Crossing the Indian Ocean

February 23-26, 2009 Indian Ocean

Four class days on the Indian Ocean with papers to write, chapters to read, quizzes to take. I was surprised that it will take us almost as long to cross it as it did for the Atlantic. The sailing has been smooth for Les and me. Today the ship slammed down some, and Wendy felt ill. We have had to change our clocks every night, setting them ahead one hour. Barrett is growing – he got new pants and new shoes in South Africa. He’s getting better at potty training, and he’s learning more about other people and their feelings. We have an alphabet Les has been making along the wall of our cabin; it’s already to Pp. Under each letter we put people’s pictures from the ship or from home, a lion, or flying fish, etc. Barrett’s journal is getting plump with experiences.

February 27, 2009 Mauritius

We sailed into Port Louis at 7 AM and are now leaving at 9 PM. Les and I went on an adventure trip today. Flic en Flac was our first stop, a soft sand beach on a blue lagoon. First we went to buy some Mauritian rum (sugar cane is grown all over the island), and then I swam in the warm Indian Ocean. Next we drove to Parc Aventure Chamarel in the Savanne Mountains. Flower bushes rimmed the sugar cane fields, pineapples grew, and coffee plantations thrive in this area. Les and I roped up (pictured) and walked over several swinging gap-plank bridges, one without handhold ropes. The vegetation reminded us of Hawaii, and we saw a beautiful fire engine red bird with black wings. The students adventured more strenuously on two-rope bridges and a zip line.
Mauritius was an uninhabited island when the Portuguese first began plying the Indian Ocean. The Dutch settled here, but later abandoned it. (Were they they ones who ate up all the dodo birds? I think.) The French took possession in 1715, losing it to the English in the Napoleonic Wars. The British freed the sugar slaves. At that time some of the slaves were in hiding on a steep mountain. English soldiers went up to tell them they were free, but, fearing capture for more years of slavery, the slaves jumped and plunged to their deaths. The mountain is called Mt. Le Morne (from the English word mourn). Today English is the official language, but French is most common. Our guide speaks five languages. I am in awe of the people of the world and their language skills!

*February 28 – March 3, 2009 Indian Ocean

The sea was orange oil this morning as the sun rose amid mirage cloud-islands. Sunset was almost as amazing. The sea is calm, the pool was filled, and the water did not slosh out in great gallons, raining down on the dining deck. The ship had a crazy Seven Seas Olympics day. The students are divided by deck into seas: Black, Baltic, Red, Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic, and Yellow. The adults, staff, faculty, families were called the Oddie-Cs. The contests were everything from volleyball to mashed potato sculpting to Sudoku. Les did the wheelbarrow race; Matthew was in the three-legged race with Wendy; Barrett tried the limbo; and Wendy & I joined the synchronized swimming contest (pictured).
I watched a red-footed booby resting on the mast. (Les said he’d seen enough boobies on board, thank you.) Another booby flew by in the early morning, and the two went off over the ocean fishing.
There was a Dean’s wine-tasting one night. The Turkish crew-member who led the commentary gave us tips on the ten wines and how to sample them. On Les’s birthday we were invited to Captain Jeremy Kingston’s dinner. His sense of humor and stories were a delight. The black forest cake slice for Les had a single candle, and the crew sang happy birthday. Second biology test, and I think I got a 78, which is my personal best. Our writing class is reading The God of Small Things. What a writer! I have “read” this book before on tape. Now I need to work on my long piece for class. We are beginning to think about travel in India. I can’t keep up with us!! A lady and two girls from India are on board to help prepare us for Chennai and India.

South Africa

February 18-22, 2009 South Africa

Ah, South Africa: Cape Town in transition, Kariega Game Reserve, and Khayelisha! Cape Town is in a bowl like Anchorage, with Table Mountain and Signal Hill as a backdrop. They are preparing for the 2010 World Cup, so construction of a stadium and infrastructure work are in progress. On our first day, we explored the Alfred and Victoria Waterfront area near the ship, upscale shopping and dining. We tried boerewors rolls, a spicy hot dog with chutney and chips. There’s music everywhere, marimba, flute, Dixie bands. Matthew’s class had a concert in the Amphitheatre, so those present heard a different kind of music. In the evening, Matthew, Wendy and I went to Long Street to sample some foods and drinks. We tried African pancake, African bread filled with goat cheese & spinach, stuffed butternut squash, and crocodile with peanut sauce. Drinks were “hard tack” or “soft tack,” and we had both. Places say “Right of admission reserved.” It was a little “shabine” (sketchy/dodgy) at night, so we left early.
Our safari to Kariega Game Reserve left early the next morning. We had 38 in the group. We flew to Port Elizabeth and then took a bus to Kariega in the Eastern Cape area. The game drives bounced us along tracks where we got close to lions, blue wildebeest, buffalo, Burchells zebras, giraffes, white rhinos, elephants, water bucks and impala, duikers, kudus, bush bucks, elands, and nyalas. We saw warthogs run with tails up and lions take chase. At night we saw a hippo out foraging. Vervet monkeys were in the thorn trees by our cabin, and black backed jackals pounced on prey. We took a riverboat ride and heard birds welcome the day. Secretary birds high-stepped. Ostrich and fish eagles, hoopoes, ibis, and kingfisher flew nearby. One of the male lions has a big black front, looks like a bib of fur.
Today I took a trip out to a black neighborhood called Khayelitsha while Les did a harbor tour. Matthew, Wendy and Barrett went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. My time in Khayelitsha was special. There are 4.5 million people on the fringes of Cape Town in these places they still call Townships. They all have to ride van-taxis into town for work, although many are still unemployed. We did not go into the poorest areas, but into parts where people have little businesses and some new concrete-block houses are under construction. Still, many homes are created out of scraps of corrugated tin and wood. The water is obtained from community spigots, and there are rows of outhouses. It was wash day today, and sparkling clean clothes were hanging everywhere. We visited two B&Bs owned by beautiful traditionally built African women. We went to a building with locally made crafts spread on tables for sale. Across the street was the Saint Michael and All Angels Harare Church. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes of their service spoken mostly in Khosa with some English. Many ladies wore purple at that church. There was a large wooded cross with a big figure of a black Jesus in front of it. A woman took notes on a large pad of paper as the preacher spoke, I suppose so the people could see important points as well as hear them. Singing of the Nicene Creed filled the room and spilled into the neighborhood. At the end of our visit, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Everybody was hurrying to a political rally for ANC candidate Zuma. We walked by the stadium where it was to be held, and the energy and high spirits reminded me somewhat of the Obama rally in Springfield, MO. Recently there has been a breakaway group from the ANC, and the strong one-party system may be challenged. A young man asked me how many political parties we have in the USA, wondering how it works for us. Then we drove back to the city proper, away from Honey House Take Away, God Is Great Hair Salon, and Vicky’s B&B South Africa’s Smallest Hotel. We left behind a place with no garbage collection, where people make flowers out of pop cans, where smiles and greetings are given out freely.

Namibia

February 10, 11, 12, & 13 At sea off Africa

Weather is warming, and we have about 12 hours of daylight now. Since the pool is filled with sea water, it is now warm at 82 degrees. The sea is flat calm, so the pool has been full. I exercise in there mornings, and Barrett and I get in with all the other kids about four in the afternoon.
Our entertainment has been watching for flying fishes. Our Dean’s Memo says, “The ship’s passage startles these fish that live near the surface, and they take to the air to escape this big ‘predator’, the MV Explorer. Flying fishes are fish with very large pectoral fins. These fins allow flying fish to glide for long distances (up to several hundred yards), using their outstretched pectoral fins as wings. They become airborne through rapid vibrations of their tail, and they can remain airborne for up to 30 seconds and achieve speeds up to about 40 mph, skimming just above the waves. As they glide, their pectoral fins are kept rigid, without any flapping motions. When flying fish are swimming in the water, these pectoral fins are held flat against the body. Flying fishes primarily live in the open ocean, feeding on plankton. There are about 65 species of flying fish, and they are found in all warm seas. The ones around here are rather small, less than 10 inches long.”

February 14, 15, & 16 Namibia!

Our ship is docked at the Walvis Bay Port (pronounced more like Valfish) with an oil rig off our stern. No, they do not drill for oil here. The rig has been transported here from Northern Africa for repairs and cleaning. Men go up and down in a little cage attached to a crane! Meanwhile, lazy catamarans cruse by, pelicans fly, and little seals roll into doughnut shapes in the water. In front of our ship is a big cruise ship called the Mona Lisa. As we walk through the port area to town, we pass a huge pile of salt, railroad cars, containers, and men waiting for work by the port gate. Outside the gate are vendors selling African goods.
Namibia rates second after Mongolia for lowest population density. Their young independent government has set aside 14% of the land for parks, and eco-tourism is growing. Since 1990, the official language is English, but Afrikaans and German are still widely spoken by the white population. About half of Namibians speak Oshiwambo. Among other native languages are two click languages in which three different clicks precede other words. Barrett can name one prickly plant in click language. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem, and the population is young. Namibia has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world yet literacy level is high. Many rural people farm for subsistence. Main exports are diamonds and minerals.
When we arrived, a group of young Namibian girls were on the dock singing and dancing to welcome us. They enjoyed a ship tour and lunch with some of the students, and they kept on singing for four hours. Beautiful children. I’m sending a little movie clip.
We took Barrett on a two-day camping trip in the Namib-Naukluft Park. We were pretty much just plopped down in a slot canyon in the desert with a long row of army-type tents. Highlights were the rock formations, a group of young Namibian men who came for singing and drumming, and watching Barrett climb rocks and play for hours in the hyper-arid gravel soil. The heat kept us drinking from our water bottles. Our “hosts” (Afrikaans speakers who also knew English) did not greet us nor give us any information – they were not happy campers! However, the students were wonderful, climbing around, playing and laughing together. At dark some birds trilled loudly from the high cliffs, and a young astronomer arrived with a telescope, but unusual clouds covered the southern sky. A couple of times a star peeked through, and I could tell that they would be brilliant under the right conditions. No southern cross yet!
Today we walked to town and spent over an hour trying to change dollars into South African rand. (The Namibian dollar is pegged to the rand, and both can be used here.) Right after we changed our money, the computer system went down. We went to the grocery store for crackers, South African wine, biltong, and little gifts for our shipboard family. Then we went out to the gigantic sand dunes (pictures). Earlier, while we were camping, Matthew’s class had a concert on a dune. They had microphones buried in the sand, and when the audience joined to dance, their feet added music. Matthew also got to play rocks in the Namib desert – they were iron rocks and rang like bells!
We went to “The Raft,” a restaurant out on a pier. There were white flamingos with black trim and terns feeding on little crabs. Matthew, Les, and I ordered kudu, ostrich, and oryx and traded around. We also ate banana/white asparagus/bacon pizza here. I tried a succulent used for survival while out on the desert– dollar plant – sour and bitter but moist. I got an ostrich eggshell necklace for Zoey.
Les has a cold, and I’ve learned to say Eseekee’sha (phonetic spelling) in Oshiwambo. That’s what they say when someone sneezes.
In the dark tonight, heading south, Matthew, Les and I went out on deck, and, voila!, we saw the Southern Cross and the False Cross.
“When you see the Southern Cross
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way…” (Crosby Stills, & Nash)
Tomorrow is South Africa study day, and then we’ll be there for five days.

Crossing the Equator

February 6, 7, 8, 9, 2009 At sea off Africa

We are clipping along at 24-26 knots down the coast of Africa. Yesterday we stopped in Dakar, Senegal for bunkering. Nobody was allowed to get off the ship, but we took some pictures, and we thought and talked of Janet all day.
Our Burtner Shipboard family gathered for dinner. We have nine students in our family, three boys and six girls. Les & I had purchased little gifts for them all in Morocco. We will get together again tomorrow night for a cookie party in Matthew & Aniseh’s room. They are excited to see one of the big rooms.
I’ve had my first biology test and got back my first creative writing paper. Matthew is busy preparing for his classes, and his MICE group have a concert today in honor of crossing the equator.
Wendy and I are now Shellbacks! Today we had the ceremony for the equator. (We actually cross tomorrow, the 10th.) The captain dressed up as Neptune, painting himself all green. He had a queen and other attendants. First we went to a shallow pool where they poured green goo over our heads. Then we kissed a fish, bowed to the king and kissed his ring, and prostrated ourselves in front of the queen. Then we jumped in the pool, climbed out, kissed another fish, and were knighted with a big sword. We did all this holding hands as we were both a little cautious. Later Matthew followed us, carrying Barrett. Many of the students are then having their heads shaved as part of the ceremony. I have threatened to do this so I can look like Les, but I think we’ve decided I won’t. I do not want to scare my Japanese friends when we get there!

Morocco

February 3 – 5, 2009 Morocco

Al-salaam aleikum!
Morocco has been experiencing a rainy winter. We arrived at Casablanca in the early morning and waded through puddles at the port to leave on our trip at 8 am for Marrakech. Les and I were in a large group, about 80 on two buses. At the same time, Matthew, Wendy, and Barrett left (a day later than planned) for Marrakech and the coastal towns near Essaouira. We all had a grand time and learned from our amazing guides’ expertise on their country.
Our guide was Hamadi. He wore the traditional Berber dress, a dgelaba. These are long robes with zippers and peaked hoods. Dgelaba are worn by both men and women for going outside, and they look effective in the windy rainy weather. Hamadi was very kind to explain his country and customs, and to tell us about his family. He speaks at least six languages. He remembers going to the square as a boy to sit and learn about the Qu’ran. This was his madrasa experience. They used bamboo pens and sheep horn charcoal for ink. Now Hamadi’s three daughters are becoming well educated, two already in the university.
Marrakech is one of the Imperial Cities of Morocco located on the Haouz plain at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. We could not see the mountains due to clouds. The old part, the Medina proper, is walled in reddish clay, and it is known as the red city. Outside the walls are the more modern areas. Inside are the traditional shops, the souk (covered market), the Kasbah (palaces), and in early times the Mellah or Jewish quarter.
The country going to Marrakech is very beautiful, open with green wheat fields, herders watching sheep and cattle, and small mud brick villages with whitewashed minarets in the middle. We stopped first for lunch. Salads were special, featuring separate bowls of lentils, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, and hot sauce. Bread and olives come with each meal, and rice and couscous are also served. Big bowls of oranges are dessert, followed by sweet mint tea. A woman danced with a tray of candles on her head.
Our next destination was the palm groves for camel riding and visiting a traditional house. We were entertained in the house with more olives, Moraccan crepes and mint tea. The tea was poured from a silver pitcher. Several men played traditional instruments.
Our camel ride went through the palm groves and a village with mud homes that had torpedo shaped outdoor ovens and satellite disks on the roofs. I was on Ali, the lead camel. I tried to take some pictures as we rocked along. If you turn your heads, you can see a little film clip. Les said he’s done that now! I liked it.
Our hotel Ryad Magadore Opera was very nice. We had a big bed and a bathtub!
The lobby was like an indoor plaza with a huge hanging chandelier that hung down four floors. We woke to the sound of a call to prayer from the mosque nearby, had petite dejeuner, and took off for sightseeing.
First stop was the Al Bahia Palace where we met the watermen pictured. We saw storks nesting on top of communication towers and minarets. Inside, every surface was ornamented with carved plaster, intricately cut cedar, or tile mosaic. Between rooms are gardens. Hamadi told us an old saying as he showed us the wives’ apartments where each new wife had fancier quarters: First favorite wife is second mother; second favorite wife is honored for her education; third favorite wife is a beautiful jewel; and fourth favorite wife is God’s gift. Hamadi says it is very rare for anyone in Morocco to have more than one wife today. This palace, built at the end of the 19th Century, also had a room for the harem.
We also visited the Saadian tombs from the 16th century. Moslems bury people on their right side facing toward Mecca. The body takes up a spread hand’s width of space. They are dressed in white. Rather than flowers, people put dried fruit and nuts on the graves.
The rest of the day was devoted to markets, the government Moroccan-made store and the souk. We all visited a spice shop where we learned about herbs and spices, lotions and oils. Afterwards Les was buying me a scarf, and we got separated from the group. The old man, Miki, who was hired to ‘watch our backs’ was there, and he began to go with us through the labyrinth of the souk. He came in front of me and said with a laugh, “Follow me to the kazba!” We rushed through the souk passing dozens of shops, trying to find our group. We never found them. At one point, I asked Miki, “Etes-vous perdu?” No, he said, he was looking for the group. Les and I were smiling as we wound through the maze. Finally I told Miki that we were to meet in the Place Jamaa Al Fna. Because of the rush through the souk, I didn’t get to take any pictures. Here are Les and my memories:
•men running all the shops wearing takias (beanies) or fezes
•beams of sunlight coming through into the mostly darkened paths
•motorcycles and bicycles whizzing by, often with two astride
•sound of hammering metal, welding rebar, shiny brass, and wood shavings falling at our feet
•rocks, amanitas, and blood red lantern lights
•cloth and rugs – wools, silks, brocades, Berber & Marrakech weavings
•clothing - shoes, scarves, shawls, embroidered shirts, and baboosh (pointy toed slippers)
•mud, 6’wide cobbled street, puddles, and boards underfoot
•mosaic mirrors, antiques, filigree
•polished cedar ornaments
•piles of hides and leather workers
•tourists from Europe mixed with Moroccans wearing dgelaba, scarves, fezes, leather coats, takias, western dress, and even burkas

It was an overwhelming mix of color, sound, life!

Back in the square, we saw cobras, monkeys, fortune-tellers, shellfish and sheeps’ heads with tongues hanging out. Donkey and horse carts wove in and out among pedestrians. We heard music and saw large groups of men gathered in big circles listening to storytellers or music. Carts held piles of oranges or displays of dried fruits and nuts. Kebabs were cooking, and tagine pots were simmering. Around the square, people sat in shops drinking café au lait or sweet mint tea. There was a sense of living theater in Place Jamaa Al Fna.

Captain Jeremy Kingston gave us a warning before pulling out of the Casablanca harbor into the Atlantic. The boat tipped steeply for about ten minutes. We were in Matthew & Wendy’s room. We had tried to put everything away, but Les flew across the room in the chair, the trash can tipped over and spilled, and Judy slipped off the bed! We had a hilarious time saying, “Whooa” every time it rocked. Some of the students sit on pillows and slide across the union floor, but several people are bruised or broken from the rough water. We are headed down the African coast and will be at sea for eight days.

Gibraltar

February 1 & 2, 2009 Sea and Gibraltar

We celebrated Barrett’s birthday today with all the young children on the ship. We were anchored alongside a fuel barge, bunkering at Gibraltar. We could see the “rock.” Barrett had a big chocolate ice cream cake carried in on our Jamaican waiter Mezraim’s head! The kids all played “Speedy Beep” with a big balloon ball that Eli gave Barrett. Barrett learned to hold up three fingers for his age by holding his pinky with his thumb.
An extra day was spent at Gibraltar. The fueling had not been possible due to rough weather. There were at least two dozen ships waiting there, maybe as many as fifty.