A first trip 'round the world, part 17

The journey from Tenerife to Durban was no small feat; there was 5,200 miles to go and it would take 15 full days! 

Although the ship moved at an average speed of 24 knots per hour, still a relative speed 28 mph on the ground, the time on board was getting long, punctuated by seasickness that only got worse as we sailed into winter and into increasingly rough seas.

When our sea-sickness got a bit better, our life had become totally nocturnal and we hardly woke up earlier than lunch time, if we were lucky enough to get to the dining room before service was over! 

In retrospect, I am happy that Jean-Pierre did not realize that before leaving Santa Cruz, or else he would have suggested that we cross over to Africa and get to Durban by hitchhiking and I probably wouldn’t be there to tell our story! 

When we rarely ventured out to the deck it was in the back, a bit sheltered, to watch the garbage be thrown overboard to a pack of marine predators following the ship and fighting for the leftovers that came out of the kitchens. 

To provide the passengers with some extra entertainment during this interminable journey, we were once treated to a "rescue exercise", the only one we had to endure during the entire trip, as it’s perfectly illustrated on this photo. 

No, I am not meditating; I’m just sound asleep!