Beneath the Brown Cloud - LAX to Vegas

We could tell we were in Los Angeles as soon as we stepped out onto the curb at LAX. An ever-present brown haze hangs heavily over the city. Our eyes burned and we coughed and sniffled almost immediately. We anticipated that we'd be exhausted, so we'd planned to stop half way to Vegas and rest for the night. What should have been an easy two hour drive from the airport to Barstow during the middle of the afternoon, took over four hours because of heavy traffic and road construction. We fought to keep each other awake. We had the A/C on and the radio was blasting out familiar 1960s-1970s vintage singalong tunes.

We've driven this route several times in the past. Once we were out of the LA traffic (three of the four hours on the road), the drive became easier. The land was brown and parched, reflecting the severe ongoing drought in the area. Mesquite, sagebrush and yucca dotted the rolling hills with nary a wildflower around to provide even a tiny splash of color to brighten up the drab landscape.

We looked for certain landmarks along the way. Randy's giant donut

and Peggy Sue's 1950s diner.

The Direct TV blimp hovered lazily above us providing a short-term diversion. Move over Goodyear.

At last, the Route 66 sign in Barstow. We gratefully found our hotel, had a quick bite to eat and collapsed into a heap for a good night's sleep, only to wake at midnight ready to start a new day … unfortunately our internal clocks were set to Durban time.

After a restless night, we began the final two hour leg to Las Vegas. We traveled up into the foothills to an altitude of 4,700' and over the mountain pass. Crossing the California state border into Nevada is always a surprise. Primm, Nevada kind of sneaks up on you out of nowhere. The drab, brown landscape explodes into casinos and theme parks and hotels and outlet stores. Welcome to Nevada … which is anything but prim.

Then it was down, down, down as we made our descent into the Las Vegas valley. The brown cloud which had dissipated a bit as we drove further from LA, resumed its intensity as we neared Las Vegas.

A long, long trip home, but our family was waiting for us and the exhaustion of the trip soon melted away. Now if we can just get rid of the jetlag!

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.