December 11, 2002

I will be spending the day trying to pack everything I’ve purchased and all of my equipment for the flight home tomorrow.  The flight home is supposed to take 22 hours!  I know I’ll be exhausted when I return home, but I am looking forward to seeing everyone and personally sharing the adventures I’ve experienced on this trip.

December 10, 2002

I awoke this morning at 5:30 a.m. to see our ship pull into the port of Cape Town.  The sun was just rising when I reached the bow of the ship.  Cape Town harbor is one of the world’s greatest harbors to arrive by sea.  Many people have told me that there are two great ports to sail into. One is Rio and the other is Cape Town.

The city of Cape Town is next to the sea at the tip of Africa. It has a large flat-topped mountain directly behind the city called Table Mountain.  There is also a small mountain just east of the city called Lion’s Head and, if you look at it from the sea, it resembles a sleeping lion.  To the west of the city is another mountain known as Devil’s Peak.  In some of my photographs you can see these mountains clearly (see photos).

Today, I will visit the local planetarium and most likely see a program on the southern skies.  This afternoon I will take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain for a panoramic view of the city and harbor.

December 9, 2002

I spent another day at sea to relax and think about all the wonderful places that I have been able to visit on this eclipse trip.  Most of the day was spent talking to friends and just sharing our eclipse experiences.  I also spent some of the day thinking about how I am going to get all the stuff that I have purchased packed and on the plane home.  That is going to be a tough job.

December 8, 2002

Our latitude today is 33degrees 58 minutes south and longitude 25degrees 38 minutes east.  The ship is docked in Port Elizabeth.  This port is known as the “friendly city” and is one of Africa’s largest industrial and commercial centers.  I was able to go to a new shopping area known as the Boardwalk.  It contained a lot of new shops as well as a movie complex (movie cost $1.70 US) and some traditional African craftsmanship.  I walked back to the ship from this area, which was about 2.5 km.  There were locals selling carvings, beads, and more modern goods along the way (see photo).  I also passed by the local train station (see photo) and was able to view several old steam locomotives rusting away on unused tracks.  The railroad gauge is narrow and the rails appear to be only 24 inches apart. 

The ship sailed at 9 p.m. and we headed for a day at sea and Cape Town South Africa.

December 7, 2002

We are at sea today.  I will spend much of my time getting ready to pack up the many interesting items I have purchased along the way.  It will be a challenge to see if I can get all the beads, masks, and other hand made items into my suitcase.

The time here is now 1:59 p.m. and I have just finished lunch.  I know that back at home in Chesapeake it is now 6:59 a.m., and you are all getting ready to head for school.

I will write more tomorrow after we visit Port Elizabeth.

December 6, 2002

On December 6^th we docked at Durban, South Africa (see map). This is the most African city in South Africa.  Its population is composed of English, Zulu, and Hindu and the air in the local markets has the aroma of spices (see photo).

Durban is Africa’s busiest port and is also a popular holiday destination.  Durban’s province is called KwaZulu Natal.  The areas first white settlers were British navel officers hoping to trade with the Zulus for ivory.  In the 1860’s the British brought thousands of Indians from India to work in the sugar plantations.  The area now has over one million Indians, and they play a major role in the political and social scene of the area.

The Zulus are the largest black nation in South Africa.  Little is known about their pre-history for they never evolved any written language.  The first written accounts date from the first contact with the white settlers in the 1820’s.  Today the Zulu people and their huts can be found all along the countryside.  Zulu huts are round and appear as large beehives.  The Zulus believe in the survival of the spirit after death and worship their ancestors.  Their houses are round so that no bad spirit can hide in the corners of the rooms.  They also place their beds on the floor so no spirits can hide under their beds.

In 1816, the Zulu king was a man named Shaka.  He formed the Zulu nation into an organized tribe of people famous for their war tactics.  In 1836 the battle of Blood River took place when the Zulus tried to expel the first Boer pioneers from what is today Kwazulu Natal.  The pioneers were called Voortrekkers and they suffered serious losses when the Zulu King Dingane invited their leadership under Pieter Retief into his royal kraal and then had them killed.  The Zulus then sent out a punitive army to destroy the "wizards" as they called the Voortrkkers.  An entire wagon trek (similar to the wagon trains of the America west) was annihilated in a first light attack at the battle of Bloukrans.  Three days later the Zulus tried to attack another group that had early warning and preparation time.  They moved to wagons into a rough triangle in an area protected by a river on the one side and a ravine on the other.  The had mounted riflemen and two small canon.  The Zulus once again tried a morning attack. This time they were completely beaten and suffered serious losses.  The Zulus withdrew back to the royal Kraal.  The Zulus were able to defeat the British in 1879 in a bloody battle known as the Battle of Islandwana.  Note: the above account of the Zulu history was provided by a gentleman responding to this web site. He was a 6th generation direct descendent of one of those early Voortrekker Pioneers.

The people of Durban and the province of Kwazulu Natal are prosperous and happy and seem to enjoy their diverse culture (see photo).

December 5, 2002

The eclipse yesterday was just great.  We did have some clouds blocking part of the view but we could all see the sun and the eclipse through the cloud layers. The clouds enabled us to view the sun without filters for the partial phases of the eclipse. I did manage to get some video, but will not be able to email it due to the size of the file.  It would take too long to send from the ship.

I am currently located at latitude 28 degrees 47 minutes south and longitude 32 degrees 1 minute east.  The ship is docked at Richards Bay, South Africa, and we have just returned from a boat ride to view hippos and crocodiles along the St. Lucia River.  There are an estimated 800 hippos and over 2,000 crocodiles in this body of water.  I was able to see many hippos in the water but only viewed 3 crocodiles along the riverbank. 

This is Zulu Land and the people of this area are descendants of the great Zulu tribes of Africa.  The people here are very nice and seem very happy to see us.  I think that we bring some extra money to their economy.  Richards Bay is an industrial town with major mining interests.  This area is one of the world’s best places for the mining of titanium and aluminum.  They get the titanium from the great black sand dunes in the area.  Water pressure is used to wash out the titanium from the sand dunes.  After they wash out the minerals, they replant the area to help the ecology.   The area is also rich in other minerals and semi-precious stones.

We will set sail tonight at 11 p.m. our time (7 hours difference now from Chesapeake = 4p.m.) and head for the port of  Durban, Natal.  I will email again tomorrow and the adventure continues….

December 4, 2002   ECLIPSE DAY!

Today was the big eclipse day!  I awoke around 5:30 a.m. and headed up to the aft part of the ship to pick my observing site (see photo).  I was just about the first one on deck to set up my tripod.  I was soon joined by some of my fellow Safari friends (see photo), and soon the ship was full of eclipse viewers setting up their equipment.

To view this eclipse I decided to set all my cameras (see photo) on the same pair of binoculars and use the binoculars as a guide platform.  By aligning all the cameras to the sun, as well as the binoculars, all I have to do is look through the binoculars and let the cameras take pictures by themselves.

We have just seen the eclipse!  It occurred here at 8:29 a.m. our time which is 7 hours different from you in Chesapeake.  That would make it 1:29 a.m. Chesapeake time. (See photos.)  Although high thin clouds (see photo) covered some of the eclipse, the site was just spectacular!  I will have many photographs to share will all when I return.  I used my two digital video cameras to record movies of the eclipse and my 35-millimeter camera to take slide pictures.  I do not know how successful the slide pictures are because I will have to wait until I get back to Chesapeake and have them developed.  However, I do know that the movies captured some of the total eclipse, including the diamond ring and some of the red prominences near the edge of the eclipsed sun.

At the current time it is almost 2:00 p.m. and the ship is heading for the port of Richards Bay (see map), South Africa.  Our present location is latitude 26 degrees 39 minutes south and our longitude is 35 degrees 14 minutes east. 

I'm scheduled for a bus tour for the port of Richards Bay and will report my findings tomorrow. 

December 3, 2002

I am presently located at latitude 24 degrees 10 minutes south and longitude 36 degrees and 38 minutes east.  The ship is heading to a location just off the east coast of Africa at latitude 25 degrees 53 minutes south and longitude 35 degrees 15 minutes east.  At this location the eclipse will begin with first contact (when the moon first starts to appear on the solar disk) at 7:19 a.m.  Totality begins at 8:29 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m.  The eclipse will end when the moon disappears from the solar image at approximately 9:50 a.m.

This means that the total eclipse will last around 2 minutes!

I have been busy all day getting my cameras ready to film and record the eclipse.  I will be using a large pair of binoculars to guide my cameras during the total part of the eclipse.  This will give me time to look at the eclipse as well as photograph it without having to fiddle around with the equipment.  I hope that all I have to do is start the cameras a few minutes before totality begins and let them run all by themselves.

Lets hope that I get some great pictures to share with you all back in Chesapeake.

It is now 10:21 p.m. here as I write this and back in Chesapeake it is only 2:21 p.m.

The big day is tomorrow…ECLIPSE DAY!

December 2, 2002

I am currently located at latitude 17 degrees 57 minutes south and longitude 41 degrees 42 minutes east.  It is now 7:51 p.m. ship time (11:52 a.m. Chesapeake time).  The ship is cruising at 15 knots on a course of 216 degrees, which means it is heading southwest.  We are located between the island of Madagascar and the eastern coast of Africa (see map).

Today was a day at sea.  I used this day to set up my camera tripod and start the job of aligning my cameras to record the eclipse.  I also used some of this day just to rest after the long Safari and hours of staying up late looking at the southern sky.

Last night, many of us gathered at the bow of the ship to view the southern sky.  From this latitude you can see the southern sky quite beautifully.  In front of us was the bright star, Canopus, located in the constellation Carina. Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky—only the star Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, is brighter.  The constellation of Orion is directly overhead and appears to be upside down as compared to the skies over Chesapeake.

Also visible from this southern latitude are the large and small Megellanic Clouds (see photo).  These appear as dim white patches of light, but are actually galaxies containing billions of stars.  These galaxies are irregular in shape and do not appear as spirals like the Milky Way Galaxy.  The Megellanic Clouds are named after the explorer Magellan, who was one of the first early explorers to see them.  The clouds are approximately 140 thousand and 160 thousand light years away from our Milky Way system. 

Several bright meteors were observed in the dark sky.  At sea the skies are really dark because we are away from all cities and the effects of light pollution.

December 1, 2002

I am on the ship and have just left the island of Nosy Komba, off the coast of Madagascar.  My location at the time of writing this is latitude14 degrees 07 minutes south and longitude 46 degrees 38 minutes east. 

Today, I stopped at a small island that is inhabited by a tribe of people, known as the Sacalava.  They speak a language that is different than the language spoken on the main island of Madagascar.  They are very friendly and are very happy to see visitors.  They only get a cruise ship visit like ours around once a year.  It is the opportunity they need to make money selling their art, fabric, and seashells.  They sail out to the boat to sell their goods.  Passengers on the ship lower their money down on ropes or strings to exchange money for goods.  Everyone is making deals for shells and wood carvings.  You can buy a great seashell for only a few dollars. 

This island is also known for its spices.  They have pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and curry for sale.  The island also has vanilla beans and some tropical fruit.  However, the main attraction is the lemurs that inhabit the island. They are everywhere in the town and forest.  They love to eat bananas and will take them right from your hand.  The island also has over 60 species of Chameleons .  These small gentle creatures (see photo) are bright and colorful and very gentle.  I had one crawl on my arm and hat and just look around for someplace else to explore.

The sunset tonight was great and we got to see the “Green Flash” as the sun’s last rays disappeared below the horizon.  Tonight I will stargaze on the ship with other passengers.  The sky here is dark and beautiful.  Tomorrow is a day at sea, so I will get my cameras ready for the total solar eclipse that will occur on the 4^th of December. 

November 30, 2002

Today was a day at sea.  I spent the time getting the binoculars ready that I will use for the eclipse on the 4^th.  We are now passing the Comoro Islands off the east coast of Africa between Madagascar.  We will dock there tomorrow at 1 p.m. and explore the lemurs for which this island is famous.  Nosy Komba and the neighboring island of Nosy Be are two islands off the coast of northwestern Madagascar.  Nosy Komba is also known for its great beaches and turquoise waters. 

The beautiful sunset (see photo) is truly something to behold!

November 29, 2002

There are 8 hours difference in time between here and Chesapeake.  For example, as I write this entry, it is 4:55 p.m.  However, in Chesapeake the time is 8:55 a.m. 

Today is another day at sea.  We were to stop at the port of Zanzibar, but it was canceled due to the terrorist attack in Mombassa.   Zanzibar is a port that has a large Moslem population and there might be some unrest among the local people.  The ship is at sea all day today and we are busy looking at maps and getting our equipment ready for the big eclipse.  I have some cameras and binoculars that need to be fitted with solar filters so that I can view the sun before the eclipse begins.  I plan to take videos and also slides of the total part of the eclipse to share with everyone at the planetarium.

We are presently located at latitude 7 degrees 12 minutes south and longitude 41 degrees 39 minutes east.  This puts us in the Indian Ocean, just off the east coast of Africa near the city of Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.  The sea is calm and the temperature outside is 85 degrees.  The humidity is very high and the overall feel of the air is just plain hot.

Tonight, I will stargaze under the southern sky.  From here, you can see the large and small Megellanic Clouds, which are close galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy.  These galaxies are located around 140 to 160 million light years away from us.  They appear as fuzzy clouds of light, low in the southern sky.  There are also some bright globular clusters known as 47 Tucanae.  This appears as a small smudge of light through binoculars, but is a large cluster of stars in photographs.  The moon approaches closer to the sun each day.  The eclipse will occur on December 4^th, when the moon reaches its New Moon position.

From this location, you can also view the Southern Cross or the constellation Crux.  This constellation is quite famous but not really very bright.  Out at sea, the sky is very dark because we are away from all city lights and other forms of light pollution.

November 28, 2002

I flew from the small dirt airport of Lake Manyara to the Kilimanjaro Airport (see photo).  I passed through immigration to re-enter Kenya and took another short flight to the city of Mombassa.  In the late afternoon, I arrived at the ship for the next part of the journey where I will view the total solar eclipse. The ship is called the Marco Polo (see photo) and it will be my home for the next several days.  Be sure to view the photos of all the carvings and things for sale along the pier.

November 27, 2002

I left the Serengeti area and headed east to the Lake Manyara Game Park. Along the road, I came upon two large male lions resting.  The morning sun was perfect lighting and the lions seemed to be almost posing for the camera. (See photos.)

I also had a chance to visit Lake Manyara. This is the home for millions of migratory birds—mainly flamingos, storks, and pelicans (see photo).  Although the scene was great, the smell was quite bad!  This area is also full of monkeys—lots of them!

November 26, 2002

On this day, we took another game drive, this time in search of leopards.  Several cheetahs were spotted walking across open grassland.  They were in search of food but we could not follow them.  The driver of the truck heard on the radio that a leopard was spotted in a tree several miles away from our location.  Therefore, we took off as fast as we could possibly travel on the rocky road.  When we arrived, the leopard had just jumped out of the tree and was now sleeping in the tall grass.  We decided to wait near the tree to see if the leopard (see photo) would climb back up—and in a few minutes he did!  It is difficult to see leopards in the Serengeti for they hide and hunt by ambush.  I was very lucky to see one and especially lucky to observe it climb up a tree.

I photographed a large Nile Monitor lizard.  This is the largest African lizard that can grow up to 6 ft in length.  It has been known to eat small crocodiles (see photo).

November 25, 2002

I left the Ngorongoro Crater and headed over the mountains for the great Serengeti Plain.  The drive was almost 100 miles on unpaved rocky roads.  I traveled in a four-wheel drive vehicle that seemed to take all the rough roads in stride.  In the truck, I can go off the road in dry or wet areas in search of wild animals (see photos).  

As I traveled over the mountains toward the flat plains, the elevation dropped from 8,000 ft to 4,500 ft and the temperature became arid and dry.  Just past the mountains, a large group of giraffes was spotted in an open field.  These animals were graceful and gentle and seemed to almost float as they walked.  Although they stayed several yards away from the truck, they did not seem afraid of us (see photos).

The lodge in the Serengeti was located on a small hill overlooking the vast sea of grass and trees.  As I approached the lodge, a herd of elephants was spotted next to the road and came over to the truck to continue eating.  They were only several feet away from me and could have easily turned over the truck if they wanted, but seemed to realize that I was not a threat.  The herd was composed of several large elephants and at least two small babies.  One of the babies was only one week old and kept very close to its mother by walking under her and around her constantly.  The elephants soon walked quietly away from the truck and continued into deeper vegetation (see photo).

Several lions (see photo) could be seen sleeping near the lodge.  They sleep over 20 hours a day and are active only when they are hungry.  At night, I could hear them growling in the woods near the lodge.

November 24, 2002

In the morning, I traveled down to the Ngorongoro Crater floor by bumpy road and viewed a fantastic site—animals everywhere—living, eating, and dying in a cycle of life.  I wanted to explore more of this 11 x 14 mile crater.  This time, there were many birds to photograph including Egyptian Geese, Ibis and a strange bird known as the Secretary Bird (see photos).  I’ll spend another night at the lodge and then I am off to the Serengeti National Park!

November 23, 2002

From Kenya, I traveled to the border of Tanzania and crossed over into the Tanzanian countryside.  The roads are not paved and the ride is so bumpy that you seem to spend half the time suspended in air as you ride.  It was a distance of around 80 miles to the Ngorongoro (pronounced inn goro goro) Crater (see photo).  This is one of the great wonders of Africa!  It is an 8,000-foot extinct volcano that collapsed over 5 million years ago into a great walled enclosure.  It contains more non-migratory animals than any other place in all of Africa.  The floor of the crater is 5,000 ft above sea level and contains so many animals that, from the edge of the crater looking down 3,000 ft, they were visible as large dark masses moving slowly across a grassy plane.  From the rim of the crater I could see many wildebeest, elephants, zebras, and Cape buffalo.

The lodge was located at the edge of the crater rim; each cabin had a spectacular view of the crater.  You had to stay in you room at night due to the wild animals.  I saw a large Cape buffalo walk up to my patio door and eat some of the green grass outside.  What a site!

November 22, 2002

I traveled to Amboseli Game Park, which is around 100 miles away from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.  The park is located at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in all of Africa (19,340 ft).  In the afternoon, I went on a game drive into the park and was able to view many different animals.  One exciting experience was finding a female lioness and her cubs feeding on a freshly killed warthog (see photo).  In all, there were two females and four cubs consuming the unfortunate wild pig.  It was amazingly silent while they ate—only an occasional growl or groan from the cats.  At the end of the meal, most of the warthog had been consumed and the two females got into a fight over the scraps, but each soon calmed down and continued their meal.  Here in Africa, the animals kill only to eat and it seems to support the balance of nature.

Other animals in the park included Thompson Gazelles, Cape buffalo, giraffes and many wild birds (see photo).

At night, back at the Amboseli Lodge, you have to stay in your room due to the wild animals that sometime walk right to you door!

November 21, 2002

We visited the coffee plantation of Karen Blixen (see photo), the author of Out of Africa.  All of the outdoor scenes for the movie were filmed here.  The house was reconstructed in a different location from the movie because there was no electricity at the original site.

We ate at a restaurant, The Carnivore, famous in Nairobi for game meat.  They serve zebra, ostrich, alligator, and antelope along with other domestic meats such as pork and chicken.  All of the meat was cooked over an open pit (see photos) and served on a large skewer at your table where the meat was cut off right over your plate.  I tried all of the meats and found most of them to be very mild and smoke flavored.  The best was alligator; it was white meat and tasted like chicken!