in the desert with no light pollution. We were back to the ship by 10:00.

November 23, 2008 – At Sea

We had a full day at sea on our way to Walvis Bay, Namibia with warm air and relatively calm seas. We had an hour walk on the deck before going to a beginning Bridge lesson, spent time categorizing safari photos, had lunch and later played the card game “Pooch” with the B&K Samba group. Before dinner we joined the B&K Cocktail party in Galileo’s and then joined 3 other couples we know well at dinner with Florian, the F&B Manager. We all compared our safari experiences at different venues and, as usual, we kept the table lively until after the show was well in progress. After dinner we donated a bit of cash to the casino and then went to Galileo’s for late night drinks and conversations with friends from previous cruises that just joined the ship in Cape Town.

November 22, 2008 – Cape Town

It was overcast and a bit windy and, after 5 straight days of being on the go, we decided not to tour. Pat got a haircut and manicure in the mall while I toured the grocery store and got some snacks including biltong which is their version of jerky. We shopped for a few items we needed and then stopped by the Primi Wharf restaurant to visit Steff Rau who was previously F&B manager on the Mariner. Steff is now operations Manager for the Primi group of restaurants throughout Africa and we were fortunate that he was there that day. Primi is an Italian restaurant with a South African influence and we decided to have lunch. Steff told us that their main clientele is local rather than tourist and we loved the food & wine we had. It was a real pleasure to see Steff again and learn a bit more about Cape Town. After a long leisurely lunch we made our way back to the ship to unload our purchases and enjoy the view of the city and Table Mountain now that the sun had come out. There were still a couple of hours until final boarding so we walked back to the wharf area and watched street performers for awhile. There was a sail away party on the pool deck at 5:00 but we didn’t sail until 6:00 because we had to wait for the pilot. We joined 2 other couples in Portofino for an “African” dinner which included ostrich, springbok and Kingklip. Following dinner we watched the show, spent some time in the casino and finished in Galileo’s to chat with friends.

November 21, 2008 – Cape Town, South Africa

8 of us had privately rented a van to tour for the day. The driver / guide gave an excellent tour with lots of interesting information about the areas we were traversing. We headed south through the suburbs and the Constantia wine area. Constantia isn’t a large wine area but was the first, dating from the 1640s when the Dutch East India Company established Cape Town as a provisioning stop for their ships sailing between Europe & the East Indies & India. We proceeded along the west coast of the peninsula into Table Mountain National Park. Along the way we visited an ostrich farm and later encountered wild ostrich & their chicks, a some kind of bok antelope and baboons. Baboons are used to humans and will steal anything and we were told to keep the windows closed. The baboons were all around us with several babies & kids and 3 of the kids climbed up on the van trying to find an opening, crawling across the roof and sliding down the windshield and rear window. We escaped them and made our way to the point where we could walk up to the top of the cliff and see both the Indian & Atlantic oceans. It was clouded over so we went into the restaurant for coffee & tea. My favorite tea is rooi bos which translates to red bush. It’s caffeine free and the whole bush is ground up to make the red colored tea. We continued down the peninsula to a point where there is a wooden marker showing the longitude and claiming (falsely) to be the southernmost point in Africa. The real southernmost is about 30 km east but is inaccessible by road. We next proceeded along the east coast to The Boulders where there is a colony of African Penguins, basically Magellanic penguins residing in Africa. They are small, about 12 inches tall, and dig nests in the beach sand to breed, hatch and grow their chicks. At that area is the Fore Shore restaurant where we all had some great seafood and wine or beer. We followed the coast through the old and well known towns of Simon’s Town & Fish Hoek (the only place where fishing from shore can be done without license or permit.) When we got back to Constantia we stopped at Groot Constantia, the second governor’s residence dating from the mid 1600s and built in the Dutch architectural style and with thatched roofs. It was the Cape’s first winery and is privately owned and open to the public. The place is immaculately kept and the main house has some beautiful furniture, including 2 gorgeous 17th century long case clocks. Back into the city we stopped in a seedy part of town so one of the group could buy a couple of Mandela shirts for an African themed golf outing in January. I got a couple of golf hats with the “Big 5” animals embroidered on them for $5.00 each. We also, at our choice, made a 45 minute stop at a craft market and then returned to the ship.

We had about an hour to clean up and head out for a special event for those of us doing the full cruise. We boarded 2 busses and drove along the east side of the city past the upscale suburbs of Sea Point and Camp’s Bay and into the Constantia area. Our destination was the Buitenverwachting (translates to “beyond expectations) winery for dinner. It’s an old Dutch winery with its restaurant rated as one of the top in South Africa. We were greeted with sparkling wine while listening to a classical quartet. The several courses were paired with their wines and included both game meat and the local prime sea fish Kingklip. It was an enjoyable evening and we got back to the ship around 11:00pm.

November 20, 2008 – Madikwe Safari and transfer to Cape Town

We again had a 4:00am wake up, coffee & biscuits at 4:30 and were on the road by 5:00. It was overcast and cooler than previous mornings but we started by seeing a giraffe on the road just outside the gate. Although we saw several more giraffe, several elephants and wildebeest, most of the reserve’s animals were in hiding. We did see about 10 giraffe all around the airstrip when we went by it on search for lion. Guides from all the lodges are in radio contact and none reported any sightings. It was a pleasant sunny morning so the drive was enjoyable. We returned to the lodge a bit early around 8:30 and the chef requested that we spend an hour to shower and pack (he wasn’t ready for us yet.) We had another superb breakfast and relaxed around the lodge until it was time to go to the airstrip. It had started drizzling and the temperature had dropped so it was a bit chilly driving to the airstrip. A couple of giraffe and elephants said good bye to us on the way. The plane arrived, dropped some new guests and took us to Johannesburg where we had a ½ hour delay in the Cape Town flight. It was a 2 hour flight but they still fed us a sandwich and wine – at no charge. On the drive from the airport we saw quite a bit of downtown Cape Town including the 65,000 fan soccer stadium being built for the 2010 World Cup which will be played in South Africa. Cape Town will host opening ceremonies and semi final games. Digital clocks are everywhere showing the countdown time until the start of the games, 500 and some days away. At the back of the city is the famous Table Mountain, a flat top mountain often capped by a cloud layer, prompting the comment “the Table is covered.” We were back in our suite at 6:30, showered & changed and joined friends for a dinner at the V & A waterfront mall, about 200 yards from the ship. The mall is fairly new and has about 350 shops including about 60 restaurants & coffee shops. The majority of the restaurants were upscale but the prices were incredibly low, much like Buenos Aires. Good wines in the restaurants went for $5.00 to $17.00. We had a tour scheduled the next morning so we went straight to sleep when we returned to the ship.

November 19, 2008 – Madikwe Safaris

This morning we opted for a 4:00am wakeup call to get an earlier start and perhaps see more animals. We were very successful. We left the lodge in darkness before 5:00am and immediately saw a blue wildebeest on the road. We saw such an abundance of animals that was astounding. Giraffe, elephant, impala, zebra, blue wildebeest and kudu were all out in large herds in several areas as were smaller units of warthog and other deziens of the bush. We took a drive along the power lines, on a 2 wheel track path, and saw numerous baboons which sleep up in the towers to avoid predators. We also saw numerous white backed vultures on the towers. While were in that area Eugene received a radio message that wild dogs were spotted. They hadn’t been seen for about 6 months and aren’t seen very often by tourists so we made a high speed run to the area where they were. It was fortunate that we were in that area of the reserve and could get there in a short time. Most other lodges are on the other side of the reserve and usually don’t troll the area so only 3 vehicles got to where the dogs were. There was a pack of 21 dogs, 7 being new pups of about 3 months age, walking along the fence line of the reserve’s border. We spent about 20 minutes watching these gorgeous creatures calmly walking along and playing. Following that event we received a tip of a lion viewing and headed to the area where we saw 2 magnificent males with large manes. This was a different pair from the ones we saw the first day and they were beautiful. They had made a recent kill because their bellies were filled out. We took a leisurely run back to the lodge seeing many more animals of different types including baby impalas just ornt the day before but running as fast as their mothers. On this drive we saw far more quantity of all animals than we had seen the 3 previous drives combined. We returned to the lodge around 10:00am for a big breakfast and were at our leisure until high tea at 4:00.

We left our room around 3:00 to go to the lodge which required walking on stone steps up and down over bush area. A few steps from the room we came to a sudden halt because there was a 5 foot long Mozambique spitting cobra sunning on the walkway. It rose up and spread its hood and we stepped back very quickly (I think Pat jumped 5 ft backwards in one hop.) These snakes can accurately spit their venom up to 9 feet and they aim for the eyes. Fortunately the snakes around the property are familiar with humans and will only attack if you continue towards them when they spread their hood. The snake went back into the bush, we waited until rapid breathing slowed and continued on to the lodge. After tea we went for the evening drive where we saw numerous animals which were now common sighting and finally got our first close-up of rhino. There were 2 white rhinos munching grass on the side of the road. We stopped about 10 ft from them and just watched them for about 10 minutes. Towards dusk we came upon a male lion with 2 females walking towards us on the road so we stopped and waited for them to approach. The male laid down on the road in front of us and the females Split apart a few feet and passed right next to our vehicle and assumed an attack pose. There was a small herd of impala we had passed and were obscured by some bushes and the females were going to get one. Suddenly the wind changed direction and the male impalas started bellowing danger signals and the lions held their pose. Eugene said that the impalas were too far away to be caught once they were aware of the lions and the lions must have agreed because they sat down and closed their eyes while the impala walked away. Unfortunately we were blocked in with lions sleeping in front and behind on the road and, after waiting about 20 minutes, we circled around them through the bush to head back to the lodge. After cocktails we had another magnificent dinner prepared by Chef Innocent and returned to our rooms. The clouds had all disappeared and we sat on our deck with all lights out and enjoyed more stars than I can ever remember seeing at night because of zero light pollution.

November 18, 2008 - Madikwe Safaris

Safaris are more appropriately termed “game drives” because the only thing we shoot is photographs. “Leave nothing behind but footprints and take nothing away but memories and photos.”

Our wakeup call came at 5:00am and coffee & biscuits (cookies) were served at 5:30. Before 6:00 we headed out to the bush to catch animals before it gets hot and they hide and sleep. We saw rhinos, lions, hare, terrapin, impala, dung beetles, and all sorts of birds. We put our fingers in the top of a termite mound and felt the heat coming out and searched for cape buffalo which eluded us even though we followed fresh tracks & dung. We returned to the lodge for breakfast at 10:00 and the table was filled with a vast array of fruits, pastry, cheese, cold cuts enough to stuff us all. Then they asked if we wanted eggs and bacon but we were too full to have any. We all opted to pass on lunch 2 hours later and wait until high tea at 4:00. We were free until Tea so Pat & I each had a full body massage ($55.00 each) and returned to the room to relax. At 4:00 we met in the bar for high tea and headed for our cars to run the evening game drive. It was cloudy and windy and we didn’t see anything new and there were few animals about. At around 7:00 we drove to the top of a ridge and met up with the B&K group staying at Madikwe Lodge for a “Sundowner.” Drinks, beer, wine and snacks were served while we all met each other. We returned to the lodge in darkness with the tracker using a spotlight. After drinks and a tour of the wine cellar we went to the dining room for dinner which included kudu for the meat course. The executive chef, whose name is “Innocent” prepares superb meals with a beautiful presentation. The lodge has 5 sets of china and each meal is served on a different set. The South African wines in the cellar are excellent and we try a different one at each cocktail and dinner time.

November 17, 2008 – Our First Game Drive

We rode in 2 Toyota Land Cruisers each with 4 guests, driver Eugene and spotter Richard. The vehicles are open sided with a canvas top and the spotter sits in a front mounted chair, similar to a chair on a bass boat. We went out into the bush where we easily spotted the ever present Impala. We didn’t stop for them since we had hundreds of photos of them from Kenya. It wasn’t long before we came upon a pride of lions with 2 males which were brothers, some females and young. When we arrived they were all sleeping in an open area so we had no bushes interfering with the view. Suddenly they started yawning and stretching and got up to walk around. One male walked right past the rear of the vehicle, about 3 feet from us, and didn’t pay any attention to the humans in their midst. Their diet doesn’t include Homo Sapiens so we were safe. We followed them for awhile hoping they might be looking for a kill but, no luck there. We kept driving around spotting Wildebeest, many birds and other wildlife. Suddenly a brisk wind came up and blasted us with dust so fiercely we had to stop for a few minutes. As we drove on the rain started and we had to don ponchos that are carried in the cars. The rain & wind didn’t let up and it was nearly dark so we returned to the lodge.

November 17, 2008 – Madikwe Game Reserve

Due to high swells the pilot boarded the ship from a helicopter and the ship docked in Richards Bay, South Africa around 7:00am. We joined a group of 10 working independently through B&K Africa to go to Madikwe Game Reserve for a 4 day, 3 night safari. We were met on the dock at 10:00 and taken to the airport where we flew commercial to Johannesburg on a South Africa Express airline Dash 8 turboprop. We were met at the airport and driven to a local airport about 45 minutes drive away and flew on a charter 12 passenger Cessna Caravan (powered by a PWC PT6 turboprop) to Madikwe. The landing strip was graded dirt and we buzzed the field at about 15 ft altitude to scare away any animals that may be lurking there. Safely down we were met by 3 vehicles to take us to our accommodations.

Two gals went to Madikwe Hills Lodge to join 15 other B&K travelers who had arrived from the US and won’t join the ship until Cape Town. The rest of us were taken to the overflow lodge, Mateya Lodge. We were the fortunate ones because Mateya is the best and most elegant of all the safari lodges in Madikwe, equal to any 5 star place anywhere. We were greeted with refreshing drinks and shown around the reception, lodge and dining areas and then escorted to our cabins to freshen up. Mateya is owned by an American woman from Atlanta and it hosts the largest collection of African art in Africa. There are only 5 cabins and they are magnificent, probably around at least 1500 sq ft under air. They are enclosed, thatched roofed and fully air conditioned. The main room has a king mosquito netted bed with lounge chairs and a fireplace. The glass patio doors look out over a wood deck with a private infinity plunge pool with the prairie and mountains beyond. To the side is a covered area with lounges and a table & chairs setup. Behind the bed area is a dressing area with two closets and to one side is the large bathroom with a tub and 2 sinks, a glass enclosed 2 head shower and an additional outdoor shower. The toilet & bidet are in a separate room. Artwork is on all the walls and shelves.

After ½ hour we met at reception for the evening game ride which I’ll describe in the next post. We returned at dark, showered and changed and met at the bar for drinks. Drinks are complimentary at the lodge as is laundry. There is a 9000 bottle wine cellar under the bar. The dining room was set up with a long table to seat our group of 8 and our 2 guides. Both rooms are exquisite with a lot of wood and artwork. The meal was fabulous and more than we could eat. By 10:00 we were all ready to return to our rooms and sleep.

November 14, 15 &16, 2008 – At Sea

We had 3 days at sea enroute to Richards Bay, South Africa. The first day was quite uneventful which gave me time to catch up on this blog and load photos for 3 fun filled days in Kenya & Tanzania. The seas were relatively calm and the temperature still in the upper 80’s. During lunchtime we saw a humpback whale playing in the water for quite awhile but it was too far away to get a photo. Hopefully we’ll see more as we approach the Cape. We’ve had a South African lecturer, Daniel Silke, onboard giving talks about South Africa’s history. Today’s talk covered projections for the future listing both obstacles and opportunities. He has been on Regent previously and his lectures have been quite enlightening.

The second day was quite uneventful with the only new activity was teaching the card game Pooch to some LCT (Luxury Cruise Talk) people to get them ready for GAME & SAMBA, the acronyms for the safari and next cruise segment. Pooch will be a daily activity with our group.
The third day was cooler, cloudy and very windy making walking on the deck a challenge. A galley lunch in the Compass Rose was the lunch special. The buffet stations were set up inside the galley with dishes from different countries and we ate in the Compass Rose. This was Carolina’s last night onboard and Capt John invited about 15 of us to join him & Carolina for cocktails in the Stars Lounge. The party lasted until around 9:00 and we almost missed dinner. We did miss the show but added $300.00 to our casino chip collection. Tomorrow we arrive in Richards Bay, South Africa and head off for our 4 day safari. We return to the ship in Cape Town and will have 2 full days there so I probably won’t post again until Sunday Nov 23.

November 13, 2008 – Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar is a group of islands about 45 km off the mainland coast of Tanzania in Eastern Africa and is known as the Spice Islands due to clove, nutmeg cinnamon, pepper and other spices grown there. The island was once ruled by sultans and slave traders and was the stepping stone for missionaries and explorers. There is a fort built by Portuguese but the later British influence is obvious from some of the architecture and driving on the left. The old area of town is known as “Stone Town” and it has some unique architecture including ornately carved heavy wooded doorways studded with brass. We had opted for a 5 hour “dhow adventure” which was limited to 20 people and was one of the highlights. We tendered ashore and took a bus from the dock through Stone town to the upscale Serena Inn Hotel where we met our 2 dhows. There was no dock and we had to wade waist deep from the beach to get aboard (we had been pre warned about this.) The water was crystal clear and a bit cooler than in the Seychelles. We motored (not enough wind to raise the sails) about 30 minutes away from the waterfront of the city to a sandbank where we again had to step into waist deep water to get o to the bank. It was shallow quite a way out and the bottom was littered with sea urchins. The sand was brilliant white and soft and had lots of tiny crabs darting about and into their holes. There were 2 sets of picnic tables under a canvas top and off to the side were the cooks for our lunch.

Those of us interested got back in a dhow and went out a few hundred meters to the reef for an hour of snorkeling. With the cooler water temperature (compared to La Digue) the reef was brilliantly colored with a large variety of coral at depths from 1 foot to over 40 feet. On the corals were several different varieties and colors of starfish, iridescent clams, anemone, slugs, shelled animals and sea fans. The fish were plentiful and brilliantly colored and this was the best snorkel trip to date. There was a soft current so we could drift along the edge of the reef with little effort.

We returned to the sandbank and had some coconut water and beer before lunch and we strolled along the water’s edge collecting some beautiful shells. The lunch was cooked over coals on the sand and consisted of a lobster similar to the Morton Bay Bug, swordfish, barracuda, chicken, calamari, rice & sauces and a small grilled maize bread. After the hot food we were served several fruits, one at a time and with explanation of what they are and how they’re used. All are locally grown and quite delicious. The finale was coffee spiced with Amarula liquor, an African concoction similar to Bailey’s Irish Cream. We got back into our dhows and spent 30 minutes returning to the hotel and again got waist deep into the water to get ashore. While we awaited our bus we strolled around a beautiful park in front of the hotel where there were paintings of Obama and “Obama for Tanzania” t shirts for sale. They’re really high on this guy. Lots of cars had Obama campaign bumper stickers on them. It gives us all on the cruise hope that, even if you didn’t vote for Obama, he may make progress in getting the world to like America again. The people we’ve met all love Americans as people but don’t like what our government does.

Back at the dock we looked over the vendors’ wares and bought a couple of t shirts with Swahili sayings on them. It was hot and since our route to and from the hotel took us through the interesting parts of town we decided not to go back in after showering and changing from swimsuits to clothes. When we got back on the ship we found out that announcements had been made during the day that we had been in an area where there was a recent outbreak of yellow fever and everyone would have to have proof of vaccination or get a shot from the doctor before our next stop in Richards Bay. We have our certificates because they are required for Brazil, but it’s causing some upset for those getting off in Cape Town. A few people who left their certificates at home tried to talk their way out of getting another shot, but we can’t stop in south Africa unless everyone has one. We sailed away at 6:00, had cocktails & dinner with friends and went to the show which was a singer worth listening to. We were worn out from 3 straight long days and retired early.

November 11 &12, 2008 – Safari at Tsavo East National Park

We entered the park around 11:30 and immediately began our first game drive. The route took us from south gate of the park to our lodge at the north end. The park is 13,747 sq km in area at an altitude of 1388 ft. The iron rich soil was a deep rust color and the roads were graded gravel & dirt complete with potholes, ribs and pools of water in dips in the road making for a very bumpy ride. The van’s roof had been raised so we could stand up for better viewing. The most plentiful animal to be seen everywhere was the impala. Very early in the drive we came across 3 lions resting under a tree. This was quite a surprise because there hadn’t been lion sightings recently. Our van was about 20 ft away from the lions so we had quite good viewing of these lazy cats napping. We saw several herds of elephant and zebra which were rust colored from the dirt. Other animals viewed were ostrich, baboon, hippo, lizard, crocodile, water buck, kudu, giraffe, gazelle, warthog and a cute little antelope named dik dik. The dik dik is tiny, about the size of a miniature greyhound and weighs less than 10 pounds. There was quite a profusion of birds that were quite colorful.



At about 2:30 we arrived at Galdessa Lodge which is inside the park and was our home for the night. We were late for lunch but they served us anyway. Before we ate we got a briefing about the place and were told that it wasn’t a fenced property, wild animals are around and that we had to have a guide even to walk between the lodge and our cabins. There is a wild elephant named Tusker that is around quite a bit and he is not to be messed with. The lodge and cabins are along a river which was dry until a few days before but was raging from recent rains in the mountains. The water was the same deep rust color as the soil. After lunch we checked in and were taken to our cabins. As we got to our cabin #10 we came across Tusker standing on the path between it and #9 so we were guided around the back side to get in the room. Each cabin consisted of a thatched roof building with screened sides and a tent front. Each had a bedroom, shower & bathroom and separate toilet. Our shower was a hanging canvas bag that would be filled with warm water for us when we returned from the afternoon game drive. The bed had mosquito netting around it and the lighting was solar. From our room we could see hippos on the far side of the river. We had about an hour to rest up and then were gathered up for a drive from 4:00 until sunset. A lot of this drive was along the river which had some beautiful falls. The animal viewing was excellent although we had to keep to the roads and stay in the vehicles. We returned at sunset and went to our rooms to shower and rest up a bit. At 7:30 we were picked up by vehicle because you can’t walk at night and were led from the cabins to the truck by a Maasai guard carrying a small spear. We had all brought wine from the ship (and a bottle of Lemoncello commandeered from the casino bar the previous night by one of the gals) which the lodge had put in the cooler for us and we had a cocktail party with Tusker just outside the room munching on foliage and he was only about 15 ft from the porch. We had a nice dinner and more wine but unfortunately it was steak & potatoes instead of a pan African meal that I would have preferred. They didn’t even charge corkage for the wines. At shortly after 10:00 they turn off the generator and we were taken back to our rooms. About 20 ft from our porch, just down the hill towards the river, there was Tusker eating leaves from a tree. It had been dry for several weeks so there weren’t any mosquitoes but we used the netting to keep the beetles and moths away.


We were awakened at 6:00am and at 7:00 taken to the lodge for a full breakfast. At 7:30 we said our good byes and “asante sana” (thank you) to the wonderful staff and headed out for our final game drive. The staff was all very friendly and we really enjoyed our stay at Galdessa. We headed out in a different direction from the previous day seeing more animals, a swamp land and a dry desert type area before getting back to the red clay. On this drive we saw quite a number of giraffe and a mother baboon with her baby clutched to her belly. We exited the park at noon from a northwestern gate and headed back to the ship.

November 11& 12, 2008 – Kenya, to and from the Safari

It was an interesting sail up the river to the Mombasa port from about 5:30 to docking at 7:00am. The previous day had rained there but we arrived under warm clear skies and 96% humidity. A group of 8 of us had privately arranged an overnight safari to Tsavo East, a huge wildlife preserve about 3 hours drive from the port and, once immigration had cleared us and we could get our passports, we headed for our excursion. I will describe the safari itself in the next post.

“Welcome to the Land of Obama” was the greeting we received from our drivers and that was followed by the Swahili “Jambo”, which means “Hello.” The people are quite proud of Obama and posters of his face were in the windshields of many trucks & vans on the highway. Our vans had a top which could be raised for animal viewing in the park and the air conditioning consisted of opening the windows. The first few miles of road from the port were full of pot holes and dust. Hundreds of exhaust spewing trucks kept traffic slow and our throats rough from the exhaust and dust. Once on the highway things smoothed out and we moved along at a good clip. We passed many small villages, Maasai villages, brown adobe homes and rounded thatched huts of Somali refugees. There were herds of goats and Brahma cattle feeding along the roadway with a young shepherd controlling them. Some herds had as many of 50 animals in them and some were a mix of goat and cattle. We even saw a herd of camels in one area. All along the highways were small stands selling charcoal in duffel bag size plastic bags. They make the charcoal from wood collected in the countryside and sell it to passersby. The bags sell for about $4.50 on the highway and for double that in Mombasa. We stopped at a large roadside curio shop for a toilet break and to view the carvings for sale. We decided to wait until after the safari to buy anything and we did so on the way back from the reserve. The return to Mombasa was from a different gate of the park so we saw some different areas of the country until we got back to within 1 ½ hours of the port where we stopped at the same curio shop for lunch and buying. The carvings are made at that shop so we were dealing with the artisans themselves. Once back in the port area it felt a lot hotter and we were ready for a shower. Between where we were dropped off and the ship there were dozens of vendors selling all sorts of carvings and other curios. They really pestered us to look at their wares and we looked a bit and asked some prices to satisfy us that our purchases in the countryside were of much better quality and price. We felt much better after leaning up and decided not to take the shuttle into Mombasa for a short visit. We were told it wasn’t really worth the effort unless you had a guide or were on a tour. That evening we and another couple who are close friends were invited to dinner by Capt John & Carolina and we had a very fun evening. After dinner we went to the show which was a comedian who wasn’t the least bit funny so we left after a few minutes. The next morning was an early excursion in Zanzibar so we retired early.

November 10, 2008 – At Sea

It was another beautiful day and, with the clocks having been turned back 1 hour, we arose early to walk the deck before it got too hot. The Seven Seas Society party was held at 11:00am in the theater just to be a bit different. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We had dinner with 2 other couples in Portofino where the venue had returned to Italian steak house, saw the Violin Dive show and went to bed. The next morning will be an early start of our 2 day safari in Mombasa, Kenya.

November 09, 2008 - At Sea

The morning began with the Sunday breakfast supplements of caviar & mimosas. The seas were calm and the temperature was quite pleasant. There was a port wine tasting at 11:00 that we enjoyed followed by a special lunch in the Compass Rose. We had prearranged to have beef tartare prepared for a group of us that expanded to 12 people total when Captain John & Carolina joined us. We had a lively group and the tartare was excellent. Later we got a lot of questions (jealousy I think) as to what type of the lunch the Captain was hosting and we told them that we hosted it and the Captain joined our group. This evening several of us were invited to a suite for cocktails and then went to dinner with 2 adjoining tables of 6. Just for the fun of it we had a boys table and a girls table and that really got some comments from other friends. It was a lot of fun and, as is our habit, we closed the restaurant, missed the show and went to the casino where we broke even for the night.

November 8, 2008 – La Digue & Praslin, Seychelles

As we sailed into the group of islands on a sunny morning the water was very clear and the most beautiful blue and turquoise color I’ve ever seen. You could see the bottom 50 feet down. The morning we were anchored off the island of La Digue, the 4th largest inhabited island in the 115 island country and it has some of the world’s best beaches. It is famous for being the location of many fashion photo shots with the soft white sand, huge granite boulder and beautiful waters. There are wagons pulled by oxen for touring around and the vanilla bean is a local product.

Our mission this morning was a snorkeling excursion on Coco Beach. We took the tender to the main dock and transferred to a catamaran capable of carrying 50 passengers but only 25 were put on each one. We took 25 minutes getting to the island which consisted of piles of large granite boulders and one small beach which was about the size of a normal bedroom. About 50 yards from the beach was a small outcropping of boulders with no beach and the reef stretched between the 2 islands. We snorkeled from the boat and the water was spectacular. Although the reef is mostly dead from a 1998 tsunami the fish were incredible. The variety, colors and quantity of the fish was amazing and it was the best snorkeling I’ve ever seen as far as viewing fish. The water ranged in depth from about 40 feet to 1 foot and the fish were everywhere. There were hundreds of sea urchins and an occasional sea turtle and ray. The water was so clear you could see for long distances. After about 90 minutes of snorkeling we all returned to the boat for a 90 minute cruise around several nearby uninhabited islands. One of the catamaran crew played guitar and sang, we saw dozens of dolphins frolicking around the boat, flying fish “flew” out of the boat’s way and the scenery was magnificent. The boat’s crew had 3 fishing lines trolling behind and they caught a mackerel and a dogfish. We returned to the dock to a long line waiting for the last tenders. It was going to take at least 3 tenders to clear the line so we wandered around the village a bit. La Digue was quaint and it reminded us of the Bahamas in the 1950’s. When we returned to the ship, Captain John was on the tender dock helping guests make the treacherous step from the tender. He is the most involved Captain I’ve ever sailed with.

We were greeted with champagne and cold cloths as we stepped aboard and during lunch the ship about a mile or two to anchor off Praslin Island. Praslin is the 2nd largest island of the country and is home to the famous coco-de-mer, the world’s largest nut. It’s a highly forested island with narrow paved roads barely wide enough for busses to pass. We took the shuttle bus to Cote d’Or Beach which is a resort area. We were let off at a beach restaurant where we were offered fruit drinks and we first wandered around to a few of the shops and then walked the beach. The beach was a long expanse of very fine grained white sand and crystal clear water with a lot of trees among the resort bungalows. It was quite scenic and enjoyable to explore. The last tenders returned after sunset and we set sail for Mombasa, Kenya and we’ll have 2 days at sea getting there. After dinner we tried a few hands of blackjack and opted to have an early night.

November 07, 2008 – Mahe, Seychelles

We were late arriving due to currents, arrived at the Dock in Mahe around 2:00pm and docked right behind the Hanseatic where we remained until 5:00am the next morning. The sail in was beautiful with outer island resorts basking in the sun. Mahe was under a rain cloud and the whole area closely resembled the Society Islands. We waited until the inevitable rush got off the ship and caught a shuttle bus into the city center. It was a short ride so we paid attention to the directions so we could walk back. We were dropped off in front of a restaurant and small mall where there was a mad dash to the hair & nail salon for the ladies and the barber shop for the men. My haircut cost $7.00 (compared to $45.00 on the ship.) We walked down the crowded city streets where most of the shops sold wares of dubious quality and finally came upon the fish and produce market which was a fun sight to see. We continued our stroll around several streets, headed away from the main stream and came across a couple of interesting art galleries, one of them in an historic house. We could see the stacks of the ship in the distance and headed in that general direction until we saw a sign pointing to the port ½ km away and found our way back home. All in all we spent about 3 hours on our self guided excursion.

At 6:45pm there was a cocktail party in Galileo for those of us on the full cruise. A local band and dancers had been brought aboard for the event and we were all presented with magnetic nameplates for our doors. The scheduled poolside rock & roll dance party was moved to Galileo’s due to rain.

November 5 & 6, 2008 – At Sea

We have 2 days at sea going from the Maldives to the Seychelles and crossing the equator. When we turned the TV on around 8:00am on Wednesday the polls were still open on the west coast and it was after breakfast when McCain conceded. There were both cheers and tears around the ship but not much discussion. It was a lazy day for most people, listening to lectures, catching up on computer work and reading. The sea was a bit choppy, it was windy and it rained off and on but the ship didn’t roll much at all. Portofino Restaurant switched to an Asian menu beginning Wednesday night and we had reservations with 2 other couples. The menu was varied and quite good. We were the last to leave the restaurant and missed the show. Pat was able to recoup the previous night’s blackjack losses and gain a bit more. At around 2:00am we crossed the equator and nobody felt the bump.

On Thursday morning the skies were less cloudy and there weren’t as many whitecaps on the waves, until mid day when the clouds arrived and the wind came up. We’re in something like the “Equatorial Tropical Conversion” where the trade winds from about 5 degrees above and below the equator meet and screw up the weather. At 2:00pm we had a “Crossing of the Equator” ceremony where Pollywogs become Shellbacks. I won’t explain in detail because you need to see it to understand it. For those of you who have witnessed this event on Regent (Radisson) it was the best of any I’ve seen out of 10 or so. The actual ship’s doctor portrayed the drunken doctor and did a fabulous job, the pollywogs deserved the part and the Captain went into the pool with the rest of the cast. Everyone was commenting that this was the best show we’ve seen. The program went on in sunlight and finished just before we headed into rainclouds.

The rest of the day and night were fairly uneventful. The restaurant wasn’t too full because a cold & cough are going around the ship and many used room service.

November 4, 2008 – Male, Maldives

Today is American Election Day but the polls on the west coast won’t close until after we wake up tomorrow due to the time zone difference. We were given ballots to do a “Shipboard Vote” where we indicate whether or not we can vote in the USA. The results will be announced after the evening show and we’ll see how we compare with the actual results.

We arrived at Male an hour early at 11:00am in this beautiful group of islands with a lot of coral reefs. We’re just 3 degrees above the Equator and it is HOT. Male is the capital of the country, the island is only 1 square mile and is home to 60,000 people, half of the total Maldivian population, and it is reputedly the most densely populated city in the world. It is a crowded city with unkempt buildings and litter all around the streets. There seem to be more motorcycles and scooters than cars on the narrow streets, the sidewalks are quite narrow and walking on them was a bit of a challenge. The water around the docked fishing boats was trash lined but elsewhere it was clear and pristine.

After lunch we took the tender to shore and, with 3 friends, we went in search of a ferry to an island for snorkeling on our own rather than pay $79.00 for the ship’s tour. We tried to go to the same beaches as the tours but the resort islands weren’t accepting independent tourists due to the large number of shore excursions going there. We had offers of a private boat to another island for $150.00 for the boat and $20.00 per person to enter the island and we knew that was a rip off so we went in search of another place to get a boat. We walked past the fishing fleet and the fish market which was quite interesting. Fish were in buckets and spread out on a large covered marble floor and there was no fishy smell because the fish had just been caught close off shore. We asked for information at several places and finally one man said “My brother can help. Come to his shop.” We were a bit leery but went anyway and it was a good decision. Not only did he help out but he also had a great selection of t shirts for $5.00. He showed us on our map where there was a ferry terminal on the other side of the island that had ferries going to an island with public beaches for about 35 cents each way. We walked about ½ hour to the along the waterfront to the terminal, took the ferry and went to a close by beach. The water was clear and warm, the sand soft and white and the rim of the lagoon was about 50 yards off the beach. The lagoon was shallow, about chest high at the deepest, and there was a strong current running parallel to the beach so it made for great drift snorkeling. There were a 3 or 4 local families along the beach so we were fairly secluded and enjoyed about 1½ hours in the water. Just outside of the lagoon’s rim there were several boys surfing in 5 to 8 foot waves. We walked back through the city on the other side of the island and probably ended up with about 4 miles of walking all together. As I’ve mentioned previously, we enjoy the walking because we see so much of the local culture that would be missed riding in a bus or taxi. We got back to the ship around 5:00 and hurried to shower the salt off.

We had an early dinner and then watched the “Vintage Vegas” show, a repeat from the last segment but enjoyable never the less. At the end of the show it was announced that the “ship vote for President” had US voters favoring McCain, non US favoring Obama and the overall total favoring McCain. I won’t admit to our results at blackjack after the show.

November 3, 2008 – Cochin, India

We arrived at the dock at 6:30am in Cochin in the Kerala region near the southwestern tip of India. The area is different from most of India in that Hindus make up about 50% of the population and Christians 30%. Muslims and Jews also inhabit the area. Tea, cardamom, peppercorns, ginger and other spices are grown here. The food reflects the local spices in that curry isn’t big and flavorful spices without being hot. Vasco da Gama visited here and after Portuguese occupation the Dutch took over followed by the British. Chinese traders in the 14th century established a unique fishing net system still in use today. The precarious looking bamboo & wood structures are mounted on the shore with a tripod shaped net attached to the ends of 3 bamboo poles. The nets are lowered into the water and left for awhile. They are later lifted out of the water by pulling on ropes and assisted by counterbalancing rocks at the back. The fish are scooped out of the nets and put immediately in fish shops behind them and sold quickly.

Masses of water lilies are floating around the harbor this time of year. We attended a complimentary event at the Taj Malabar Hotel, a beautiful upscale facility of the Taj group, where we were greeted by 2 massive elephants with riders on top (one elephant did his toilet duty on the driveway), a percussion band, lovely ladies in saris holding bowls of flowers with a candle in the middle, and a glass of fresh coconut water. We were under open sided tents where various activities happened. Beer was passed around and we saw performances of local pageantry with elaborately costumed men dressed as women. Food stations surrounded 3 sides with quite an array of items to try, sort of like tapas. The food was interesting and quite delicious. The whole event lasted about 4 hours during this 5 hour visit. The sail away was interesting and we were treated to antics of many dolphins as we sailed out to the Indian Ocean. Cochin is very scenic and lush with plant life and looks much different from the Mumbai & New Delhi areas. It’s a place we’d love to visit again and spend a few days. Before dinner there was a block party where stewardesses are in the stateroom halls with wine & cheese and guests bring a glass from their room, have wine and meet the others on the same floor. The clocks were turned back ½ hour so we are now 10 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

November 2, 2008 – At Sea

It was another relaxing day at sea under sunny skies. There were the usual selections of lectures & games, a poolside curry & tandoori lunch and chocoholic teatime. The Captain’s welcome cocktail party was held on this formal dress evening and piano showman John Christie performed. The only excitement of the day for us was Pat coming home with a $500.00 gain at the blackjack table.

November 01, 2008 – Mumbai, India

This was the first day of the 3rd segment of the cruise, Mumbai to Cape Town, and we should have been visiting the Taj Mahal this morning but here we were back in Mumbai. In the 16th century the Portuguese occupied the city and named it Bom Baia (good bay) and the British later anglicized it to Bombay. After Indian independence the name was changed the name to Mumba in honor of a Hindu deity Mumbadevi. The “a” at the end of the name has a significance that I forgot.

There was only one excursion available and it covered much af the area we saw by bus the previous evening so we declined. We got a map from the local representative and decided to walk to the “Gate of India” a colonial waterfront monument built in 1911 and dedicated to the visit of George V and Queen Mary. It was an interesting ½ hour walk and the only difficulty was getting past the dozens of cab drivers just outside the port gate. “Take you 2 hour city tour, $5.00.” “Take you in air condition cab $5.00.” We said “NO!” and the price dropped to $1.00. We were hounded by several of them who made so many offers. A couple of cabs even followed us along the street talking out of their window trying to convince us to take their cab. After 3 or 4 blocks we were free of them and could enjoy our stroll. Walking the street is so interesting because you see so many things that you miss speeding by in a vehicle. The city is safe to walk (there are armed guards in many building entryways), the people are friendly and we weren’t hounded by beggars, which is a stark contrast to when I was last here in 1965. In many sections the sidewalk is also a pull over area for cabs, parking for motorcycles and occasionally a passing lane, so it can be quite exciting. Crossing the street is an adventure; you just start across when there is a bit of a break in the traffic and all the vehicles avoid you. The main sound on the streets is car and truck horns. I really believe that the horn is connected to the accelerator.

We finally made it to the Gate of India where it stands looking out over the harbor. There is a massive square in front and on the sides of the gate and it was packed with people. Along with tourists there were vendors of all sorts of goods could be carried, photographers with portable printers to provide you with an almost instant photo, and people trying to convince you to take a harbor boat ride on one of the many tour boats tied up by the monument. Across from the right side of the square is the famous Taj Mahal Hotel, an elegant and gigantic colonial structure built in 1901 with a newer tower section built in the 1970s. I had stayed there in 1965 and it was fun to visit it again. The interior is elegant, well maintained and has several upscale shops. On the street across from the hotel and extending from the square were several vendors with their wares spread out on blankets on the sidewalk.

We spent about an hour in the square and the hotel and then walked back to the ship, diverting down several side streets to see what was there. It was about 95 degrees and humid but, being from south Florida, it felt like a standard golf day. About 220 newbies (new guests) embarked so there are many new faces. Due to the tide receding the Captain elected to leave a bit ahead of schedule (there was only 2 meters of water beneath the keel and he didn’t want anyone to have to get out and push) and trivia was cut short to 7 questions. We won anyway (again.) After the lifejacket drill for new guests there was a sail away party on the pool deck followed by dinner. There was no show so we sat in the Galileo lounge listening to music and were joined by the Captain and his significant other Carolina, a charming lady from Buenos Aires, who will be on board for 2 weeks.

October 31, 2008 – Agra???

Taj Mahal Failure...

69 of us left the ship at 7:30 for the airport for a charter flight to Agra and to visit the Taj Mahal on an overnight excursion. It took about an hour to get to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and we saw quite a lot of the city on the way. The section near the port was heavy with British architectural influence with an ornate railway station. Later areas varied from overcrowded apartment buildings & shops to slum areas. We even saw cows in the streets, one chained to a bike rack and eating straw. We were bussed from the terminal to the plane and took off around 10:00am for the 2 hour flight to Agra.

We circled the Agra airport for about 40 minutes waiting for a fog to lift. With fuel low we diverted to New Delhi’s Indira Gahndi International Airport, refueled the plane and sat on the tarmac for 2 hours waiting for the fog to lift. At 3:00 we deplaned, walked from the arrival terminal to the departure terminal and had an Indian buffet lunch in an upstairs restaurant and waited for the fog in Agra to lift. At 4:00 the decision was made to return to the ship because the Agra airport is a military field and closes at 5:00, a bus trip would have taken 5 1/2 hours and there was no guarantee that the fog would lift the next day. Since our original flight was a charter and wasn’t chartered to go from New Delhi to Mumbai we were put on a commercial flight. Fortunately the flight didn’t have many passengers they were able to delay it by 45 minutes and get all of us on it. By the time we landed, got to the terminal and collected our luggage it was dark. The drive through the city at night was quite interesting and the streets were teeming with people, shops and street stalls were selling everything and there was a madhouse of traffic. The occasional white lane lines on the streets are only suggestions because 3 lanes held 5 rows of cars, trucks, motorcycles and tuk tuks. This is a holiday period and stores & houses are decorated with lights and flower strings.

We made it back to the ship at 9:00pm where the Compass Rose restaurant was kept open for us. Those of us who went to the Halloween party went dressed as "Cruise Ship Passengers." We were quite tired when we went to bed at 11:00.

October 30, 2008 – At Sea

It was another bright sunny day with comfortable temperatures. Our friend Cheryl Sprague who is a pianist had met the astronomer’s wife Elizabeth who is also a pianist and for fun & exercise they have been practicing a Schubert duo (both playing on the same piano) and this morning at 9:30 they put on a recital in Galileo Lounge for about 15 of us. The Captain and F&B mgr showed up as well and we enjoyed ½ hour of beautiful music, even though they called it “a work in progress.”

The day was typical for a sea day with lectures & games and the evening was formal dress with the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and “Krew Kapers” where talented crew members perform. Eight of us were invited to Paul Reynold’s (Cruise Director) table with Paul’s friend David. We were again in the Portofino restaurant with the Indian menu. The table got a bit lively with the gals putting napkins on their head like mid east women and sticking spoons on their noses. Following dinner we went to the “Ballroom Bravo” show and then to bed.
The clocks were moved forward ½ hour and tomorrow we leave the ship at 7:00am for our overnight visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra.