With the Explorer in Africa.

[drron]

It was time to leave Luderitz-

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The ship was ready and our escorts in the sea and air were ready-

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And we sailed into calm seas-

Luderitz was interesting but I really wouldn't want to live there.As we left it was time for lunch.during the afternoon there were lectures on gold and diamonds as well as the history of Namibia.outside however there were seals,dolphins and occasional turtles-

The sea was calm,the sky clear and the nearly full moon told us it was time for dinner-

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Once again an enjoyable dinner.I had the vegetarian main-mushroom and potato pave which I enjoyed.no second thoughts about the "wellness"option for sweets-key lime pie.I always suspected it was good for you!
Tomorrow and it will be Walvis Bay.

 

[drron]

Later on the fog rolled in and the fog horn kept us awake for awhile.As it was a reasonably early start we had breakfast in our suite.Once again dolphins and seals gave a performance and there were lots of jelly fish as well.We had arrived in Walvis Bay.The Namibian navy was in-

And cormorants staged a fly past-

We berthed next to a snappy looking vessel from Marseille-

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And in the distance were some flamingoes-

The passenger terminal was the usual magnificent area-

next-dune bashing

 

[drron]

So off we set after breakfast for our dune bashing.We were in an old landcruiser held together with duct tape,dodgy seat mountings and no shock absorbers with Len our driver.
First you go along the Esplanade where there are many magnificent homes-

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As the houses end you come to something more spectacular-

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At the end of the road you come to the salt works and the salt pan-

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Some took the fast route across the salt pan but we took a slower route-

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Which meant I got to see my first springbok-

 

[drron]

It was amazing what survives in the dessert,a lizard and a burrowing gecko-

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Even gum trees-

We saw the others taking the easy route again-

As our convoy made it's way to the easier track-

But soon the desert seemed far away-

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But the dunes are impressive-

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At the firthest point of our journey we stopped for a beautiful afternoon tea,with beer of course-

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[drron]

There were some nice nibblies and lovely Namibian oysters as well as the local brew-

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And fortunately there were more of those oysters to come.
But now back to the dunes.We all fell for a Namibians trick-pretends there is a problem with accelerator cable so connects his shoe laces to the carb and pretends acceleration is by pulling on the lace-

Later in the lounge at Accra a group of South Africans had a good laugh at us falling for this old trick.The highlight of the morning may have been the majestic flyby of pelicans-

Or some of the steep dunes you went down-

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A convoy of South africans went by-

But the Park rangers were waiting so we went speeding by-

And on the way back we got a better view of the salt works-

All agreed it was a great experience.
Then back to the ship for a soak in a hot tub to give the old muscles some relief then cappucinos with scones,jam and cream for room service.

 

[drron]

Just some of mrsdrron's photos.Drron holds on as we approach the top of the dune-

and he wanders off into the sand-

But she got some good shots of the pelicans-

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Then that evening one of the highlights-dinner in the canyon.Another hour and a bit in a 4WD to the canyon.On the way you get a different perspective on the massive dunes-

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An impressive German style lodge as we approached the canyon=-

We approached the canyon as the sun set.Also some wonderful rocks-have to put this in to keep on the good side of Stefan the geologist who is going to be the Expedition leader on one of our voyages next year.

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[drron]

We were met by some musicians and then the choir was waiting-

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The place was magic-

The sun rapidly set bringing some stunning images-

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The choir sang beautifully-

then the moon added it's magic-

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And the party became lively-

 

[drron]

The organisers of the dinner were however able to better even nature's superb display-

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The dinner was buffet style and did include some local dishes such as Kudu.A sauvignon Blanc from South Africa was the perfect accompaniment for us.The choir sang for the whole time we were there.it was perfect for the occasion.As the evening progressed they seemed to get even more energy.Just great.

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Then unfortunately it was one of the oldest 4 wheel drives back to the boat.To save my knee I hopped into the front with the driver.The Chinese group then hopped into the back with Rojaan leaving her with no one to talk tur butler the next morning was happy to learn that her disposition on return to the ship was because she was cranky with me and not some mistake by he or SS!
The next morning was a cruise around the harbour.The flamingoes showed us another side of their nature but then they got cranky with each other-

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Someone went to great lengths to protect their pride and joy-

The cormorants certainly appreciated the effort-

You dont go far before a seal hops on the boat-

However he is recognised as unfriendly and dispatched.He feels cheated and tries to catch us with a neat bit of surfing-

 

[drron]

The next on board is obviously female and takes to our expedition leader-

But she found his deputy more to her liking and he obviously fell for those eyes-

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Meanwhile the gulls were hoping for a little of the fish the seals were getting-

We cruised to the other side of the harbour where there were lots of these fellows in the water showing off-

Many more were on land-

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And we were treated to a flamingo flyby-

We then went out into the atlantic.There were some dolphins but not very close.We came back into the harbour and unfortunately there were many of these-

decimating the fish stocks and sea birds.But we soon salved our conscience with some champagne and these little beauties-

 

[drron]

It was then back to the ship for lunch and then Immigration formalities.The next 2 days were sea days.But first there was the sunset-

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the first sea day was Good Friday.I spent it going to lectures,organising photos,eating,sleeping and being bad at trivia.
The lectures on this cruise were of high quality and gave us a good grounding for all the adventures we had had and would share.

On Good Friday the lunch was a seafood buffet-lobsters,prawns and some more of those delicious oysters.I felt the food on this cruise was at least equal to all our other Silver Seas experiences.The meat came just as you ordered and was always tasty and tender.The fish was also always beautifully cooked and moist.There were more vegetarian options than usual and I became a vegetarian on a couple of days because those options appealed to me and didn't let me down.

Of course the chef was Australian and his offsider a New Zealander.Grant and Kyle.Grant leaves the Explorer in Dakkar and after a couple of weeks transfers to the Cloud.
On Saturday night after dinner everyone returned to their suite to find a basket of Easter eggs.A nice touch especially as we came with our extended surrogate family with children 9 and 13.And I am proud to say they became the ships favourites and others took up the role of nuisances.

Easter sunday and I saw the sunrise!

As we came into Lobito the cliffs showed magnificent striations-

This picture is here in case the Geologist Stefan reads this report-he will be the Expedition leader on one of our cruises in 2014.Then a local fisherman out early-

Before the city of Lobito came into view.

We had our first TIA moment in Lobito.The pilot was ordered for 5am but boarded at 0630.Immigration officers were to board at 0700 but arrived 0730.We were then told that there was no need for a face to face Immigration check but at 0745 we were told face to face was mandatory.

We had docked near some large commercial vessels-

in a very beautiful part of town-

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We were a little late leaving the ship but were welcomed by a contingent of local scouts.

 

[drron]

First we were taken to the Zaire on which the first President journeyed during the Civil war-

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We noticed the odd South African tourist-

Before passing an old Portugese church-

And the odd bar-

Our group was doing a tour of the highlights of Lobito before going by bus to Benguela the provincial capital before returning to Lobito by vintage train.The others were doing the reverse.We were accompanied by a police escort-

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We passed some classic architecture in town-

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But as we drove out of town the workers residences were not so flash-

 

[drron]

Our next stop was at a new bridge that the locals are proud of and built by the Chinese-

We parked under the new bridge and climbed a small hill to the old Portugese fort-

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Which looked over an old church-

and a couple of new ones-

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As well as the new bridge-

Then we saw this-

That story next.

 

[drron]

Our next stop was a soccer stadium which was built by the Chinese for the Pan African Cup of 2010.From what we could make out only 3 matches have been played here.A monument for the effectiveness of aid.

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Of course drron couldn't help reliving his moments of soccer glory-

All the machinery is there but just look at the tyres-

Outside was this huge parking lot-

Across the road was a complex built for young Government workers we were told.some of it appeared to be old,some new but there was no evidence of any occupation-

Along the highway at regular intervals though were car bodies-

We then passed the new International airport where our guide told us you could be flying to Rio,Dubai,Capetown and many other places.Unfortunately it has been open for a year and there are no International flights.This however was built by the Portugese-

It was Easter Sunday and at every church we passed there was standing room only-

 

[drron]

So we arrived in Benguela.A fascinating place with grand mansions side by side with abject poverty.Known for it's beaches with the inevitable stalls but interesting decorations-

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The water did not look inviting and there was an obvious problem with rubbish but at least you have lifequards-

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An open air theatre-

But there is a dark side to it's history-

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The first building was the slave's prison.The second is the church to which they were taken to be baptised before being put on the slave ships.
We then inspected the church.Quite ornate inside-

Then for reasons unknown to me an older gentleman came over and beckoned me to follow him.I was taken behind the altar and introduced to the priest and the woman who was putting away the chorister's robes and the priest's vestments.Did I look pious?Or more likely did I look in need of urgent redemption?

I was then led upstairs and shown some older relics and the private altar for more important parishioners-

The fellow then opened the windows so I could see the families celebrating the confirmation of their children on Easter Sunday.I wondered how many may have been descendants of the slaves who were baptised there-

 

[drron]

Next to the park just up the street which now commemorates Angola's Independence-

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Then it was to the brand new train station-all built with Chinese money.More of that later.The engines were brand new but we rode in restored early 1900s carriages-

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[drron]

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The benefit of the return journey was that the train goes very slow so easy to watch the passing scene.The kids were always happy to see the train-

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Then we passed the provincial prison-large stalls set up outside-

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Angola isn't a particularly tidy place-

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We passed the camp for the Chinese railway workers.They dont have it much better than the locals-

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[drron]

Often the train would stop.On this occasion as this young fellow took his cattle across the tracks-

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The wetlands also had a lot of birdlife-

Just up from these cattle people were washing themselves and their clothes in the same water.Where these people lived was not flash but still they were smiling,a lesson for us all-

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People dry their washing by the tracks-

And would you was in this water?

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[drron]

We passed the cemetery for Lobito-first the older Portugese section,then that for the locals-

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Then passed the old airport.quite a few small planes in military green-

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Then the railway rolling stock.Old-

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and new-

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As I said before the Chinese are rebuilding Angola's railway and supplying the new rolling stock.The rebuilding is being done by Chinese labourers many of whom will remain when the job is complete.
One of the local guides was a little forthcoming saying a large problem was that the rolling stock initially was of a different gauge to the track that had been constructed.
TIA.

 

[drron]

We were then taken to a Square where there was music and dancing along with free beer!

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The local ads were having a simpler form of entertainment-

With assorted styles-

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Mrsdrron preferred the more mature fellows-

 

[drron]

There were many costumes for the dancers-

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But I did wonder how traditional was this outfit-

The locals appeared happy and friendly-

It all appeared very hot work but these came in handy-

Back to the ship for another enjoyable sunset-

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Then another very good meal with the mains for both of us the herb and rosemary roasted leg of lamb.both of us were very tired.Straight to bed and slept for 9 hours.
tomorrow is Luanda.