Mauritius, Madagascar and Mozambique – how exotic they sound! And after eight days of prolonged pampering at sea, we were itching to go ashore at Port Louis.
#1 Port Louis, Mauritius
It’s only a four-hour flight to Mauritius from Durban, so it may be surprising that this was my first visit to this African island.
From Perth’s port of Fremantle, it’s eight straight days at sea to Mauritius. Roy had been looking forward tremendously to the many sea days on this cruise – around 15 in total – and he wasn’t disappointed.
What can one say about eight days at sea? On Day One, the prospect seems endless… endless in a good way, if you’re a hardy sailor such as Roy; but if like me you’re already popping the Kwells and calculating whether your stock is sufficient to last all the way to Durban, it may not be an unalloyed delight.
That said, after a couple of days of wind, high swells and general queasiness, I’m happy to report that the sun came out and the Indian Ocean unruffled its feathers, settled down and suddenly turned the mesmerising shade of blue that it should be.
Though we liked the idea of Viking’s “included tours” at each destination, meaning you don’t have to spring for the generally pricy optional excursions, it must be said that some were better than others.
#1 Hobart, Tasmania
Our Hobart tour started off abysmally with a young guide who was perhaps paralysed by nerves. Fortunately, driver Lindsay quickly picked up on the simmering discontent and took over the microphone from her after the first stop.
After three months with the family in Perth WA, how comes it that Roy and I are indulging in such an extravagantly long cruise?
Well, my Chief Planner of Travel & Leisure found a ship that could take us from Australia to South Africa – the Viking Sun would be docking in Fremantle port during the 28-night Sydney-to-Durban leg of her Miami-to-London world tour.
Ha! Roy was finally prevailed upon to visit Rottnest Island – or Rotto, as it’s more generally known here in Western Australia. (Click here for my 2018 day trip with Susan.)
As regular readers of this blog will know, my husband is the epitome of a Taurean: he loves his creature comforts. He detests anything akin to camping, hates the heat, and is anything but a beach bunny. No doubt he was hoping to continue to dodge the issue as he had successfully done thus far.
Famous for its world-class wine, cheese, chocolate and surfing beaches – almost everything that makes life worth living – the Margaret River region, around three hours south of Perth, WA, is a place to visit and revisit whenever the opportunity arises.
This time, it arose from my inbox in the form of an irresistibly priced Groupon for three nights at a hotel called Stay Margaret River. ($429 for three nights in one of their big Deluxe Rooms, and that included a $75 F&B voucher and a bottle of local wine.)
Festive season family catch-up; outing to Armadale
We’ve been in Perth WA since 20 December, having come here as usual to join the family for Christmas: son Carl, his wife Carrie and our granddaughters Mia and Holly; daughter Wendy, who’s visiting from France; and younger daughter Blaire, who now lives just up the road with her husband Colin and their delightful new baby, Samuel John Cartwright.
Here are some festive season photos to introduce the cast for my next few blogposts, so to speak:
It’s not often enough that my beloved sister, our BFF Julie and I get together, what with Dale living in London, Julie in Durban and me all over the place. When we do, revisiting the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Meander has become a tradition – even if we have only one day for it.
And so the Three Mustgetbeers of old, with trusty Julie at the wheel of her Toyota RAV4, set off early one weekday morning for the KZN Midlands. The mission: to revisit a couple of favourite haunts and possibly find a few others.
The Brasserie at The Edward; Fig Tree at Simbithi Eco Estate Golf Club; curry buffet at The Oyster Box
While in Durban, Roy and I tend to eat out nearly as often as at home. For one thing, it’s relatively affordable. For another, I seem to become lazier by the year when it comes to the sort of dinner-party entertaining I used to do so effortlessly (as I remember it, anyway). Let someone else do the kitchen slog.
