This is going to have to be a long blog because we have been on SAFARI and haven't had internet access for three days. So hang in there! Yesterday, we returned from Kariega Game Reserve where we spent three days and two nights. We were the first ones off the ship so that we could catch a bus to the Cape Town airport and fly to Port Elizabeth. From Port Elizabeth it was about a 1 ½ hour drive to the reserve. We arrived at reception and were given a key to our ...

Today was such a special day: our Global Studies lecture was given by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Global Studies is the one course on the ship that everyone is required to take. It begins everyday A and B day at 9:20am. When the students and faculty heard that Arch was going to be giving the lecture on a combined class day, they started sitting outside in the hallway about an hour in advance to make sure they got a good seat. I guess we have to tell you that we were...

Secret Agent Man (and Woman)!!! A few nights ago we had a Career Seminar with Mary and Jim Davidson (Mary is our Community Resource Officer, Jim is her husband) where they talked about their lives in the Secret Service (where they met). It was fascinating to hear about their careers and their lives. Jim has protected 8 different presidents in his career and Mary has protected 4 (I think that is what she said). Mary was the 20th woman to become an agent for the S...

Today we awoke to the sound of cymbals, whistles, drums and pounding on our door. It is NEPTUNE DAY! To celebrate our crossing of the equator and prime meridian there was a big ceremony out on the 7th deck around the pool. Everyone who has crossed the equator before is called a Shellback and everyone that hasn't is called a Pollywog. After we were awake we had some breakfast and went up to the pool deck where the ceremony began with a procession of the Shellbacks...

Yesterday we visited two castles: the Elmina Castle and the Cape Coast Castle. This was much different than our carefree time at the resort and the Kakum Rainforest. The castles here were where they kept African slaves before sending them to various countries. Elmina Castle was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as St. Georges Castle. First, it was established for trade, but it eventually became part of the Atlantic Slave Trade route. Eventually, it was taken over ...