Richards Bay, South Africa

As ports go, there have so far been two types: those with a terminal building and those without.  Where there is a terminal, we leave the ship and walk through the terminal (usually lined with vendors’ stalls) and then proceed outside, passing by native dancers and musicians there to welcome us.  In the absence of a terminal, our excursion busses are just parked portside, but there are often vendors and musicians as well.  In either case, the port is stacked high with shipping containers, thousands of them, with associated cranes and awaiting trucks.  Cruise ships are clearly a side line, with containers being the main event.

Richards Bay, however, introduced us to a third variation:

Coal!  Tons and tons of coal filling the entire portside.  We had been warned about this and asked to keep our balcony doors closed, as coal dust hangs in the air, filling every available nook and cranny with fine powder.  (We were also provided with masks, which we gratefully used.)  

But some things can pretty much be counted on:

East London, South Africa

As I have been writing these few lines, we have been making our approach to the port of East London.  What a shocker!  No welcoming native dancers, no vendors, and no containers although the port is clearly marked to stage row after row of them.

The port had taken on a totally different vibe, however, by the time we returned from our excursion:

Most of the crew were lined up, red umbrellas held high, cheering us in with rock music being played in the background to energize the scene.  Remarkably enough, our restaurant manager, Antonio, had a bullhorn and announced each passenger: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mrs Clark and Mr Hettinger,” after which we felt obliged to demonstrate our best dance moves as we made our way down the tunnel.  Totally unanticipated!  Great fun!