Around the World. Week 20 Wrap Up

It is almost June! Can you believe it?! Sometimes I wonder about what you all are thinking as you've been reading this from your normal lives. My sister recently commented that I will have a difficult time acclimating to "real life" when I get back, but honestly, knowing that I'm headed back to Europe for a few more months this fall helps with not thinking about what "real life" will be defined as whenever I decide to "settle down" again.

Schedule

• Day 134 / May 20: Cape Town, South Africa

• Day 135 / May 21: Cape Town, South Africa

• Day 136 / May 22: At Sea

• Day 137 / May 23: Wallis Bay, Namibia

• Day 138 / May 24: At Sea

• Day 139 / May 25: At Sea

• Day 140 / May 26: Luanda, Angola

  
  

Day 134 / May 20: Cape Town, South Africa

Arriving in Cape Town, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect! Such a welcomed experience! Visibility of Table Mountain was clear. Air Temperature was just slightly chilly with a promise of warming up as the sun peaked out from behind the partially cloudy skies.

My excursion for the day took me to a cute area just outside of the city called Stellenbosch. While the region is known for all the wineries, I went on a Foodie tour. We started at a museum to learn about the history of the town, setting the foundation to understand a lot of the flavors we were about to try. Here, we also visited the oldest house still standing as they explained what life was like for the initial settlers. I learned a few new interesting facts, such as the floor was made of mud and cow poop; they had a bed specifically for those who may have died, but they weren’t sure, so they left them there for two days just to be sure; and for those that really took longer to come out of a coma, they tied a string to their fingers that lead to a bell after they were buried in case they woke up in a coffin underground. Hence the term Graveyard shift for those who had to stick around and listen for any bells at night. Oh! And they kept a gun over the door because when they wanted to go outside, they didn’t know if there would be a big animal waiting outside for them.

After such a lesson, we were getting hungry and headed to our first stop at the Coopmanhuijs Hotel. It is a beautiful entry way with red and white checkered cloths covering the tables on the porch, which lead to a bright sun-filled room with high ceilings. This property used to be another historic home built in the early 1700s which was converted in the early 2000s to the luxury hotel it is today. Here they served us charcuterie boards that included various meats, olives, cheeses, and vegetables. I learned another new word - Snoek as in smoked snoek fish spread. It tasted really delicious on the fresh bread. We also had a choice of white or red wine to pair. I chose white, which complimented the offerings quite well with its fresh clean finish.

Did I mention this is a walking tour? Well, let’s just say it was a much more enjoyable walking tour than what we did in Mozambique during the crazy rain monsoon!

So off we went, meandering through the little downtown, learning about the various art and buildings as we went. Eventually arriving at the Botanical Gardens. The guide lead us through the various exhibits, but the one thing that really caught my eye was a sign that stated “WARNING! This Angel’s Trumpet flower is highly poisonous. DO NOT TOUCH”. So crazy to think that such a thing even exists and that it would be on display at a public garden. (To confirm - I did not touch it and was not even tempted to do so.) As we entered the little cafe, a sign displayed the Specials of the day. One item that caught our eye was “Samp and Beans Soup.” Apparently, Samp is made from dried corn kernels that have been thrashed and stamped until broken. The waiter ushered us to a back greenhouse-like room where our table was already set. The offerings here included a little cake and some special coffee. Special because it included a liquor of sorts. I very much enjoyed the cake, but wasn’t such a fan of the special part of the coffee.

Then we were off again, passing through the Lilly pad pond, when the guides explained that just a week earlier, a horrible storm passed through the area, destroying a lot of the plants. She was surprised and the drastic difference between just prior to the storm and this day, where many plants were brown and wilting. We also stopped by a nursery area where these small yellow flowers were growing. They were so tiny that when a bee landed on it, the whole thing just fell over until the bee flew off and it sprung back up. I don’t know why I found this so funny, but I stood there for a few minutes to giggle at the bouncing action.

The next stop was at De Warenmarkt, which showcased Biltong rotating in a drying enclosure. These are strips of meat that are air-cured and slow-dried without heat, resulting in softer, more tender texture than beef jerky. However, I thought she was saying Bull Tongue and was trying to figure out why they would cut the tongue out and hang it to dry. To my credit, it really did look like a tongue. So we also ate some Biltong that was minced and mixed with cheese and deep fried. Those were delicious! The breading was thick and crunchy. This was served with a lamb samosa and two types of beer. I ate it all and would definitely go back for more.

As we walked by the town hall, the guide pointed out a sculpture that is supposed to represent Nelson Mandela, but often people only see a collage of animal silhouettes. I only saw Nelson Mandela and had a hard time figuring out where she was trying to point out the animals. I still can only see the Gekko that makes up his chin. What do you see?

Our last stop was at the Wijnhuis for a craft gin tasting and beef carpaccio. Continuing my learning, I found that I do not like gin. Or tonic. And definitely not Gin and Tonic. The meat though was fantastically flavorful.

Back on the bus, we headed towards the ship only to get stuck in traffic jam after traffic jam. With the storms that had passed through, there was still areas without power, meaning the traffic lights were not working yet. (Side note - In South Africa, they call traffic lights Robots. The guide said that because when they were first introduced to the area, no one really knew how they worked, so they must be Robots and the name stuck.) Eventually, we arrived back in the port.

I planned to wander down to the Waterfront area which I was told had nice restaurants and shopping. However, we didn’t get back until after dark, so my solution was to tag along with other passengers to ensure I didn’t take a wrong turn and end up where I shouldn’t have been. As we walked over, one of the guys pointed out that there was a yellow painted path that lead from the port to the Waterfront area, so you really couldn’t get lost. Just follow the “Yellow Brick Road.”

At the Waterfront, we got there in time to see the Swinging Bridge in action. They have a walking bridge that pivots on a single point from one side of the river and is moved whenever the taller ships need to pass though. Everyone just waits and then like an orchestrated movement, after it’s cleared to go, everyone walks on their left side (British influence still) to efficiently clear to the other side without walking into those coming the other direction. It was impressive to see.

After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the ship to watch the local drum group that was headlining in the theater. They wore traditional dance clothing, including these ankle bracelets full of tin-like disks that rattled together as their feet stomped on stage. It was fun to see another culture displayed through song and dance.

Day 135 / May 21: Cape Town, South Africa

Since I did not eat at the Waterfront the night prior, I wanted to to back for at least coffee and to go to the pharmacy this morning. Now that I knew how to get there via the Yellow Path, I headed out. The weather was dramatically different from the day prior. Foggy. Wet. Cold. Cloudy. But I landed at a place called Mugg and Bean, having a coffee and a classic breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.

Shortly thereafter, I was picked up with my local guides for the rest of the morning. I met them onboard the Vista when they were working at the boutique at the start of the cruise. When they disembarked in South America, we weren’t really sure if we’d see each other again because at the time, the itinerary still showed going through the Suez Canal. However, with the change, not only did I get to visit to catch up, but they got to show me around their city. We drove up the beautiful coastline, seeing some seals sunning on the big boulders in the Ocean. The original plan was to hang out, have lunch, maybe go up to Table Mountain, but the weather did not quite support that. Instead we toured around by car and then grabbed some fish & chips before going back to the ship. Unfortunately, because of the Immigration rules here, we all had to be back on board by 2pm, even with a 4pm departure, cutting our time in the city down a bit.

However, on our walk back to the ship, we passed by this special platform that they built for the sea lions. We watched as one sea lion came up out of the water, but those that were already on the platform did not approve of his presence and vocally forced him back into the water. I’m curious to know why he was not welcomed, but it was obvious that he needed to leave.

Back on board, it was technically an embarkation day for a new segment, meaning we also had a Solo Traveler cocktail party to welcome the newbies. We were much nicer than those sea lions and allowed everyone to join the party.

Day 136 / May 22: At Sea

For most of the South African region, the WiFi availability has been worse than usual. Apparently it has to do with the Starlink coverage of the region. What this meant is that my Website App was not working very well, along with my own procrastination, so I was behind in my Weekly blogging. I spent the morning catching up on both Week 19 Wrap Up and Segment 8 Recap video. Trying to move pictures from my phone to both of these platforms is painfully slow, so it takes a few hours.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was like usual - Pickleball, dinner at Toscana, and finished with the evening entertainment, which was a pair of Ballroom Dancers.

Day 137 / May 23: Wallis Bay, Namibia

Prior to initial embarkation in January, I had researched all the planned ports on our itinerary. With the change in plans, we are now going to places that I know almost nothing about. One of these places is Namibia, so I had zero expectations.

As we came into the port, you could not see a thing; only fog surrounding the ship. As the day continued, some of the fog started to burn off and we were table to see some of the fishing boats in the harbor. Also, as I was capturing a video of the water for my Waters of the World project, I noticed all of the Jelly Fish dancing in the waves and then saw some little black bodies jumping out of the water which turned out to be more sea lions.

Getting off the ship today was a bit of an effort and those reading this who were there would likely say that’s a drastic understatement. For most of these ports, we are able to fill out our immigration paperwork ahead of time using a QR code and associated website. They give us most of the answers so we only really need to add our Passport and personal information. However, for Namibia, their website was down. Most likely we crashed it when all the passengers tried to log in at the same time. What that meant is we all had to be processed in the theater. Because we all excursions leaving at different times, we couldn’t be organized by Deck like we did in Durban. Adding to the chaos, it was a holiday in the region, so the Immigration officers did not have the full team that they normally do and the payment machines were acting up. All of this resulted in a very long slow line to be cleared to get off the ship.

Once off the ship, I met up with my bus to head out to explore the area. As we drove away from the harbor area, the fog disappeared and the temperatures rose, resulting in a very nice day. Our first stop was to see a Welwitschia mirabilis plant. The guide explained that this species has been around since the dinosaur age and is considered a living fossil. It only grows about an inch per year. The leaves almost feel plastic as they are hard in form. I didn’t listen to much else because I was trying to figure out how to take photos of the plant without other people or shadows in the frame.

Next was a very bumpy ride to the Moon Landscape area. We were in one of those big tourist buses and the driver navigated like it was a 4x4, speeding down the gravel roads towards our destination. It was quite invigorating. For most of the drive, we only saw sand dune after sand dune, but all of a sudden, there were massive canyons and some far off mountains. You quickly understand why they said that we were going to the Moon. Words can’t quite do this justice, so here’s a photo of it.

Back on the ship, we hosted a Namibian Kids Choir, who were amazing! I know I say that about each of the groups, but they really are all unique and interesting to see and learn about their cultures.

Day 138 / May 24: At Sea

This segment is full of sea days. Today, I started with a culinary class that was called the Passport to the Cradle of Civilization. No clue what that entailed until we were there, but ultimately, it moved into my #2 favorite class (behind French Technique). The first course was a zucchini fritter, but the best part was the chicken shawarma on flatbread. It’s one of my favorites, so I was a very happy consumer!

Today’s pre-dinner entertainment showcased a Magician. Normally, I avoid these because for whatever reason, I’m just not all that interested in watching card tricks. However, I had met him the night prior and agreed to give it a chance, plus gave me an opportunity to practice more photography skills. I will admit that it was a really funny show, but I’m still not sold on magic being real.

The after-dinner show was the Production Cast with Headliners again. I still went. It is still fun to see the talent this team brings to the stage each and every time.

Day 139 / May 25: At Sea

Being another sea day, I read another book today. It is called It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. (Side note - Apparently it is also a movie released in 2024) This one was recommended by one of the Entertainment Dancers. It’s about a woman who has to navigate a relationship that progresses to domestic violence, with a family history already from her father. It explores the emotional choices and challenges of each episode and [spoiler alert] how she is ultimately able to break the pattern. It is another heavy topic, so I only recommend it if you are interested in understanding more about psychological drivers and potentially hope for future generations.

Then it was time for pickleball! We played for quite a bit, but unfortunately, my games ended with one of my feet going in a direction that the rest of my body was going, resulting in a bit of a pop and a twist of my knee. Thankfully, I don’t think anything is broken, but it has swollen and hurts a bit. Yes, I agree, if you happen to be thinking that I can’t seem to catch a break to be 100% between sickness and falls, but I’m told that’s what happens as I get older…

The after-dinner show was Christine Allado, who is a British Actress and Singer, staring in many West End shows. Her show included many Musical Theater hits, including songs from Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera. She has such a strong, powerful voice that I wish I had just a fraction of. It’s crazy that some humans can produce that kind of volume.

Day 140 / May 26: Luanda, Angola

With the knee issue, meaning I could barely walk when I woke up, I decided to call it a morning and skip getting off the ship. Instead I spent the morning with ice in bed, oscillating between watching movies and napping.

Eventually, I decided it was time to move from my bed to a pool lounge chair, where I proceeded to read another book. This one is called Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr. It’s about two parties who both want to recover a missing painting that was stolen during World War II by the Nazis. One team is motivated because the woman is actually his mother who was killed during the War and the other team is a psychopathic woman who will kill anyone who gets in her way.  The book weaves between points of view and timelines, so you have to keep up with each chapter of who’s point of view it’s coming from. I would recommend this one as it was very complex in story and pushes you to think about how we determine “ownership”, especially for all the art works that no longer have authentic historical paperwork.

I finished the book just in time to get ready for dinner. We dined with the Officers again, meaning Carlos (Food & Beverage Director) and Matthew (HR Manager). The meal was a redo from the last time when one of the couples sat it out due to an illness. We were able to assemble the whole planned party and added Karlis (Culinary Chef), dining in the Grand Dining Room this time. It was a fun night of story telling and tasting South African wines. As per typical, our dinner went past 9pm and I missed the evening show.

While I didn’t want to, I counted the number of weeks left on this trip… Only 6 more! Even though I keep saying time is arbitrary, it sure is passing too quickly!