| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
8th Feb. 2025 |
LHR --> UAE |
Emirates Double Decker |
 |
9th Feb. 2025 |
UAE --> CPT |
On board by 13:00 |
 |
12th Feb. 2025 |
Durban South Africa |
Vic. St. Market & Botanical Garden |
|
13th Feb. 2025 |
Richards Bay South Africa |
DumaZulu Cultural Village |
|
14th Feb. 2025 |
Richards Bay South Africa |
St. Lucia Cruise |
|
17th Feb. 2025 |
Port Elizabeth South Africa |
am Boardwalk pm City Centre |
|
18th Feb. 2025 |
Port Elizabeth South Africa |
Algoa Bay Marine Safari |
|
19th Feb. 2025 |
Mossel Bay South Africa |
(Too rough to tender) |
|
20th Feb. 2025 |
Cape Town South Africa |
Local Flavours of Stellenbosch |
 |
21st Feb. 2025 |
CPT --> FRA |
Lufthansa to Frankfurt |
|
22nd Feb. 2025 |
FRA --> LHR |
Home by 11:45 |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke at 5:45 fifteen minutes before my alarms. I just finished packing up at 7:30, when I called for a Streamline taxi. An Afghan driver took me to the coach station for eight o'clock.
I then caught the 8:30 service to LHR and LGW. I sat in the front seat just behind the driver. We called in to Ringwood and SoToN as usual.
Once on the M3 motorway, I had my first pair of Boots sarnies and dozed for half an hour. At LHR, we visited terminals five and four, before arriving at the central bus station. At terminal three, I checked in at the Emirates area very quickly with almost no queues. I then found a working charging station for both my laptop and one of my mobile phones.
I began work on this blog, whilst eating my second pair of Boots sarnies. Security was quick and there is no passport control on leaving the UK. The A380 double decker, with four engines, was loaded early, with lots of space in the premium economy section. I was in the downstairs economy area with an aisle seat. I was sat next to an Indian couple who were flying on to Delhi.
We pulled back on time and didn't have to wait long on the taxiway. I started watching a documentary on Celine Dion, but she was wittering on about her Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), so I switched her off.
After one hour we were given a lovely meal, with stainless steel cutlery, of chicken korma curry with rice. I had a tin can of Heineken Dutch beer to drink. I then slept for one hour. I watched more documentaries on Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. In the middle of the flight we were given a lovely tub of ice cream with Madagascan vanilla flavouring. The flight lasted six hours to get to the Emirates hub in Dubai.
We arrived in Dubai on time, with just a one hour layover before my second excellent Emirates flight to Cape Town. This was on a Boeing 777 wide body aircraft with just two engines. I again had an aisle seat as we took off just after midnight on GMT, but 4:00 am on their time. I was sat next to an Iranian couple from Tehran who were going to Sun City, amongst other places in South Africa. I started watching a two part Leonardo da Vinci programme.
After one hour I had the French toast with warm apple for breakfast. I had apple juice to drink rather than alcohol. I then slept until five o'clock on GMT. I watched a programme on JFK's assassination for the second time, which showed that he had been shot from the front as well as the rear. I reckon that the secret service man in the front seat swung round after the first rear shot and accidently shot the President at short range by mistake.
At around seven o'clock on GMT we had the main meal, again with stainless steel cutlery, which consisted of chicken meatballs in a creamy sauce with rice. I had a glass of 7Up to drink. We were given a rhino decorated goody bag with useful toothbrush and toothpaste.
We arrived in Cape Town at 9:00 GMT (11:00 local time) after an excellent Emirates nine hour flight. Passport control and baggage reclaim were fairly quick, unlike my previous visits, as it was a quiet Sunday. The Azamara lady arranged a taxi for me, but I didn't have enough South African rands (500 ZAR worth £25) so I had to give the Somali driver £30 instead. He emailed me a receipt for me to present to the ship, who later gave me $27 refund.
At the cruise terminal there was a long line as they had had a technical glitch. I chatted to Rhyddian & Margaret from Cardiff, Wales and a couple from Bexley, Kent in the queue. After three quarters of an hour I was all checked in and on board by one o'clock (11:00 on GMT). I went to the buffet, but it was too hot to sit out in the bright sunshine. I had the tomato soup and the mixed grill sat with Alison & Scott from Glasgow.
At 1:45 the state rooms were released and I found that I had an outside double with large, circular window. I slept for an hour and a quarter disturbed by a safety annoucement. I then unpacked, before the four o'clock safety briefing in the Cabaret theatre. Afterwards I did some photography of the famous Cape Town skyline from the top of the ship.
Back in my state room, I finally got to update this blog. At six o'clock Astrid recorded my TV interview with her in the Drawing Room, where I met fellow speaker Dr Dick Farkas. At 6:15 I hosted the solo travellers for the first time this cruise. I met Ann from Ontario and Betty from Florida, later we were joined by Dick and then Astrid.
At 6:45 I led the two lady guests along to the Discoveries Main Dining Room (MDR). I had the seafood chowder soup, the Caprese salad, the Tuscan steak and the no sugar added apple Charlotte to eat. I had two glasses of the claret to drink. Just before show time at nine o'clock I met CD Emily from Leicestershire, who is friends with Stephen Millett the CD on the Azamara Journey. A couple of Yorkshiremen just in front of me talked all the way through the show, so after a few acts I slipped out. I went to sleep at ten o'clock having done five thousand steps, equal to two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn just after six o'clock having slept for eight hours and got up at seven. At 7:30 I had baked beans with cheese slices on a toasted English muffin. I thought they had got pigs in blankets, but they were plantain bananas wrapped in bacon instead! I also had half a grilled tomato and a hash brown to eat al fresco a la veranda with views of the South African coast. I had a tin can of soda water to drink, which I was able to finish back in my state room.
At 9:15 I touched base with Marilyn the Concierge lady to discuss our arrival into Durban. One of the receptionists struggled with my social foxtrot step sheet photocopying, as had happened on the Azamara Journey last cruise. Just before ten o'clock I went to Brazilian Shorex Assistant Manager Yuri's presentation. He started five minutes early, talked for 45 minutes and thus finished five minutes early. He covered a selection of tours from all five ports in one go.
At eleven o'clock I attended the 45 minute Smart Phone workshop. The ship's photographer managed to deal with Android, Pixel and both old & new iPhones. I did learn some new tricks!
At noon I lunched on the cream of broccoli soup and the moussaka with the mixed grill al fresco a la veranda. I had one glass of sparkling water and got given the bottle to take away. I then slept for an hour and a half, still recovering from my journey out to the ship.
At 3:30 I did six lengths of the cool pool and spent five minutes in one of the hot tubs, under the hot sun but cool wind. At four o'clock I touched base with Lana from Belarus at the Shorex desk, to get the last minute availability on Durban. At five o'clock JC, who I had summoned to the Living Room, set me up to run my social foxtrot workshop with just six guests participating, but lots more just watching and listening. I taught the basic figures and the sways (without touches), but couldn't progress far with two beginner couples present. One of the single ladies, Pam, helped me out with splitting up one of the couples struggling.
At six o'clock I attended the solo travellers with Ann, Betty, Valerie, Mary, Cheryl and Astrid, but couldn't dine with them as I had a lecture to give that evening. At 6:30 I dined al fresco a la veranda on the wonton soup, the Asian buffet and the mixed ice creams. I had just one glass of sparkling water with the bottle to take away.
At 7:30 Mario set me up in the Cabaret theatre. At eight o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Durban, topped by ACD Astrid and tailed by CD Emily. They both congratulated me on the way out, with Emily saying it was the first time that she had scheduled an eight o'clock lecture as an experiment!
At nine o'clock I went to the excellent Take Two production show of movie songs. It consisted of six musicians on the wings of the stage with six singers & dancers in the middle. They began with "The Greatest Show" and "Staying Alive". They continued with Dolly's "Nine to Five" and Elton's "Your Song". They finished with the iconic helicopter lift from the Dirty Dancing film.
At 9:45 I moved up to the Living Room for the Rock & Roll party. The band played mostly Beatles and Elvis numbers, but it was only disco dancing. When they finished at 10:30 I retired to complete this blog. I went to bed at 11:15, but had trouble getting to sleep as I was so excited by my first full day on the Azamara Quest. I had done seven thousand steps, equal to nearly three miles of walking, during the day.
I again awoke to the dawn just after six o'clock, having slept for less than seven hours. At 7:30 I had some crispy bacon and baked beans with cheese slices on a toasted English muffin al fresco a la veranda to eat. I had one glass of sparkling water to drink and got given the rest of the bottle to take away.
At eight o'clock I touched base with Concierge Marilyn to discuss our arrival into Richards Bay. Just after nine o'clock I met up with Shorex Lana from Belarus and Rebecca from Honduras to get the last minute availability on the RB tours. I then worked on my Richards Bay presentation. I caught the tail end of the Future Cruise presentation, where the Captain announced we would be making a technical call into Maputo, Mozambique.
At 10:45 Mario set me up and at eleven o'clock I gave my thirty five minute on Richards Bay. At noon I had my first cheeseburger and fries of the cruise by the pool. I then slept for an hour and a half.
At three o'clock I went to the White Nights Dance Workshop in the Cabaret Theatre led by Charlotte and Jack. They began with the Electric Slide, but then they continued with a series of easy one wall phrased dances to popular pop songs. We danced to Elton, Katriona and to several ABBA songs. Jack taught with his back to us as normal, but Charlotte taught facing us as a mirror image which threw me.
As I had had an early siesta, Jennifer had had to come back later. Whilst she was servicing the state room, I did seven circuits of the top deck, equal to half a mile of walking. This took seven minutes, meaning I was going at more than four miles per hour.
Back in my state room I watched my Durban talk on the TV rather than go swimming as it had clouded over. At five o'clock I had eight people at my ballroom waltz workshop. I taught the basic, the box and the figure of eight steps. At six o'clock I hosted Cheryl, Betty, Ann, Valerie and newcomer Lydia from Singapore, the latter lady having been at my waltz class. At 6:30 I took them along to the MDR where I had the smoked salmon chowder soup, the Greek salad, the veal and mixed ice creams. Cheryl kindly gave me half of her veal. I had two glasses of the Pinot Noir red wine to drink, so I had to rehydrate in the night.
At nine o'clock we had the Captain's belated welcome, followed by pianist and band leader Sasha Kovalov from Odessa in the Ukraine with his "My Piano World" cabaret. He began with Rachmaninov, continued with Glen Miller and George Gershwin, before ending with Mozart's famous Turkish March (Rondo alla Turca). He showed pictures of the devastation in the Russian occupied east of his country. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done seven thousand steps, nearly equal to three miles of walking during the day.
I got up at six o'clock to the sun rise. Having abluted, I updated this blog. At seven o'clock I had a toasted English muffin with cheese slices and smoked salmon to eat al fresco a la veranda as we berthed in Durban. We were located at the brand new Nelson Mandela cruise terminal. I had one glass of sparkling water, with the rest of the bottle to take away.
At 8:15 I collected the escort paperwork, labelled bus number 14, in the Cabaret Theatre for my second choice tour to the Victoria Street Market & Botanical Gardens. Out on the quayside the tour had been reallocated to bus number 4, where I met guide Philah (pronounced Peelah) and driver Leo. We had 34 guests to look after.
We began with a panoramic tour of the city centre followed by an hour's visit to the famous Vic. St. Market. Philah and her sidekick-in-training accompanied me across the road to the Roman Catholic Emmanuel Cathedral. Unfortunately there was a funeral taking place, so we couldn't go in. Our next stop was at the viewpoint overlooking the city centre.
We had one hour at the Botanical Gardens, so I had to hurry around in the hot sun. Unfortunately the Orchid House had been flooded out by their recent heavy rainfall. At the end we got given a glass of bubbly and/or orange juice to drink.
Back at the ship, I lunched on the cream of carrot soup and the roast lamb, before sleeping for half an hour. At three o'clock I ventured out again with just one mobile phone and no wallet in case of being mugged. I visited the various hostelries opposite the cruise terminal and the one out on the point. I walked north along the promenade to the Ushaka Marine Park, where I caught the four o'clock shuttle back to the ship.
At 4:30 I did six lengths of the cool pool in the hot sun and spent five minutes in one of the jacuzzis, as the crew removed all the sun loungers ready for the evening's White Night party. I then changed into my all white outfit ready to host the solo travellers at 5:30. Here I met Lydia and Ann, as Cheryl had opted to reserve a table for us out by the pool. With no bar in operation in the Den, after ten minutes we adjourned to the pool. Valerie came to say hello, but was dining with some friends. We think Betty preferred the MDR to the pool side buffet.
The food began at six o'clock and I had the various BBQ meats including lobster, lamb and chicken. I had some Stilton cheese with a panini type roll, before the crepe Suzette dessert. I had just one glass of bubbly to drink and then some more little desserts to eat.
At 7:20 the Kangaroo Zulu dancers came on to the pool deck. They consisted of eighteen bare chested acrobats, four drummers and one lady. They performed a 25 minute high energy show with human towers and human waves. They all landed heavily on their bottoms, but an American gent at our table said they were using their hands to soften their landings.
At 7:45 the house singers and band started singing the usual pop songs. I joined in the Electric Slide to "Man, I Feel Like a Woman". I did a jive with Lydia to "Crocodile Rock" and a salsa with her to "La Bamba". I joined the conga line behind ACD Astrid and the evening ended at 9:35 with the inevitable YMCA.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over eighteen thousand steps, equal to over seven miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at six o'clock, half an hour before my alarms, to the sunrise. At seven o'clock I had Italian air dried ham and cheese on a toasted English muffin for breakfast. I asked for a glass of sparkling water, but got given a glass of sparkling wine instead!
At eight o'clock I picked up my escort paperwork for my third choice DumaZula Cultural Village tour. At 8:30 I met guide Emmanuel and driver Stanford on the quayside. We had 34 guests to look after, the same number as on the previous day. On the way out of the port we encountered two huge wind turbine blades being manoeuvered down the road. These took fifteen minutes to get out of our way, so it took nearly an hour and a half to get to the Zulu village.
The Zulu warrior who greeted us took some time to teach us some Zulu words, before we progressed through the jungle to the encampment. This consisted of a series of thatched huts with central poles and hooped construction inside. We had short presentations on shields & spears, on beads & bowls and on the medicine man's tools. When another group had joined us in the small arena, we had some more drumming and dancing, but not as good as the previous evening on the ship.
After passing through the gift shop, we were given tea, coffee or fruit juices to have with scones, jam & cream. I had TWO cups of my favourite South African red bush tea and TWO halves of a scone with lashings of cream and TWO pots of strawberry jam. One pair of Scottish ladies took too long in the Curio shop and only arrived in the tea room as the rest of the group were leaving. They nevertheless wanted their refreshments, so I had to wait before escorting them back to the coach. On the way back to the ship, we passed the two enormous wind turbine blades, still trundeling along the highway.
At two o'clock I lunched on the cream of pumpkin soup, the roast beef and the cherry ice cream, al fresco a la veranda. I was sat with Canadian Ann and then Anglo-Canadian Cheryl too. I then slept for three quarters of an hour, before walking along the quay to the waterfront hostelries. This involved the passage through two metal gates, so it looked like they were discouraging people from walking along there. I photographed the exterior and interior of half a dozen bars and restaurants, but they were very thinly occupied and rather run down. There were rather more blue velvet monkeys on the old boardwalks than customers in the bars and restaurants!
Back at the ship at five o'clock I did six lengths of the cool pool under overcast skies, with five minutes in the hot tub. Back in my state room, I updated this blog. At six o'clock I hosted the solo travellers in the Den as usual.
At 6:20 I led Lydia from Singapore and Cheryl & Ann from Canada along to the MDR. Here I had the turmeric chicken soup, the Caesar salad with anchovies, the sirloin steak with jacket potato and the no sugar added butter pecan ice cream to eat. I had two glasses of the Bordeaux red wine (Claret) to drink.
At nine o'clock I went to the excellent Crooners Club production show with six musicians, four singers and two dancers. They began with a couple of Frank Sinatra songs and Judy Garland's two most famous songs: "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and "The Trolley Song". I was sat with eight Welsh people so they enjoyed joining in with Tom Jones's "Delilah". I went to sleep at 10:15 having done nearly nine thousand steps, nearly equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to my TWO alarms at 5:30 ready for the continental breakfast in the Den at six o'clock. I had one croissant and one Danish pastry to eat and one cup of decaff coffee to drink. At 6:15 I met guide Emmanuel for the second day running and new driver Natee for my first choice St Lucia Boat Cruise. We had 36 guests to look after on the hour and a half's run out to St Lucia. We had a two hour cruise on the lagoon seeing lots of hippos and only one Nile crocodile. There were lots of yellow weaver birds with their spherical nests and some cattle egrets, but no birds of prey. All the mangroves had died back in the drought a few years previously. I had one bottle of Lite beer and one of the local brew to drink.
Back at the ship, I updated this blog and queued up for the emigration inspection. This was quick and followed by lunch on the rear verandah. I had the green pea soup and the Bunny Chow loaf filled with meat & vegetables. I then dozed for an hour, disturbed by announcements wanting the last two cabins to be processed.
At 2:30 I went up to the top deck to watch the sailaway from Richards Bay. At 3:30 the two professional dancers Charlotte & Jack taught some line dances. They began as before with the Electric Slide and then did a cut down version of the Red Hot Salsa. They finished with a couple of one wall line dances to fast music.
Back in my state room, I watched Dr Dick's lecture entitled "South Africa Faces Its Cyber Future" on the TV. At five o'clock I ran my social rumba workshop, but it had changed locations to the Cabaret theatre, so only four ladies found me. I taught the basic, the New Yorks, the underarm turn and the cross checks (shoulder to shoulder).
At 5:45 I snuck into the Love Songs session in the Living Room. When ACD Astrid asked people to dance, I took CD Emily on to the floor to do a rumba together. At six o'clock I hosted Cheryl, Ann, Betty, Lydia and newcomer Emilia together with ACD Astrid. I led all six ladies along to the MDR at 6:30. I had the soup, Roma salad, Singapore noodles and mixed ice cream to eat and two glasses of Bordeaux red wine to drink.
At eight o'clock I escorted Emilia, Betty and Lydia to the pool for ballroom dancing under the stars. I did three dances with Lydia, two with Betty and one tango with CD Emily. At nine o'clock I went to Comedian Rikki Jay's first amusing show time. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done over ten thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:50 having caught up with my early start the previous day. At 7:30 I had a toasted English muffin with cheese and air dried Italian ham for breakfast al fresco a la veranda as we entered Mozambique waters. I then had a pancake with marmite, served by CD Emily and ACD Astrid. Back in my state room, I updated this blog.
At 8:30 I touched base with Concierge Marilyn to find out about the berth and the shuttle bus in Port Elizabeth. Then the Captain came on to the blower to say we would be dropping anchor to await the pilot boat, before heading back to South African waters. At nine o'clock I touched base with Lana at the Shore Excursions desk. I spent most of the morning updating my Port Elizabeth (PE) talk.
At 10:45 Mario set me up ready for me to give my forty minute talk on Port Elizabeth. At noon I lunched al fresco a la veranda on the asparagus soup, the roast pork and the mixed ice creams. I had one glass of sparkling water and got to take the rest of the bottle away with me. I then slept for one hour.
At three o'clock I went to the excellent matinee cabaret sung by Ellie & Ella-Rose entitled "From Yorkshire to Broadway". One girl was from Scarboro' in the North Riding and one from Bridlington in the East Riding. They began with a specially written clever song about the Azamara Quest. Most of their solos and duets were to songs I didn't know from musicals like "Come From Away" and "Wicked". They ended with a mash-up duet of two songs from Les Mis: "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Bring Him Home".
At 4:15 I did six lengths of the cool pool and spent five minutes in the jacuzzi as the sun came out after a short, sharp tropical shower. Just before five, JC set me up, ready for my half hour social cha cha workshop with thirteen guests. At six o'clock I hosted Ann, Cheryl, Lydia and Emilia in the Den as usual.
At 6:20 we moved along to the MDR. Here I had the crayfish/crawfish chowder soup, Caesar salad, rack of lamb and cherry ice cream to eat. Ann kindly gave me bits of her starter, main course and dessert! I had two glasses of the Bordeaux red wine to drink.
At nine o'clock I went to CD Emily's excellent cabaret in the theatre. This included "Don't Rain on My Parade", "All That Jazz", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Somebody to Love". I particularly enjoyed the Dolly Parton medley and the Les Mis finale. I went to bed at 10:15 having done only four thousand steps, less than two miles of walking during another busy day.
I awoke at 6:15 and got up at 6:30. At 7:30 I had the Vetkoek deep fried pasty with an egg & bacon croissant al fresco a la veranda for breakfast. I had one glass of sparkling water with the rest of the bottle to take away.
At eight o'clock one of the receptionists photocopied my social tango step sheets. I then touched base with Concierge Marilyn. At nine o'clock Lana gave me the latest availability for Mossel Bay.
At ten o'clock I went to Monique's colourful lecture on Cape Town and the Cape Winelands. Afterwards I had a regular capuccino coffee from the machine in the Windows Cafe. At eleven o'clock I listened to Dr Dick's interesting fifty minute talk on democracy.
At 12:15 I learnt a one wall 64 count Bollywood dance taught by ACD Astrid from Bombay (Mumbai). At one o'clock I lunched on my favourite red kidney bean soup and the mixed grill (chicken & pork) with dahl curry (no rice) al fresco a la veranda in the hot and humid afternoon. I had just one glass of sparkling water, taking the rest of the bottle back to my state room. Here I updated this blog and went through my Mossel Bay talk one more time.
At 1:30 I went down to the Cabaret theatre where JC set me up. At two o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Mossel Bay with three videos at the end to a reduced size audience. The sun was shining, the special destination lunch was going on and it was siesta time, so I didn't stand a chance! I had a few questions to field at the end.
Back in my state room, I watched my Port Elizabeth talk on the telly, followed by the beginning of Monique's Afrikaaner lecture. At four o'clock I only managed four lengths of the pool as it was sloshing about. I spent ten minutes in one of the hot tubs under overcast skies. I had my first strawberry yoghurt ice cream cone of the cruise with SIX maraschino cherries as toppings!
At five o'clock Mario set me up and I spent half an hour teaching eight ladies the social tango. I taught the basic figure, the Corte (or Cut) and the rocking steps. At six o'clock I hosted Ann, Betty, Cheryl, Lydia and newcomer Sherrie from Florida.
At 6:25 I led them along to the MDR, where I had the clam chowder soup, the Caesar salad, the shrimp & crab ravioli and the no sugar added butter pecan ice cream to eat. Betty gave me some of her lovely turkey and Ann gave me some of her apple tartin dessert. I had two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine to drink.
At nine o'clock I went to the Oh What A Night production show where I knew all the great songs from the 50s and 60s. I went to sleep at 10:30, but don't know how many steps I made as my Samsung phone was on slow charge for most of the day.
I got up just after six o'clock ready for my breakfast at seven. I sat with Linda and her husband's cousin out on the rear veranda. I had just two croissants with cheddar and gouda cheese slices to eat.
At eight o'clock I started queueing for the emigration processing, but soon gave up and went up to the Drawing Room to read the magazines. The inspectors finally came on board at 8:30 and the queue had cleared by 8:45 so I didn't have long to wait in line. On the quayside I caught the first shuttle bus away at 9:10 going four miles to the Boardwalk shopping mall. I walked through the mall and on to the promenade to walk back to the ship taking photos as I went.
I saw the various beaches and restaurants en route, but the Bayworld was very run down and the Oceanarium was closed. I went into the Campanile, which had free admission, but the lift wasn't working. It was too hot and humid to walk up all the stairs to the top. I went wrong inside the port, but eventually got back to the ship at 11:30, having walked over four miles during the morning.
At noon I lunched on TWO cheeseburgers and fries without buns by the pool. I had just one glass of sparkling water and kept the rest of the bottle. I then slept for three quarters of an hour.
At two o'clock I walked back into the city now that the skies had cleared. By the Campanile bell tower a uniformed security guard insisted on accompanying me. We crossed over the old market square past the grand city hall. I went in the public library and chatted to one of the librarians.
We climbed up the hill past the Roman Catholic Cathderal to get to the Donkin Reserve park on the hilltop with extensive views. I didn't go up the lighthouse, but did go into the tourist information office. We walked along the hill crest to the Athenaeum and Little Theatre which I went in. Here I chatted to the theatre manager.
We then got to Fort Frederick, named after a Duke of Kent, again with extensive views. We backtracked to Castle Hill to see the original settler cottages, before descending to the city centre. I gave my escort ZAR50 (about £2.50) for accompanying me, although it was all relatively safe in PE.
Back at the ship, I had done another three miles of walking and I then updated this blog. At five o'clock I did six lengths of the cool pool, followed by ten minutes in one of the jacuzzis. At six o'clock I went to the Den for the solo travellers meet-up, but no-one turned up as they were all eating early ready for the Azamazing evening trip ashore.
At 6:15 I dined al fresco a la veranda on the Malay lentil soup, a small cheese plate and some mixed ice cream. On the way past the Patio Cafe near the pool, I succumbed to a tub of chocolate yoghurt ice cream with lots of toppings: mini smarties, white chocolate drops and maraschino cherries!
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and awaited our departures. When deck seven was called, I joined the long lines on the ship and was eventually allocated to bus number eleven. At the Boardwalk hotel we were led past the actors in costume to the grand ballroom. I got a seat at the back by the middle aisle and the dancers were also visible on two huge screens. There were representatives of the local Xhosa tribe, the Zulus from Natal and others like the Masai from Kenya. There was a lot of drumming and dancing and not much explanation of what was happening. After a forty five minute show we had to wait for our coach number to be called out.
Back at the ship, there was a late buffet laid on in the Windows cafe. I went to bed at eleven o'clock having done twenty three thousand steps, equal to over nine miles of walking.
I awoke to my alarm at 6:30 ready for breakfast beginning at seven in the Windows cafe. Here I had a toasted English muffin with cheese and ham sat with Lydia. At 7:30 I touched base with Lana in the Cabaret Theatre to get my escort paperwork and find out about last minute availability for Cape Town.
At 7:45 we were called down to the quayside where I met guide Marlon and driver Justice in their minibus. We had just sixteen guests to look after. It was a short run to the fishing harbour, where we had a briefing from Skipper Lloyd Edwards.
We were then led along the jetty to two speed boats, which sped us across the water. We saw lots of bottle-nosed dolphins, many Cape gannets, some African penguins, six Cape fur seals and one giant tuna fish. Most of the time I was sat out on the front of the boat on lookout duties, so I ended the trip with a bright red nose! Just off of St Croix, the penguin island, we were given a cheese and tomato croissant to eat.
On the way back to the port it started to drizzle, so I retreated to the covered area. Back at the fishing port and marina, we reboarded our minibus for the short drive back to the ship. Here I had the BBQ pork & chicken with a baked potato loaded with bacon bits, cheese and soured cream to eat. I was sat by the pool with Canadian Ann and ladies from Windsor and West London.
At two o'clock I gave my forty minute lecture on Cape Town. Back in my state room I picked up a message from ACD Astrid, so I phoned her back. She was planning an alternative programme in case we couldn't tender into Mossel bay the following day. She had pencilled me in for my Cecil Rhodes lecture at ten o'clock and my samba dance workshop at five o'clock.
At three o'clock I listened to Dr Dick Farkas's talk on genetics entitled "Who's Your Cousin?" This was based on Prof Bryan Sykes's popular book "The Seven Daughters of Eve". Unfortunately the lecture was too technical for non-scientists and inaccurate for scientists, according to one of my dinner guests that evening.
At four o'clock I did six lengths of the cool pool and spent ten minutes in one of the hot tubs. At five o'clock Mario set me up for my Rock 'n' Roll dance workshop. I taught the basic rock jive, the underarm turn and the change of places with the change of hands to ten guests.
At six o'clock I handed my escort report sheet into Lana at the Shorex desk, but she only smiled when we talked about tendering into Mossel Bay the next day. The Den was full so I asked Rebecca if I could use her desk for the solo travellers get together with Ann, Cheryl and Emilia, but not Lydia. When a proper table came free we moved across.
At 6:30 I led the three ladies along to the MDR. I had the spicy Thai soup, the Caesar salad with three large prawns (not anchovies), the veal cordon blue and finally Emilia's birthday cake. I had two glasses of the Bordeaux red wine to drink. At nine o'clock I went to the fully packed Cabaret theatre to hear comedian Rikki Jay's second showtime. Some of his jokes were funny, but I had trouble keeping awake as I hadn't had a siesta that afternoon. I went to sleep just after ten o'clock, having done less that seven thousand steps, equal to less than three miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:20, ten minutes before my alarm. At seven o'clock the Captain came on to the blower in the corridors to say it was too rough to tender into Mossel Bay. This means I have missed this port twice and landed only once back in 2013. I had a toasted English muffin with cheese slices, ham and tomatoes for breakfast al fresco a la veranda, but it was a bit blowy.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and worked on my Cecil Rhodes lecture. At ten o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Cecil Rhodes to a smallish audience at such an early time on what was now a sea day. At eleven o'clock I listened to Dr Dick's lecture entitled "The Most Famous Woman in the World You Don't Know". However it was about the film star Hedy Lamarr, who most people do know, even if they don't know that she collaborated on the invention of spread spectrum frequency hopping. This important technology didn't take off for another twenty odd years.
At noon I lunched in the MDR with Ann & Betty. I had the mushroom soup, the chicken wraps with chips and the no sugar added cheesecake to eat. They had the sweet red sparkling wine and I had a glass of lager to drink. I then slept for three quarters of any hour, before watching my Cape Town talk on the telly.
Just after four o'clock I did six lengths of the cool pool in the warm sunshine and spent eight minutes in one of the jacuzzis. At five o'clock I taught the Party Samba sequence dance followed by the samba basic and the samba whisks to six guests. The former dance covered both botafogoes and travelling voltas, but I didn't have time for samba walks.
At six o'clock I met the ABC ladies: Ann, Betty & Cheryl in the Den. At 6:30 I escorted them to the MDR. Here I had the bisque soup, the Caesar salad with anchovies, the rigatoni pasta and the no sugar added coconut ice cream to eat. I had two glasses of the pinot noir red wine to drink.
At nine o'clock I escorted CD Emily into the Cabaret theatre, where she introduced the BritRock production show. This was full of great tunes, but "Take On Me" was by the Norwegian pop group A-Ha! I went to sleep at 10:30 having done only five and a half thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:10 and dozed for another half hour. At 7:30 I had a toasted English muffin with cheese, ham and tomato for breakfast al fresco a la veranda as we passed Robbin Island. I stayed up on the top deck to watch the sail-in to Cape Town in the bright sunshine.
I got off the ship at 8:45 and walked into the City Centre, photographing all the important sites. The St George's Mall and the Greenmarket Square were all in operation, in spite of what the tourist office had told me in an email. At the top end of the VOC Company's Gardens, I turned on tracking and headed back to the ship.
At 11:30 I had one small cheese croissant and one small snack bar to eat from the Mosaic cafe, before checking in for my complimentary tour in the Den. I phoned ACD Astrid to warn her that I would be late back for the solo travellers meet-up. At 11:45 we were told to move out to the coach park, where I met guide Laverne and driver Neveron in their minibus. I was able to sit in the tiny front passenger seat for the ride along the N1 motorway to Stellenbosch.
At the Coopmanhuijs five star boutique hotel we had ham, salami, cheese, olives and battered aubergines to eat. I gave the other vegetables on offer a miss. I had a glass of the red wine to drink. Thinking this was the only meal that afternoon, I overindulged on the bread and toppings. I was sat next to a gay couple from Banbury in Oxfordshire.
At the Eendract four star boutique hotel we had ice cold coffee with sweetened condensed milk to drink and a piece of cake to eat. At Simon's Wine Emporium we sampled two local beers with a snoek fish cake and a piece of piri-piri chicken. At the Wijnhuis (Wine House) we had Mossel Bay gin with tonic water to drink and raw beef carpaccio to eat. During our one hour of free time, I whizzed around the town, walking alongside the river and photographing some more of the sights. It was over ninety degrees in the hot sun.
We got back to the ship at 6:30, where just Betty from Florida was waiting in the Den for me. We immediately moved along to the MDR, where I had the French onion soup and the lovely Greek lamb chops to eat. I had just one glass of the Pinot Noir red wine to drink.
At 7:30 we watched the Welcome to Cape Town folkloric show by the pool. The most famous song was Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" from his South African album Graceland. I didn't join in the Electric Slide when some people started dancing it.
Towards the end of the one hour long performance, I said goodbye to American Betty and then to Canadian Ann. I snacked on some of the Biltong in the Braai BBQ, before saying goodbye to Pam. Back in my state room, I started packing, putting my case out at 9:30. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done twenty thousand steps, equal to eight miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to my alarms at 6:30. Out on the top deck I said goodbye to Lydia, who promised to send me photos and videos. At 7:15 I had a toasted English muffin with Emmenthal cheese, ham and tomato to eat for breakfast. I had a full strength cappuccino to keep me awake all day at the airport. I also had a glass of sparkling water, but they didn't give me the rest of the bottle to take away.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and back upped my photographs. At eight o'clock I left the ship and said goodbye to CD Emily on the quayside. Our coach didn't leave until nine o'clock, half an hour late, as we waited for Dr Dick and another couple who didn't turn up.
At 9:30 we reached the airport, but there were no charging points. I spent the morning reading the newspapers that I had brought from LHR twelve days previously. Check-in opend at 14:30 and I asked for aisle seats.
Boarding was chaotic and I was one of the last to get on, but there was still space for my small carry on suitcase. I started watching the excellent Conclave movie for the first hour and a half, before I had the lovely chicken dinner with TWO cans of Beck's beer from Bremen. I finished the film, before sleeping for three hours. I spent the rest of the eleven and a half hour flight watching the moving map and playing card games on my mobile phones.
Two hours before arrival, I had the egg breakfast with a cup of regular coffee with two small cartons of cream. I was sat next to a young German couple and their little girl. She had been quiet all flight, sleeping on her father's chest next to me, until she had to sit with her seat belt on for landing, when she started crying.
At Frankfurt airport there was a short train ride and then a long walk to another security scrutiny. At the desk, boarding hadn't begun and I needed the loo and a chance to update this blog, before I forgot the details of the journey. We took off twenty minutes late, but landed early, after just seventy five minutes in the air. We got given a bottle of water, but no snacks. The plane wasn't full, so I had a spare seat beside me.
Heathrow passport control was quick, but baggage reclaim took a few minutes. I rushed to the central coach station but failed to book a ticket for the 8:30 service. I then had trouble booking for the 9:30 service, so I gave up and walked back to Terminal 2 to catch the RailAir coach to Woking railway station. This cost £13 and the train to BoMoH was £48, rather more than the £32 of the National Express coach I had failed to book! I bought a cheese & onion sarnie in the M&S food store just outside Woking station and ate it on the platform waiting for the ten o'clock train home. At BoMoH station, I took a taxi home.
My two hundredth cruise had been another fabulous voyage, with seven ballroom dance workshops, six lectures, five tours and one ship new to me.
Cruise Director Emily Love later wrote: "Thanks Martin! And thank you for EVERYTHING you did, so good having you onboard and everyone enjoyed all you did! Until next time, keep in touch"
Lydia later wrote: "Thank you for teaching me to dance again & having meals with me. Your kindness has made my very first cruise as a solo traveller, an unforgettable & memorable experience! Thank you for your travelog that brings back all the beautiful moments on Azamara Quest. I trust that Astrid would have shared my positive feedback on the talks you have conducted during the cruise. Will be spamming your mailbox with the photos and videos as promised. Be well & keep cruising!"
Betty later wrote: "Many thanks for sending your blog. After reading it I realized how much I had missed on our cruise! I think you have perfected the art of Siesta to maximize your enjoyment of activities on board. I even learned a new meaning of the word "blower." And haven't seen the word "abluted" used for a long, long time. The dance we shared on Valentine's Day was special. Thank you. The red dress I wore was purchased on my December trip to the UK, in Bourton-on-the-Water."
Trish from Jo'burg later wrote: "Wow 200 cruises that really is something. Congratulations on all the cruises. You came to South Africa in good time. Mauritius has a cyclone and we are to expect extreme weather this weekend."
1) "Durban: South Africa's Third City"
An illustrated talk on the history & highlights of this great city.
(Martin had given this lecture previously on one South African cruise.
He had visited Durban on two different cruises)
2) "Richards Bay: Gateway to Safari Parks"
An illustrated talk on the history & highlights of this great port.
(Martin had given this lecture previously on one South African cruise.
He had visited Richards Bay on two different cruises)
3) "Port Elizabeth: Victorian City"
An illustrated talk on the history & highlights of this great city.
(Martin had given this lecture previously on one South African cruise.
He had visited Port Elizabeth on two different cruises)
4) "Mossel Bay: Pretty Seaside Resort"
An illustrated talk on the history & highlights of this lovely town.
(Martin had given this lecture previously on one South African cruise.
He had visited Mossel Bay on one cruise)
5) "Cape Town: South Africa's Mother City"
An illustrated talk on the history & highlights of this great city.
(Martin had given this lecture on two South African cruises.
He had visited Cape Town on five different cruises)
6) "Rhodes Across Africa: Cecil's Story"
The life and work of gold & diamond entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes.
(Martin had given this lecture on four different cruises)
1) Social Foxtrot 2) Ballroom Waltz 3) Social Rumba 4) Social Cha Cha 5) Social Tango 6) Rock & Roll 7) Samba
200 Cruises
53 Cruise ships (see below)
16 Cruise lines (see below)
12 Night cruise
11 Solo traveller meet ups and dinners
8 Continental breafasts
7 Dance workshops led (see above)
6 Talks given (see above)
5 Tours escorted
5 Destination lectures
(D, RB, PE, MB & CT)
4 Production shows
4 Lifts
4 Flights ($???)
3 Mixed Grill lunches
3 Folkloric shows
2 Cooked breakfasts
2 Cheeseburger lunches
2 Beef dinners
2 Veal dinners
2 Lamb dinners
2 Pasta/Noodle dinners
2 Comedian shows
2 Hot tubs
1 Lamb lunch
1 Beef lunch
1 Pork lunch
1 Chicken lunch
1 South African breakfast
1 South African lunch
1 Taxi (ZAR500 = $27)
1 Complimentary tour (Stellenbosch)
1 Enrichment lecture (Cecil Rhodes)
Captain Dario Guerrieri Cruise Director Emily Love Ass. Cruise Director Astrid Alphonso Shorex Manager ? Stage Managers Mario & JC Cultural Lecturer Monique van der Hoef Destination Lecturer Martin P. Lee Special Interest Speaker Dr Dick Farkas Watercolour instructor Sandra Boorne
* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines * Saga Shipping Company * Voyages of Discovery * Seabourn (Carnival) * Princess (Carnival) * Cunard (Carnival) * P&O (Carnival) * Azamara (ex RCCL) * Celebrity (RCCL) * Silversea (RCCL) * Regent SS (NCL) * Oceania (NCL) * Marella (TUI) * Ambassador * Crystal * Viking
Black Prince Black Watch Borealis Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Saga Rose Saga Ruby Saga Sapphire Saga Pearl II Quest for Adventure Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA) Spirit of Adventure (New SofA) Spirit of Discovery Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) P&O Arcadia P&O Aurora P&O Oriana P&O Iona Oceania Sirena Oceania Marina Oceania Riviera Azamara Journey Azamara Quest Viking Sky Viking Saturn Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Sapphire Princess Caribbean Princess Marella Explorer VoD Discovery