Finally, Cape Town, South Africa!
Our arrival was delayed because the Port of Cape Town was initially closed due to high winds, but we ended up having a fine day.
While waiting off the coast of Cape Town for the port to open, Rita spotted dolphins jumping outside our stateroom window, and I captured this video:
To fill the time while we waited to dock, an evening lecture by David Burgess about the Zulu Wars was moved up to 10 a.m. The Zulu (that’s the plural) did well fighting Brits with their muzzle-loading muskets, especially if thousands of them stormed hundreds of red-coats. By the time a soldier could reload his musket, he could be speared to death. Here’s a picture of a Zulu fighter group with their leather shields:
Nevertheless, in the Battle of Blood River, 25-30,000 Zulu lost to 458 Voortrekkers:
My favorite slide from the lecture was this one about how long it took for military instructions to reach Brits in Cape Town from London:
Well, we finally docked about noon and were on our bus tour to Stellenbosch and a nearby winery by 12:40. We didn’t return until after 6 pm. Neither Rita nor I liked the wines we were offered, but we liked the scenery there and en route. This picture taken as we sped by in our bus is of the “wine train” which takes people from one winery to another, like a hop-on/hop-off bus in the city.
Leaving the winery, we stopped for an hour in Stellenbosch, which is the second oldest city in South Africa (after Cape Town). Rita and I enjoyed a great lunch (waygu hamburger without a bun topped by fried eggplant, with sweet potato fries and, for me, Irish coffee before strolling around the “old town.”
While Rita shopped for clothing, I strolled down the street and took a few pictures. There had been heavy rain and strong winds the day before and some sidewalk sections were blocked by downed tree limbs. The museum we were scheduled to visit was closed due to storm damage.
Before returning to the ship, the bus stopped at the Cabo Beach Club near the port, where we were offered sparkling wine and were entertained by this local band:
Some of the more energetic passengers didn’t board the ship and wandered the waterfront, but Rita and I were happy to retire to our stateroom and enjoy a light dinner. I called one of my agents back in Golden to see how the partial solar eclipse was for her since I knew it was at its peak just then, and I took a phone call from a reader wanting to sell her home and buy a new one, which I then gave to a broker associate. I also provided information to another reader about window replacement vendors. Then I returned a voicemail from another prospective seller/buyer in Evergreen. In addition to writing this post, I began writing my Denver Post column which is due at noon on Tuesday, Denver time. I share all this to remind you that I consider this a “working vacation”!
In closing, I want to share a thought I’ve been having based on countless bus tours where the driver left the bus’s diesel engine running to keep the air conditioning going for him and us when we return. I’d like to see a bus manufacturer introduce a 20- or 30-kWH battery to their diesel buses. The diesel engine would keep the battery fully charged, and when the bus is parked, the driver could turn off the diesel engine and let the battery run the A/C and interior lights, etc. Wouldn’t that make a lot of sense, reduce pollution and noise, and probably save money in the long run? Am I the first to think of this, or is some manufacturer already doing that? I’d like to think so!
Bye for now. Bedtime….
Capetown is a beautiful city, reminded me a little of San Francisco (way back in 2007 - a post-trip to an OAT trip to southern Africa). I have a really nice slideshow of our time there that was produced before my YouTube days - 2012. So I can't share my pictures from that time. Glad you'e both feeling better and enjoying life more.
Capetown is a beautiful city, reminded me a little of San Francisco (way back in 2007 - a post-trip to an OAT trip to southern Africa). I have a really nice slideshow of our time there that was produced before my YouTube days - 2012. So I can't share my picturs from that time. Glad you'e both feeling better and enjoying life more.