Cowbright: Cape Town, Africa

Shortly after daybreak, the Vista docked with a clear view of Table Mountain and Cape Point. No where else would you have this view except Cape Town, South Africa. Nicknamed the Mother City, Cape Town is South Africa’s oldest city. It is also the legislative capital and second largest city after Johannesburg. It is known for its busy, beautiful harbor.

approaching Table Mountain (L) and Cape Point (R)

coming into dock - Table Mountain

It is also the last stop on this segment of our voyage. That means a lot of “swapping” goes on with passengers and a certain number of crew members disembarking, while new passengers and crew members embark for the next segment. It always feels a bit like organized chaos for all the crew members as they do all that is necessary to get everyone off the ship and busily prepare the ship for its oncoming guests.

Other crew is busy loading food and supplies on to the ship for the next portion of the journey while yet others are working to fill the ships tanks with fuel. Additionally, due to local regulations, ALL passengers and crew had to disembark with passports and go through security once again. That in itself is no small feat.

photo credit from the morning run: Ronnie

Cape Town, Africa is described as "a bustling cultural melting pot that perfectly blends rich history, natural wonders, and modern attractions." A walk around the port testifies to the truth of this statement. It's easy to see why Cape Town is a destination for many, as it has everything one could want in the way of natural beauty, weather and coastal related activities.

Since we are now headed around the western side of Africa (same as our 2023 trip) it also means that 4 very special passengers are joining us. Dignitaries? No, even more special than that. Extra Security - just to be on the safe side. Our daily Currents also reads “For the safety of our guests and crew, Deck 14, Deck 15 and Dec 16 will be closed from sunset to sunrise each evening. In addition, we plan to turn off several external lights to improve our ability to stand watch during the evening. Keep your stateroom curtains closed and balcony lights off when not in use while we are at sea." In other words, the ship wants to keep a low profile!

extra security coming in (photo credit: Ronnie)

While our cruise director hasn't specifically announced their presence, we know from previous experience that this is extra security being brought on. One of the guys we especially liked from 2023 wore a patch over one eye (compliments of Afghanistan) and a t-shirt that read "We do bad things to bad people." I'm totally fine with that.

While ship's personnel were busy taking care of their business, we took care of ours. We took ubers to both an ENT doctor for Ronnie and a podiatrist for me. I recently had an infection in my big toe (ingrown nail) which responded well to soaks and antibiotics. However, I didn’t want to be headed up the west coast of Africa with the threat of it reoccurring. Hopefully it has now been taken care of (conservatively) and will not give me a problem again before we return home.

Because of these appointments, we did little more than get a bite to eat and walk around the port area, but it is huge and beautiful. All the shopping and eating options one could possibly want are within an easy walk of the ship. We could not have ordered up more beautiful weather for the day. Thankfully we avoided the flooding that was here just a week or so ago. We will overnight in Cape Town before sailing again tomorrow afternoon.