Yes, it's finally me.
I'm here and on the ship. We just had the sail away party. Gorgeous, with the table mountain in the background. I am still exhausted. I shouldn't have added doing all those meals, shopping and touring with a friend who lives here. Super happy to see everything but too much after traveling so far.
Captain just came on and said rough sailing ahead! I hope to sleep through it.
I left my pillow I've had since age 16 on the plane and they wouldn't let me go back and get it. Very traumatic when you are a child at heart like me. I was so concerned about forgetting my new laptop I totally forgot the pillow. Farewell old friend! You were great for 50 years. Clay says that lap top is the best investment he's ever made since it got rid of that pillow. They call them cushions here so half the time no one knew what I was talking about.
It's a little weird being on the Voyager after just getting off the Mariner. I'm used to knowing the crew and passengers. Right now, it's just me - but I'll get that fixed in another few days.
Thought it was interesting the question most South Africans asked me was about Oprah. They don't seem to care about Obama or any other US politics at the moment. Just Oprah and the World Cup.
That's all for now. Wish I could write like Diane, but nothing exciting to report yet.
Oh yes, Engelbert is back on the Voyager so we wear our "twin" pins when appropriate. Girls - he looks as fine as ever!
Hope to be rested tomorrow with some sort of grand news to announce.
Oh yes - I'm now booked to FLL. I think I need to thank my family for understanding why they won't be getting their Xmas presents on time this year.

Great to hear from you Betty. I'm glad to hear you're staying on till Florida...enjoy!

Nancy

I am glad you made it on the ship even if you did lose your pillow!

I am glad you made it on the ship even if you did lose your pillow!

Hey Betty, Glad you are finally on the Voyager. Just kick back and enjoy.... all the way to FLL, good for you!!!! Can't wait to relive last years posts through your eyes.

Captain's "Welcome Aboard Reception" tonight but we are "ordered" DO NOT SHAKE HANDS! for fear of infection. I don't know what disease he has but I know I am clean!

It's not much - but a new experience in Wallis Bay. Tried buying something at the local pharmacy. None of the 8 employees had the slightest idea how to convert to US $ (although Regency reception told me they would). They didn't have a computer so we finally called the local bank to find out how much I owed them. If only credit cards were good ALL over the world! They aren't used to many US tourist.

And Nancy guess who my next door neighbor is! Just met this morning. They wondered why I wasn't at the block party. Had to confess the last one I attended I had too much to drink so decided to be a good girl on this trip. They probably think I am very boring. They are off on a tour for most of the day but we are going to get together later.

Betty, I forgot to remind you that Marcia and harry are next door to you. I hope you'll get together with them later, they're a lovely and fun couple.

Enjoy, Nancy

PS. just received an email from Marcia and she mentioned you all had met and she looks forward to spending time with you.

Hi Betty,
Good to hear from you. Your staying all the way to FLL? You go girl. Looking forward to more seamail from you. Have fun.

Glad you are onboard and getting acclimated. It's a LONG trip. Still ... a little play time in Capetown with friends is irresistible, no?

Clay thinks a new laptop is a suitable replacement for a favorite pillow? Hah! Just wait until he lives through endless tossing and turning because THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THE SAME KINDS OF PILLOWS. You go girl .. within a week he'll be begging the airline to bring back Ol' Faithful. Or .. start tapping and typing on the laptop in the bedroom while he's sleeping. Drives Gary nuts.

Stumbled upon Houston's Tiffany holiday celebration for their high end customers at RDG Grill Room last night. Instead of a featured margarita bar, they had a jewelry buffet. The Secret Service wannabes were trailing all the ladies giving the high end bling a test ride. Gary conducted his "are they real .. or are they implants" survey whilst he professed his interest was for the bling.

RDG's family was sitting next to us. RDG himself was out of the kitchen frequently, visiting with the daughter home from college. Lovely to see how psyched he was with his daughter's visit home from college. Loved the food. Gary kept commenting how much livelier Houston is since he left in the early 1980s. Thankfully, had a private dinner (not by arrangement) at the St. Regis earlier with Mom. She could not tolerate the noise level at RDG.

Let's talk about airport traffic. What is up with that? 45 south was a nightmare at 2 pm. Had to wander over to the Hardy toll road, only to hit another crush on 610 heading west. Took some very careful backroad choices to get Mom to her spa appointments on time.

Cheers, Anne

Happy Thanksgiving from the Voyager. We gained an hour last night but most passengers seem to be sleeping in - as if they actually had to work yesterday.
The staff appears very busy getting everything ready for our Big Thanksgiving Parade and dinner. Hope it's fun.
Fantastic tour yesterday morning. (Yes, Crystal - I saw seals, not sea otters) Seals, dolphins and wonderful birds. I think I have some great photos of the pelicans, but then I haven't actually looked yet. If all the holiday festivities don't get me down, I'll try to post a few later. As usual, one of the main ingredients of a great tour is the guide and ours was A+++. Big tip! You could just tell she loves her job and all the wildlife in the region. Maybe the fact that she and I were the only people on the boat willing to have the traditional 3 shots of the Namibian "national" coffee helped. And it was goooood! If any of you ever cruise this way - this tour is a must. Unfortunately I had to cancel the 2 tours I had planned for Tuesday so you'll have to get that news from David.
Finally met Beth's friends and we had dinner together last night. Fun people.
Will try to get back on later today with photos. And Anne, I hope you enjoyed Houston, but that traffic is a nightmare. I never thought to tell you how to bypass 45 and the Hardy and get to the St Regis quicker. But can I assume there is a blue Tiffany sack in my mailbox just waiting for my return? :app:

Great to hear from you Betty, I liked our stop in Nambia too we went on the "living dessert" with a real crocodile dundee guide that we just loved.

Keep it coming.

Today was St Helena. Didn't get to spend enough time there. Beautiful country. Parts remind me of New Zealand. Photos to follow.
It's late after a formal night. Testing photo to see if I can remember how to post photos. Tomorrow will post more. This is my favorite pelican from Namibia. They feed them red pepper to turn them pink. David will post more tomorrow.




Another pet I wasn't allowed to remove from the country.

Hello, Betty! I was wondering where you were! (like I think you need to post every day?)

On SAMBA, I loved St. Helena as well, although we did nothing other than walk into town, shop a bit, and sit on a bench, and chat with a couple of locals, two men who had walked/driven there from home just to meet all these aliens stopping for a day on their shores. It was fun in a way you can't describe unless you were there.

Ngaire picked the best tour in Namibia, the "living desert". I picked the one with no critters, and was disappointed that it was a moonscape terrain that was fun for about 20 minutes, but rocky hard roads. They got to have fun "surfing" on the soft sand dunes in 4 x 4's with Crocidile Dundee.

Glad you enjoyed St. Helena. Here's the rest of the Houston Holiday Highlights for you to enjoy vicariously.

We, like you, were shocked and chagrined there were no robin's egg blue boxes for us to take home as party favors. Please .. this is Houston at Holiday time. Shall we deliver a really cute Namibian penguin to them in exchange for a blue box? Seems more than fair to me.

We enjoyed very good weather Wednesday and met up with my aunt & cousin at Raven Grill in the West University area on Wednesday, after breakfasting at Le Peep. The focus was definitely on the food this trip.

Mom & my aunt worked on a pecan pie, as Gary and I opted for a lengthy afternoon walk. Umm .. Houston is not ready for pedestrians. We are, however, NYC Iron Tough so we stared down traffic as we traversed the wide streets. We arrived at the Galleria and found the sales racks. I found several things I liked. Gary was the designated shopping bag carrier. We had to hustle back to the hotel, get changed & pick up Mom and my aunt for dinner at Maggione's near the Galleria. Spaghetti and meatballs, anyone? Got back to the hotel in plenty of time for a little Mafia Wars Thanksgiving Food Fight fun.

Next morning, LePeep is closed for Thanksgiving. Eek! Those of us in the heathen East are unaccustomed to places closing on Thanksgiving. I scrambled and found a La Madeleine open in River Oaks. Mom's eyes were like a kid at Christmas. French pastry .. and more French pastry..and a promise we'd come back there the next day for breakfast, too.

We headed over to my cousin's for dinner. They are in a renovated early 1900s house. It's stunning and comfortable at the same time. I was assigned the cornbread stuffing for dinner. I tried, Betty, I really tried to stick to the recipe. About 2/3 of the way through it, I started freelancing. Despite that detour, it passed the true Texan test - whew!

We headed home around 7 pm, and as we drove down San Felipe, the tree lighting fireworks were in full display. How cool was that? We turned off for the hotel just as the finale was underway.

Next morning, there's a silver Rolls Royce pulling up, with full tint windows. A young lady with custom hosiery slides out of the back seat, holding hands with a young man. We figure they are from Dubai (lots of their countrypeople in the hotel over the holiday). Sunglasses in place, they could be models. My mother's mouth is agape. Gary's grinning .. because once the foursome enter the hotel, the two young men walk together, and the OLD guy takes the young woman's hand. We figure we know who owns the Rolls ... it was very funny.

After that fun, back to La Madeleine to stock up for breakfast & the flight home. We got to IAH early, so grabbed earlier flights home.

All in all, a great trip. Hope you enjoyed being virtually in two places at once. Cheers, Anne

Hi Betty,

Sounds like your cruise is picking up in activity. Good for you. Yes, we liked St. Helena also. We went into the inner island and saw all the lush green from the rains and went to Napoleon's grave, home and the governor's home. It was a fun small island. Would love to go back but the only way to get there is by boat as you know.

Continue to have a great cruise, enjoy those sea days and rest up for Rio!!!

Hi Betty ! Hope you continue to enjoy the cruise. We're in Vail thinking of you!

Sorry to hijack, but Anne--loved the custom hosiery comment

Betty--you're off to terrific adventures as always

Great hearing from you, Betty. St. Helena is one of those pleasant cruise surprises that you don't expect. It sure is an isolated part of the world. We enjoyed seeing it on a taxi tour.

Visting St. Helena is one of our more memorable memories -- particularly since it is so isolated (the closet airport is 400+ miles away on Ascension Island) that so few people visit it, and because the topography is so varied and so beautiful. It is truly a gem.

Today has brought sun and heat. Even though I now have the shape of a whale I plan on getting some southern sun. My original plan of posting more photos will have to wait. (Don't know why David didn't post photos. He is probably busy working on his shuffleboard technique)I do know I won't be the only whale sunning myself.
Anne - loved your description of Houston. I couldn't have described Thanksgiving Weekend in the "Golden Triangle" area any better myself. Did I forget to tell you to avoid like the plague? :p Actually, everyone needs to experience it once.
Kim and Alice - Enjoy Vail? Sail towards Rio? Coin toss says Houstonians should save Vail for the coolness of summer in the mountains. Besides - my "custom hosiery" will look better in Rio this time of year.

Hi Betty: So glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. Sorry to hear about your beloved pillow. Won't fly that airline again! Keep up the good work - love reading your posts. Lee

Ngaire, I am sorry to report I, along with 4 other non LCT friends, were asked to leave the Horizon Lounge after Bingo today. We were informed we were breaking the dress code. I promise my shorts were linen, not denim. But it certainly was a great start to a fun dinner. And yes, everyone changed clothes before descending on the CR. Your name or that of LCT was never mentioned. I try to be good.

Betty, my brother got called down because of wearing shorts after 6PM. He was on his way to the suite to change..... Watch yourself, dear, there are eyes watching!!! :rolleyes:

That happened to me on the Mariner once.
One minute we were having a great time and
next the poor young girl was informing me
I had to leave the bar because it was after 6 pm.
I was back in business in about 5 minutes!!LOL

Could be worse, I guess, like showing up where? with no jacket and being sent home to change. Glad they are enforcing the code. I think that 1st hour is when they find the most infractions, which these days could only men shorts or jeans. On the Voyager, I have no problem on formal nights getting myself from Horizons to the Elevator via outside decks, and ducking in through the door to the elevator when I have stayed out taking pictures on the aft deck after 6.

Betty, your trip brings back fond memories. Enjoy every moment!!!

The 3 women did OK being called down by the fashion police. The men - not so happy, especially after we arrive in the CR for dinner an hour later and started counting jacketless men.
Oh well - another story to add to my cruising memorabilia.

My favorite seal




And my pet pelican

The fashion police are everywhere, on the Mariner, I got a snide remark from a passenger for wearing jeans on the elevator while returning to my cabin after coming in from an excursion at 6:15pm. I think some cruisers have OCD with dress codes :) .

Well, I suppose that after planning to eliminate the formal dress on many cruises, some people were afraid that the dress code, in general, would go to "heck in a hand basket". Guess they want us to know, that will not be the case.

Betty, keep up the reports and photos. You know how much we love it. Keep having fun!

We are getting ready to attend the staff's fair. They are all so excited.
We passed an island this morning I was not familiar with. Trinidad. (Not the one of Trinidad and Tobago). Have photo. Will work on getting it posted later today. Need short nap before the Fair. I think I end every cruise post with the same sentence.

Love those pictures Betty! So happy you're enjoying your cruise...enjoy your nap.

My god Betty, how much sleep are you getting?

Prescription for what you need is: a few rounds of POOCH twice a day and followed up with chasers of white wine served by a friendly English waiter.

Wish I was there with you on this trip....keep having a great time .

If someone made a "snide" comment to me re: dress code, my reply would be,"soooo sorry,but local rules doesn't allow showering and dressing in the back of the tour bus".

Hoist a deink for Ray and I and say hi to David for us as well.

Betty, glad to hear you saw no sea otters in Africa. That's good either for the sea otters or for the liquor supply on the ship.

Sounds like you're having a good trip. Did you see the "ancient bus" in St. Helena? I have such fond memories of our ride on it!

Yes, your green bus was part of the island tour's "caravan." Have several photos for you and Beth. I was afraid to get inside for photo when we would stop. Didn't want to end up in a St Helena jail. Talked to a few passengers and they were having as much fun as you all did last year.
Tomorrow - RIO!
Pat....you are right, sleeping way too much, but it sure feels nice when I wake up. No pooch players other than David on this cruise & I don't think only 2 people could play. He's busy with his other friends. Have no idea what they do with their time but they do laugh a lot.

Hey Betty, Glad to hear that our ancient convertible is still in operation. That sure was a fun way to see the island. Yes, avoiding jail on St. Helena or anywhere on this cruise is highly recommended!!! Enjoy Rio.

Interesting! We are on the Voyager about one day from Rio and we have a helicopter flying overhead. Captain has just ordrered us to close all balcony doors!

Keep us updated if you can, David. I hope it's not medical related.