THERE ARE TWO POSTINGS THAT I MADE TODAY SO CHECK OUT THE ONE BEFORE THIS ONE. OTHER ONE IS "TRIP TO CAPE TOWN".
Historical/Background Info:
We
were also here on our 2010 world cruise. We had left the ship in Richards Bay,
South Africa, to go on a 4-day safari and rejoined our ship in Cape Town.
Luckily the ship was in Cape Town for two days so we get to tour it the second
day. We love Cape town and its people.
We did the same thing on this cruise.
The ship will be here two days and we are returning from our safari on
the first day.
Cape Town
is the oldest and second largest city in South Africa, after Johannesburg. It
has a population of nearly 4.7 million. It is located on the southwest coast of
South Africa on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain. You can ride a
cable car to the top of this mountain for a spectacular view of the city and
its harbor. Robbin Island is a very small island just off the shoreline where
there is a notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela. South Africa has a
population of 46 million living in 11 provinces (like our states). 80% are
black and only 6% and most of the whites live in Cape Town. South Africa has
two other groups of people: “colored” (and they use this term), who are from
black and white parents, and Indians, who came from India to work as laborers.
The city is
South Africa’s second main economic center and Africa’s third main economic
hub. Around 80% of the city’s economic
activity is generated by the service sector with finance, retail, real estate,
food and beverage industries being the largest four. The city has the largest film industry in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Tourism
accounts for about 10% of the GDP for the province and employs 10% of the
province’s work force. Cape Town is a
popular international and African tourist destination due to it mild climate,
natural setting (Table Mountain), and well-developed infrastructure. Tourists and locals alike enjoy the beaches
here.
LAST EVENING
We had invited Samantha, our Cape Town travel agent who books our safaris, to come on Mariner for a tour and dinner. This all had to be approved by Miami headquarters and the ship. I emailed her from the airport and asked her to come at 6:30 but security called me at 6pm saying she was waiting on me in the atrium. I was in the process of dressing still.
I finished dressing and went down to meet Samantha (had never met her before) and give her a tour of Mariner. Rebecca was still doing her hair and getting ready so she met us at the Mariner Lounge bar just before 7pm. We had drinks with Cathi & John Begg while waiting on Marge to show up.
The Beggs and Marge joined us and Samantha for dinner in Compass Rose. Samantha is a delightful lady and we all enjoyed a lively conversation. So happy she came on board and know she loved it also.
Apple pie and ice cream for my dessert.
Rebecca chose the fried wiener schnitzel which is always on the menu the last night of segments.
TODAY
This morning Rebecca discovered around $100 had been taken from her wallet and her credit card had been moved (but not taken). It was in the safe at the whole time at the lodge (none of my money taken while in the safe) or with her in her purse EXCECT yesterday morning during breakfast. Her purse was in the living area by lodge entry. Not accusing anyone but there were several BBC filming crew people in that area during our breakfast. Just thankful the whole wallet had not been taken with drivers license and other ID cards in it. Had to be then as she always has the purse strap around her neck and purse in front of her or her side when traveling.
Today is the end of a segment so some people disembarking this morning and others will be embarking around noon today.
Views from deck 12
We have been watching the coronation of King Charles III today. The ship is televising it in the theater and on our suite tvs. Incredible!! We also had to go in the terminal with our passports to clear immigration again for leaving South Africa this evening. While in the terminal and before I cleared I logged onto the port internet as the ship's is not very good today. Kushal said it will improve after sailing. Some signal interference in this port. I put all my photos of animals that I took into a Google photos album. There are 129 photos in it. I will send the link out later. Those with a Google account can view them. They are in my blog but the album photos are larger.
Now you can see the top of Table Mountain.
All aboard it at 3pm for our sailing at 5pm. I had made reservations for dining in Prime 7 this evening as usual for the first night of each new segment. But Marcia, Richard, and Harvey could not do it this evening so I changed it to tomorrow evening. Beside we like the Compass Rose menu for tonight. I changed our Prime 7 reservation to tomorrow night.
Every afternoon at 4pm they have tea time in the Horizon Lounge. Today's high tea is a special one as is a Coronation Royal Tea with music by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. We don't do tea time but may stop by today.
Back to Mariner Lounge at 5:45 for our cocktail hour at the bar. Then dinner in Compass Rose. Tonight's guest entertainer is a piano virtuoso, Tim Able. Count us out.
Tomorrow is a day at sea enroute to Walvis Bay, Namibia.
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