A Fresh Look at Durban

It's been very rainy in Durban the past couple of days. It rained all night before Brennan and Hannah arrived and it rained the day they arrived. In fact, it rained the day after they arrived. It made little difference, we were all off to a very slow start. Having just jet-lagged about a month ago, I empathized with their combined 23 hours of flight and layover time and the seven hour time difference. Slow starts were expected and just fine with us. After several cups of tea/coffee, lots of morning chat and some breakfast aboard Cups, the rain finally stopped and the sun even found its way into a blue sky by mid-afternoon.

We walked around Durban's streets, seeing it once again through fresh eyes as Brennan and Hannah asked questions and noted things we'd started taking for granted … street signs in three languages and ladies balancing large parcels on their heads and the hubbub and chatter on the city streets in so many languages and, of course, the number of black faces compared to our white faces … the smells, the sounds, the sights. TIA - This is Africa. How can you not love it?

We wandered through parks, up and down streets, into supermarkets and little shops, then made our way to Africa's oldest yacht club, the Royal Natal (founded 1858 … same wait persons on staff today) for lunch. With full bellies, we were back to roaming the streets. We'd planned to do more … stroll along the beaches or do a museum maybe? But after a visit to a local pub, we returned to Nine of Cups, tired, and still sated from our late lunch. We chatted about our plans for the next few days, packed for our upcoming trip and, after a few nightcaps, hit the sack early. We're off to Lesotho tomorrow!

Yes, of course, you're invited. Pack light, but bring some warm clothes. It's reportedly cold in the mountains.

Visitors from Afar

Brennan and Hannah have arrived! Like me, they chose Emirates Air for their trans-Atlantic trip from Washington, DC to Durban, via Dubai … 15 hours with a short layover and another 7 hours and they were here. We met them at King Shaka International Airport (the name shouts Zulu and exotic South Africa, doesn't it?) and whisked them away to the Durban Marina and Nine of Cups. It's been awhile since we've had any guests aboard Nine of Cups. Being half way around the world tends to discourage folks from visiting, especially Americans who usually have short, two-week vacations.

Brennan and Hannah have visited us before … in Uruguay and Buenos Aires. They're good guests to have aboard … not to mention they're our kids! Both are familiar with sail boats and both are experienced travelers. They're adventurous and usually game for about anything … even hanging out with their parents. Heck, they went to Borneo on their honeymoon (parents not included).

They were a bit jet-lagged on arrival. We had a light dinner aboard Nine of Cups and a couple of beers and they faded quickly. We tucked them in and let them sleep. We'd chatted in advance about possible things to do while they were here. A tour around Durban city and its Indian Ocean beaches was pretty mandatory. A self-guided drive through a nearby game park sounded good, of course. But the thing that was most appealing to them was a trip to the Drakensberg Mountains and up the treacherous Sani Pass, the only eastern entrance into the tiny, South Africa landlocked, little country known as the Kingdom of Lesotho. We put all our ideas on the itinerary and we'll start adventuring tomorrow.

I'm betting you'd like to come along and of course, you're welcome on this trip. Tomorrow's our tour of Durban … sights beyond the marina and the downtown shops. Wear your walking shoes.

By the way, Hannah and Brennan didn't need coaching, but if you're expecting guests that are not familiar with living on a sailboat, it's always a good idea to prepare them for their stay. Check out this blog on Guests Aboard we did awhile ago. If you're interested in our “What To Bring” and “Welcome Aboard Nine of Cups” tips for visitors, send us an e-mail and we'll send it out to you.

Burning Up in Boston

My time in Boston has flown by in a whirlwind of holiday socializing and sister-izing. It's been grand, but it's time to head back home … to David and Nine of Cups. All the ordered boat parts arrived in plenty of time to stuff them into the two 23kg (50#) duffels that have been sitting on Lin's basement floor, slowly filling to capacity with every UPS delivery. I weighed the unwieldy duffels on Lin's bathroom scale. I had an ounce or so to spare in each one, but I had not yet packed any of my clothes!

Before leaving, I promised Lin I'd help to take down all the Christmas decorations and stow them away. It's a full-day's job, so I packed the duffels early and we planned our last full day together as a de-decorating day. We hauled out all the storage boxes and I de-ornamented the tree while Lin carefully wrapped each precious bauble in tissue paper and packed it away till next year. Then the lights came down and all that was left was a bare tree and millions of dry pine needles on the hardwood floor. We wrapped the tree in a sheet to contain it … a shroud of sorts … and dragged it down the stairs to the chiminea in Lin's woods leaving a trail of needles behind in our track. As is Lin's tradition, we planned to burn the tree. Goodbye to the old year and hello to the new.

There always seems to be one stubborn ornament that remains hidden on the tree. This year it was a brass elephant stuck in the middle of the tree, close to the trunk. As I lopped the branches off the tree to add them to the chiminea, there he was. It made me wonder how he had migrated to the inner branches to hide. Surely being stowed away till next year was preferable to be tossed into the fire!

We sat in wooden chairs on this crisp, cold day, sipping hot cider and rum, avoiding the smoke and cinders from the burning tree. We walked through the woods and reminisced about the challenging year past, talked about how lucky we were to have each other to share these challenges and what 2015 might hold for us.

As we say goodbye to the Christmas tree and 2014, don't forget First Foot Day. It's celebrated  on New Year's Day in several countries including Greece and Scotland. The first person to set foot in your home after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day is thought to bring good luck. It's not usually a resident family member and the person cannot be in the house at the stroke of midnight. The visitor usually brings some traditional gifts like bread, a coin and perhaps some whiskey or wine signifying that you'll have enough to eat, drink and spend for the upcoming year.

Just a hint … if you haven't checked out Days and Ways to Celebrate 2015, it's available here in .pdf format that will work well on you computer or tablet, or in Kindle format at Amazon. It's a whole year's worth of celebrations … day by day!