A BIG BEAUTIFUL TUNA FOR LUNCH AND DINNER IN THE LAUNDRY!!

We arrived in the Maldive Capital of Male and it was quite fascinating.  Unlike some other places where we can head to a beach with a cooler packed with refreshements, this island city has only one small artificial beach (sand brought in from the atolls) that was created for the locals and it is a strictly muslim country so no alcohol is allowed ... anywhere! 

 

We were looking forward  to experiencing what most tourists visiting the Maldives never get to see.  A one square mile island teeming with people, motor bikes and tuk tuks!  We saw virtually no women except for a few who darted furtively to and from fruit and vegetable stands making their purchases.  They were covered totally in traditional muslim dress and we were warned that we must wear conservative clothing and not be surprised if men spat at us as we wandered through the streets because our heads were not covered.  Fortunately, that did not happen. There were no female vendors or salespeople but the men were happy to wait on us. 

 

Most tourists arrive here and are whisked off to various exotic and expensive island resorts for their holidays. Booze is apparently available there and the dress code is quite different.   But we had a chance to see how the citizens really live and were informed that they are not allowed to go to those resorts unless they are employed there. 

 

As you may have read, there was recently a non-violent takeover of the Maldive Government, but happily we did not see any problems and Molise and I bargained and shopped for several hours. We managed to pick up a few souvenirs for friends and family back home.

 

Sujith and his trusty crew also purchased a beautiful yellow fin tuna which we enjoyed at the pool the following afternoon.  I've included a photo of the fish's head which we learned had been given to the crew to make a much appreciated stew for their dinner that night. 

 

Our friend Catherine from Singapore invited us to lunch in Sri Lanka on the next port day.  We have been to Columbo twice before and visited all the museums and temples on those occasions so we were happy to go along with some friends of hers who sent a car to take us for a lovely Sri Lankan meal.  Our friend James as well as Peter and Pru and Niels and Molise were invited as well and we all enjoyed the experience.  Good food and very nice local beer. 

 

I think I've included a shot of Ken behind the pool bar with Sonja, the head bartender, who was teaching him how to make a special drink!  Can't remember what it was and I'm sure he doesn't either.

 

And then we had our dinner in the laundry along with six other World Cruisers!!  What good fun!  We had cocktails in the crew bar (a place Ken has wanted to visit since our first voyage with Silversea in 2007) and then descended into the laundry room on Deck 2 where the staff, who take such great care of our clothes, all greeted us with huge smiles. The place was decorated with fans, lanterns and a dragon head (as you can see from the photos) and then the meal was prepared for us right there on hot plates.  It was delicious and great fun!!  Captain Corsaro seems to enjoy these events where many of his amazing crew are involved, particularly those who don't get a chance to interact with the passengers.  Based on their smiles and enthusiasm, I think they love it too.  A totally delightful evening!

 

I am a bit behind in blogging because we have already been to Chennai (formerly Madras) and the Andeman Islands.  I will write about those experiences at a later date.  Today was a busy one getting up at 7:30 a.m. and gathering our group together to create a dress for the "fancy dress competition".  You will laugh when you see the photos.  We made a bridal gown for Peter ... Ken was the groom and we had a Vicar and Bridesmaid.  Can you guess who they were???

 

Must close now and get dressed for a formal birthday dinner in Le Champagne for Pauline Speed.  Will write again after Phuket tomorrow and try to catch up.  Before we know it, we'll be in Singapore and many friends will disembark.   

 

Ciao for now

 

D & K

OUTRUNNING A CYCLONE and OUTSMARTING PIRATES

Although we haven't blogged in a while, it's not because we are bored and have had nothing to do!  It's been an interesting week!

 

As I mentioned before, our trip to Madagascar was shortened slightly because of a bad cyclone heading directly for that island.  We got away and at full steam managed to avoid the worst of it. Only one day of heavy rain and rough seas. Later reports confirm that it was a bad one and knocked out all their power and closed the airport and all shipping for several days.  One of our World Cruise passengers stayed on the island because he is building two schools there and had business to take care of.  We learned yesterday that he finally made it out and will rejoin us in Sri Lanka.  His original intention was to re-board in Mauritius but couldn't get there before we left.

 

As you can see from the pictures, there's not much happening in Madagascar.  It's a beautiful island but the people are extremely poor and it was quite disconcerting the way everyone mobbed us as we got off the shuttle bus in town.  In fact, most people were so distressed that they returned to the safety of the Whisper immediately.  The mountain view photos were taken in Mauritius.  That is a beautiful and prosperous place but unfortunately, our visit there was short.

 

The next day, Captain Corsaro called all passengers together for a meeting to explain that there had been some pirate activity reported on our route to the Maldives.  As a result, he was instituting special safety measures that included night blackouts and a deviation in our original sailing course.  He assured everyone that the ship was equipped with any and all security measures that might be required in the event of any pirate attempt.  He would not elaborate on the specifics except to say we needn't worry and that the crew would be able to repel any unwanted visitors.  We were given instructions about moving into the corridors and staying there should an incident occur. 

 

So, for the next four days and nights we sailed without deck lights and the curtains tightly closed in our cabins.  Needless to say, we encountered no problems and life aboard the Whisper went on as usual as you can see from the last photo of a dinner at Hot Rocks on one of those blackout nights.   

 

90 passengers disembarked in Mauritius and 70 "newbies" got on.  Among the new arrivals is a young Russian couple who are the talk of the ship.  She is a bit "pudgy" but wears a thong bathing suit that has everyone chattering.  His suit is not much bigger and some people are quite offended. I think they are oblivious to the whole thing.

 

Our calendar is filling up and we have many events to look forward to.  The longer we sail the more of this ship we get to see because now the Captain has invited us to join him on Deck 2 in the laundry area where we will be served food prepared by the Chinese laundry staff.  That should be an interesting evening!  

 

In the meantime, I gather the weather at home is good.  We hope you are all well too. 

 

K & D 

 

     

 

 

 

 

ON SAFARI - DAY 2

Our second day at Phinda began with a 5 a.m. wake up call and we dressed quickly in order to have a coffee before joining our guides and trackers.    It was a very early night for everyone and a light but steady rain that had fallen during the night had cleared.  I forgot to mention that once night falls at camp, you are not allowed to walk anywhere unless accompanied by a staff member.  We were told that lions can sometimes be on the prowl and in fact we learned that a woman had been eaten by one many years ago.  

 

Jonty and Tim informed us that we would be attempting to find lions that morning and so we headed off just as the sun was coming up.  A mother lion with two ten month old cubs had been spotted the previous day and they were determined that we would not leave camp without seeing them.  After driving for about 45 minutes, Tim found signs that we were close and we cruised slowly until they found the mother lying in some foliage.  We watched her for a while hoping she would move out but Jonty decided we would attempt to locate the cubs who would be nearby.  As you can see from the photos, we found one of them stalking a herd of wildebeast.  She was not bothered by our presence and it was fascinating to watch her graceful movements as she moved carefully and silently in the direction of her prey.  

 

After a few more minutes our experts pointed out that the mother was on the move again and we watched as she returned to the carcass of her morning kill.  She had dragged the partially eaten animal under a tree so the buzzards wouldn't get at it and we were informed it was also a wildebeast.  I didn't include a picture of the bloody remains but I do have one.  We also told him we didn't need to watch what the cub was about to do so we moved on.

 

A visit to a nearby watering hole revealed a herd of  hippos as they moved lazily in the water.  Jonty began to make strange noises and we were amused as they all began to answer.  It sounds like a croaky laugh and we all had a good chuckle as a chorus of hippos responded to him.  A large crocodile came into view and we saw him catch a fish for his morning meal.  All the vehicles met up again and we had coffee or tea and biscuits and shared our morning viewing stories which for us had also included more rhinos, zebra, giraffes and a large zebra tortoise spotted trying to cross one of the dirt tracks that pass for roads on the reserve. 

 

After returning to the lodge and packing up, we were served a huge breakfast complete with bloody Marys for those who wanted them.  I think I've included a shot of our bungalow and the Nyala who were resting near it.  They are quite tame on the property and reluctantly moved to clear the path for us.

 

As I mentioned in the first report, it was an amazing experience and we all agreed that we were lucky to have seen so many different species in just two animal drives.  It was worth every penny we spent on it.

 

Returning to the ship in Richard's Bay was only a 90 minute drive during which a light rain began again.  Sadly, we learned that the African party on the ship's deck the night before had been rained out.  Everyone was disappointed as they had been shopping for days for African clothing and jewellery to wear at the event.  The elegant dining room must have looked funny with all the costumed passengers!

 

Pru and I were sharing our safari stories with some other passengers that evening and reported the fact that we had not seen any snakes.  Peter then informed us that he and Ken had blocked our view of a sign posted at the front of the Lodge that said "Venomous snakes and insects may be found throughout the property.  Management accepts no liability for their presence".  Had we seen it, I doubt we would have been so relaxed during our stay! 

 

This morning we docked in Port Dauphin, Madagascar.  A beautiful but very poor island that reminds one of Haiti.  The visit was cut short because of an approaching cyclone that our Captain is trying to outrun.  He has warned us that it will be a rough night with swells up to 15 feet.  The cabin staff have battened down the hatches in our room and seasick pills are being generously passed around.  We've been very lucky with no storms so far so I guess it's time.

 

Hope you enjoy this latest batch of photos.  We feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience.  A full day at sea tomorrow and we've decided to stay in our cabin for dinner tonight. 

 

Ciao for now

D & K 

ON SAFARI - DAY 1 PHOTOS

These photos are additional to the text in On Safari - Day 1, posted previously.  Day 2 to follow tomorrow.   

 

D & K

ON SAFARI - DAY 1

This has been an incredible experience  and I have so many photos that I will have to break it down into 3  separate sections.  They will be labelled Day 1; Day 1 Photos; and Day 2.

 

When I last wrote, I said we were docked in Richard's Bay.  That was incorrect - we were in English Bay. That evening we sailed to Durban where we left the ship and drove for three hours to reach the outer gates of Phinda Game Reserve.  This is an absolutely amazing place owned and operated by the Getty Foundation.  The animals in this post are a sampling of just what we saw from the bus before we arrived at the inner gates where we were met by our Driver/Guides and transferred to Toyota Land Cruisers for the final 5 kilometer trip to the Lodge.  

 

We were greeted by friendly staff with cold towels, frosty drinks and a delicious lunch as our luggage was delivered to our bungalows.  You can see from the pictures that there was nothing primitive about our accommodations and we were impressed to note that each of the individual cottages was strategically situated for complete privacy.  No bathing suits required when using your outdoor plunge pool!  The only prying eyes were monkeys swinging from the trees who would occasionally perch on the railing.

 

After unpacking and enjoying a bit of refreshement from our fully stocked bar, we gathered in the main lodge and headed for the vehicles to go on our first game drive at 4 p.m.  In the Day 1 Photos, you will see that on that first afternoon and evening we saw Zebra, Rhino, Warthogs, Wildebeast, Giraffe, Cheeta, Impala, Elephants, and Nyala. 

 

The vehicles carry six people plus the Driver/Guide and a Tracker.  Our driver was Jonty and our Zulu tracker was Tim. We were amazed at how well they could read the signs and get us right to the animals.  And it was incredible that we could get so close to the animals without spooking them by our presence.  Jonty explained that they are quite familiar with the shape of the vehicles but we should never stand up to take a photo because that presents a deviation to the shape they are accustomed to and they will run or charge.  Peter and Pru and Ken and I obeyed the instructions but of course the other couple with us kept breaking the rule until we all let them know we were not amused!  There is a good reason why the the guides keep a rifle handy as we were to understand when a group of elephants decided to charge our vehicle and we had to make a hasty retreat!

 

While the vehicles all go their separate ways on this vast property, the drivers maintain contact via radio and as the sun began to set we all met for a very civilized gin and tonic at a pre-arranged location before getting in another hour of viewing and then heading back to the lodge for dinner.  We were all in bed by 11:00 p.m. to get some sleep before our 5 a.m. wake up call for the sunrise animal drive. 

 

The next post will just be photos of the animals sighted on that first day.  No text required except to say I have tried to include shots where you can get an idea of how close we were to these amazing creatures. I will send a description and photos of the Day 2 sights but right now we have to go for lunch with Captain Corsaro and other World Cruisers. 

 

Hope you enjoy them.

 

D & K

P.S.  The good news is that we did not see a single snake!!  I know there must have been some but they kept themselves well hidden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAPETOWN, S.A.

Calm seas and plenty of sunshine greeted us in this beautiful harbour.  The Port had just re-opened after being closed for two days because of high winds.  The only problem we had was  a bit of ship congestion and a shortage of pilots which delayed our docking and immigration clearance by about an hour.  By 2 p.m. the temperature was a steamy 37C!!  Weather conditions can change here in minutes which we were to experience a few days later as we departed .  But I will get to that.

 

The city itself is lovely and we were all impressed by its cleanliness, wide streets and architecture which is a mix of old colonial and modern new highrises.  We hired a car and driver who took us to Tabletop Mountain where the view of the ocean and city is breathtaking!  The beauty of the wine country is also quite stunning and the people are all friendly and helpful. 

 

On our second day, we were invited by Mike and Linda to join them for lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the harbour.  The temperature soared to 40.7C or 105F which made the cold white wine a necessity.  The last photo shows Catherine (Singapore), Mike & Linda (California) and of course Peter and Pru who came aboard that day. 

 

On our final day in port, we headed off to the Green Square Market and wandered around looking for some African trinkets for the grandchildren which I hope they'll like.  I also managed to finally send them some postcards.  I've been a bit lazy in that department.

 

Pru's brother, who lives in Capetown half the year, came aboard for lunch and it was very nice to meet him.  The afternoon flew by and suddenly we were reminded that sailing time was 6 p.m. so we headed off to our cabin to change for a sail away party on the pool deck.  We got there just as we were pulling away from the dock and were shocked to see that the view was completely hidden by thick, dense fog!  An amazing change in just a few minutes. The Captain told us later that ten minutes after we left, the harbour was closed again so we were quite lucky to get out. 

 

Yesterday we learned that we would be making an unscheduled stop in Port Elizabeth to pick up three containers filled with meat and fresh vegetables.  Because of the two day port closure in Capetown, they had to be re-routed so we pulled into Port Elizabeth at about 7 p.m. and left again at 10:30 p.m.  That was a rather expensive pickup but with more than $300,000.00 worth of supplies at risk, it had to be done.  No passengers were allowed to disembark and we all carried on with dinner and the usual late night partying.  Ken organized a "Greet the Meat" party and I'm sure the local dockworkers were amused by all these guys in tuxedos saluting and cheering as they unloaded the stuff.  Sujith and his crew enjoyed it!

 

Today we are in Richards Bay but just until 1:30 p.m.  It's really a drop off for many who are going on safari for a couple of days.  We will be leaving the ship in Durban tomorrow morning for our visit to the Phinda Private Game Reserve.  Check it out at www.andbeyond.com .  The accommodations look great and we are looking forward to it. 

 

I will write again after we get back and hopefully I'll have some good pictures to share.  We have been taking our malaria pills for a couple of days now and must remember to pack our bug spray.  It should be good fun.

 

We'll spend a quiet day at the pool resting up for our big adventure tomorrow morning. 

 

Keep well and keep in touch. 

 

D & K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAMIBIA - DINNER ON THE DESERT

As I write this, it is just after 5 p.m. in our part of the world - seven hours ahead of Toronto.  We lost an hour almost every day of our crossing to the African coast.  We sailed out of Walvis Bay, Namibia at 1 p.m. this afternoon and the seas have now turned a bit rough as we make our way to Cape Town where we will arrive on Saturday.  Apparently the weather is expected to be warmer there.

Our dinner on the desert was a great experience!  We had been warned that it would be cool and so we dressed accordingly and although the trip from the port to Dune Number 7 was a bit boring, our little caravan arrived at the designated spot in less than an hour.  Our driver took a paved road until about the last mile but returning to the ship, with a different driver, we were subjected to a mostly "washboard" dessert track the entire way back.  We don't know if he was trying to punish us or just wasting time because it took about twice as long.

It was a great evening!  As you can see from the pictures, some of us got to ride camels before dinner and I must say they were much cleaner and better tempered than the ones in Jordan a few years ago.  Mine was a handsome fellow named Frankie and he behaved quite well.  It's always a bit frightening when they get up or down though because you find yourself hanging on for dear life in order not to pitch forward and fall off when the back legs are up and the front ones are down. 

We were entertained by a talented local choir and some fiery dancers and of course the tents were quite glamorous.  The food was good but I passed on the Kudoo which we were told was antelope.  Those who ate it said it reminded them of venison but I was happy to stick to chicken and lamb.  The Namibian beer we chose over wine was delicious too. 

Back on the ship we headed to the pool deck for a bit of disco dancing and finally wandered off to bed about midnight as things were winding down.  We all agreed that it had been a very nice event. 

The actual town of Walvis Bay was clean and prosperous but without much character.  The people are attractive and as this part of Namibia was once held by the British, they drive on the left. Modern shopping malls abound rather than individual stores that might carry something unique to that part of the world so we purchased nothing at all.  Apparently there is very good sport fishing nearby. 

So now we are looking forward to Cape Town. That should be very interesting and we'll be happy to see Peter and Pru coming aboard on Sunday. 

We hear the weather back home has been mild and still not much snow.  Hope everyone is well ... we certainly are!

Ciao for now 

D & K