Visiting My 7th Continent - Africa

Leaving for Cape Town, South Africa on March 26, 2023.  Hope to be able to do updates here.  Check back often. 

3/26 A quick flight from Cleveland to Newark. Nice views of NYC and the Statue of Liberty.  Great salad in the United lounge during my 7 hour layover for flight to Cape Town.  

3/27  Arrived in Cape Town after a 14 hour flight.  Slept enough to not be tired and it's already evening here.  A few photos of my first views of Cape Town while landing.  A view of the Silver Cloud that I will board tomorrow taken from my hotel.  

In the Southern Hemisphere I am seeing this side of the moon. Is it the same in the Northern Hemisphere?

3/28 What I learned today is to stop taking pictures with my phone.  I am not able to upload them.  I was advised to not take the short walk to the shopping area so I took an Uber.  Total cost with tip - about $5.  The ship is very nice.  Hopefully, I will be able to upload photos at some point.  We just got underway and have a sea day tomorrow.  

3/29 Back to yesterday.  V&A Waterfront is a nice shopping area in Cape Town. There is one portion called The Watershed that is a lot of local vendors.  Then there is the mall, which has McDonald's, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Chanel, Woolworths.  A little of everything. 
On the ship I met another single traveler, Carol. She is from the US, but has been living in Paris the last 10 years.  She has traveled alone a lot, but this trip has not started well.  She was mugged in Cape Town.  She had on a necklace with 3 charms.  Sentimental value only.  Someone ran up and pulled it right off her neck and ran.  Luckily, she was fine.  
For dinner I went to The Restaurant.  Open seating. I was seated with another single traveler, a couple from Big Bear in California and a couple from Brisbane.  All more traveled than I am, so lots of great stories.  
The waves are not huge, but we are rocking and rolling.  Wasn't feeling great last night so I put on one of my Scopoderm patch and I'm feeling better this morning.
Now, pictures from yesterday.

 

A couple of views of Table Mountain from V & A and what Table Mountain is from the ships Chronicles.

More views from V & A and yes, it is fall here.  

Onto the ship and my cabin.  My wonderful butler, Eduardo from the Philippines.  He is missing his wife and 3-year-old daughter at home and chats with them every day.  My super cabin steward, Carlos from Kenya.  He wishes we were stopping in Kenya and while we get close, not close enough.  

3/29 Morning on our sea day has gone by quickly.  A wonderful talk by guest speaker Zelda La Grange.  She was Nelson Mandela's personal assistant for more than 19 years. I watched the movie Mandela on the way over here on the plane.  She was 24 when she started working in his office, quite by accident.  She was born in a family where the only news they got was filtered by the Apartheid Regime.  She applied for a government job because it was close to her parents' house, where she lived for 6 months of the year and 6 moths in Cape Town, which was a dream for a young person.  She was applying for a different job when a stylish black woman walked in and said she needed an assistant, didn't care what color.  A few days later Zelda had the job. Mandela taught her the values of respect, integrity and compassion. Her relationship with Mandela became a grandfather/granddaughter one.  He changed her entire view of the world. This afternoon she is doing a Q & A and book signing of her memoir.  

  

Zelda and some of her slides from the presentation.  

We had a presentation about birds in the area this afternoon.  Tomorrow, we stop in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  I will be going to the Kariega Private Game Reserve tomorrow for my first safari. I may not get photos posted because I am thrilled with an event they have planned for tomorrow for this Pole to Pole voyage.  I am only on here for 18 days.  The Pole to Pole cruisers are doing 130 days total.  I have met quite a few and they are having a great time.  Tomorrow's activity is based around Ubuntu.  I'm happy we all get to attend.  

WHAT A DAY!!!  Dolpins while we were docking.  On our safari we saw impala, lions, elephants, giraffes, ostrich, a baboon, zebra, cape buffalo, Pumba, white rhino, monitor lizard, other antelope.  The dinner celebration was a fabulous, cultural event.  The Xhosa tribe which speaks with clicks of the tongue and mouth.  The menu wasn't a choose what you want.  It was a bring everything out in small portions to try it all.  Lots of pictures!!!  

The meat on my lunch plate is Eland.

Beginning of the evening festivities.

3/31 - This morning I am off on another safari.  This one in East London at the Inkwenkwezi Game Preserve.  These South African safaris are very different from those in Kenya, Tanzania.  In South Africa, even at Kruger National Park, the game is enclosed and protected.  Still in their natural habitats but protected.  Some still are for hunting. Grrrrr...

Photos from today.  Not as a good a place.  Our ride was crazy bumpy, we ran out of gas near the end, not many animals and some vehicles got stuck in the mud.  Did see white lions, impalas, giraffe with maybe a new baby in the distance, ostrich, zebra, and a leopard tortoise.  Both yesterday's reserve and todays, they have the lions separated from prey.  The other place said when the antelope get too many they put in for the lions to hunt.  Today they bring dead farm animals.  You can see one in front of a lioness.

  

My little camera went a little crazy today and did bursts with different styles. 

A video of the rough ride today. Hopefully it shows up.

4/1 Heading to another reserve today near Durban, South Africa.  The Tala reserve.  I had a little better internet and am posting a video from the Kariega reserve of the crazy zebras.  Our guide called them cheeky.

4/1  We docked earlier than expected so for the morning they had shuttles going to uShaka Village.  A beach mall with a boardwalk along the beach.  They are having an Africa party on the ship at some point and want us to dress for it.  I was able to pick something up for 90 rand, about $5 US. Durban is a huge port city.  

Zulu dancers

Tala Reserve was a little different with no lions or elephants.  Great grazing animals. Wildebeast, Blesbok, White Rhinos, Kudu, Hippo, Giraffes, Velvet Monkeys and some nice birds. A swallow and a cuckoo.  My hippo pictures did not turn out very well, but I will be able to get better from the guide with us.  The two giraffes with their backs to me are Covid and Lockdown.  

  

My schedule tomorrow is at Richard's Bay, South Africa.  Leave at 8:30 am for a Lake St. Lucia boat cruise.  Hopefully getting back on time at 1:30 to then leave at 2:30 for the Zulu Nyala game drive and dinner.  Back at 9 pm and then to bed for 5am game drive on the 3rd.  If I am able to do both things tomorrow I doubt I'll be posting.  

4/1  Zulu dancers at the harbor in Durban

3/30 Using the clicks of the Xhosa language 

4/3  Getting ready to leave Richards Bay, South Africa.  This was our last stop in the country of South Africa.  We will have 2 sea days before we reach the island country of Mozambique.  

It's been about 9 hours of bus rides to go to and from my 3 excursions.  

First yesterday we went to Lake St. Lucia for a short boat cruise.  We saw hippos in the water, 1 young Nile crocodile, birds - Squacco heron, Pied kingfisher, egret.  

This area is called KwaZulu-Natal, Zululand.  Zulu men may have many wives.  Most today do not.  If a man marries a virgin it would cost him 11 cows.  A non-virgin - 9 cows.  A woman with a child - 7 cows.  2 children - 5 cows.  Our one guides father had 3 wives.  He had 42 children.  The guides mother had 9 children.   Our guide has 2 children but no wife. 

We passed many eucalyptus trees.  They use them for paper and building.  We passed villages of houses.  The ones that are round are to keep spirits from hiding in the corners. Driving on the 2 lane highway you can pass and the other vehicle moves to the side part of the road.  

In the afternoon it was supposed to be a game drive at Zulu Nyala but it was changed to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi.  Which happened to be where I was scheduled for this morning.  So I did it twice.  I saw hippos, rhinos, elephants, African buffalo, nyalas, vervet monkeys, baboons, impala, jackal buzzard, white-backed vulture, weaver bird nests, and many birds.  Wart hogs and one in the picnic area where we had breakfast today.  I love the red - bellied oxpecker that eats off the animals.  This reserve has 462 species of birds.  Our guide teased that the M on the impalas back end shows the lions the fast food of the impala.

  

  

The pictures above are from the St Lucia boat cruise. 
Below will be both times at Hluhluwe-Umfolozi

  

 

 

  

  

More pictures coming.  Off to a watercolor art workshop and an introduction to knots!  I am adding more animal photos when I have time above.  Had to share this crazy photo.  Every port we have a local pilot come on the get us in and out of port.  Today they picked up the female pilot by helicopter after she navigated us out of port. I was very happy it happened on my side of the ship.

4/4  A day at sea.  A couple of days ago I won a 50-minute-deep tissue massage.  Well...I have never had a massage in my life, so this morning our very kind masseuse gave me a massage and not too deep.  Being on this trip I have zero stress, so the only knots were in my shoulders.  Likely, from the backpack with my camera.  After that there was a seabird talk by Javier, one of highly educated naturalists on the trip.  Then a watercolor class that I will add to the first layer tomorrow. Lunch.  A nap.  A knot class, which is turning out to be amazing by our knot guy who is an astronomer and a botanist.  This knot looks gorgeous on a long scarf.  So much talent on this ship.  Then a talk by Malcolm on coral reefs.  Our recaps in the evening are short talks by many people and they are great!  Off to Hot Rocks for dinner, which is outside by the pool I am joining 3 others I have met.  You pick your protein or veggie option, and you cook it on an individual rock that you receive.  

4/5  Another jam packed sea day.  Started the day with Marcel making a ring with the knots.  Spent a little time by the pool before painting class.  I used a penguin photo from my trip last year. I think it came out ok.  This afternoon I will take my mask and snorkel to the pool to practice with the expedition team. This evening they are having the African Dream Party with dessert under the stars.

Dinner last night at Hot Rocks - Keith and Estelle from Big Bear, CA and Carol originally from Oregon, but has been in Paris for 10 years.

4/6 First I opened my balcony door and quickly found out how humid it was outside.  I was watching the young men in the canoes yelling up at the ship.  They stayed all day, I think they wanted food.  

  

We then took a very rainy zodiac ride to the Island of Mozambique.  

We saw them carrying the masts for the dhows, which we will ride in the afternoon.  

  

We met our guide, Edy, who took us to the Palace and the fortress. Luckily, it stopped raining while we were in the palace. We had to take off our shoes and could not take photos.  Mozambique is mainly Muslim and it is Ramadan.  The island is pretty poor and has violent history, involving cannibalism and people having to pay for schooling and many can not afford it.  

  

We were followed by adults and children trying to sell items. The children coming out of school enjoyed doing photos.  

  

  

  

One on the front, two on the back.

This afternoon we were in a Dhow Flotilla.  Then were part of a Makuti cultural celebration. The women rub that stick like thing with water and then put it on their face to protect from sun and to help their skin.  They allowed us to try it and I was able to put on the entire wedding outfit!

 

 

  

4/7  This morning we are arriving at Moroni, Grand Comore, Comoros.  It is going to be an interesting day.  This island has not had a cruise ship visit in 10 years.  The gentleman arranging the tours on the island is so excited that he messages our expedition leader multiple times a day.  Grand Comore is a volcanic island.  I will be going to what's called Dragon's Tail with beautiful views and then to a beach for sunset and dinner.  We may have some rain today and they have had a lot of rain.  We were told last night that some of the roads may be a bit bumpy. It should be another wonderful adventure!

It's about 10 am here and we are anchored pretty far out.  We are waiting for immigration, and we are delayed because of this other ship being ahead of us.  

What a great day!  Grand Comore is a gorgeous island, with proud people.  They should be proud, it is beautiful here. We had a wonderful welcome to the island when we reached the beach.  The water was a clear blue.  If I understood correctly S Africa put a lot of money into a resort on the island.  Then when Mandela became president the money stopped coming.  First bad thing I have heard about Mandela.  Then people from Dubai were going to take over and knocked down the resort and then never rebuilt.  We passed a funeral and it was only Muslim men.  Our guide said if a man dies, only men go.  If a woman dies, only women go.  We saw Comoros fruit bats.  Huge!  Driving along people along the road were waving to us.  Tourism is so important here and they have not had a lot lately.  I'm not sure why they haven't.  They have an international airport.  I do hope more cruises come.  The man that set it up did a great job.  He even gave all the ladies a gift of soap and oil.  I'm having trouble with some photos tonight, I'll try in the morning. 

  

Our wonderful greeting committee at the beach at the Golden Tulip resort.  

Gorgeous view from the resort

One of our guides, Steven.  Learned English and other languages by working at the resorts. Children outside the mangrove area.

Flying Fox bat

   

Mangroves and house along the way.

Working on boat near Dragon's Back

Dragons Back and one of the many cows

Our beach dinner location and our singers  

Ahhhh... sunset

4/8 The island of Anjouan, another one of the 4 islands of Comoros.  An early start this morning on our walking tour of the city.  It was very hot!  A very busy city.  Lots of stores and markets.  The second language is French so many greeting of Bonjour!  Again, wonderful people so happy to see us.  Another wonderful greeting.  We received leis that smelled amazing.  John was also the one that set up this tour.

  

Check out the feels like temperature!  This is John that set up the tours.

Then the people!  The children!  

  

  

We walked to the top to the Citidal and saw this man doing carved pieces.

 

Beautiful view from the top and area where they did a wedding ceremony demonstration, 

but we were there 1 1/2 hours before they did it so we did not stay.

  

More pictures later - need to go make a dragonfly with knots!

I have to confess I had a tough time with this one so our leader Marcel did a lot of it.

View from the Citidal

  

This is the Sultan's palace.  They are trying to refurbish it and get it recognized as a UNESCO site

  

Some narrow alleyways.  This other building you could hear prayers going on.

  

She had a math book and she was still smiling.  

I forgot to mention I asked our guide today if they had very many Covid cases.  First he didn't know what I meant.  I then said coronavirus.  Then said the sickness that pretty much shut down the world a couple of years ago.  Then he said oh yes, we had some people sick but not many cases.  

This afternoon we began sailing to Madagascar. These bubbles, in the wonderful blue water, are where there were flying fish.  Lots and lots of little flying fish today.  Then after returning from dinner tonight, I had this lovely Easter surprise waiting.  

  

4/9  Happy Easter from Madagascar!  This morning we took the zodiacs to Nosy Be.  This afternoon we took a local boat to Nosy Komba.  Both of these are in the northern part of Madagascar.  Since the only place lemurs are native is on Madagascar I was very excited to come here. On Nosy Be we went to Lemuria Land.  I expected it to be very zoo like, but there were some lemurs out and about living their best lives.  They also process ylang ylang flowers, which are used to make Chanel N 5, which was my mother's favorite.  We took a drive to a scenic spot and saw lots of interesting things on the way.  This afternoon at Nosy Komba we saw groups of black lemurs. Lots of people selling crafts.  We had a bit of rain on the way back and it was rockin' and rollin' to get off the boat.  Someone basically grabbed the front of my life jacket and pulled me on the ship.  

We had men in boats in Mozambique, but I could not understand what they were saying.  This gentleman was asking for shirts, pantaloons, big money.  A passenger did trade him shoes for 2 mangos but ended up with 2 apples.

Our greeting committee.   My Seek app said this is a Hellenia speciosa.  I'll have to verify.

  

  

The above pictures are all from Lemuri Land including the last of the ylang ylang factory.

On the way to Mt. Passot we passed they boys processing rice and they saw me taking the photo and were typical teens showing off.   The bird is a red fody.

The first young man was leading a herd of zebu down the road and the 2nd at Mt. Passot. 

The pictures below are all from the afternoon at Nosy Komba.

  

  

Female and male black lemur, native to Nosy Komba

I haven't posted any food, but here is my Easter dinner of lamb and a chocolate bunny

Goodnight!  It is now after midnight in the Seychelles our next place for snorkeling tomorrow.

4/10 8:30 am knot class with Marcel.  He had made us all bracelets the other day and today he taught us and by George I think I got it!  Saw some red-footed boobies off the ship today.  Then a short walk on Assumption to see a couple of tortoises followed by snorkeling.   Assumption is one of 115 islands of the Seychelles, which is the smallest country in Africa.  The population is just over 100,000 and 99% of that live on just 3 islands.  Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.  Of the territory of the Seychelles only .03% is land.  There are 41 granite islands and 74 coral islands.  The color of the water is beautiful and not sure the photos do it justice. 

  

These are all red-footed boobies

Male

Female

I seem to have pretty good internet and will try to upload an older video.

This was in Mozambique.  The girls seemed to enjoy showing us their skill.

4/11  We arrived at Aldabra, Seychelles today.  It is an atoll, which is a ring shaped coral reef, which surrounds water called a lagoon.  There are currently 7 people living on the atoll.  They are part of the Seychelles Island Foundation.  They do a minimum of 1 year on the island with some time off so they do not get island fever.  They do research.  This morning I snorkeled.  It was not as clear as yesterday so I didn't really get any photos.  I did see an octopus and a ray.  Some beautiful fish.  This afternoon we will do a zodiac ride through the lagoon to see nesting frigate birds and other flora and fauna.  We are here overnight and tomorrow I will do a bird walk.

  

From the zodiac and from in the water

                                                               Matt - our snorkeling guide

This afternoon's zodiac ride was nice.  Gazillions of frigate birds and red footed boobies.  Some fruit bats, terns, and other birds.  Saw turtles in the water and other zodiacs reported lemon sharks.  We had a little light rain and a rainbow.  Things are not loading and I'm not sure even this will load.  Will post pictures tomorrow.

4/12 First pictures from yesterday.

  

This is an ariel view of Aldabra.  It's so interesting.  The coral island like a ring with a lagoon in the middle.  We toured the lagoon yesterday afternoon.  I love the little island at a lower tide.  

  

  

    

  

  

Today I did a bird walk, a nature walk.  Birds, tortoises and walking carefully since it's a jagged, coral island.

Green sea turtle tracks to nest.  One of the houses the staff stays in.

  

Coconut crab and this wasn't a big one.  Really had to watch your step on the walk.

  

Common blue pigeons

  

Aldabra Drongos and a Madagascar Bulbul

 

  

A Bulbul and a hiding giant tortoise.  We did hear them mating.

More photos from my cell phone once I can upload.

Sunrise and a Madagascar turtle dove

 

Tortoise poop and a tortoise hiding

One of our expedition staff using the weights at the ranger place and an Aldabra white-throated rail

More later

  

One of my new friends who liked his neck rubbed.  I had a great photo set up of this gorgeous ibis, until Javier one of our bird leaders stepped in front of me.  🤣🤣🤣

I was naive when we moved to Arizona in 1996.  I did not know Arizona had numerous ski resorts.

I was naive when I booked my Africa trip.  I did not know Africa had gorgeous beaches like this.

Tomorrow is our last sea day.  Again up by 8 for knots with Marcel.

4/13  Likely no photos today unless I see a water creature or an unusual bird.  A busy day with my last knot class, lectures on bird conservation and World Heritage areas, painting class, crew farewell parade and I'm having dinner with Tony and Jill from Australia who are on the pole to pole voyage along with Yvonne, the painting teacher.  Tomorrow we visit the islands of Praslin and La Digue, still the Seychelles.  Then on the 15th we disembark on Mahe, Seychelles.  I will spend one night on Mahe before the beginning of my travel home the evening of the 16th. Arriving the night of the 17th.  

Many of you know I booked a World Cruise on the Silver Dawn, a classic cruise, in 2025.  I sailed on the Dawn from Rome to Venice last September and love the ship.  My other cruises have been expedition cruises and that's what this one has been.  I have decided I am more and expedition cruiser, at least if it's for a long period of time.  Two days ago I cancelled my World Cruise and booked on the 2024 Pole to Pole cruise.  I am heading back to Antarctica!  Traveling a lot of Brazil.  Here I come Ricardo for a day at Belem!  Doing a bit of the west side of Africa.  A lot of the United Kingdom.  Ending in the Artic. I have contact information for the some of the 2023 Pole to Pole cruisers to get advice when they finish.  Instead of seeing 21 new countries I will see 14 new countries.  I'm excited to visit some remote areas as we travel for 125 days.

4/14 Busy, busy day!  My photos won't load from my cell phone so hopefully the internet will be better at the hotel tomorrow so I can show more of my busy, busy day.  
This morning we took a zodiac to Praslin, Seychelles.  Then took a ferry to La Digue, Seychelles.  Then we took a truck/bus thing to the secret or remote Anse Source d'Argent beach.  It was a rock climb to get there.  Beautiful but remote.

This afternoon we took the zodiac back to Praslin and toured the UNESCO World Heritage site of Valle de Mai Nature Reserve one of the only places the coco de mer.  It has the largest seed of any plant in the world.  Then we went to another beautiful beach.  

Anse Source d'Argent beach

Female coco de mer

   

  

Green gecko                                                    Praslin snail

Seychelles Golden Orb spider. The female eats the male after the web is finished.

4/15 At the Savoy Seychelles resort.  Beautiful!  Still can't get photos from my camera so will update when I get home.  Tomorrow I will take a 12-4 tour of the island.  Leave for the airport at 5:15 pm for an 8:10 pm flight to Doha, Qatar.  Overnight in the lounge, which I hear is fabulous. A 7:45 am flight to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Cleveland.  Home late on the 17th.  Here are a couple of pictures from today.

A busy, pretty port of Mahe.  Lots of windmills.

Red Fody

Sunset

4/16  Internet is great this morning.  First pictures from the 14th. 

Transportation on La Digue     Hike on La Digue to the beach, imagine 3 times this size and twice.

From the ferry back to Praslin

  

At Valle de Mai    Female/Male coco de mer and the seed is very heavy

Male                                    Female

  

                  Jackfruit                               Beaches known for the beautiful boulders

The bottled water came from Valle de Mai

Marcel the knot teacher, astronomer, botanist and our entire Expedition team

Now a few from Mahe yesterday

Replica of Big Ben in Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles and a Myna bird

  

Carol and I went out to a local place for a Creole buffet.  We made friends that liked the fish a lot.

4/19  Got home about 1 AM yesterday and was busy or sleeping.  I had about 39 hours of travel 

time.  Mahe to Doha, Qatar to Ft. Lauderdale to Cleveland.  Spent the night in Doha in the amazing lounge.  The airport was crazy, busy at 1 AM with the shops open all night. 

The Savoy hotel in Mahe                         Dinner on the Qatar flight

 
Airport in Qatar

Views of Doha.  If you can zoom on any of the building shapes, pretty modern.  That upside down C looks like apartments with balconies. Sand for as far as I could see for a long time.  

    This would have been a shorter flight if we could have flown a straight line!  We were as far north as Iceland.

Yesterday morning I picked up this sweet, loving kitten to fatten her up to get spayed and adopted.  They named her Pipecleaner.  I call her PC, but mostly Sweetie!  Nice to travel.  Nice to be home!