Day 537 - Earthshine & The Rademeyers

Today we actually went somewhere! We drove to Cape Town! Since we left quite late, we missioned to get to Earthshine Foods in Pinelands. Of course, on our way, I got sidetracked & we stopped at Somerset West with the hopes of finding a Health Food Store there. I found one, but not the one I was looking for. They did have a fair selection of products, so I was able to pick up dish soap, laundry soap & cleaning products. 


I noticed a Christian bookstore in the Mall, so I headed there quickly. Little did I know it was at the extreme opposite end of the mall & took me about 25 minutes to get there & back! I've had a nice tour of the mall & I'm thrilled to say there are many wonderful things inside the walls of the mall! 


Surprisingly enough I ran into someone I know! Ha! What are the chances? Suzaan's cousin was there! I met her 3 years ago when we went to Suzaan & Johan's place to meet baby Henko. Innecke was there visiting as well & we met. We've kept in touch on Facebook off & on & I was shocked to see her in the mall! She's moving back to South Africa from New Zealand this year, so maybe I'll be bumping into her a bit more often! It makes me chuckle that I can travel this far away & know so few people in a country & find someone I know! I don't even run into people in Calgary that easily!


From there, Jaco stopped quickly to pick up some weights & a medicine ball for his workouts. And then we boogied to Earthshine. I had seen them online while googling 'Cape Town raw foods'. We were expecting a storefront, but instead, pulled up to a residence. Not seeing any signs, we weren't sure what to do. That's when a gentleman walked up to the gate & went through. I hopped out & asked him if we were at the right place. He said we were, but they were closed. I knew we were there 15 minutes before the time we'd been told, so he said he'd check things out for us. 


Sure enough, they let us in. They had 1/2 a raw pizza left that someone didn't collect, as well as raw crackers galore. Even a grounding mat! Yay! I've been wanting a grounding mat since I saw them on YouTube with David Wolfe, but everywhere in Calgary was sold out! In fact, Natalie sold me the one from under her feet! And she'd only received it that afternoon! The gentleman that makes them in South Africa is called Get Grounded. If you use a laptop, tv, cellphone regularly, it's worth looking into!


After our Earthshine experience we headed over to Marcus & Celia's. Marcus is Jaco's best friend from Kimberley. The three of them were in the UK working, but only met once they were back in South Africa. Marcus is finishing up his studies & will soon be an Anaesthesiologist. Celia & Marcus just had their second boy, Micah, in August. He was already in bed when we arrived, but Joshua, the oldest was still up. He was quite cute. He speaks English & Afrikaans & he is not quite 5 yet! He didn't remember meeting me at the wedding, when his Dad asked him. Joshua said, "I don't remember it, so it must not have happened!" Too cute. 


We had a wonderful visit with Marcus & Celia & I hope we'll be able to visit them again soon. It's been 2 years since I saw them last & I know Jaco misses them when he's away. 


Our plans had intended including visiting Jaco's sister, Shilise, & her family, since today was her birthday, as well as Johan & Suzaan & their children. But we didn't get away from Marcus & Celia's until 2200! Whoops! We'll see what the next few days bring. Maybe we'll make it there yet! 


xxxxMaria

Day 523 - At Sea

Hmm. A fairly uneventful day. Did laundry. Packed a little. Tanned a little. Uncooked a little. That about sums it up!

I packed up the seeds & spices. I’m not sure how on Earth we’ll get them to SA just yet. It’s a fairly hefty weight! We’ll see! I washed the scuba gear for the last time & it’s drying out as I type.

I washed three loads of laundry, so there will only be a few things left to wash come Sunday.

Up on deck for one hour today, I found it quite windy. After I settled onto the only free lounger at the back of the ship, I tried to read. It was too windy & blew the pages all over. I tried to write postcards, but they were bent out of shape by the wind. I then resorted to playing solitaire on my iPod. When I finished, I looked up at the sky & my eyes were playing tricks on me. The moving clouds in the sky made the railing of the ship look like the back end of the ship was moving up, up, up into the sky! Maybe you had to be there, but it was pretty weird!

Lastly, I made walnut tacos tonight for dinner. Jaco likes the taco ‘meat’, so we both enjoyed a nice meal. I used the raw sundried olives & they gave a nice ‘cheese’ texture to the tacos. Shredded purple cabbage, sliced red peppers & sunflower sprouts all rolled up in a butter lettuce leaf. They were delicious! I was quite pleased with the flavor of the taco meat that I took it to the Medical Centre & Rebecca & Becky both tried it & gave it thumbs up! Becky is quite picky, so I was impressed that she actually liked it! Rebecca even had a second spoonful!

Tomorrow is Tortola & I’ll attempt to travel over to Virgin Gorda again to see the Baths. Here’s hoping I can find the ferry in time!

xxxxMaria

Day 517 - At Sea

Hmpf. Tonight I’m a little bit grumpy. The day didn’t start off that way. In fact, it started off kind of bizarre. I woke up at 0705 to the sound of Rihanna coming from the other room. Whoops. Forgot to double check my iPod before I went to bed. The only days Jaco gets to sleep in are sea days. Sorry hun. I turned it off & went back to bed.

I then proceeded to have really strange dreams. In fact, they were so strange, I thought, ‘This is ridiculous, I might as well wake up!’ So I did. I tended to my sprouts & crackers, made a shake & then some wheatgrass juice.

Jaco came in from his morning clinic & we watched a little bit of You Again on tv until it cut off half way through. He then returned to the clinic & I went up on deck to catch a little sun & read. I’m in the middle of The Caged Virgin by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the secrecy behind Islam – with particular regard to women. Yikes.

I read for an hour or so & then headed to the Shorex desk to ‘do my shift’ – ha ha. They haven’t had any folding for me to do the past two days, so I’ve just sat & listened & gabbed with the guys. They are an entertaining bunch!

Tonight was Jaco’s wave at the Captain’s speech, so I dolled up & went out to take a photo of Jaco looking dashing & dapper. We visited with a few of the crew after it was over & not long after, Jaco was ready to get out of his suit & myself out of my heels.

I was going to make spring rolls tonight, but didn’t want to make them too early & have them sit out while we were at the wave. When we returned, I quickly started to get them ready. I knew Jaco would be hungry (as he eats NOTHING all day), so I didn’t want him to eat nut bars, apples & oranges – I thought some change would do him good. I’m learning the hard way that ‘change’ & ‘man’ do not go in the same sentence. Ever.

After we shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumber, mint, basil & cilantro, washed lettuce & I made a dipping sauce, I put it all out for him to enjoy & he ate one little roll. Are you kidding me? This coming from the guy who can gorge himself on 6-8 oranges a night! I was highly offended. He barely ate any of the fettuccini alfredo from last night & he still hasn’t drank one protein shake, even though we’ve had it for 4 days now! As if this wasn’t enough to discourage me from making healthy food for the both of us, the blue-green algae I thawed the other day & measured off the week’s worth of doses… it leaked ALL over the bottom of the fridge! I hauled it frozen all the way to the ship, I finally start taking the expensive stuff, only to have it wasted on the bottom of the fridge! ARGH x 100!!! Clearly today was not my day.

On a good note – I’m going on tour tomorrow. I’ll be seeing the salt flats in Bonaire. I spoke with Cesar, my friend from the shops, & he says it’s a great tour with many photo ops. Yay.

xxxxMaria

 Captain Martin Stenzel

 Introducing the Senior Officers

 What a handsome Man!

 :o)

What an introduction! Spot the Champagne Waterfall?

Day 516 - Tobago

Today was rather overcast, so my intentions of heading out to Pigeon Point were short lived. I slept in, which didn’t help my intentions much, so I opted for the easy way out.

I bought coconuts.

I know, but what can I say? I was quite happy to help scrape the meat out of the fresh young coconuts (sounds violent, doesn’t it?) & put the water into a container to take back to the ship.

I spent the rest of the afternoon making ‘bacon’, ice cream, alfredo sauce & cheese sauce for the spinach Jaco & I would enjoy later this evening. I also put the sprouts into their sprouting bags. I had planned on making some oatmeal cookies, but when I reread the recipe, it said ‘dehydrated seeds’. Mine are currently very soggy. I’ll see what happens in a day or so & how I feel about dehydrating 5+ cups of oat sprouts. I’m still dehydrating walnuts for taco meat later this week.

I went to the Shorex desk after I’d finished my meal prep & enjoyed the story telling skills of Theo, Carlo & Kevin. Of course, Moses, the Videographer, strolled by to spice things up. It’s great to see them enjoying their jobs!

After they’d closed up shop for the day, I went to the Medical Centre to see how Jaco was. He had a few more hours of work to do, so I joined Becky, Nic & Tim for a drink in the Wheelchair, er, Wheelhouse Bar before they headed upstairs for Curry Night in the buffet. I had just finished my virgin colada when Jaco bleeped Becky to let her know I could come down to the cabin & finish up the supper preparations as he was about finished work.

Phew. By the time I finished making the supper, doing those dishes, eating dinner, making the crackers with the leftovers, doing those dishes & clearing off the counter to type this post, it’s nearly midnight & I am bushed! I think I’ll end here before I fall asleep in the chair!

On a sad note, Elizabeth Taylor died today. I don’t know many of her films, but I’ve always felt a ‘connection’ to her, if you will. Why? Well, we shared the same last name for nearly my entire life, we have a ‘beauty spot’ in the same spot on the same cheek & we both love beautiful jewelry. That’s enough, isn’t it? May she rest in peace.

xxxxMaria

 Market where I bought my coconuts

 Fresh young coconuts!

 The lady who expertly sliced & diced my coconuts!

Day 515 - Grenada

You know, every time I come to Grenada, I find someone who is going to pray for me. No wonder I like this island! I went into a shop in the terminal & they remembered me from the last cruise. We got to chatting &, as usual, they remembered my hair. I explained why it was the way it was & they asked me if I’d taken saffron or turmeric. They said they would pray for me - one bloke & 3 women. It was so kind of them.

I stopped in one of the jewelry stores to window shop. I saw some men’s bands – Jaco has misplaced his (for a long time now) – and I thought I saw a price tag of $130. Not bad! Maybe the Caribbean is a good deal after all. I asked to have a closer look. Wrong. Try $1300! Yikes! Guess I’ll keep looking!

I picked up a few souvenir stickers – Dive Naked: Show Us Your Harpoon. It made me laugh! I then sat outside the shop & caught a free wireless signal. I managed to skype with Jenn for an hour. Thankfully she was online & after I sorted out my microphone, we were able to have a great visit. I’m so excited for her! She is going raw! Yay! It is inspiration for me to keep going! I won’t give in! I’m no angel, but I’m trying! I was so happy to see Harrison & Heidi on the webcam too. Heidi is growing so big! And Harrison is such a little gentleman! I loved the kisses being blown my way from both of the kids! Be still my heart!

I was again, one of the last people onboard & as I walked away from the terminal security personnel, one of our staff came running in asking for bandages, gauze, etc. A passenger from the Thomson ship we were docked with had fallen & cut his head. I jogged down the pier & went on the Thomson ship to ask them to send a medic & a wheelchair for the injured passenger.

When I walked out of the Thomson ship, three of the officers from the Sea Princess were standing there with puzzled looks on their faces. Which ship was I going to sail with?! Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was cute.

I made Thai Noodles for dinner tonight. Jaco ate a whole big bowlful & actually enjoyed them! I was impressed! I’m happy when he eats a lot. I’m happier when he eats a lot of healthy food! That said, he was already complaining about his belly & that he wasn’t going to eat that much tomorrow night. He did the dishes for me after dinner. What a sweetheart.

He watched a bit of telly, while I went to the mess to get an Internet card. On my way back, I stopped by the photo lab to chat with Carla. We had a wonderful visit – in fact, I think I was there for a good hour! Her fiancé called her to come for a bite to eat & only then did I leave! Whoops!

I returned to the cabin to find Jaco sleeping peacefully. I did my best to keep quiet & at one point he woke up. I asked him a question, but when I saw his eyes continuously rolling into the back of his head, I knew it was fruitless to take any answer he might mumble to me.

Sweet dreams to you…

xxxxMaria

Day 508 - Tortola

I LOVE a good dive day & today was no exception! In fact, it was my first wreck dive! Bronwyn, Leana & I went to Salt Island & dove the HMS Rhone. It sunk in 1867 - the same year Canada became a country! 

The ship had quite a story to it - supposedly 'unsinkable' & well, you can read all about it here. The dive company was exceptionally efficient. They had all of our gear sorted out for us & our tanks were labelled with our names, already hooked up & ready to go. It gave me confidence in the diving crew! Additionally, the crew were very knowledgeable & the dive briefing was very thorough with a map of the wreck site, which also added to the confidence & comfort of what we were about to do! 

I was thrilled to see the 'lucky' porthole, with glass still intact & the Captain's teaspoon lying on the wreckage. We swam past the propeller's & the mast, along with a few swim-throughs, which were enthralling! I haven't been in a tight diving space since the cenotés dive in 2005. It was beautiful to see the air bubbles trapped, shining like liquid mercury discs and the escaping bubbles streaming up from holes in the hull of the ship. It's a whole new world under the water. If you've ever wanted to scuba dive, go for it! It's amazing & I'm so grateful to have the chance to do it!

I was amazed to dive with a fellow named Roger. I don't know how he lost his leg, but he dove with one leg! There were strong currents & I could barely keep up at times with 2 legs! What an inspiration he is to overcome his disability & carry on making the most out of life! He buddy breathed with our Divemaster on the way up & I can understand why! He had to swim with his arms & with the currents, it is no wonder he used a bit more air than the rest of us! Respect to you Roger & happy diving in the future!

After our dive, we went for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant where Nic found us. We finished our meal & headed to La Dolce Vita for gelato. Wow. I think they have the best gelato in all the Caribbean. It was the perfect post-dive treat. Bronwyn, Leana & Nic headed back to the ship & I swung by the British shop to pick up a few things for Jaco. 

Weighted down with Ceres juice, jelly babies & wine gums, I made my way back to the ship. Jaco was already in the clinic, so I went straight to making taco meat for supper. It is yummy. Even Jaco thinks so! I'm so happy when he eats something that I've made & actually enjoys it! It's really quite simple. You take walnuts that have been soaked & dehydrated (to release the toxic enzyme inhibitor) & you blend them in a food processor with chili powder, garlic, bragg's aminos & I think that's about it! Then you slice up red pepper, cabbage, sprouts, carrots or whatever else you want in your taco & roll it all up in a lettuce leaf! Butter lettuce is my favourite to use. Let me know if you fancy the recipe!

xxxxMaria

 Leana

 Great day for a dive!

 Bronwyn struts her stuff!

 Nice place to spend - forever?

 Dive buddies!

 Dive boat

 Crow's Nest - the mast

 Here we go!

 Ok!

 Swim Through

 Tight space!

 trapped bubbles

 Captain's teaspoon

 Lobzilla

 Lucky porthole!

 The glass is still intact

 Another swim-through

 bubbles!

 Roger - what an inspiration!

 Coral formations

Organized dive company!

 The girls!

 Passing the cigar under the table. No one will notice. The smell?

Smiley Guy - Nic

Obeying all the rules