We had two ports in South Africa, the first being Durban. Durban is on the East coast and is a big metropolitan town on the ocean. It's beautiful because it has this wide, golden beach that streches for miles and is backed by such a huge city. It reminded me of Honolulu or Rio de Janeiro in that way. For our one day here, we decided to head to U-Shaka Marine World, a water park/resort setup right in town. The shuttle from the ship dropped us off and there was great shopping and some restaurants. We headed straight for the water park and turned into little kids, trying to find the big slides, quickest lines, etc. It was a really good time and we all had lots of fun on the slides, racing each other, and going down the biggest slide in Africa (which, come to find out, isn't all that big. Ha ha!).
We had a lot of fun playing in the park, but got hungry, so we headed out to find a restaurant. Immediately we spotted a unique place to try; there was a long pier stretching out into the ocean and at the end was one building that held a restaurant. We walked along the pier, enjoying the view of large sand sculptures, and found a table on the second floor of this restaurant. What luck! Our view was spectacular, the company was great, and we enjoyed an afternoon of South African food and views of ocean stretching for miles along the Durban coast.
I couldn't quite let that view go so soon, so as the cast headed back I took some time to listen to music and walk the beach where there were tons of people surfing, flying kites, and enjoying the beautiful day. Not he way back to the ship I was able to shop and buy some handicrafts from artisans making baskets and masks and all different kinds of African mementos. Back on board the ship, though, we had an exciting few days. As we sailed to Capetown we had the President and CEO of Holland America and the Carnival Corporation. We got to perform for them and hear them speak, which was a great experience. Both of these men were so incredibly generous, warm, and honest. It really made me proud to work for the company.
The highlight of this time on board, though, was having Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the ship. Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and has been a figure for human rights around the world for decades. He spoke twice and held a church service. All of his time was spent with the biggest grin on my face. It was great to see a Christian leader like him bringing the most awesome message of peace and love and hope and joy to everyone on board. I think his generous spirit and big laugh made everyone sit back and appreciate things. He was so candid and open throughout his visit and I think it really made a big impact on everyone present.
We also got to enjoy the great music of the Soweto Gospel Choir, a Grammy Award-winning ensemble of 20 singers. They brought a lively sound to the theatre and really made me miss my time worshiping at Brooklyn Tabernacle. I just love gospel music and have been listening and working out to it, basically non-stop for months. ha ha! Soweto and Tutu really made this experience of sailing around South Africa one that I will NEVER forget. A real highlight of my contract.
All the best,
Tripp
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