Last Day Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

There are a lot of lasts coming in the days ahead. Today is the last day of March. Tomorrow will be our last day visiting an island off the coast of Africa, but also our first day visiting Europe. The Canary Islands are officially part of Spain. I think I've said no new countries for us on the remainder of this cruise. However on our previous visit to the Canary Islands, we visited Tenerife. This time we'll visit La Palma. Curiously, the name Canary Islands has nothing to do with birds. It is from Latin for dogs. Old sailors used to call seals sea dogs and there used to be a lot of seals on these islands. Now you know.

Clay had us up early so he could record the green flash today. Of course, the horizon was clotted with a layer of clouds at the horizon. We went up to a lightly attended Marketplace for a big Sunday breakfast. Or I did. Clay had his usual banana sandwich. It was lightly attended we assume because there was a Jazz Brunch food extravaganza buffet in Crystal Plaza from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. We stayed away and had lunch in the half opened Marketplace. I hope they had better choices down there. Usually most of what they have is served at Marketplace, but it was a poor selection in my opinion.

The ride is a little rocky today but the pool's open so that is the smoothness/roughness gauge. The Hollywood Theater movie at 2:30 pm is The Green Book. We haven't seen it yet so plan to go. Other than that, the clocks move forward another hour tonight. We have a day-long excursion tomorrow. Another volcanic island to explore. The Green Book was a great film and story. Waterside finally posted their menu and there was nothing for me. Silk will take us at 6 pm again.

I forgot to tell about the bed gifts last night. We had a pair of Diamond Society Pins on the bed. The card said they were for achieving our 10th milestone with Crystal Cruises. They were tie tack like gold tone lapel pins with a crystal chip on them. OK. Technically this is only our 2nd cruise after North West Passage. I guess this World Cruise is worth at least the 4 segments. So evidently each counts for more than we think. We spent months longer aboard RSSC ships and only had 7 cruise credits. Go figure.

The Day of the Green Flash

Since we turned the clocks forward an hour last night, it was 8:30 pm when we got back to the cabin after dinner. That is after the time Clay has been going to bed and to sleep anyway! I couldn't stay upright to type up yesterday's blog entry and went to bed right behind him. He was up walking deck 7 in the dark again and back and out of the shower and it still wasn't light. I was up and out of the shower and dressed and still the sun hadn't risen. I was trying to figure out our heading and where the sun would rise. If I'm up I hate to miss it. I went out on the balcony and looking starboard and forward, I could find the pinkest, brightest spot on the horizon. There were a few wispy clouds there but it looked pretty clear. Early on in this cruise, crossing the Pacific, an astronomer was aboard and lectured about the green flash. He described the perfect conditions for seeing it and argued that sunrise was easier than sunset because you weren't losing vision by staring at the orb of the sun. If you stared at the right spot in the morning, your green flash chances were better. So we've been trying. Today was perfect conditions at last. We saw the green flash at last. It was a couple of seconds at most of a speck of brilliant emerald green. It was thrilling.

In other news, this morning we found an invitation to the Captain's Quarters for cocktails at 5:30 to 6 pm for tonight's formal night. We have 6 pm reservations at Prego already. BTW, our last meal at Prego! We don't have to RSVP tonight  so we don't have to decide until the last minute. We did this earlier with the previous captain and were there with at least 50 others. If this invitation is the same thing, we wouldn't be missed, but we don't know. At noon announcement, the Captain sounded like he is struggling with a cold so that may decide us against attending. Knock on wood, we've gone all this way and all this time and stayed well when there has been some kind of hard to kick respiratory infection they call the Crystal Cough running through Serenity since at least November. We can't let our guard down now.

Porto Novo, Santo Antao Island, Cabo Verde

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Sorry this is a day late. I've been struggling with my equilibrium, balance and motion sickness which just got pushed over the limit yesterday and exhausted me. Two sea days now, fingers crossed for a restful recovery. Here goes.

Unlike Captain Birger Vorland, we'd been to Cape Verde before. Now you aren't supposed to call it that anymore, it is only to be called Cabo Verde. It is still the chain of 10 islands off the coast of Senegal. So, we'd only been to Praia on Santiago island before. Today we anchored off Porto Novo on Santo Anato island. We arrived as predicted in the dark before sunrise. The captain waited until after sunrise to drop anchor. We were in a good swell and wondered, with others, why there'd been no talk of passing this port if there were swells. It turned out the dock ashore was well protected as well as having a floating dock. Not so much at the ship but that is another story.

Pasted below is our day's tour description.

EXCURSION $129

A GLIMPSE OF PARADISE

Explore the island of Santo Antão on this full-day outing. Drive along the coastal road to Paul Valley, and go for a 30-minute walk through the lush valley. Visit a local distillery and taste the grogue, then go to Ponta del Sol for lunch. Enjoy free time before continuing to Ribeira da Torre.

LEVEL

MODERATE

WALKING TYPE

MEDIUM

DURATION

7½ HOURS

Meet your guide at the pier, board the minibus, and drive along the new coastal road before heading inland to Paul Valley. The panoramic views are beautiful on this remote tropical island, with craggy mountainous peaks rimming the top of a volcanic crater. Arrive at Paul Valley and take off on a 30-minute walk in this unique landscape.

Head to a nearby distillery next, and enjoy a tasting of grogue, the local spirit of Cape Verde. This potent rum liqueur is made from sugar canes pressed in a special trapiches. Learn about the production while sipping the sweet elixir.

Off to the village Ponta de Sol next, on the northern tip of the island. Enjoy a traditional lunch at a local restaurant, then satisfy your sweet tooth with a pastry from a local baker. Drive to Ribeira da Torre next, one of the prettiest spots on the island. Enjoy some free time to explore and take some photos.

Afterward, enjoy a beautiful drive along the coast back to the ship at the pier.

This excursion is not wheelchair accessible. Guests must be in good physical condition and able to walk unassisted. Guests should wear casual clothing, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen, and wear flat, comfortable shoes. Guests can expect to walk for 30 minutes over flat and uneven terrain. The order of sights visited may vary.

Things went a little differently than described, they went a little sideways. It was still a day of spectacular landscapes. Our particular tour had about a half dozen or more large vans. Our one guide and no escort covered vans number 8 and 9. Our van number 8 had 7 passengers and a driver and the guide. Van 9 stayed with us for the guide and had 6 passengers and a driver. Our 2 vehicles left first and drove to a high point out of town before stopping for introductions and a map viewing with tour outline. I swore I heard him say he'd have us back to the dock at 7 pm. The last tender was 5:30 pm. I asked Clay, who didn't hear that but agreed it was a 7 hour tour. No one else reacted except when he talked about a "climb" for the 30 minute walk. There were 4 people in the front half of our van that had personally reserved seats for handicapped passengers and I think he got the idea pretty quick that this crowd wasn't climbing much less even walking. As the day went on, there was balking at even getting out for photo ops. If it wasn't lunch or a toilet, don't bother me prevailed in our van. Anyway, at one of the view stops, the guide pointed out the ridge top opposite and pointed out it was in cloud and as it was where he'd planned to climb we'd have to cancel it. A small cheer arose from the party in the other van. Clay & I were the only 2 from our van who were outside and listening to him.

So we were on what must have been the longest, snakiest cobblestone road in the history of construction! All but about a 15 kilometer section along the coast was cobblestoned, with that one short section "new road" paved and with 2 tunnels. There was no sign of civilization or even a living plant or animal along that stretch which begs the question of the new road. When we stopped to see the rock quarry where all the cobblestones came from the guide told us each cobble in the road cost 1 Euro. The road itself was mindboggling from the scale of the project to the engineering of it. We'd been mentally factoring the lifetimes the project must have spanned. Now we're thinking of billions of cobbles and it must be the most expensive road ever built.

So we drove for hours on this rough, twisty, narrow and dramatic road. When it got past noon and our 2nd toilet stop with no mention of grogue or lunch (and we'd recently headed in the opposite direction from our lunch town) I insisted to Clay for the 3 or 4th time that the guide thought he was returning us at 7 pm otherwise he couldn't complete the tour. Clay agreed to ask him privately. When Clay asked him, he took out his itinerary printout (which I didn't see) and insisted it said, end at 7. We assured him the ship was scheduled to sail at 6 and all aboard was 5:30 pm with the last tender. Clay told him to get his phone out and call someone to check. I went to stand in line at the toilet and Clay soon joined me. The others were grumbling about how they needed lunch. Clay told them about the guide's misunderstanding. One woman angrily told us that we were wrong and it didn't matter when we got back anyway because Crystal would not leave without us aboard. Huh? The guide came into the small shop then where he agreed there was a misunderstanding and rounded up everyone to argue that they all needed to pay for using the single toilet. We drove hard and fast after that for the remainder of the day which ended at 5pm. We drove straight backtracking to Ponta del Sol. We arrived at a new harbor front hotel restaurant where all the rest of the van's had already eaten and they brought out a last 2 pans of fish and chicken before busing the tables and buffet as we finished the leftovers alone. Fifteen minutes after we got there, they started shutting down.  If we hadn't said something when we did, I guess we'd have arrived too late for lunch at all. We speedily raced back up the Paul Valley about half way to our 2nd toilet stop (the guide said he'd been on the way to a coffee farm when he pulled over at the shop for a requested toilet break) where we'd earlier passed the Grogue factory/shop/tasting room. We got an abbreviated tour and tasting and then raced at highest speed with no more stops to the port. It was a long strange day. We were too distracted by the amazing landscapes to worry much. It was cold in the morning crossing the mountains at altitude in the clouds and warm and sunny on the coast in the afternoon. The north side of the island is in severe drought without rain for 3 years!

In other news, Reflections says each passenger will be reimbursed to shipboard account $25 for unused port charges at Ascension Island. In our long and varied cruising history, we have missed more than a few ports but never have we had a reimbursement for the port fees/taxes before. So, another first.

Lastly, it seemed like a long day but in fact it was only 23 hours! We had our first time change in the forward direction. We didn't like it. Good we've been traveling mostly westward until now so we had all extra hours and not lost hours. It is mostly eastward traveling for the remainder of the cruise.

Which brings me to the last piece of mail we got yesterday. Our disembarkation travel documents. The letter was dated March 27, so I guess they held it a couple of days before delivering it. Our luggage tags are blue 5. That means we are to be in the Galaxy Lounge at least 15 minutes prior to 10 am on April 8 in Monte Carlo. Our luggage has to be outside our cabin between 8 and 11 pm on April 7. I guess they think as long as we've been embedded in these cabins that we should have lots of notice of preparing for our departure.

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Cruising the North Atlantic Ocean, Again

Clay was up walking deck 7 before sunrise again. The light around the curtains woke me shortly before he returned about 6:20 am. Breakfast at Marketplace started at 7:30 am. They had no bananas today for Clay's usual sandwich. Fortunately, he had already announced he intended to surprise me with his breakfast this morning. He'd evidently planned a ham, spinach and mushroom omelet with cheese. They were out of spinach, too. I had yogurt, honey and granola as usual since they've had a paucity of yogurts without full fat or citric acid.

We have evidently left our miraculous smooth sailing seas behind. We are in some rougher water now. It isn't terrible but we're feeling it. The swimming pool still had water in it this morning but the waves were big enough to cause wet decks and closed ropes across the entries. Oh well, it was fantastic and appreciated while it lasted.

Mid-morning Clay spotted whale blows while reading on the balcony. He didn't really see any whale parts even with binoculars and neither did I. We must have seen at least a half-dozen different whale's blowing though given the timing and spacing. My online searching indicates perhaps they were dwarf sperm whales at this time and place and blow description. Exciting. It has been days at sea without any sign of life other than fishing boats.

We have rejected Waterside's menu tonight and have reservations at Silk. That will make 3 straight nights away from Waterside and Clay fears it will cost us table 6 there. It won't bother me as we have less than 2 weeks to go now with 2 more Black Tie nights.

Clay went online to doublecheck our first flight home and found that somehow we don't have assigned seats. In our fare class there were only 5 seats left. The only 2 together were an extra fee over the normal seat choosing fee for the exit row. I balked. BA can give us any 2 seats they have left unassigned at 24 hour prior online check in at no extra charge. It is just over a 2 hour flight from Nice to Heathrow so if we have to sit apart, I won't like it but I'll survive for 2 hours.

There was an unannounced specialty theme at Marketplace buffet at lunch today. Filipino. Clay liked it. He found this morning's missing spinach in abundance at lunch. I found some lukewarm butter chicken. We avoided the special desserts and went to Scoops instead.

I'll assume nothing else of note and post this now.

Dakar, Senegal

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My 91st country visited. This is also the last new country for us on this trip. So, we were docked on the port side when I got out of the shower. It was still dark. I got up around 6 am and we were sailing near enough land to see miles of streetlights. Dakar is a huge city of over 2 million and a former French colonial capital. Senegal has been independent since about 1960. Most of what we saw was built by the French before they left. It is in bad shape. Education just became mandatory in the 2000's. Unemployment is about 60 % and the average age is 20. 90 % of the population is Muslim and 10 % is Christian and everyone gets along. They are proud to be a stable democracy. French is still the official language. Dakar sits on the western-most point of land on the African continent. In fact, it is a fish hook-shaped peninsula. That explains how we watched the sun rise over what looked like the Atlantic Ocean this morning on the starboard side of the ship. We were on the inside of the fish hook facing east over a large bight or bay. It is the dry season here now, also known as tourist season. Their primary industries here are fishing followed by tourism. I get fishing but I don't get tourism. It was cool and windy and sunny here today so not too unpleasant. Pasted below is our tour description.

EXCURSION $89

DAKAR DISCOVERY

President’s Palace, Soumbedioune handcraft market, Dakar University, Monument of the African Renaissance and sand-painting gallery. 

LEVEL

MODERATE

WALKING TYPE

MEDIUM

DURATION

4½ HOURS

This sightseeing excursion affords an introduction to the colorful and culturally diverse city of Dakar.

Departing the pier aboard your motor coach, venture through Independence Square slowly passing for photographs the President’s Palace and its uniformed guards.

Continuing on, enjoy more sights of the city, including the National Assembly, the Cathedral, the picturesque Medina district and the Great Mosque. Opened in 1964 by Hassan II, King of Morocco, the mosque is one of the most important religious buildings in Senegal.

Another highlight of your outing is the Millennium Door. Located on the Corniche of Dakar, the large, modern monument – as the name suggests – was constructed in the year 2000 and features a door in its middle.

Soon, you will arrive at Soumbedioune handcraft market, where you will have a chance to walk through its crowded aisles and hunt for bargains.

Next, your motor coach will weave its way through the residential district of Fann, featuring new Senegalese architectural style, and stop at the University to offer a look at the school’s famous library.

An additional photo stop is afforded at the Monument of the African Renaissance. Slated to be inaugurated in March of 2010, the large bronze statue was begun in 2006 and depicts a man holding a child, who points to the sea, and a woman with hair blowing in the wind. Somewhat controversial, the statue has been labeled “Stalinist” and cost $27 million to build. Critics’ opinions aside, the monument surely is impressive.

After marveling at the monument, travel to your next destination, a sand-painting gallery. Gain insights into the sand-painting process and admire finished works before returning to your Crystal ship.

Guests should be aware that Senegal is a developing country with parts of Dakar offering sub-standard services and infrastructure. Experienced travelers recommend using caution with personal items, especially when walking through crowded areas. It is advisable not to wear jewelry or take unnecessary personal items ashore. Guests should guard wallets and purses vigilantly. Guests should also be aware that while colorful and interesting, Dakar's marketplaces are populated by vendors who sell very aggressively. It is recommended that guests wear flat, comfortable shoes. The order of sights visited may vary.

The tour was not exactly as described. We visited the Kermel market which mostly sells fish and meat along with some produce. We did not visit the handcraft market listed above. We drove by Sandaga Market but did not stop. We did not stop at the Millennium Door monument. We got off the bus 5 times, at the fish market, a cathedral, in Yoff, at the sand painting gallery/toilet stop and at the Monument of the African Renaissance. We spent most of the morning sitting in traffic on the bus and I think most of us found that a relief. The bulk of our time was spent getting to, from and at Yoff. What's that you may ask, as I did, since it is not listed on our tour. Well it is a small neighboring village, or suburb if you will, that is home to the Lebou people who are the area's original inhabitants. We went for them to perform some songs and dances for us and then pass a hat. So, we know the collection was the reason for taking us there. What is not answered is why it wasn't included in the description so we could choose it, or not. As Ken Rees, our destination lecturer, is fond of saying  "There you have it". I should note that Crystal ran a half-hourly complimentary shuttle from the port to Kermel Market according to Reflections from 9 am to 4:30 pm. I have no idea why since there was nothing but fresh food there for sale and of little to no need by Serenity's crew or passengers.

We'll be here all day. We hope the cargo ship parked across from us isn't but it looks like they will be. They block our entire view including most of the sky. Their engines/generators running are so loud the floor of our cabin is vibrating and their exhaust plume is overwhelming us. Not a great stop and here 'til 10pm now!

Tonight is another casual night though they are having the Crystal White Extravaganza after dinner. We'll skip that. Last night Clay insisted we go up to stargazing a half hour early so he could play with the Chief Electrical Engineer's favorite star app. Didn't work. The deck lights were still on and the wind was blowing so hard that you couldn't stand in place. We didn't last to 9 pm so no idea if the Milky Way was visible after the lights were turned off. I don't know if they'll have stargazing again this cruise.

Tonight we move the clocks back 1 hour on our way to Cape Verde, which were now supposed to call Cabo Verde. After that I suspect we'll have to give back some of those extra hours as we head back east toward Monte Carlo and the end of the World Cruise.

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Cruising the North Atlantic Ocean, Still

Last night's stargazing was another bust. Too cloudy. We should have known when the clouds killed sunset. We'll have another try tonight but it has been hazy and overcast all day. Substantially cooler than previous days. The Captain said yesterday he had to run a 3rd generator to keep up speed because too much energy was being used up by the AC trying to keep the ship cool. He says we should arrive in Dakar on schedule.

We'd seen yesterday afternoon's movie and this afternoons. Clay went yesterday anyway and may go again today. I won't and we all know why. When we came back from lunch today my new Surface Go wouldn't turn on. I don't know why or how he got it back up and running but Clay told me it was tired. Ha. Clay did not go to the movie, he read.

We got a load of laundry done today. Clay thinks it is the last of this trip. We'll see.  It is another casual night and we'll eat in Waterside. The last 3 evenings there, we've been assigned table 6, like regulars. Not sure how or why that's happened or if it will last. Just saying.

Still enjoying smooth sailing. We felt a little wobble in Marketplace but that is high and aft. Palm Court, high and forward, felt smooth. We're seeing a lot of other ships in the distance today unlike the last couple of days. Late afternoon, early evening we saw a half-dozen or more smallish fishing boats in the distance off our balcony. We spent some of the afternoon out there after the sun changed sides but the wind was too chill for us. Early spring in the North Atlantic already. At least we won't have to worry about being too hot in Senegal.

This afternoon we both got email from American Airlines to pre-order our lunch on our trans-Atlantic flight. You know that means it is nearly time to go home.

This evening we received a shore pass that we must carry ashore tomorrow. Also the latest update is they will no longer bunker fuel in Dakar so we are back to 10 pm all aboard for 11 pm departure. I seriously doubt anyone is changing their plans at this hour. Crystal is providing a complimentary shuttle between the pier and Kermel market every 1/2 hour but the last one returns at 4:30 pm.

Cruising the North Atlantic Ocean

It's been another surprisingly smooth sailing day. It has been hot, sunny and mostly calm seas. We did not have a good sunset tonight. They are holding stargazing tonight and tomorrow night after 9pm. Reflections specifically mentions the Milky Way and that's all we've been looking for without seeing it so I guess we'll give it another try or 2 for a final good view of the Milky Way. Stay tuned.

Reflections said that Marketplace would feature American Classics for lunch buffet. They carved a turkey and had a pot of beef chili and fried chicken. I ate a salad. They had a pot of jambalaya but somehow Clay missed it. We both had a cornbread muffin.

It is time for me to finally write about my addiction. It stared last fall when I had some dead time doing laundry. I had Clay's old Surface then and it had a big orange square on the first screen that when I clicked it out of curiosity turned out to be a game. Candy Crush Soda Saga. When Clay replaced the broken Surface with my own Surface Go at Christmas, I insisted he install the game. I've played over 430 rounds since then. It is different than the one he had on his old Surface in that it is even more addictive. It even taunts me when I am away for hours. I can't stop moving those candies around! Now you know what I've been doing with all my free time.

The frigate bird was last seen joining a group of black birds in the distance off the starboard side and heading back south.

Last Day Cruising the South Atlantic Ocean

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According to the Captain in his noon announcement, we'll cross the Equator and return to the Northern Hemisphere at about 8 pm tonight. We are having a perfect sailing day in the South Atlantic for a send off. It is hot and humid with barely a cloud in the sky. The seas are almost perfectly smooth. The big excitement today beyond that has been a frigate bird. We had the bridge cam on our TV waiting for the Captain's noon announcement when he made a couple of passes before landing atop a flag pole/mast on the point of deck 7. He landed just after noon and he took off about 1:15 pm. We went out and watched him try to or actually catch something from the ocean and then it looked like he flew onto the top deck. We think he is hitching a ride to Africa.

Another lazy sea day. We'll be sorry when these days are gone!

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A View of Georgetown, Ascension Island

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It is 9:20 am and we have played Louis Armstrong and set out for Dakar. Now instead of a stretch of 3 sea days to reach the coast of Africa again, we'll have 4. We arrived at our Ascension Island anchorage on schedule at 7 am. We were at breakfast at 8 am. Saturday, so eggs for me. Around 8:30 am we were in Palm Court watching the big white breakers ashore at the natural stone outcropping with the tender dock on the other side. The Captain came over the PA and said his safety officer had radioed him from ashore on the tender dock saying he was one wave up to his knees in water and the next wave the tender was a meter below the dock. There was no way for them to tie up. We had been warned when the Captain read the marine forecast yesterday at noon of over 1 meter swells.

Which brings me to further background on the price of Ascension Island landing permits for Crystal passengers. $13 to 14 USD was a surprise but did not seem unreasonable. Crystal wasn't charging us, the government of Ascension Island was. It said so right on the form. (Cool Arrival stamp, btw!) So, after the 1st letter saying how they'd charge our shipboard accounts if our keycards were scanned here, there was the red card saying that Crystal would pay the fee at no cost to any passengers. Then we read Reflections arrival information that said in not one, but 2 places, quite clearly that passengers would be billed if their keycards were scanned here. So, now we are sure the first letter was not in error and Reflections was printed before the change occurred. We can only imagine the string of irate complaints that must have occurred over a 12 to 24 hour period between the delivery of the 1st letter with the landing permits enclosed, to generate the policy reversal and red card printing and delivery to every cabin. Clay said he knew when he read the red card last night that meant under no circumstances were passengers going ashore. He's more cynical than I am. The whole thing is mystifying to me that it happened at all, much less that it could have happened as we are interpreting what has occurred. Every passenger aboard must be paying at least $500 a day to be here onboard Serenity and they are going to worry about a one time fee of $13 or $14? It is incomprehensible. And now it is also moot.

The Captain did sail along the North coast of Ascension Island as he headed almost due east for Africa. That meant we had an excellent view from our starboard balcony for about a half hour. We saw birds, a blowhole, a stone arch at the shoreline, a wind farm, volcanic peaks, sandy beaches, rock cliffs and an immense quantity of antennae, satellite dishes and radar. We know from our visit to Exmouth, Australia that some of the radio arrays we saw were for submarine communications. But there was a lot more than that. We were sorry to not set foot ashore, but we were well prepared for the disappointment plus we'd had a wonderful experience at St. Helena. Also, we got the very official landing permit with the stamped seal for Ascension Island, so I'm map-pinning it!

In preparatory research for our visit, I found this blog entry. So I had some idea what to expect. We didn't get any visitors from ashore and we both hope this doesn't mean extra time in Dakar instead. It doesn't sound like a pleasant place to spend extra time as well as having Yellow Fever and Zika virus. I was already planning to try to minimize sun and insect exposure there so I definitely won't benefit from extra time ashore there. We'll see what happens, as usual we're just on for the ride and we're going where the ship is going.

The CD has updated the day's schedule of events, though the new schedule has not yet been delivered. I think I understood from the CD's announcement that it consisted of a 10 am Hollywood Theater showing of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and 2 lectures today. I checked again and found the updated page delivered and it has a bunch of bridge, golf and piano lessons added. We have reservations tonight at Silk.

Per the Captain's noon announcement, we are now heading almost due north and will continue on this heading and speed of nearly 15 knots to reach Dakar, Senegal on our original schedule. So, that's it except for the CD adding a noon announcement of afternoon trivia which didn't make the printed agenda update.

I'll post this now and assume nothing else newsworthy. If there is, I'll just come back and update or else talk about it tomorrow.

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Cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Again

We have one sea day between St. Helena and Ascension Island. They share the same governor as does Tristan de Cunha yet they are hundreds of miles apart. I wished Crystal had gone for a trifecta here. We're still having fairly smooth sailing. We are getting some swells now, but the Captain says the interval is just resulting in gentle rocking. Water is staying in the swimming pool. The Captain read us a detailed sea conditions forecast for Ascension tomorrow. Swells of over one meter coming from 3 directions in different intervals. I guess there couldn't be anymore because the 4th side is land. It isn't clear if he's giving 50/50 odds for getting ashore. Knowing there is nothing to see and we aren't allowed to leave Georgetown, I am not getting my hopes up. We are scheduled to be here longer than at St. Helena so no rush to get ashore if it is possible. Tomorrow will tell. The forecast tomorrow is HOT. It will feel like high 90s F in full sun. It will be a short trip ashore if we make it.

Last night I got the 4th WC segment's charm for the bracelet gift from Crystal. It was a flat round world map with the year and start and end locations engraved on the back. I took the whole set to Facets, the onboard jewelry shop, today to have the charms attached. Even Clay said, that's not very nice. What are you going to do with it? Exactly!

Reflections today said that Marketplace would have an Asian buffet and they did this time.

Today's big news was the WC 2022 Itinerary announcement. It will be a full circumnavigation. I guess it was very unpopular when the altered this year's itinerary to end in Monte Carlo. I have no idea what the itineraries of the 2 years between this and that look like. Crystal only wants 25% in the next 4 weeks for hold a cabin. We'll pass. It was really nice to be able to get this WC at the last minute. Lucky though and we know you can't count on that. Crystal will open WC 2022 to the public a few days after this cruise ends. The other big news about it is that it will include complimentary 2-day laundry and Doctor visits.

Today is formal night. We have reservations at Umi Uma. There is a Crystal Society party at 5:15 pm, but we haven't discussed going. We don't expect there to be any other Crystal news after the big reveal this afternoon. Also we aren't really cocktail drinkers and we'd have to be dressed up twice as long, so probably not.

So that's it. It has been a hot, lazy sea day. Tomorrow may wind up being the same, we'll see. Tonight we had a red card delivered with the updated information that the required Georgetown, Ascension Island landing permit fee would not be charged to our accounts but would be covered by Crystal. I'm not sure whether the first letter was just incorrect or if they changed their minds.

We got a pair of Zulu-crafted wire baskets as a WC gift earlier in the cruise. I put one on the bedside table to place my jewelry in at night. For the last 2 nights, we've come back to the cabin to find Bob in the basket. He is starting to like it in there. Clay says he feels safe and protected. From what? I'll grant Bob looks quite comfortable sitting in there. Clay argues I should let him stay instead of moving him out for my jewelry every night. I argue Bob will always want the basket and when we get home and Big Bob finds out it will be a problem. Clay says, we'll need a bigger basket. I don't think so.

Jamestown, St. Helena

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Hallelujah! We made it ashore to St. Helena at last! I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and relief. Missing this landing in 2001 has lain heavy ever since and now a weight has lifted. The funny thing is that the seas were so calm and the tendering so easy and the weather so beautiful that for those making a first visit, they have no idea how special all this was. It exceeded expectations. The narrow, steep and winding roads were amazing and terrifying. It was beautiful and steep and dramatic and green. We saw the airport which was too much to hope for when we came in 2001. Today was the first hot day we've had in weeks. Accu-weather predicted a high of 75 F feeling like 78, but it felt a lot hotter. Even though the seasons have changed in both hemispheres I guess as we near the Equator it will just get hotter. I bought both a long sleeved t-shirt here and a patch! Clay got a t-shirt and insisted we find something he recalled buying from a local vendor aboard Crown Odyssey in 2001 for a gift. I can't say more, but we found all we looked for and I got 2 souvenirs. Bonus!

The tour department warning about crowds may have been understated. It was crazy, like a mega ship had arrived. They said in Galaxy Lounge where they called for all of us on our tour to meet at 8 am that they'd sold 275 tickets. They had over 20 vehicles to split us into at random. I don't know how many tender loads it took as she counted off 50 at a time. We were in the 2nd group she chose, so only about a half hour wait. We drew an 11 passenger large van at the onshore random selection. We saw people in big buses and cars and open air trucks with benches on the bed under canopy. Rather than vary the order of sights, it seemed we all followed the exact same route our arrival staggered only by our tender arrival intervals. It was a mess. There were no tour guides at all just drivers and Crystal escorts. It wasn't clear who had less information. There were "tourist info" people stationed at most of the stops but few of them spoke and when they did it was not loudly to a group but in a normal voice to whoever was nearby. Add to that we only had 5 to 20 minutes in each place. With the exception of Napoleon's Tomb. Our 2nd stop. Our first stop was a 5 minute or so photo stop. The driver said nothing about how long to be out of the van, just get out go take a photo or don't if you want. It was a view above Jamestown and another driver out of his vehicle pointed out the tourist guy and said we should go listen. That was where we learned we were at the heart-shaped waterfall stop of the tour. The water was dried up, so no waterfall. I think everyone was back onboard in about 5 minutes without guidance. Second stop same thing, but we were at the end of a parked line of about 15 vehicles on the road. The driver said, if you want to walk a long way, go to the front of the vehicles and you'll find the way. Well, remember the memo I said we got about you have to be able to walk an hour on uneven and sloped ground? Maybe I didn't specifically mention it because that seems reasonable. I came back and checked that I didn't misunderstand the warning memo and it says "approximately 1 hour of walking throughout". Note "throughout" not "at Napoleon's Tomb". It was a good 45 minutes for us walking fast to get down the grassy uneven terrain and back up the hill. Clay didn't even bring the water because he figured it was another short stop. We nearly keeled over. It was hot and sunny and a long, hard walk. If the driver had at least said, be back on the van in an hour, we'd have had a clue and taken water! Hardly anyone we saw walking down or up had a water bottle so we weren't the only van that wasn't duly notified. I don't know what the elevation change was or the distance, but it was a long hard walk by any standard. Add to that the hot sun and the rush because we didn't know what our time deadline was. It was a mess. Clay says he thinks it was about 1 mile down & back up. I found one place online that said it was a kilometer in each direction. Down & back UP. Pasted below is the tour description.

EXCURSION $109 each

ST. HELENA HIGHLIGHTS & NAPOLEON

Discover the small but fascinating island of St. Helena with an excursion that features the isle’s most fabled sights, including Jacob’s Ladder, Napoleon’s Tomb and the Longwood House, home to exiled Napoleon during the last years of life. Also enjoy a chance to spot Jonathan the tortoise at the Governor’s Plantation Grounds and enjoy views of Heart Shaped Waterfall and High Knoll Fort.  LEVEL

MODERATE

DURATION

3½ HOURS

Setting off from the pier, travel through the island’s Georgian-flavored capital of Jamestown, following the path of Napoleon Bonaparte when he first stepped ashore here in 1815.

Stop at a scenic overlook to witness views of the Heart Shaped Waterfall, so-named for the trough of the cliffs that form the shape of a heart. Fed by winter rains, the 295-foot cascade plunges down the mountainside during winter and early spring.

You will also see High Knoll Fort, the historic fortification originally built in 1790 and augmented in 1874. Perched 1,916 feet above sea level, the fort, today a Grade I listed building, offers commanding views across St. Helena.

A brief transfer next takes you to Napoleon’s Tomb, one of several monuments to the French military leader. Set in a scenic spot surrounded by lush vegetation, the tomb no longer hosts Napoleon’s body. In 1840, his remains were taken back to France to be reburied in L’Hotêl Les Invalides. Visitors to the now-empty tomb hardly seem to mind that Napoleon’s body reposes elsewhere. The peace and quiet of this picturesque locale, with the simple, grass-level tomb edged by a low wrought-iron fence, is reward enough for the short walk to the gravesite.

Contemplate the life of Napoleon before continuing to the Longwood House, the residence of Napoleon during his exile on St. Helena from December 10, 1815 to his death on May 5, 1821. Considered one of the most iconic Napoleonic museums in the world, this modest abode situated on a grassy knoll houses interesting exhibits of personal items and original furniture.

Departing Longwood, make a photo stop at Stitches Ridge overlooking Sandy Bay, known for its stunning geographical landscapes and prominent volcanic dykes.

Travel on to Plantation Grounds, the surroundings of the Governor’s residence and home to the island’s oldest inhabitant, Jonathan the tortoise. Spend a few minutes admiring the features of the historic Governor’s manor, built in 1792, and keep an eye out for the aged tortoise, thought to be around 186 years old, plodding across the sylvan lawns.

Save your energy and camera space for your trip to Jacob’s Ladder, the 900-foot-high, 699-step staircase that runs straight up a rocky cliff face at the edge of town. Built in 1832, the permanent steps lined by handrails replaced a horse-powered inclined plane, which had replaced a rope ladder. The climb up is breathtaking in every sense of the word. Views from the top are dizzying, showcasing excellent vistas of your Crystal ship anchored in James Bay.

Whether or not you elect to make the climb, no doubt today’s excursion makes the top of your favorites list.

All too soon, wrap up your adventure and return to your Crystal ship.

As this excursion involves walking over uneven terrain, it is not recommended for guests with walking difficulties. Guests who wish to make the optional climb up Jacob’s Ladder should be aware that the staircase has 699 steps with a 1:1 slope to reach a height of 900 feet, making it an extremely steep and arduous climb. It is recommended that guests dress in casual clothing and wear flat, comfortable shoes. This excursion will operate in all weather conditions. The order of sights visited may vary.

Everything else was pretty much as described. Exceptions were that we were dropped at the top of Jacob's Ladder for a photo op or a walk down, not up. We didn't see Jonathan the tortoise of 186 years of age. We saw David of only 50 years of age. We were supposed to be back at the pier at noon. Closer to 1 pm, our driver tried to unload us in front of the Post Office (according to Google Maps 750 meters away from the wharf steps). Clay and I got out as we wanted to mail Mom's b-day card from here and walk back. I think 1 other couple got out there. The rest insisted he drive them back to the tender dock on the wharf. That is what the tour description implies, so that was right.

It was nearly 2 pm when we got to lunch aboard Serenity so we had our usuals from Silk which served until 3 pm. Clearly a lot of us were late getting back because it was a zoo up on deck 12. We had a letter when we got back to the cabin. It was about our next port in 2 days, Ascension Island. St. Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan de Cunha are 3 remote islands in the South Atlantic, distant even from each other. They all belong to the UK. These 3 are considered 1 place by the UK as I understand it. So all 3 are occupied but evidently Ascension is military only, not civilian. Again, as I understand it. So, the letter contained 2 landing permits for us to carry ashore with us if we chose to go ashore there. If we do go ashore, we'll each be charged a fee of about $14 USD to our shipboard account for them. It is convenient and there are no tours offered here. Online research shows me this is another tender port and tendering is again unlikely to be impossible due to sea conditions, so we'll see. (Update: the following evening we got a red card that said Crystal would cover the fee and we would not be charged. It didn't say if the 1st letter was in error or if they changed their minds.)

We sailed away on time at 3pm with Louis Armstrong playing. The captain did not speak. We'll have dinner at Waterside tonight.

Photos

Cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Day 3

We enjoyed Magic Castle at Sea yesterday afternoon. We had a voice mail to remind us to arrive early. We arrived about 15 minutes early and took the next to last pair of front row seats. We wound up heavily participating! We didn't catch this magician's name but he was funny so it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed him the best of the shows, but Clay argued his magic wasn't as good. We'll have to disagree.

We ran into some larger swells early yesterday evening. The seas calmed back down overnight and this morning but somehow my equilibrium hasn't gotten out of whack and I'm struggling with keeping my balance. Hopefully another calm, restful day will get me back in order for tomorrow's tender rides.

Reflections tells us that today, 3/20, is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall here in the Southern Hemisphere. You'd need to be told as there are no signs of seasons out here that I can see. This notice was part of the announcement that we'll have another try at hosted stargazing from 9 to 11 pm tonight. There was a brilliantly clear full moon last night. It was magical reflected on the vastness of the Atlantic. I don't know if that will help or hinder stargazing, but fingers crossed for no or light clouds this time! We turn the clocks back another hour tonight so even though we have an early start tomorrow, we can stay up later tonight without losing sleep.

At noon, the captain announced that we had just crossed the Greenwich Meridian. We'll be in St. Helena on schedule. He is cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to tender ashore. Fingers crossed! It would be next to tragic to sail there twice and never set foot. Though in 2001, the locals came aboard Crown Odyssey and brought a box of soil so we could set foot. As well, a postal employee came on to sell stamps and accept our mail. So tomorrow we'll find out whether we make it or not.

So after the 2 written warnings about hardships faced on our ship's excursion to St. Helena, today we also received 2 voice mails about it. One to remind us of no A/C and the other to warn us to expect sights visited to be overcrowded. I guess the overcrowding will be on Crystal's responsibility. Anyway, still hopeful we get ashore at all.

Tonight's Reflections has a reminder that in Dakar, Senegal instead of our originally scheduled 11 pm departure that now all aboard is 6 pm for 7 pm departure to a petroleum pier for refueling. I don't know if those boarding in Cape Town are learning this for the first time or not. I suppose they could have been notified before they left home but that seems unlikely.

It is only partly cloudy at sunset so we're planning to try stargazing again this evening. We're running out of time in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Day 2

We stayed up late last night watching a long movie (I think it was titled, First Man. About the first man on the moon.) I slept in even though we had that extra hour last night. Clay was up walking laps in the dark on deck 7 with a few other crazy guys he's making buddies with. Clay pointed out that breakfast started at 7 am today and I pointed out that we didn't have to be there when they open. It looked like we weren't the only with that opinion.

Reflections says Marketplace will have German buffet today. Of course, yesterday it said there would be an Asian buffet and there wasn't so we'll be surprised which ever way it goes today. Dinner will be at Waterside tonight. It is still smooth sailing! Loving it. We have tickets to Magic Castle at Sea at 4:30 pm. The Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle is at 5:15 pm in the same location. Hopefully we'll have cleared out first since we were planning to miss this last one. (We missed the 1st segment's because we didn't receive an invitation. We attended segments 2 & 3.) So plans are for another lazy and restful sea day.

We have received 2 excursion notifications regarding St. Helena now. We are booked on a kind of overview & Napoleon Highlights tour. Yesterday we were warned about difficult walking conditions. Today we were warned about not up to our expectations or standards in tourism conditions for guides and equipment, specifically no A/C. It has been cooler everywhere than expected for a while so we'll hope we don't notice the lack of AC. As to difficult walking, they failed to mention that it is a tender port that is often canceled due to big swells rolling ashore. If you can make it ashore, you can probably walk well enough. That seems to be the first and biggest hurdle to pass.

Bite update. It seems mostly healed. I wore Neosporin and a bandage on it for 3 days/nights. Until the adhesive rash was worse than the puncture wounds. They seem flat and healed and not inflamed, red, angry and seeping anymore. Now I'm just waiting for the adhesive rash to settle down. There will probably be permanent marks where the actual bites were just like fire ant bites. Still no idea exactly when or where I got bitten. Just woke up on the 3rd morning in Cape Town and they were there. I hate to think I was bitten in bed in the cabin, but that is when it seems it must have happened. The good news is that it hasn't happened again. Clay says whatever bit me died. Let's hope!

Surprise. It actually was a German food buffet and it was quite good. We had a heavy lunch. Clay got us Portuguese egg tarts at midmorning too. I feel stuffed. Clay brought a paper ice cream cup of potato chips to the cabin for an afternoon treat with some of his cheap Namibian beer.

Shortly after Clay repaired to the balcony with his chips & lager, he called out, hammerhead shark, hammerhead shark. I don't know if his sighting of the hammerhead makes up for the day I saw the pair of blue whales, but he seemed as excited as I was that day.

I'll assume no other news and post this now.

Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

Photos

I'll pick up where I left off with yesterday's WC 2019 Exclusive Shoreside Event. It did not surprise, disappoint or impress. It was in a spectacular setting  and must have been a logistical nightmare to set up, but honestly that should have been inconspicuous not the most impressive part. Otherwise it was a hodgepodge of local talent and a Star Wars theme. The 2 were not related except by 3 local dancing girls who twirled lights in the dark. The star of the evening, and only professional quality entertertainer, was an uncredited soprano who gave me goosebumps with 3 songs and dramatic lighting effects. Just as I was thinking the dune behind her was made for a laser light show, the Millennium Falcon showed up a less than 1 minute show as the Grand Finale.  Clay has a photo of the extensive canapes meal we were served. The cold canapes were on the tables for self-service when we arrived. The hot canapes were served to each person one at a time more or less in the order listed on the menu. Dessert was served after we'd left the tent and were seated under the stars for the final entertainment. I'd say it was the Star Wars portion but the highlight soprano was unrelated to Star Wars. She was preceded by the light twirlers and followed by the laser light projection with John Williams soundtrack. The waitstaff squeezed down between each row in the dark after we were all seated. We didn't take any dessert until we were standing in the lights waiting to load buses for the ride back. That brings me to the ride. We drew bus 12 outbound. Our bus left last as they were trying to find a working microphone. They didn't. We were told it would take 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 45 minutes to reach the venue for the evening. It wound up taking an hour after we boarded. All the other buses departed as we tried 3 microphones, We left and drove about 15 minutes on paved road toward Windhoek. We exited at Dune 7 where we could see what we thought was all the other buses. Clay heard later arrivals at the party talking about their photo op at Dune 7. Our bus drove towards the other buses and then made a right on a washboard dirt road paralleling train tracks and the paved road. We got rattled for the next 30 minutes wondering. We came to an intersection and a man was there to direct us as well as paper signs to the Crystal Event. I learned from the bus 6 outbound escort on the return that his bus did the same thing without the microphone delay. He pondered the wisdom of the long dirt road drive when we returned by the paved road in about a 1/2 hour. Right? It was kind of a mess. I feel like luxury cruises set such a high standard of expectation aboard that "special" shoreside events inevitably disappoint.

We got back onboard Serenity about 9:30 pm. We were greeted with hot washclothes and champagne in flutes and directed to Stardust for Namibian exit immigration procedures. It was quite quick and painless and the ship collected our passports again as we left the lounge. It was straight to bed for us even though I had a long nap yesterday afternoon. Getting motion sick with vertigo in the morning wiped me out and made me shaky all day yesterday.

Clay was up first in the dark today. It is overcast with low clouds but fairly calm seas and warmer today. The pool had water in it this morning. Breakfast at Marketplace started at 7:30 am today and was sparsely attended when we were there. We waited to return to our cabin as usual in Palm Court and yoga was sparsely attended as well. A waitress this morning said 320-something passengers were off at the event last night. I know we were out past our bedtime, but I had an impression that evening performances aboard were well attended which meant not everyone else who went ashore last night should have been sleeping in today. In any event, it is the first of 3 sea days and I guess that was reason enough to lay up for a couple extra hours.

We got 2 loads of laundry done this morning so that is done. I suspect I'll do it at least once more before the end of the cruise but we'll see. Reflections says that Marketplace lunch is Asian Specialties. It will be our theme all day as the Waterside menu was not appealing and Clay got us Silk reservations for dinner tonight. We turn the clocks back an hour tonight on our way northwest towards St. Helena. That's what I like 3 days to do nothing and some extra time to catch up on sleep as a bonus. I'll assume nothing else noteworthy and post this now.

The captain noted in his noon announcement that while we are heading towards the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean you'd expect not to see much. So he said even he was surprised to find himself at noon within a mile of 3 other ships that needed to be safely cleared. He said he is running, at 15 knots, slightly below the average speed he needs to make Jamestown, St. Helena on schedule. He says he is enjoying the smooth sailing and the fuel and carbon emissions savings from only running 2 generators for now and will add a 3rd and a short burst of speed later to make schedule. Fingers crossed we make landfall on St. Helena this trip. We've never forgotten that disappointment in 2001.

Back from lunch to report that once again Reflections was incorrect. There was no theme at the buffet lunch. I had pork saltimbocca that was very good. Bonus, we passed a big group of dolphins on the starboard side where we lunched.

Back to report that Silk has a new menu. They retitled the duck dish. Clay tried it and thought it was actually the same. He didn't like it. I had a new dish, mapo tofu (the 1st ingredient on the menu was ground pork, so not vegetarian) and we didn't like it either. We shared beef potstickers and both like them. The tapioca soup with lychee and matcha ice cream was still on the menu. Good thing.

We had a voice mail on the cabin phone when we got back. It was about the Luderitz tour and a partial rebate of the price due to complaints. (Not ours.) I didn't even blog about it, but our time in Kolmanskop was cut short of exploration time. It turns out they did that to allow us free time for shopping in Luderitz. We never even found out if the van came back to the drop off in town at 11am or not. We just walked back to the tender dock. Of course, it was wrong to cut short the tour part we paid for in Kolmanskop for time in Luderitz where we could have explored on our own time instead of tour time. Neither of us think this was as egregious as the missed chocolate factory tour on Tastes of Western Australia for which I did complain and nothing was done. But it was wrong and not listed on the tour description so a partial refund was in order.

Photos

Walvis Bay, Namibia

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We had more smooth sailing overnight. It started out so smooth leaving Luderitz that though we were waiting in the cabin for Louis Armstrong to start singing It's a Wonderful World, when it didn't ever play we did not realize we were already sailing. No idea why we just eased away from Luderitz with no captain's announcement or sail away song.

We were up early again and it was dark and foggy as we arrived at the big container port in Walvis Bay. We were here for a couple of days and an overnight in 2001 and it is the most altered of our repeat ports. Today we had a ship's tour. It was very good but not really as described. There was lots of walking in sand and enough dune thrill riding that I got motion sick with vertigo for the first time on this trip. I'd have vomited but Clay had taken my purse with the barf bags in it and placed it against the van wall next to him. I had to just swallow hard. I still feel bad. We also had a stop for snacks after at the beach which was not described. The vehicles were not described but they were enclosed and air conditioned 9 passenger 4 x 4s with all bucket seats, I think. We saw more tiny animals than I expected and more big jackal and cat tracks than I expected. It was a good tour, but 5 hours is a long time without a toilet. That wasn't in the description either. Still I'm glad we went. We got back near 1:30 pm and Marketplace stops serving at 2pm so we went to Silk. I had pizza and Clay had Chinese chicken salad. We had Scoops for dessert. Now I think I need a nap before the WC shore-side event tonight. We are to be on the dock at exactly 5:30 pm to load buses for the desert event. We'll be back after our bedtime of 9 pm. We have to carry our passports and departure cards with us to the event in order to file through Stardust and Namibian immigration exit procedures before we can return to our cabins. We are scheduled to sail away at 11pm. Reflections says everyone who remains onboard must be all aboard and cleared through the immigration exit process by 8 pm. Next is 3 sea days. I'll have to report about tonight in tomorrow's post.

EXCURSION $219

DESERT 4X4 WILDLIFE DISCOVERY

This 4x4 adventure takes you out into the dunes for a look at some of the small, fascinating creatures who make the hot desert terrain their home. Conservation issues and the geological structure of the desert are discussed en route.

LEVEL

MODERATE

WALKING TYPE

DURATION

APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS

As you arrive in the dunes, your expert guide will stop frequently to look for tracks and determine which creatures were active the night before. When possible, your guide will attempt to catch a little desert animal for observation and discussion. Creatures you might see and learn about include the sidewinder adder, Palmetto gecko, sand diving lizard and Namaqua chameleon, along with various beetles and lizards. After sharing insights into the animals’ adaptations and design for desert survival, your guide will take great care to ensure each animal is returned safely to its home.

You are further shown and informed about the desert adapted flora as well as the history and formation of the dunes.

In addition to viewing interesting animals and learning about the flora, you will also witness spectacular scenery, feel the silky sand beneath your feet and enjoy fantastic photographic opportunities.

Appreciate more views during your return journey to the pier, which takes you along the scenic coastal road.

Important Notes: This excursion involves travel along rough and bumpy surfaces and is not suitable for guests with back or neck problems. This excursion is not wheelchair accessible or recommended for guests with walking difficulties. It is recommended that guests wear sunscreen, a hat and flat, comfortable shoes. The order of sights may vary.

Note: We did not find the chameleon which is the equivalent of a leopard, evidently. We saw 2 kinds of adder. The one listed and a larger, more aggressive horned adder. We lucked out in our vehicle assignment as there were 4 or 5 vehicles with drivers, but the only "guide" was our driver. I don't know what the view was from the other 2 rows behind ours but from the row behind the driver our view was impaired. We could see low right in front, out either side and then the forward sky view out the top window. It kept us from seeing the horizon and I think that's what did me in. I suspect the raked seating arrangement may have made the 2 rows further back and higher better for dealing with motion sickness.

In other news, the ship is celebrating St. Patrick's tomorrow since so many passengers will be off tonight. Since we don't attend evening entertainment as a rule, I don't have any idea what they have on plan. If I learn, I'll report it tomorrow.

Photos

Luderitz, Namibia

Photos

Well, here we are in a new port for us in Namibia. We hope for continued smooth sailing. We arrived at our anchorage right on time and the ship was cleared at 9am. It is a tender port. The tender ride was 5 or more minutes long to the Yacht Club floating dock but it wasn't too rough. We were on a 8am departure of a ship's tour ashore. Pasted below is a description.

EXCURSION $129 each

DIAMONDS & SAND: KOLMANSKOP GHOST TOWN

This gem of an excursion takes you to the diamond-era ghost town of Kolmanskop, an otherworldly place where tall drifts of sand fill empty rooms, once filled with the people and furnishings of a robust economic heyday.

LEVEL

MODERATE

DURATION

2 HOURS

Behind the town of Luderitz, a road runs into the desert interior, passing Kolmanskop, now a ghost town. Arrive in Kolmanskop after a transfer of about 15 minutes and begin your walking exploration of the ruins, crumbling yet eerily beautiful on the sand dunes of the treeless landscape.

Situated in the Spergebiet, or “forbidden territory,” just outside of Luderitz, Kolmanskop became a bustling mining town after a railway worker discovered a sparkling stone in the gritty dirt in 1908. During the ensuing “Diamond Rush,” Kolmanskop provided a home for miners hacking out a living in the harsh environment of the Namib Desert. Large, elegant houses were built, and soon Kolmanskop resembled a German town, complete with a ballroom, theater, sports hall, casino and two-lane skittle alley, along with such essentials as a hospital, power station, school, ice factory, butchery, bakery and one particular point of pride: the first x-ray station in the southern hemisphere.

The development of Kolmanskop peaked in the 1920s, with approximately 340 Germans, including 40 children, and 800 Ovambo contract workers living in the town. After a drop in diamond sales and the discovery of richer deposits farther south at Oranjemund, the bright future of this diamond outpost began to dim. Within a span of 40 years, Kolmanskop rose, flourished and crumbled, today a mere shell of its former self. Marvel at what’s left of the stately homes and buildings, nearly demolished by the wind and gradually being enveloped by the encroaching sand dunes.

Afterward, enjoy time at leisure to explore more on your own. You may wish to have a snack at the coffee shop or browse the souvenir shop for mementos of a town that is slowly disappearing. Your memories of your ghost town experience, however, are sure to endure.

Rejoining your vehicle, make your return to your Crystal ship.

While well-maintained, transportation used for this excursion is basic and may vary in type, quality and size. As this excursion involves extensive walking over sometimes uneven, sandy and uphill terrain, it is not recommended for guests with walking difficulties. It is recommended that guests dress in casual clothing and wear a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and flat, comfortable shoes. This excursion will operate in all weather conditions.

Luderitz itself is a very small working-class town. I am not sure where they all work but it was a bustling grocery shopping day at the local Spar on this Saturday. They eat a lot of rice here judging by the baskets, carts, checkout counters and pedestrians. The air was cool here with a breeze but the sun was scorching. We didn't spend much time here. The tour was done in 9 passenger vans. Our tour had 6 vans that shuttled back and forth with groups crossing paths. Our tour was run hourly from 8 to noon. The tour got us out of town where we saw the SAND signs on the highway that we remembered. The Sand sign had more impact nearer Walvis Bay with the giant dunes than here where there is a lot more exposed rock. I guess that explains the diamonds. Even though we visited a ghost town, they are still actively mining diamonds in the area. The vans stopped and dropped us off in town several blocks from the harbor. It wasn't clear but perhaps they'd stop by again at 11 am to drive the rest of the way to return passengers to the Yacht Club where the tenders docked. We just walked back and it looked like most others did as well. We did some shopping and were back aboard Serenity by shortly after noon.

Clay went to the 2pm movie, "Journeyman". It was a boxing movie which I don't usually enjoy plus I am almost certain we'd seen it before. Last tender back is 3:30 and sail away is 4 pm. We'll have dinner at Waterside tonight. It is casual. Tomorrow is Walvis Bay. We are on the ship's Desert Wildlife excursion there. Dinner will be ashore as the 2nd exclusive WC shore-side event in the desert. We've had a few additional letters as well as received our tickets to this event. We are advised to dress casual and in layers as the temps will drop as the sun sets. We are advised to wear closed, flat shoes because the event will take place in the sand. It is advertised as having a "Star Wars" theme due to the Tatooine-like setting. We'll see.

This afternoon we received another charming small holiday gift from our Signature TA network hosts Tom & Bob. They remembered, unlike us, that tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. They gave us each a green rubber shamrock bracelet. Now we're prepared.

Photos

Smooth Sailing

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We left Cape Town sometime shortly after midnight, we think. We were each up between 1 and 2 am and at sea though we could still make out the shore line. The lights of Cape Town however were long gone. So we have calm seas and calm winds. All good and still on schedule.

Clay was up first and I reluctantly rose around 7 am. Marketplace breakfast started at 7:30 am. Clay is disappointed that while individual servings of peanut butter finally returned they are an oily substitute for the Smuckers he enjoyed for the first 1/2 of the cruise. I was thrilled to find individual serving jars of REAL maple syrup back on the buffet. Since Saturday and Sunday this week will be early starts in Namibia, I had my weekend big breakfast today. Yesterday was the other as we had a hot buffet breakfast at Aquila. The new captain doesn't make his daily announcement at 9am but at noon (or a few minutes after if we recall correctly from NWP16).

Last needlepoint opportunity for me is at 10:30 am port side in Palm Court. There was already a lady passenger there when we left for the cabin at 9:05 am. She was first in line last segment too. I haven't seen them run out yet and seas are calm so if I wind up at the end of a line it'll be okay. I'll probably go closer to 10:20 am. I'm back. There was another big turnout, though none was as big as that first segment out of LA in January. I got a cosmetic sized bag that Mom gives to a friend of hers. I have to say that the turnover size in Cape Town is the largest we'd seen yet. A bit of a surprise given the difficulty of flying to and from Cape Town. Also Clay and I agreed that this segment didn't seem particularly appealing to generate enough interest in a difficult flight to begin it. It is a very long segment. All we can figure out is Crystal must have advertised a very low per diem offer on this segment to generate all the crowd. The ship is still not full witnessed by all the show cabins on tour yesterday.

Reflections says Marketplace has a South African buffet today. I have no idea what that might include other than grilled meats, or a braai (say bry). We'll see. Tonight is Formal and we have reservations at Umi Uma in keeping with our preference of avoiding the hysteria of Waterside on Formal night with its lobster and caviar offerings.

Back from lunch and they had quite a spread. They had biltongs and droewors, bbq warthog ribs, ostrich medallions, African pork stew and sausage sandwichs and again suitably they had Malva pudding. We learned about biltongs, droewors and Malva pudding from our SA guides at the Mt. Nelson lunch.

It is 1 pm and we are waiting to be called for the face to face Namibian immigration inspection. The captain's noon announcement was lengthy and chatty compared to the previous captain's. He announced how relieved he was when we sailed out of Cape Town a little after 11 pm. He announced he was running with stabilizers which as Clay pointed out the previous captain rarely mentioned and we had both suspected for long stretches of sea days he was not using them. The ride is remarkably smooth compared to appearance and the opposite was mostly true under the previous captain. The captain we have now is the one we had for NWP16. He is a social animal. We saw him lunching in Marketplace and getting ice cream at Scoops. Lastly, the captain mentioned we'd be at our anchorage on schedule. The itinerary, the destination lecturer, nor anything else we've heard or seen indicated this was not a docked port. We find it hard to believe the captain misspoke and that means a tender port tomorrow.

The immigration inspection was quick and painless. They didn't take our passports back today. They haven't said but maybe we keep our own passports this final 1/3 of the cruise. I don't know. Not anticipating anything else newsworthy, I'll post this now.

It has been cool to chilly today with cloudless skies. There has been a persistent chilling mist or water surface fog though. We had expected the weather to become substantially warmer as we travel north towards the equator. We are a little surprised but not disappointed with the chill. Weather predicted in Luderitz tomorrow is 60 to about 75 F. It is said to be a slight malaria risk zone, but that seems higher risk than reasonable for such a cool, desert environment. I think my bug repellent clothes are too lightweight for the temps and I'll plan to dress normally. Which raises the issue of the bite I sustained sometime prior to waking up Wedsnesday morning. I didn't feel it when it happened but the shower stung an area above my left breast. I got out of the shower and found a red angry looking patch about 2 inches by 1 inch. It had 3 little focal red points in it. I sprayed it several times a day with Bactine. By today, it was angrier and a pustule had developed. It reminds me of a fire ant bite but it didn't hurt when it happened. I have no idea when it happened. I think it had to be while I slept in pajamas as opposed to Tuesday when I was fully covered up. Anyway, today Clay pleaded with me to cover it with Neosporin and put a bandage on it so, we'll see how it looks in the morning. Next question raised is the 2nd WC shore side event, an evening in the Namib desert. If the forecast holds, it will be chilly. The dress code is smart casual, but in sand? We'll see how that goes.

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Cape Town, Day 3

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We had an early start today. Clay was up a few minutes before the 3:45am wake up call he'd ordered. We had both showered the night before. We also both had a salvaged breakfast in the cabin fridge. We got a couple of bottles of cold water ready to go. I applied sun screen. We were out by 4:40 am or so. There were 2 security guards in the terminal building and we walked by both without waking them. Clay worried our driver would not be able to enter the port. I walked halfway across the parking lot to see if I could see the entry gate but it was blocked by a tanker truck. As I walked back to report, I saw a pedestrian approaching so I told Clay the gate must be open. We could just walk there and the car and driver can't get past us. It turned out the pedestrian was our driver! He had gotten permission to enter the port with his car but it hadn't been relayed to the night guard. The good news is that he did get to enter on foot. We'd have walked to the gate on our own eventually but then we'd have arrived late for our game drive since it left 15 minutes before scheduled as soon as we sat down. It was a 2 hour drive in the dark mostly to arrive at Aquila.

The game drive and game reserve were very different than any we've done in Africa before. It was more like Disney's Animal Kingdom safari. They had a much bigger 4x4 vehicle, maybe 20 passengers. We had the 2 seats that were their only row across from the entry gate/stairs so that was good. Probably the best seats on their. Our booking agent friend had evidently warned everyone we are elderly. Compared to the 20-somethings on the vehicle, we were! Anyway, Aquila feeds their resident animals so they know exactly where to find them, just like Disney AK. The lions were even in their own fenced in area separated from the rest of the reserve. This seemed like a bit of a cheat from game drive standards so, it was different but still we got a good viewing of animals close up in Africa. So that was good. We were glad we went.

We had a full buffet breakfast at the end of the game drive. The drive lasted just under 2 hours. We were ready to drive back by 10:30 am. Since we were going to get back early, we asked our driver about where we might find a gold elephant link bracelet. He took us to Canalwalk Mall in Century City that carried that bracelet with diamond elephant eyes in 2001. They don't anymore. I checked their website and they have a location in V&A Waterfront but we didn't find it. I got a business card in case I want them to find the bracelet (make it?) for me and courier it to me at home. I don't think so. I still think I'd prefer the plain gold one and we never found it or who had it in 2001. So, for now that's an end of that.

We got back around 1pm and had lunch at Trident & Scoops. Evidently after 2:30 pm (or whenever the immigration inspection actually started) the street side exit to the terminal was closed and you couldn't leave. So it is 5pm now and I guess inspection is over. We were group 5 and were called around 3:45 pm. I think there were 13 groups. We are about 4 minutes from the mandatory muster drill. We are back from the drill and it seemed better organized than last time. I guess we'll know tomorrow if we get a letter or not this time.

We are dining at Prego tonight. I guess we are still "departing" Cape Town at 7 pm. Every other port where we were all aboard early, we left early. But we've had different rules here in South Africa and we have a new captain. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Well, it is 7:35 pm and we are back from dinner in Prego. Prego has a new menu again. I believe this is the 3rd edition since we boarded so for a fixed menu it has changed regularly with each segment. It is still my least favorite restaurant on Serenity. In good news though, Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio is back.

We had mail this evening. A notification that Namibia tourism standards are not up to par and begging our understanding and patience. A notification that Namibia will require a face to face immigration interview and it will take place onboard starting at 1 pm tomorrow. They enclosed the arrival/departure cards we filled out in February. We bring 1 and our passport tomorrow and keep the 2nd copy to turn it at the exit interview.

We still haven't left the dock at Cape Town. No announcements have been made about this. The inner harbor that we can see has become filled with whitecaps which is not a good sign.

If we sail tonight, tomorrow is a sea day. We are scheduled to dock in Luderitz at 7am the following day. Fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted.

7:50 pm The captain just made a PA status update. Due to high winds, the port has been closed. There is a possibility it could reopen after midnight, but he hopes for at worst sometime tomorrow. He claims if that happens in the morning that we can still sail fast enough to arrive close to on time on the 16th. Stay tuned.

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