Day 75 of 111 (4/5/19) – One day at sea from Cape Town to Luderitz, Namibia

I wanted to say a few more things about the safaris from Rhino Ridge. The pace of the day was amazing. They try to organize the day to fit in with the rhythms of the animals.  You get up early to catch the jeep in the morning, usually rising around 5:30 to catch the jeep at 6:00.  That way you are on the road when the animals are still waking up and active.  The guide will then select part of the park that he thinks will be best for the morning. A number of mornings we were barely away from the lodge, about 5 minutes, when we ran across a beautiful feeding elephant. The second time this happened we stopped on the road and the elephant was literally 5 feet from the truck, pulling down the trees between the truck and the elephant, just off the road. We could literally hear his grinding teeth. He adjusted his weight forward and I thought he was going to touch the truck. Amazing being that close.

After the morning safari, usually around 9:00 AM or so, you return to the lodge for a wonderful breakfast.  You return to your room to freshen up and then go to the main lodge and eat outside overlooking the park. They cooked some of the best omelets I have ever had and the rest of the breakfast was great. You then have free time to look at your photos from the morning and relax around the infinity pool. The first two days were bright and sunny and we went to the pool and just relaxed.  Ingrid even took in a massage while waiting for the next safari. Then it was back to the lodge for afternoon tea around 2:30. Afternoon tea was really lunch and you ate as much as you wanted. We were back on the road by 3:30, playing the “Where’s Waldo” game.  That is what it seemed like.  Everyone in the truck would search the trees and brush hoping to spot a wild animal.  If you saw something unusual the guide would stop the truck for a closer look.  This often turned out to be a wallowing rhino, a sprinting wildebeest or, if you are lucky, a pride of lions! The afternoon safari was broken up by a stop at a nearby hilltop or watering hole. The guide would then pull out his well-prepared snacks, including many kinds of liquor. Ingrid was pleasantly surprised when she asked for a gin and tonic and about a minute later a double gin and tonic was served! This became our safari drink. Then it was on the road again as dusk descended on the park. The gathering darkness made searching for animals even more spooky and when the guide pulled out his searchlight as he was driving along to look for leopards, it really seemed spooky. We headed back towards the lodge because any car seen in the park after 6:00 PM was known to be a guided truck or a poacher.  Any truck on the road after 7:00 PM was considered a poacher, so the guides were sure to have us back at the lodge by 7:00 PM. Poachers are taken very seriously and more than once we saw bands of rangers searching for poachers. Then it was back to the room to freshen up and back to the lodge for a leisurely dinner! The last two nights we had ostrich (very good - like a lean fillet mignon) and crocodile (kind of fatty with bones and gristle) – not my favorite.

The next morning you repeat the routine matching the pace of life in the jungle. What an amazing experience.

April 3 – We left the park and took the 3 hour drive to Durban. Just leaving the park we saw wallowing rhinos, scampering warthogs and had to slow the car to make sure we didn’t hit a giraffe lingering on the road. What an amazing place. Upon arriving at the Durban airport we went to South African airlines to inquire about our flight to Cape Town. We were promptly told that South African airlines doesn’t fly to Cape Town and we were sent over to Mango Airlines. Somehow flying Mango Airlines doesn’t inspire confidence so as we boarded the 737-800 from the rear steps after walking down to the tarmac, Ingrid was checking out their safety record. We made the journey uneventfully and were “collected” by our driver and taken to the ship.  They love to use the word collected! The only hitch was that our boarding cards no longer worked on the ship and we spent the next 15 minutes verifying our identity so that we could go back to our cabin.

After that, it was time to explore Cape Town. Our excursion included a trip up the revolving cable car to Table Mountain, overlooking Cape Town.  By this time it was late afternoon and after a walk around the top of Table Mountain, Ingrid and I decided to stay for sunset. We were rewarded by a glorious sunset, seen from the magnificent setting of Table Mountain, as we gazed down to the sea surrounding the flickering lights of Cape Town. We then descended into the town just as the lights were turning on. Our next adventure was eating at the Karibu restaurant that had been suggested by some new friends form England who we met on safari. I always wanted to say that – “These are our friends we met ‘on safari!’ ”. The Karibu restaurant did not disappoint as we had a feast that included, ostrich, kudu, rump roast, springbok, impala, warthog and wildebeest. Our walk back to the ship from the Karibu restaurant was past a lovely shopping district along the wharf and we just wished we had more time and stamina to stay longer. Nobody said this vacationing was going to be easy.

April 4 - The next day was eventful too, as our driver “collected” us around 9:00 AM and we were off to explore the botanical gardens, see the penguins, the Cape of Good Hope and then the magnificent drive along the coast back to Cape Town (think highway 1 along the ocean in California!). Way too much to take in, in the minimal time we had, so we have Cape Town and South Africa squarely in our travel sights for some future trip! I'm tired just recounting the adventures.

 One sea day on our way to Namibia.