A few days ago we left Cape Town, South Africa. This is a town for the wealthy in Africa for sure. A condo near the water front is about 1 Million US. I understand that is rent, not a purchase.
I changed $100 US for the local currency and got back 620 Rand. 4 shot glasses and a T-shirt cost 300 Rand. Not a cheap town!
I did go out with Joy, Andy (boson) and Mike (The Mate) and we had a great dinner at a German restaurant. I had the duck, it was great and chased it down with some good German beer. We then wandered around the waterfront a bit. The mall was just like being back at home, except the mall was more like being in a Beverly Hills mall. Everything upscale and over priced. (Whisper---I see white people). This is still very much a white town and talking to at least the cab drivers, the whole apartheid thing didn't end as well as (he at least) hoped. I guess the crime and unemployment rates have hit some pretty high marks (according to the cabbie) since then.
We only had one night out on the town, the next day we were supposed to sail but the winds were high and the pilot did not want to move an empty ship in that weather. We were restricted to the ship so we could move at an hours notice. One whole day was wasted on the ship just waiting, the next morning at 6 am we were able to get underway. We visited Cape Town because we had a salt water pump fail on us in Tanzania, the pump was flowen to S. Africa for repair and we picked it up and installed it in Cape Town.
One thing I will not forget is the view in Cape Town. The city lies under a huge table top rock. This mountain is very steep and the clouds roll down it's slops like dry ice fog. The clouds would slide so fast it looked like time laps footage. The day we left the clouds were gone and you could see the flat top. We were only allowed a $200.00 draw due to a shortage (which should not have happened) so I was not able to do many of the things I wanted to do, but time was short anyway. If I ever have the money,this is a town I would come back to and visit again. We departed in the direction of the Caribbean hoping to head home. But we now are awaiting possible new orders. At first we though we may be heading to Korea, but just now as I am typing the Chief Mate has told me that the contract did not go through..... However we are now circling in the South Atlantic waiting for word on another contract.... looks like we may backload from Jakarta, back though the Suez to Lebanon. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever make it home LOL....
Jesse
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