Seven days at sea @ Feb. 5 w 11 — Adantic Ocean 4-2-3-4 the number of hours we've lost, ane at a time, as we travel for seven days from South America to South Attica. Usually a cruise line knows better than to plan an itinerary gaing east, as losing hours is hard on the passengers and hell for the crew who work long shifts, seven days a week. However Antarctica in its summer and Japan in its spring tipped the seales of reason and here we now are coming back to our cabins after a marvelous night to find a little card beside our goodnight choco- fate saying the ship's clocks will go forward, again! As iflack of sleep weren't enough, the mood on a ship too long at sea can change like a kindergarten class that can’t get out to play. Tempers fray and minor hiccups take on giant proportions so, to keep this ata minimum, numerous activities are scheduled. Vancouver's own radio and TV broadcaster David Abbott has a series of lectures. John Davidson the well-known singer and actor does a show. We have three formals and two theme nights when wait- ers and the diging rooms are dressed up and a party atmos- phere prevails. Tai Chi, handi- crafts, dance, cooking and painting classes, bridge, the casino, two daily movies, a complete spa and more makes One appreciate how much of a resort leisure centre our ship is ’ in its own right, never mind _the wondertul ports we visit. .. Uncharacteristically the Adlantic Ocean is like a mill pond and the only land we see is Tristan da Cuhna on day five. Cruising slowly past the - uninhabited islands of Nightingale and Inaccessible, “we stop to gaze at the Town of Edinburgh on Tristan Isle. Nature provides a beautiful rainbow on queue and our port lecturer tells us some of its fascinating history. *. + Discovered by a a .. Portuguese admiral (hence their name) in 1506 the first landing was by a Dutchman in - 1643 however no country claimed it until Austria in -1775. Three Americans actual- “fy settled in 1810 but wo drowned and the third lived alone for almost a year until Lk Sa Postcards the population again swelled to three. The British seized it (read “them” but only Tristan has ever been inhabited) in 1816 for it’s miltary signiti- cance, Which was primarily to Prevent a surprise rescue of Napoleon from St. Helena. Thereatter history speeds up and postcard space prohibits tales of the shipwrecks, vel- canic evacuations and swelling of population to iis current 300. L hope vou're intrigued enough to investigate on your own. Meanwhile we're research- ing our next port of call, writ- ing to very loved friends and family, reading that book we never had time for ashore — and taking naps in the after- noon! @ Feb. 12 — Cape Town Gun-free zone said the sign in the entrance to an old Gothic church. Emphasizing the point is the picture of a gun with a heavy black line through it below a stained glass window. Such a contrast of shock and serenity is perhaps a metaphor for South Africa, par- ticularly this beautiful city where the scenery is picture-postcard gorgeous yet it’s three million or so inhabi- tants are still struggling to undo the wreckage of apartheid. As tourists though we saw little of the shanty town that stretched for miles along the highway, instead visiting all the brochure must-sees. First a drive along Chapman’s Peak coastal road winding up and over cliffs reminiscent af our Sea to Sky ’.. Highway, including the occa- sional rock fall which tagicaliy + killed a motorist a few days ago. Then to the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve where we're lucky enough to see baboons, some eland, South Affica’s largest antelope, as well as rescue a tortoise from oncoming traffic. On a clear day like today the view of the ocean trom the old light- house is magnificent, but it’s beam was obliterated by fog once Too offen causing a terri- ble shipwreck so the working lighthouse is perched on the ar below, Che Cape ts often wrongly credited, even by the gift shop, as South Aftrica’s most south- erp point where the Indian and Atlanue Oceans meet. That spit however is a lew miles fur- ther along the caast and we resolve to watch for it during the Rorterdam’s sailaway. Next a beachside penguin colony where the parents stund blocking the sun's rays uving to keep their eggs cool in contrast to their Arctic kin who carry the chicks on their feet to prevent them from freezing. The birds seemed resigned to curious visitors being so close and even swim- ming with them, however local residents complain their real estate is plummeting as the smell, guano and tourists play havoc with their beach- side havens. Wandering through nearby Simon's Town we discover the bronzed statue of a very famous local dog. “Just Nuisance” actually achieved the rank of Able Seaman in the British Navy for his invalu- able assistance nosing awake ‘rather drunken sailors as their train returned them home to the naval base thereby insuring their next leave would not be cancelled! Finally we visit the wine district. Too late for a long luxurious lunch in the gardens of one of the many vineyards, we did manage a tasting at Neethlingshoft, a typical Dutch family run winery, before walking around the university tawn of Stellenbosch with it’s gables and outdoor cafes. Some sights on hold until our next visit is Robben Island, Mandella’s one-time prison where former convicts now conduct tours, and flac topped Table Mountain which dominates zhe downtown view and gets a cover of cloud, called it’s tablecloth, almost every afternoon. Cnce again so much to do, so litde time. — Glynis Ralton boarded the Rotterdam Thursday, Jan, 6 in Fort Lauderdale on a world ernise, Watch for her dispatches regularly in the News. . please join CRYSTAL MM CRUISES a CRUISEMASTERS of ROSEWAY TRAVEL fora Special Cruise TRAVEL Bay Area’s cheap eats revealed Eat This Sen Francisco Dan Leone, Sasquatch Books, USS16.95, 348 pp. Dan Leone fills us in on all the best places to cat in cheap- cheap (under $5}, cheap (S3- S10) and splurge-cheap (over S10) categories. The “Cheap Bats” colum- nist tor the San Francisca Bay Guardian claims chat all the restaurants are good — even the one’s he doesn’t like. The book is made up of a selection of pieces he wrote between 1994 and “last Thursday”. Indexes on neighbour- hoods and food rypes enable readers to cross-reference, —~ Joim Govdman David Wakely DAN Leone provides us with 2 narrated roadmap to the best cheap restaurants in the Sen Francisco Bay Area. 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