Shuffle aboard

We spent two days docked in Durban. I had hoped to invite the cousins aboard for lunch, but seven days' notice is required and we hadn't been aboard long enough, so it was impossible to treat them. I spent two days ashore as a result and it was lovely to sit in the lush, shady garden up in the less humid hills of Kloof, eating a good curry on the one day, and strolling along the Umhlanga beachfront in the midday heat of the first really hot day they had had the whole summer! It was just a bit of practice for the humidity to come on the rest of the cruise, and we have a lot to be thankful for to the person who invented airconditioning! A visit by the monkeys provided amusement and in comparison to the huge baboons I have had in my kitchen, these mischievous little monkeys seemed cute, although there is no doubt they have similar destructive capabilities when loose in the house.
Back on board in our big bubble, the Crystal Symphony seemed quiet. Although one never feels that there are many people around at any time except dinner, due to the spaciousness of the open areas, there were fewer people aboard. This was because many passengers were doing the safari route (something we would use to describe a trip to the Serengeti, perhaps) to various game reserves on the way from Durban to Richards Bay, where the ship would berth to collect them again. There must have also been further embarkations, because over the next few days we noticed a change in the demographics aboard, with the average age going down considerably and a large group of partying Australians making an appearance. They loved to sing and we spent many a late night in the piano bar with them. The piano player was Richard Ceasar from Cape Town, well known in music circles and a very talented man who entertained us in style. He was overjoyed to recognise my fellow passenger, with whom it turned out he shared a birthday, and a lot of Afrikaans banter followed in the evenings. Just because we could.

Lobster

Bite-sized desserts

Mad dogs and Englishmen..

Marilyn, Umhlanga lighthouse and me

Beaches are not like Cape Town

Monkeying around

Sushi

A very conservative lunch

No poolside organised activities on this ship!

We had reached the hot and humid zone and from now on spent very little time on deck. Capetonians can't take the heat; at least, not this one!