Yesterday we dropped anchor near Tristan da Cunha, and glory be, they allowed those physically able to go ashore, excluding crew. So, we didn’t get a chance to touch land, but we were able to entertain the local doctor and his family, which was informative and gratifying. Quite truthfully, I have missed being around children more than I thought I would. This family is doing a locums here for 3 months. They are from rural South Africa, so the “wilderness medicine” they are practicing isn’t that different. He is the only physician and also has to act as the dentist since the dentist only comes every 6 months. That, he says, is stressful. They have 3 sons who savored the pizza, ice cream and popcorn on the ship, as well as having a wise mother who brought along swim suits, so they were able to join the captain’s daughter (age 7) in the pool. It was fun to watch.
The island of Tristan da Cunha has such interesting rules. They have 264 inhabitants and only those born on the island are able to live there –other than those who marry in. Medical emergencies have to wait up to 7 days for a ship to come to get them, and then they need another week to get to So. Africa. The people live primarily on fish and potatoes which they catch or grow. They get a food and natural gas shipment from South Africa every couple of months, but sometimes they are not able to be delivered because of the weather. Their previous pier was destroyed by lava during an eruption of their volcano, so their present pier is rather precarious and not good in high seas or inclement weather. There is a US researcher on the island studying the rodents and the birds. Most of the birds are in decline because they are burrowing birds (there are not any trees) and the rats and mice are eating the eggs and even the chicks before they fledge.
Now we are on the way to Cape Town where we will be for 3 days. I have walked around the deck so many times that I will be thankful for different scenery. We are also beginning to feel the “small town” of being on a ship. Last night there was a Valentine’s party given by one of the guests and an older woman cornered me, telling me all sorts of things I didn’t need to know. She told me who had had a good face lift and those who had botched jobs, and who was going on the cruise next year and who is being a pill on the ship. It went on and on. I’ll have to make sure I am a neutral being from now on….. Winnie
posted by Hills @ 3:10 PM
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