Totally Lazy in Luanda - November 30

Even before the unpleasantness in Durban and the letter we received yesterday, I had not planned to do anything in Angola.  I took a tour in 2018 that covered the main sights of the city.  So, today I did virtually nothing - knitted, crocheted, read, and talked with friends.

Departure was supposed to be at 5pm but the food supplies had not arrived on the dock until 3, so it took a while to load everything on.  We left after 6.

All present for dinner but I skipped the show and walked a little on deck.

Three sea days ahead.

7pm trivia - I had 12 out of 18, three teams tied with 16

1.  What are female elephants called?

2.  How many sides does a banana have?

3.  In what country was the game Snakes and Ladders invented?

4.  Is the wavelength of infrared light too long or too short to be seen by the human eye?

5.  Crocodiles have no sweat glands.  How do they release heat?

1.  cows

2.  5

3.  India

4.  too long

5.  through their mouths

Smooth sailing until next time!

Welcoming committee

Below pictures of the city from the deck of the ship

 The water by the dock was like a garbage heap.

oil ?

one shoe (looks like a Croc) floating by the ship

garbage of all kinds (this was right by the ship)

Above and below - provisions being brought on - don't want to run out of beer!

The gingerbread fairy decorated the Lido

A Five-Star Day - November 29

Why was it a five-star day?  Yesterday was my 500-day mark, which means I am now a Five-Star Mariner in HAL's loyalty program.  I received a card on my door to come get my new key card.  There isn't a lot more perks being 5* than 4*.  You get "up to $30" credit toward an internet package, a free day pass to the Thermal Suite at the spa, and (the best in my opinion) two free dinners in Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, or Tamarind.  

The weather has finally turned warm again with a high around 80 degrees.  Instead of crafts, I went for a swim.  The water was warmer than bath water, so it was not refreshing.  There were also too many people in the pool for me to do laps.

After 4pm trivia, I sat out on one of the deck chairs on the Promenade deck and crocheted for a little and then walked my laps around the deck.

Everyone present for dinner and we discussed the situation in Luanda, Angola.  We received a very detailed letter about being careful ashore.  I am not going anywhere by myself and may not even get off the ship.

Finally nice enough for an evening stroll around the deck.

Luanda tomorrow.

1pm trivia (very hard) - we had 6 out of 18 and two teams had 9

1.  Zythology is the study of what?

2.  For what crime was Paul McCartney deported from Germany?

3.  How many time zones in Cuba?

4.  What is the most mentioned beverage during prime-time TV in the US and Canada?

5.  What was the name of the ice cream released by Baskin-Robbins in 1969 to commemorate the moon walk?

1.  the study of beer

2.  arson

3.  one

4.  coffee

5.  Lunar Cheesecake

4pm trivia - We had 9 out of 17 and the winning team had 10

1.  How many states does Mexico have?

2.  What is a group of polar bears called?

3.  Chorizo sausage originated in which country?

4.  What is the second longest river in the world?

5.  What is alektorophobia the fear of?

1.  32

2.  sleuth

3.  Spain

4.  Amazon

5.  chickens

Smooth sailing until next time!

Five-star notice

letter about Luanda

Christmas decorations continue to multiply

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - November 28

Christmas decorations are popping up all over the ship and it is looking very festive.

Nothing new or different today with my usual schedule. 

The weather remains cool and cloudy.  When I made my afternoon walk, I needed my raincoat (the warmest thing I brought) but the wind was not as chilly as a couple of days ago.

Tonight was a "Dressy" night with a special menu.  The show tonight was the singer, Selim Kagee, again.

Another sea day tomorrow (which will likely be much like today).

1pm trivia - we had 14 out of 18 and the winning team had 16 

1.  Where were the 2002 Winter Olympics held?

2.  Which Beatle crossed the road first on the Abbey Road album?

3.  The original Rapunzel did not have a happy ending.  What was Rapunzel turned into?

4.  What major company filed for bankruptcy in 2001?

5.  When was the last year that the summer and winter Olympics were held in the same year?

1.  Salt Lake City

2.  John

3.  frog

4.  Enron

5.  1992

4pm trivia - We had 11 out of 17 and two teams tied with 14

1.  In which U.S. state is it illegal for a chicken to cross the road?

2.  What is a slang word for a British pound?

3.  If you are born on October 1, what is your star sign?

4.  Who is the villain in Disney's The Little Mermaid?

5.  What is the name of the sloth in Ice Age?

1.  Georgia

2.  quid

3.  Libra

4.  Ursula

5.  Sid

Thanks to those who reminded me I forgot to give the answer to one of the questions on yesterday's trivia.  It has been fixed.

Smooth sailing until next time!

Dressy Night Menu

 

A Day at the Mall in Walvis Bay, Namibia- November 27

Namibia is another country that requires us to have a face-to-face meeting with the immigration officers.  Unlike in South Africa, the immigration people came on board to process us. When I was here in 2018, I took a tour that went to Swakopmund, Dune 7, and the lagoon with the flamingoes.  There was nothing else I wanted to see.

My friend Judy (Lee) had not been off the ship for some time since her husband has been sick then she became sick.  She needed to get on dry (and since the desert is all around us, very dry) land.  There really is nothing much but houses (you can read my description in the April 7 entry of my 2018 blog) in town, so we took the shuttle to the Dunes Mall which was fairly new in 2018.  It was the place to be.  Lots and lots of people, some grocery shopping, some Christmas shopping, everywhere.  We ended up each buying some clothing (like I didn't bring enough).

The other stop of the shuttle was at the waterfront.  There are a few restaurants (although none looked open) and a souvenir shop and a few stalls of local crafts.  We looked around for a bit and then got on the shuttle.  We thought it was going directly back to the ship but it was actually going to the mall, so we rode back to the mall and then finally back to the ship.

It was then about 2:30 and we were both hungry, so we ended up at the taco bar for lunch.  The ship still had its air conditioning on although it was cloudy and only 61 degrees outside and I couldn't warm up.  Eventually, I decided to get a hot chocolate which finally warmed me up and I could take my coat off.  I'm sure in a few days as we head north to the equator I will be wishing for cooler weather.

I played 7:00 trivia alone - there were very few people there.  None of my tablemates came to dinner so I ate with Bob and Judy.

The show tonight was the Black Melody Cultural Group that performed Namibian songs and dances.  From my pictures, it looks like the same group we saw in 2018 but it had a different name and performed different songs.

We gain an hour tonight and then two sea days.

7pm trivia - I had 12 out of 17 and the winning team had 15.

1.  What is the only country beginning with "Y"?

2.  What is a group of caterpillars called?

3.  The island country of Fiji is in which ocean?

4.  Rosanna and Africa were songs by which American rock band?

5.  What is the mountain in Lord of the Rings that the One Ring must be thrown in?

6.  Which two teams have won the most Super Bowls?

1.  Yemen

2.  army

3.  Pacific

4.  Toto

5.  Mount Doom

6.  Patriots and Steelers (believe it or not, I got that one right!)

Smooth sailing until next time!

Christmas decorations at the mall

We saw one lonely flamingo at the waterfront

From tonight's show

It's Time for a Free Drink (or two) - November 26

In the morning announcements, Erica let us know that because of our missed port today, there would be an open bar (at all the bars) from noon to 1pm.  Needless to say, everyone took advantage of it, even if it was only for soft drinks.  I had two but the second one was very weak so I was not loopy all afternoon. 

Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary during the day - I did my usual routine with one exception.  Normally I walk a mile on the Promenade deck around 5 pm.  Believe it or not, it was too chilly to walk outside (60 degrees but with a strong wind).  I didn't bring cold weather clothes - they are coming in my second luggage shipment for the world cruise.  So, instead I walked inside twice around decks 6 and 7 and four times around deck 3 between the forward and aft elevators.  I noticed that there is a quarantine section on deck 6 with the last 10 cabins on the port side blocked off.

All were present for dinner and I went to the show afterwards.  Selim Kagee was the singer and had a great voice.

Walvis Bay, Namibia tomorrow.

1pm trivia - We had 14 out of 18 and the winning team had 16.

1.  How many inches can a crocodile stick out its tongue?

2.  What medical condition kept William Blount from riding horseback to the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

3.  What was 60s super model Twiggy's real name?

4.  What was the code name for the German plan to invade Britain?

5.  Which Rogers and Hammerstein musical is the most performed by high schools in the U.S.?

1.  0

2.  hemorrhoids

3.  Leslie Hornby

4.  Operation Sea Lion

5.  Oklahoma

4pm trivia was repeat questions about Africa, so I am not posting any of them.

Smooth sailing until next time!

 

A "Not Very Good" News Day - November 25

Jeremy usually makes announcements at 9:30 each sea day.  Today Erica made the announcements and she quickly explained why.  Jeremy has tested positive for Covid, so he will be confined for most of the next week.

The second news came from the Captain in his noon update.  Because of high winds, it would be dangerous to tender tomorrow so the port of Luderitz, Namibia has been canceled.  There are some unhappy people onboard. 

We had our second Cruise Critic Meet and Greet this morning.  It was a good turnout for a second one.  

Not much else new or different other than those things.  

All of us were present for dinner and we heard about the safari Sherry and Pete went on and the trip to Aquila Game Reserve that Judy and Bob did.

I heard some negative reviews of the comedian and since I usually don't care much for them anyway, I skipped the show.

1pm trivia - We had 11 out of 18 and the winning team had 16.

1.  Which country has more lakes than all other countries combined?

2.  Which African country has the highest population?

3.  What African country did Winston Churchill call "The Pearl of Africa"?

4.  Which country invented gin?

5.  What is the capital of Scotland?

1.  Canada

2.  Nigeria

3.  Uganda

4.  Netherlands

5.  Edinburgh

In 4 pm trivia, we had to decide if the statement was a fact or an urban myth.  We had 13 out of 17 and 3 teams had 14.

1.  Marilyn Monroe had 11 toes.

2.  A French cow was convicted of murder and condemned to be hanged and burned at the stake.

3.  Barbara Walters, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Anne Frank were all born the same year.

4.  Some scientists that work with cockroaches become allergic to unground coffee.

5.  Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

1.  Urban myth

2.  Fact

3.  Fact

4.  Fact

5.  Urban myth

Smooth sailing until next time!

Any idea what this is?  It was on deck 3.  Below is what was on it.

A HO-HO Day in Cape Town - November 24 

My original plan had been to walk to the CBD and look around but Jeremy said in his port talk that you should take a taxi if you were going there.  After my recent incidence, I decided to do the Hop on-Hop off bus instead.

There was a desk in the cruise terminal to buy the ticket and it was an inexpensive 275 Rand (about $16).  The closest pick-up point was across the street just pass the Radisson Red where we will be staying in March.  As I normally do, I made one complete loop around.  We drove through the CBD, through Bo-Kaap and up to the cable car that goes up Table Mountain.  The view was spectacular so I didn't feel the need to go up on the cable car.  We continued on to the other side of the mountain and through the communities of Camps Bay, Clifton, Bantry Bay, Seal Point and were then back to the Victoria Wharf area.  

Since it was getting close to noon, I was hungry and decided that I would find something in the V&A Food Market.  I settled on a "rolla" that had beef, mozarella cheese, tomatoes, avocado, creme fraiche, and rocket salad.  It was delicious.  Lunch was slightly more expensive than yesterday - about $8.25.

I then boarded the bus again and rode to the CBD where I got off.  Once again, the downtown area was very disappointing.  I was thinking it would be like Sydney or Auckland but except for the historic buildings, it was disappointing.  I hopped on the next HOHO bus and did the loop again back to Victoria Wharf.  I spent some time looking around but again did not buy anything.

When I got back to the terminal, we had to go through the immigration process and once we had done that, we had to get on the ship and could not get back off.  Although sail-away was not scheduled until 11pm, everyone had to be back on board by 8:30.

Two of my trivia team came for the 7pm game and we were joined by another man whose team did not show.  Then on to dinner to find out that nobody else at my table was there.  Judy and Bob invited me to join them for Thanksgiving dinner.  HAL had tried to decorate a little for the event.

There was no show tonight.

Sea day tomorrow.

7pm trivia - We had 14 out of 18 and the winning team had 15.  It had a movie theme.

1.  Who was the first Disney Princess to have a tattoo?

2.  How many Oscars has Meryl Streep won?

3.  In what 1959 Marilyn Monroe movie was the last line, "Well, nobody's perfect"?

4.  In Speed, why was Annie's driver's license taken away?

5.  What was the name of the Los Angeles hotel featured in Pretty Woman?

1.  Pocahontas

2.  3

3.  Some Like It Hot

4.  speeding

5.  Beverly Wiltshire

Smooth sailing until next time!

Although it is a bit of a walk out of the terminal, all you have to do is "follow the yellow brick road".

Left - a silo converted into a museum  Right - ????

Bartolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer

tribute to the soldiers of WWI, WWII, and Korea

above and below are pictures of the CBD

Table Mountain cable cars

view into town - can you spot the Zaandam?

Pictures along the Bay

behind the trees is the stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Beautiful housing and not so beautiful

A few more pictures from the Victoria Wharf area

where I had lunch

the four South African Nobel Prize winners

Albert Lutuli, Desmond Tutu, F.W. de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela

much prettier view than yesterday

Pictures from the Thanksgiving Dinner in the Dining Room