Monday, Mar 6. Two viewing drives plus a fascinating visit to a rhino orphanage. They had five babies. The setup was interesting in that they didn’t advertise their existence over fear of poachers. The manager asked that we not place photos on social media that could reveal its location. I bought some souvenirs, partly to contribute.
Driving down into the lower escarpment has quickly become tedious. Slow, with little to see.
In the afternoon we encountered several very friendly rhinos. One came right up to the truck to rub his horn against the step immediately below me. The truck shook. When another approached a wheel, the driver quickly backed us up. Punching a hole in tire was a real possibility.
The lake below our lodge was advertised to have hippos. Haven’t seen one; Also, the literature about this Reserve said the trucks would be able to drive off-road, which is not the case. My unhappiness about this situation is building. We saw lions at a great distance, including a very impressive-looking male, but couldn’t approach.
A tradition!African Fish EagleSomehow there’s a road up this canyon.
Sunday, Mar 5. Traveled to Entabeni Game Reserve. First half was on an excellent highway, part of the Cape Town to Cairo Road. After exiting we traveled on roads of decreasing quality until the pavement ended and the dirt began. The final section put us back into the “This is a road?” Category. The lodge is very nice with a breathtaking view of a reservoir and butte. It’s a large resort, but the four of us are its only customers.
At 3:30 we departed on a game drive. As with my other sub-Saharan adventures, it’s no quick or easy drive to the park’s key area. At one point we turned back due to the threat of rain and the resultant detour we’d have to make to return. (The track we were on would become impassable if wet.) But radio reports changed our direction back to the park. Then an update told of a cheetah sighting, so our driver sped up, ignoring any distractions. Success! There were two graceful and indifferent cheetahs, totally bored by our presence.
On the way back we passed a dead giraffe and a sleeping lion. Later we viewed a pair of rhinos. We aren’t allowed to approach rhinos in any way, so distance viewing seemed our only hope. BUT, after we stopped for “sundowners’ cocktails”. we noticed that the rhinos were passing by, giving us a closer look. Then they made a deliberate course change and approached us. Our driver immediately hustled us into the truck and we sat in silence as both rhinos came near (40 feet). One rhino then came nose-to-nose with the truck. After a little silent contemplation, he did some excited dance steps and moved off. We followed them slowly as they paraded down the track. Priceless experience.
Our return was mostly in the dark. We had a fine fish dinner, slightly rushed as we were soon to experience a scheduled power outage, the result of a long-term shortage of nationwide power generation capacity.
My photos weren’t’t the best, as I’d set the camera specifically for capturing birds in flight. Experimentation continues.
Nice straight roadsWe didn’t go hereHotel viewDescending into the valley.
Saturday, Mar 4. Flight was loooong, but uneventful. The hotel is adjacent to the tallest building in South Africa. Sandton District is the country’s Ginza. Immense, beautiful mall, protected by many guards, some with rifles. Very safe. “You could fall asleep drunk and be at no risk”, one reviewer wrote. Definitely not your typical South Africa.
Things are so cheap I keep doubting my currency conversion math. Large ribeye steak, $12.50. A bucket of (7) prawns, $6.50. Fancy soap, $5. An F1 Racing specialty store returned me to reality. $60 shirts.
This is largely a single hero country. Nelson Mandela is everywhere. Not surprisingly, though sadly, most of the patrons at this upper class mall are white. A guard attempted to shake me down a little by saying I couldn’t take photos of Mandela’s large statue with my good camera without paying a fee. But phone cameras were okay. I got confirmation that it was BS.
Note the beePrawns.Cool train in the mall. A man preceded the train waving a flag for safety.Soap. Nice name.Beautiful and popular photo target. 20 feet tall.The restaurant doubles as a butcher shop. Very good beef.
Thursday, Mar 2. Today I begin another Adventure in Sub-Saharan Africa. Perhaps my last. Thankfully, this time I won’t have to go by way of Europe, courtesy of a 15+ hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg.
The entire trip is 26 days long. Except for a two night stay in the old/new country of Swaziland/Eswatini, the adventure is entirely in South Africa. Only about 8 days are focused on animal viewing. Most of the trip will involve learning about the country’s culture. Obviously, its present is very much a consequence of its past. We will spend a lot of time along the coastline and several days in Cape Town. It should be interesting.
Feb 19-22. Disembarkation was unremarkable. It was easy getting a taxi into Old San Juan, since almost everyone else was headed to the airport. The hotel (“El Colonial”) was superb. An open bar!! I was able to stash my bags there and begin a walkabout. But first I had to contact AT&T about my phone costs. I learned, much to my surprise, that AT&T had a “cellular” tower on the ship, so even though I didn’t want cellular service, I was getting it. “You should have set your phone to ‘Airplane Mode'”. The confusion cost me $100.
It didn’t take long to realize that Puerto Rico has a thing for statues. They were everywhere, memorializing everything and everyone. (There’s a row of statues displaying every president who has visited PR. The guide said there is some debate about a Trump statue, with satirists proposing that it show him throwing a roll of paper towels. Cute.)
As with the rest of the Caribbean, noise is popular. While looking for a lunchtime restaurant, the first criteria wasn’t food. It was noise. Using Google Maps as a guide, I found a 4.8 rated place with a fantastic view of the ocean. Later I learned that it was in a location with an unsafe reputation. I was congratulated for finding the place. Excellent food. A subsequent walk through the neighborhood did seem less than safe, but it was also decorated with very nice graffiti.
By the time I returned to the hotel my room was ready. The place has a beautiful rooftop balcony. After getting some advice, I walked to a nearby restaurant and had a fantastic meat paella and a shrimp taco. BTW, everything is nearby. It’s a small town.
The next day I did a serious tour of the city, visiting both forts and lots of places in between. Excellent experience. Being President’s Day, the town was very crowded. The approach to one fort has a very large lawn, and the non-stop wind provided an opportunity for lots of kite flying. Very pretty. Traffic in the small streets was insane. My walking easily outpaced the cars. There were several cruise ships in port adding to the crowds, though the town was in no way dominated by foreigners. I had a fine pizza for lunch. Found a bar that specialized in fancy cocktails and had two. For dinner I returned to the same restaurant as the night before, mostly because of the shrimp taco.
On Tuesday I enjoyed a Local’s Tour of Puerto Rico. It was okay. Had snacks at rural restaurant, drove along the shoreline, stopped at one of their many caves, and had a short visit in their rainforest. It was a cloudy day so the forest wasn’t as impressive as I’d hoped. But the guide was very talkative and informative. A good day. Had delicious lasagna at what had been a very crowded restaurant for the past two nights.
My flight in Wednesday was at 2:45 AM. The Uber driver seemed to consider a 12:30 pickup no big deal, so clearly it’s not an unusual flight time. Flew back on Spirit Airline. Never again. Seats like plywood.
$$ food, million dollar view. Photo doesn’t show the wind. Death with a viewRainforestBeehive in a cave.Roberto Clemente’s photo on their vehicle registration.
Saturday, Feb 18. I was scheduled for an excursion, but during the gathering stage it was evident that there were no fewer than 200 people going on the same one. From experience I knew we’d be separated, but not staggered. So we’d either be waiting for the group ahead, or pushed by the group behind. I have never felt so much like cattle. Added to it, there was another megaship in port. And it was very hot. So I bailed. Wandered the souvenir shops a little, then returned to the ship. Did just about nothing. Packed for tomorrow. Many people had saved tonight for dressing up. A lot were in fact well turned out.
Friday, Feb 17. Because if some discomfort I had canceled a Viator tour for the day that included a zipline. But last night I added a Norwegian excursion which was essentially a bus tour. The port of Castries has little recommend it. There were three ships in port, comfortably outnumbering the town. We spent almost an hour getting out of traffic. Nice bus. I got (and kept) the front seat. They drive on the wrong side of the road. And they drive FAST.
Extremely winding roads. Much was 1.9 lanes wide. A lot of ups and downs. Tunnels would be good. The size of the island shouldn’t be measured by how the crow flies. We rose up one hillside, only to descend down into a fishing village. Repeat. And repeat again. Beautiful views though. Several stops for viewing.
The objective of the day was two volcanic plugs that rise out of the sea. Grand and Petit Pitons. Both over 2,500 feet tall. Marvelous views. Lush green everywhere. We stopped in between the two for a nature and agricultural walk, very similar to what I experienced in Zanzibar. Our guide gave (for me) exhaustive details on the variety of plants we hiked by. Several stops were provided with excellent views of the Pitions. Very worthwhile.
Next we stopped at a famous (but small) waterfall, where those willing changed into bathing suits and stood under the falls for a very short while. Been there, done that. In spades. Totally anticlimactic. A huge crowd of people who had seemingly never seen the backside of water.
Had a nice lunch with Rum Punch. Yum.
Returned to ship for an attitude adjustment. Visited the night club, which was (for once) appropriately loud.
As with other countries, very pretty wall art.The front peak is 200 feet shorter the the far peak.Fear not. Only about an inch long. Nice closeup.It was stressed that this was the Atlantic view, NOT the Caribbean view. Natives seem to be sensitive to the distinction.The smaller Pitons.Many of these signs.
Thursday, Feb 16th. Nothing special to report. Did get into a hot tub in the evening. Joined two couples from Queens, New York. Straight out of central casting, accent and all. Joe Pesci with sunglasses, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco wearing a jewelry-studded bikini.
Wednesday, Feb 15th. In my research I learned that Curaçao is one of the lowest cost tourist destinations. Its reality matched its reputation. Not a bad place at all, but also didn’t seem to have anything to recommend it, though the main city is very pretty. It’s swinging pontoon bridge is a unique feature, as are its Dutch-like buildings.
My tour included a series of caves that don’t deserve capitalization. They certainly weren’t caverns. 40 people at a time, struggling to hear the guide. Unremarkable. The next (and last) stop was Mambo Beach, the “in” beach on the island. Beach chairs crowded together. Its waters are a very well protected sea pool with pure, sandy soil. I was unimpressed, to put it lightly. Totally unsatisfying tour.
Upon our return I wandered the town. It’s not a bad town, but I was sensing a Caribbean pattern. in that it was very similar to Aruba. I found a nice street bar and had a Blue Lagoon, which includes the famous Blue Curaçao (which remarkably is an orange liqueur). Had a bowl of beans and rice. I printed a photo of the bartender, which got me a second glass of Blue Lagoon.
I had booked a Curaçao Evening Sunset Tour, but cancelled. The tour guide appeared uninterested, so I walked away. (Norwegian kindly refunded my money.)
Listened to the Fake Fab Four concert. They sing well, as long as you don’t watch.
This is a really weird photo of the cave. I’m not sure what it represents.The high bridge is needed to allow ships into its very large harbor. Mega-ships can’t enter.Appropriate photo for the week of Valentine’s Day.Bartender and friend.
Tuesday, Feb 14. Aruba. Nice little country. 95% of their revenue is tourism. Extremely windy. Almost distracted me from the heat. Did a 4 hour Viator tour around the island. Began at the island’s only Aloe factory. Excellent tour. Very expensive product. It’s the only business in town other than tourism. The Aloe revenue is a rounding error.
Drove north past Resort Row (nice places) to the island’s lighthouse. I didn’t climb it as all our stops were short and I’m slow. Beautiful view at ground level. Stopped at a tiny chapel, the oldest building on the island. (Sort of: It had been rebuilt several times. Why ruin the beauty of the thing with facts?)
An old gold mine right on the edge of the water. Never amounted to much. Some gorgeous cliffs that produced huge water sprays. A famous, though collapsed, natural bridge. A fun rock formation in the island’s interior. The guide stopped at several other oddities. It was an entertaining tour.
Returned to the main city (I’m not going to try to spell it). Found a nice open air second floor restaurant and had an excellent jambalaya with a margarita. Just as I was finishing, the inhabitants of the first floor began drilling holes in the wall. Cement dust covered the remains of my food. I got a free second margarita.
Aruba was a thoroughly delightful country. Back on board the ship I had trouble finding a restaurant. Finally settled on the buffet. Denny’s has nothing to worry about. Then, drink in hand, I got a prime seat for the Fab Four’s mini-concert in a small bar. Again, the music was fine. The performers need surgery.
Not a bad day.
Easter egg: I was too lazy to walk to the sign’s front, so I took a photo from behind and flipped it..Very Dutch architecture.Wind blows trees sideways.Aloe plantThe collapsed bridge“Photo!”
