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.MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2016: ADVENTURE IN PORT ELIZABETH BY NELLY. After a lazy day at sea, we arrived at 7 this morning, Monday, February, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The city was hard to see, because it was all fogged in. Jim made a marvelous recovery and was feeling better. I, on the other hand had a slight sore throat. But off we went anyway after I took a Tylenol. We had a city tour scheduled and we did not want to miss out. Good thing the tour did not start until 1:30 PM. It gave us the morning to rest up. By noon the fog had lifted and it ended up being a sunny and pleasant day.

We had a great tour guide, who was very informative. We learned, that Port Elizabeth is an industrial city. Out of its 700 industries, the auto is their pride and joy. That's why Port Elizabeth is also known by the name "the Detroit of Africa". Here, again, the old buildings look very European. But there is no comparing this city with Cape Town, mainly because there are so many industries in Port Elizabeth . However, the 4 hour tour was very interesting and we even drove through the huge and very well kept campus of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, which is home to something like 28,000 students. The tour bus took us also through the old part of town, where at one time the wealthy lived. Those old homes are under the protection of the Historical Society. They all are   protected by walls with barb wires on the fence tops and security systems. We were able to walk around Fort Frederick, which was built by the English and sits on top of the hill. The view from there is beautiful and breathtaking. At last we ended up on the beach lined with all the modern condos and fancy hotels. That was another bus stop and we strolled along the boardwalk. My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to put my feet into the Indian Ocean to see how warm the water was. All of a sudden, whoosh, came an unexpected big wave and Jim ran and I got soaked up to my waist. I found out very fast, that the water was far from warm, brrrr, COLD! But by the time we had to return to the bus, the warm sun had dried my clothes somewhat. I sure was glad that we returned to the ship next and I was able to take a warm shower. Of course, by then it was time to eat again. Afterward we very much enjoyed the night’s show in the theater given by a comedian.

Now it is time to settle in and we are already on the way to Durban, our last stop in South Africa. Tomorrow we have a day at sea. A day of rest and we can also get ready, physically and mentally, for more excitement on Wednesday, February 10 in Durban. Until then… “toodeloo”.

      
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