The World Will Be One

Ghana was our next stop up the Western coast of Africa. Ghana was a significant stop for me because my daughter-in-law (and soon-to-be a Mom) has volunteered her time and skills as a nurse in Ghana many times over the years to help care for those in desperate need of medical attention and surgery. In Ghana, medical care is a luxury most can not afford. People will line up for days to have the opportunity to see a Doctor and have needed surgery. The added bonus for them is to be under Trisha's warm, nurturing and experienced care.  It was important for me to feel what it is like to be here. She loves Ghana and the work she does here. It is a priveledge, she says. It was like coming home.

Exiting the ship, the first thing I noticed was the humidity. I felt drenched immediately. Staying dry or feeling cool was not in the cards today. It felt like I was sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley, in August, in the sun, 94 degrees, 98% humidity, and no breeze. Here we had  an air conditioned bus and clean windows. For joy! We are not in Togo anymore. Ghana is the largest city closest to the Equator. 25 million residents are feeling the humidity .... 25 million and me.

Togo

Togo is on the West coast of Africa. It boarders Ghana to the West and Benin to the East. It is about twice the size of Maryland, a tiny little guy. When I see it on a map it reminds me of a Lego block, long, rectangular, and thin. Togo is one of those places where, after my visit, I had no energy to write about it. It was too much, too heavy, and I could not put words to what I saw, felt, or learned. I just wanted to post the pictures and say "This tells it all". They do, and that would have worked. But now I am forcing myself to deal with words. The kids wanted me to blog .... so let's give it a try.

Almost Benin

We ALMOST made it to Cotonou, Benin today. Just when we signaled "Hi We are Here!", we learned another ship was settled comfortably in our berth. 'The ship is having engine problems.  It will be just a minute.', turned into a five hour wait. From 'The ship is heading out now' to 'The (offending) ship just dropped an engine' to 'We are awaiting a Pilot', to 'Pilot will be here soon!', to 'The boat is being towed from the berth.  We will dock within an hour.' .... When they ran out of excuses, a huge storm with winds of 50 knots enveloped us and dumped, and just dumped again,  a ton of rain. Maybe this port just wasn't meant to be. The next excuse was 'We can only dock if the winds are under 20 knots'. We bobbed and waited till the cows came home today. The storm was beautiful. Benin was so close, just unreachable for us.  At  1:30 PM the Captain finally picked up his toys and called it a day. What was nice to see was how the ship handled 500 anxious people with nothing to do. They set up some group games, started a BINGO game, arranged a 'pre-lunch-early-bird' show with a head singer and the band, extended breakfast, and started lunch early. Food seems to comfort the masses here. All tours were cancelled. The weather somewhat cleared but with unpaved roads touring may have been a nightmare. We turned our ship and headed North for our next adventure Lome, Togo. We missed seeing a village on stilts and some pretty big mosquitoes. But, tomorrow is another day, another adventure.

Happy Birthday M!

Flight to Sossusvlei & Swakopmund

 In Walvis Bay we treated ourselves to a two hour flight to the Sossusvlei Desert, one of the most scenic, dramatic nature reserves in Africa. I had read about the beauty of the sand dunes here and just had to see them for myself. The area is situated in the Namib-Naukluft Park and is one of the biggest parks in all of Africa. Some of the highest dunes in the world are here and, as you can imagine, they change constantly with the shifting winds. I should have read the tour highlights a little better.

Treasures in the Namib Desert

" 'The land God made in Anger' because of its stark surreal landscapes, untamed wilderness, and harsh environment. Be prepared for sand dunes that roar, rumble, and wander; shipwreck-littered, barren coastlines; some of the most desolate and spectacular scenery in the world; vast deserts; and many unique plants and animals." This was the description written about Walvis Bay, Nambia in our Passages. I could not write anything better or more descriptive then this. We were not ready, not aware, and had no knowledge of a place called Nambia before our arrival here. Having visited for an overnight, it is a place we will never forget. Nambia is famous for its diamonds , deserts (some of the highest dunes in the world) and shipwrecks around the desolate Skeleton Coast.

Cape Town

We arrived in Cape Town about an hour before the ship arrived. We found a great little restaurant with a water front table overlooking the port, ordered lunch and beer, (yes, we BOTH ordered a BEER!) and watched the ship sail in and dock. David turned his head for a quarter of a second and a pigeon took the opportunity to dive into David's plate and steal one of his shrimp. Fast little guy. After that we both just hovered a bit closer to our lunch.

Out in the WILD ...... Singita at Lebombo

The most anticipated portion of this cruise for me was our Safari in Kruger National Park.

"Singita" means place of miracles. If you are looking for pure luxury, in a world-class ecological environment where the lodge philosophy is ' to be one with nature, to learn, and to touch the earth lightly' here is where it is found.

No lions or tigers or bears....but we got Hippos Richards Bay

After three days at sea, we finally docked and were able to walk on land..  Africa! Heart of Zulu land!  We are so far from home it just blows me away.  We had huge storms in the last 20 hours or so.  Our glass and mirror-like ocean turned ugly with wind, white caps, waves and rain slicing the air sideways.

Reunion

Just as we were about to leave the Seychelles, we received a PA from Captain Dag telling us that we will be changing or ships course because of the high chatter and recent pirate activities in the area. With the monsoons over, pirates are active once again. These smart guys tried to capture a US Naval ship and were blown out of the water. As we were leaving the Seychelles, they boldly captured another tanker in Seychelles waters. These kinds of activities continue in these waterways and the pirates are getting bolder and attacking further from shore. The Captain was told in no uncertain terms that he would be crazy to continue to Mombassa or Zanzibar.

Wheels on the Bus....Mauritius

7 hours off the boat in Mauritius. One hour bus ride to a boat then 15 minutes to an island. Isle Aux Cerfs, a gorgeous island all taken up by a resort type facility. Clean sandy beaches, parasailing, scenic boat rides, scuba diving and snorkeling, with beach boys getting us fries and cokes….or chilled wine buckets, if we wished. Of course it was wonderful. Sybaritic! But it was the 1 hour bus ride that was the most interesting. It was a bus ride in which we looked at other buses. Sugar cane....and buses.

Seychelles

 

We have just completed another two sea days that just seem to top all others. Just when I say it can't get beter, it does. Why is that? How can that be? you might ask.... It is so hard to put in words. I am sitting here in the Seychelles, looking out my desk window while my windows are being washed thinking about the last 4 days on the ship