Up the West Coast of Africa

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Hello! It is raining today, so I can take time out from being out in the sun on the deck. The past week has been absolutely perfect without a cloud in the sky. Hundreds and hundreds of flying fish as we make our way from Namibia to Ghana.

Back to Cape Town for a moment. I went back to Table Mountain with Hugh so he could see the view from up there. The clouds were just starting to roll in as we came down from the top. They call it the tablecloth because the clouds drape over the flat top just like a tablecloth. The rest of our time in Cape Town was spent in the area around the ship -- the Victoria and Alfred (not Albert!) Waterfront. They have shops from grocery stores to Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Jimmy Choo all under the same roof. I liked seeing black families and white families out shopping together and lots of little school kids out looking at the harbor. When we set sail after lunch on Tuesday it was with a certain amount of sadness since we had all enjoyed Cape Town so very much.

We had one day at sea and then a day in Walvis Bay, Namibia. They pronounce it Wall-fish, a leftover from their Dutch days. Mom, Hugh and I took the shuttle bus into town, but there wasn't much there. However, when we got back there were a lot of local artisans who had spread their wares out on tarps by the ship. We went a little crazy using up our South African rand -- which was accepted in Namibia -- buying necklaces and carved wooden stuff.

That afternoon Hugh and I went off on a tour of the Moon Landscape north of Walvis Bay. I should mention that most of Namibia is a desert and around Walvis Bay it was the kind we think of first: miles and miles of huge sand dunes that run right down to the sea. Really beautiful, especially when we came back in the late afternoon light which produced such sharp edges on the dunes. The moon landscape is an area in the Namib Naukluft Park which was carved out by water like the Grand Canyon only less sharply. Lots of different colors and not a speck of plantlife anywhere. There was some drilling for uranium going on, hwever. Right in the middle of this vast emptiness, we drove up to a big white tent where a feast including champagne and grilled oysters awaited us. Getting out of the bus we were hit by 100 degree super dry heat. But the non-stop wind made it actually quite comfortable. That morning on the ship it had been less than 60 degrees, so it was a bit of a shock. After the "snack" we stopped further on to look at some Welwitschia plants which can grow to be 1500-2000 years old -- and only have two leaves. The only place in the world they are found is here. Pretty ugly plants, but still fascinating.

Friday and Saturday were days at sea. We have excellent entertainment on board this segment: a clarinet/saxophone & piano duo; a good comedian; a pop-music cellist (!!!); a Scottish woman who plays the fiddle and sings a cappella; and a singer who once played the Phantom in the West End. He's rather like Liberace -- complete with a purple tux with tails and pink bowtie and cumberbund last night! We are enjoying them all.

Mom and I are finally well, by the way.

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