Happy Easter to everyone! The chefs on board created a huge display of Easter eggs which were unfortunately for display only and not edible. Also the Easter bunny must not be able to swim as he did not find the ship although a chocolate rabbit was found in Peter’s suitcase courtesy of Scott… (I had already eaten mine!!) Thanks Scottie.
Today we are in Port Elizabeth in South Africa. We had chosen to go on a tour to Pumba Game Reserve. This was a full day tour leaving at 8.15am and arriving back at the ship around 5pm. Pumba is approximately a 1.5 hour drive from Port Elizabeth and covers over 6,000 hectares of land. When we arrived we were greeted by the park staff and offered a cool drink and some chocolate fudge slice which was quite moorish. We then proceeded to line for the 2 toilets on offer for over an hour as there were around 80 of us!! We were ushered into an open air 4 wheel drive that sat 10 people… 3 rows of 3 and one in the front. It was actually freezing when we were here which was totally unexpected and most people (everyone) did not have enough warm clothes but we were all offered blankets which we grabbed with open arms. Considering there were about 10 jeeps roaming around the game park we did not cross paths much and did not detract from the experience. We did see white lions (mother and baby), white rhinos (which are not white in colour but just a different breed), giraffe, elephant, zebras, birds, heaps of different deer, warthogs (which is what the name Pumba means) and lots of other things that creep and crawl. After about a 2 hour safari ride we were bought to the lodge for a lovely lunch then back for another one hour safari before being ferried by bus to the ship. All in all it was a very enjoyable day out. There is no intervention with the animals so if they get sick there is no vet they are left to fend for themselves which includes finding their own food. After lunch we did see that the baby lion had caught and killed a warthog and was happily tucking in. The staff at the park were very pleased with this as this was her 3rd kill so they felt confident that she will survive on her own.
The show which was a repeat by the P&O Headliners had to be cancelled due to illness. There is still are lot of the Arcadia cough going around the ship but luckily I have still managed to escape it but Peter has managed to get a sore throat so took himself off to the doctors for antibiotics to hopefully clear it up before our overland safari.
Some facts on Port Elizabeth (PE):
Known as the “Detroit of South Africa” because of automobile manufacturing
The city claims to have more hours of sunshine than any other coastal city in the country.
PE claims to have more restaurants per head than any other place in SA.
St George’s park is the oldest park in the country.
Population is just over one million.
SA’s fifth largest city and third largest port.
Named after the acting Governor Sir Rufane Donkin’s late wife.
Lots of excellent beaches
Currency is SA Rand
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