DAY 90 - DAY EIGHTY TWO ON THE CRYSTAL SERENITY

Before we begin we wanted to note how much respect we have for the people that we met who live and work at Phinda during the Safari.  Many of the people who work at Pindha live on site.  The guides work six weeks straight and then have two weeks of with their families.  They were all wonderful.  Their attributes included strong work ethic, positive attitude, attentiveness, passion, respect, and love of people, nature and the animals.  While the guide/driver carried a gun he has never shot an animal.  They are taught what to do to minimize both risk and danger and if something happens how to react.  They can use the gun if they have to but they know enough how to stay out of harms way and how to deal with all types of situations.  Phinda works very hard to keep poaching out of the area and also works very closely  with the local community.

These are additional photos from our Safari.

Anne Marie with Sam.

Friend Stan who we have known since 2007 and also the Crystal Cruises Escort.

Friend Ileen who we have known since we first met her on the Crystal Serenity in 2008.

Before dinner last evening we watched the arrival into Cape Town from inside the ship at the Palm Court.  At the same time, many guests went out on the open deck where there was music.  It is a beautiful city and one of the icons is table mountain and with very little cloud cover there was no table cloth to see over the mountain.

We then made our way to the Crystal Cove and listened to Colin Salter play the piano.  He was filling in for John Mentis who was off last evening.  Colin regularly plays at the Avenue Saloon.  We spoke for awhile with Hotel Director Josef.

We then went to dinner at the Crystal Dining Room.  It was our first time back there in about five days.  Cruise Director Rick Spath joined us for dinner.  We enjoyed dinner and enjoyed a lot of good conversation with lots of laughs with Rick.

We did not take any photos at dinner.

We began with Beef Consommé   

For our next course Keith had his standing order salad and Anne Marie had a small version of Keith's salad.

Anne Marie had Chicken for our entree and Keith had salmon.  

For dessert, it was a fruit plate for Anne Marie and a sugar free ice cream puff.

The food and the cuisine was great and having diner with Rick made everything so very special.

We ran into several people after dinner who had just returned from their respective Safari's so it was fun hearing about their adventures.  We also spoke with the Captain and his wife.  We met the Captain's Wife earlier in the day.  She also did a Safari before joining the ship and it was very nice to meet her.

We slept very well last evening as we were docked in Cape Town. We were both tired from our Safari experience.

This morning marked the end of the fourth segment of the World Cruise and the start of the fifth and final segment of the World Cruise.  As each day passes, the days seem to be going by even faster than normal.  Part of the reason for this is all of the activities that have taken place on the ship each and every day and night.  There is so much more planned over the coming weeks.

During the course of this voyage we sailed a total distance of 6,026 nautical miles or approximately 6,930 land miles.  We sailed from Singapore to Cape Town.

Who was up first?  Yes, it was Keith who began the day with a workout at the Fitness Center.  Later on we both walked inside the ship.

We had breakfast earlier than normal to give us more time to explore Cape Town.

This is our third time to Cape Town.  It is a beautiful city and some say it is the San Francisco of South Africa.  

We decided to take the City Tour Hop On-Hop Off Bus.  We took a taxi from the pier over to Clock Tower at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Mall.  We could have waited for the shuttle but wanted to get an early start.  From there we took the bus and it took us to many different areas within the city and then up to the Table Mountain Cable Car Station and then we drove along the coast and took in magnificent views of the various bays and beaches on our left side and many beautiful homes and hotels and restaurants on our right side.  We didn't hop off but enjoyed the sites as we listened to an excellent narration of the areas were drove by.  We were on the bus for about two hours.  Upon our return, we walked the Waterfront Mall for over an hour.  The weather today was the best we have ever experienced here.  There was not a cloud in the sky.

We are both wearing hats that we purchased while at Pindha.  It was sunny so you will see Keith squinting.

We have been to all of these places more than once.

Table Mountain.

Castle of Good Hope

One of several Clock Towers that are part of this city.

Cable Car Lower Station for Table Mountain.

Some beautiful hotels and restaurants are found in this area along with beautiful beaches.

After we returned to the pier we boarded the ship. We ran into a couple who we first met on the Serenity in 2005 (Ernie and Val) who some of you know.  They boarded the ship today.  It was Ernie and Val who walked us through the World Cruise and after they did we signed up for our very first World Cruise and as they say the rest is history.  

We enjoyed lunch on the ship and afterwards we enjoyed a nice long walk together on the promenade deck followed by Anne Marie sitting out by the pool and Keith back up on the Elliptical Machine.

This evening we will dine with friend Ileen and a Photographer that lives in South Africa who she knows from a previous trip where he was her guide.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY……..

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles." - Washington Irving

Keith & Anne Marie