Sunday, February 27, 2022 – Photo of the Day – Port Elizabeth, South Africa

SUNDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2022 PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA
Arrival: 8:00AM All Aboard: 6:00 PM Departure: 6:30 PM
TODAY’S WEATHER Cloudy High: 78°F 26°C Low: 65°F 18°C
DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS
No shorts or flip-flop-type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues

Today’s Schedule

8:00 Silver Whisper is scheduled to dock in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
ADDO ELEPHANT PARK BY 4X4 EXCURSION
6:30 Silver Whisper sails for Richards Bay, South Africa
6:30 The Whisper Trio entertains you while you enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail
Cocktail Pianist Alex and Piano Vocalist Remon captivate you with their beautiful music
6:45 Pre-Dinner Showtime: “From Screen to Stage!”
Laura took us on a journey through some of the best songs from the big screen and brings them to the stage. She featured songs from Gentleman prefer Blondes, Footloose, The Greatest Showman, and many more!
7:30 Boutique Special: Correct eyewear is as essential to the eyes as sunscreen to the skin.
Featured was the amazing selection of Gucci, Prada, Ray-Ban, Tom Ford, and Maui Jim.
8:30 The Boutique Presents: Tropic Goddess, unique one-of-a-kind designs in elegant rich fabrics.
Wearable art that lets your heart sing and your spirits soar
9:00 Big Screen Movie: ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ 2020
Director: John Patrick Shanley; Stars: Jamie Doman, Emily Blunt, Christopher Walken, Dearbhla Molloy

PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA THE FRIENDLY CITY
Port Elizabeth or PE is an uncut gem of a destination. Loved by wealthy South African families as a holiday destination, it is a city has of faces. One: a natural haven with unspoiled beaches, rolling sand dunes, and the warm Indian Ocean lapping at your feet
and two: a post-industrial migrant city with a rich heritage. PE is also called Nelson Mandela Bay, and there is much here that celebrates him starting with Route 67, a collection of 67 artworks honoring the 67 years that Mandela dedicated to achieving South Africa’s freedom.

Known as “the friendly city”, Port Elizabeth is enjoying an urban regeneration, spurred on by the youth of the region that wants to put it (back) on the map.
Think vibrant creative projects spilling out wherever you go; a pedestrianized central zone, galleries selling local artworks, restaurants serving South African fusion food, award-winning buildings that house museums, restored Victorian terraces.

Unsurprisingly, the boardwalk is buzzing. PE’s proximity to the excellent nature parks at Addo and Lalibela makes it an ideal destination for game lovers. Both of these parks are a little way from PE (70 and 90 kilometers east respectively) but both offer a chance to revel in South Africa’s no holds barred natural beauty. This is the real reason why people come to South Africa –
for a chance to see the fabled Big Five. Addo even boasts the Big Seven (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard, as well as the great white shark and Southern right whale).

SIGHTS
• City Hall
• Bayworld Museum
• Nelson Mandela Art Museum
• Sardinia Bay Beach
• Addo Elephant Park
• Kariega Game Reserve

Our Morning Excursion: ADDO ELEPHANT PARK
The Addo Elephant Park, which consists of + 51 000 ha of the bush country is the home to over 450 elephants, which have been bred from the few that remained in the area after the herd was almost wiped out by the hired game hunter Major P.J. Pretorius in the 1920’s.

We departed from the pier and cross the Swartkops River then turned inland to the flat valley of the Sunday River and arrive at the Addo Elephant Park after traveling for about one hour.

Although it belongs to the same species like the African Elephant, the reddish Addo Elephant is smaller with more rounded ears, while the females generally have no tusks.

On our game drive through the park in 4×4 open vehicles we encountered other wild game including hyena, cheetah, zebra, eland, kudu, red hartebeest, and wild dogs. Also quite notable is the unique flightless dung beetle.

We departed from the pier and crossed the Swartkops River inland to the flat valley of the Sunday’s River and arrived at the Addo Elephant Park after travelling for about one hour.

The Addo Elephant Park which consists of + 51 000 ha of bush country is the home to over 450 elephants which have bred from the few that remained in the area after the herd was almost wiped out by the hired game hunter Major P.J. Pretorius in the 1920’s. Although it belongs to the same species as the African Elephant, the reddish Addo Elephant is smaller with more rounded ears while the females generally have no tusks.

On a game drive through the park in 4×4 open vehicles we saw elephants up close and personal in several different environments from hidden in the bush, to open savannahs, watering holes, bathing ponds, and mud holes. This elephant skin is sensitive to the sun and used water and mud to cool down. Then they use trees to scrape the mud off.

There were a few zebras and were able to photograph some in the Necking Pose.

Also quite notable is the unique flightless dung beetle. Just after an elephant poops the male beetle swoops done and rolls up a ball of poop. Dung beetles can move dung balls weighing up to 50 times the animal’s own weight. The male offers the female a giant-sized brood ball. If she accepts it, they roll it away together or the female rides on top of the ball. They must watch out, though, as other beetles may try to steal their ball! The new pair finds a soft place to bury the ball before mating. The male then leaves to find more partners. The female stays to make another brood ball or two and lays a single egg in each. She then coats and seals the ball with a mixture of dung, saliva, and her own feces and stows it underground. 

Ancient Egyptians used the image of the dung beetle, or scarab, in their religious artwork and jewelry. Ancient Egyptians thought very highly of the dung beetle, also known as the scarab (from their taxonomic family name, Scarabaeidae). They believed the dung beetle kept the Earth revolving like a giant ball of dung, linking the insect to Khepri, the Egyptian god of the rising sun.

After the excursion we returned to the quayside in Port Elizabeth to have Fine Dining at The Restaurant.