San Juan, Puerto Rico 12-19-23

We have traveled 25,000 miles since we left Fort Lauderdale on October 10^th.  This is our last port, before we arrive back on the 22nd of December. San Juan is the the capital city and most populous city in Puerto Rico. Founded in 1521 by Juan Ponce de León, who named it City of Puerto Rico or Rich Port.  We shared the old city with 27,000 other cruise passengers from six different ships!  Because we are back to the US we had to clear customs here.  We were sequestered in the Pan Am terminal having come from Africa, Seems it is believed we could have stowaways from Banjul The Gambia.  It does make me question the security on the Southern boarder compared to emptying the entire ship. A shuttle was offered to get us to the old city.  

Vanda and Don 

The decorations help get us thinking about the Holidays

The blue cobblestones were used as ballast by the Spanish seeking gold in the new world.  They dumped the bricks when they loaded the gold.  Locals used them to pave the streets.

         The cathedral said to be the second oldest in the US built in 1511. 

Old town

The Fort is run by the National Park Service

There are the three flags that fly over the historic Fort San Cristóbal in San Juan, Puerto Rico; a Commonwealth of the United States. The flags depicted are the U.S. flag, Puerto Rican flag and Cross of Burgundy. The Cross of Burgundy was the Spanish military flag flown from 1516 to 1785. 

View from the fort of the Zuiderdam across the inlet.

 

Around The Ship 12-15-23

It is almost over.  While ready to be home again a bit melancholy to leave friends, the day to day life on a ship and oh yes there is the packing up chore.  We sent out laundry today and asked it be returned folded.  That will begin the process.  I sorted paper and paper and a bit more paper.  They do recycle so that helps the conscious.  

. 

Ruben from the Netherlands on his internship for a degree in hospitality. 

Attends the service desk. Jamisen's big brother?

Brian and Sandy, friends from the 2019 World Cruise

Glee and Lindi fellow travelers

Don and Vanda by our favorite table in the Lido

Shane and her friend. She spoils me with saving the table

The food has been tasty.  We had lobster twice and filets.  Lots of vegetables and a huge salad bar. They have fish, chicken, beef and pork all prepared with imaginative spices and sauces.  Many vegetarian options. There is a station for distant lands with Asian food and a pasta station.  Of course the sweet spot for desserts. Often they have specialty stations with Dutch food or all German or Irish or Pavlovas and today cake and cake and cake.  Must have been four dozen different cakes.  

Provisioning the Ship.  Will have blueberries again!

Fresh flowers to brighten the spaces

Salad bar

Yummmmm

One of each please

Pinnacle Grill on Brian's birthday. Clothesline bacon

I say living on the ship is like staying in a 5 star hotel, with laundry service, housekeeping and a culinary staff.  How will we adapt to life on land?

Mindelo, Cape Verde 12-13-23

You may wonder where Cape Verde is. This relatively unknown archipelago of 10 islands and sits off the coast of West Africa.  Today we were on Ila De Sao Vincente.  An easy walkable town so we strolled past the fishing boats, saw colonial architecture and discovered the African Market.  I had purchased African wax cloth in Ghana and saw a basket with the same colors.  The baskets are made from banana leaves. 

Mindelo

Vanda and Don at the African Market

See the Zuiderdam behind the boats

Fresh fish for dinner

Colonial architecture 

love the cororful buildings

African market

Mindelo is known for the music of Cesária  Évora with haunting melodies.  We passed her museum. Évora took up singing as a child. She left music in the 70's but returned in the 90’s. Living in Mindelo provided her with an advantage, as its status as an international port town meant that the city had a large nightlife scene. Évora's ninth album, Voice of Love, won a Grammy Award in 2004. Just a short flight to England for some sun in the winter.

Lindi and Vanda at the Evora Museum

Enjoyable, walkable town

 

Dakar, Senegal 12-11-23

We had no excursion planned today so off we went to get a ferry to Goree Island.  This island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and held the slaves as they were collected and then shipped to many other places on this earth.  We found the ferry terminal and after help from some locals discovered the ferry was down for repairs and not sailing today.  Good to discover before we got to the island and it broke down! I enjoyed the blog for someone that did make it to the island Goree Island 

Vanda and Don at the new station in Dakar

So Glee, fellow passenger, wanted to take the new train. The African Development Bank Group mobilized over $200 million to create the 36-km TER line linking Dakar station to Diamniadio, with its new football stadium which has a capacity of 50,000 fans. The thirteen stations that have been built along the line connect Dakar's suburbs.   

The route from Dakar to the soccer stadium

New modern trains changing society

Second class. As we left we had the train to ourselves for a few stops

On the return we luckily had seats as all cars filled to standing room only!

Suburbs of Dakar.

Back to Dakar to catch the shuttle back to the ship

Decorating for Christmas at the Independence Square  

And ready for 2024

 

Banjul, The Gambia 12-10-23

This tiny country, the smallest in Africa, is just 35 miles wide.  A republic since 1965 the Gambia River provides economic development.  Senegal surrounds The Gambia. This was the home of Kunta Kinte an African, taken from his village of Juffure and is what is now The Gambia. Kunta was sold into slavery.  His story the basis for the movie Roots. 

Dodou 

Today we were with Dodou the owner of Gambia Friendly Tours. He started his business by working for free for another company and now has a mini bus and a thriving business. We had fourteen on this tour, organized by me.  We started the day with the chaos of the port.  Our driver, Lamin, finally found us and away we went. 

Green Vervet

First stop was a Monkey Park. The monkeys are expecting the free peanuts and bananas and are rather rambunctious. Travel to the Serrekunda Market, the largest in The Gambia, took time as the traffic on Sunday is heavy by mid-morning. The market is hectic and crowded but the way the residents shop for any item they may need

Red Colobus

Dodou took us to his village school, Babylon Basic Cycle School.  He attend there as do many in his village of 5,000 and the principal is very proud of Dodou as he helps support them. While the school is free students must perform to be allowed to stay. Our group had come prepared with donations. 

School courtyard

Carried to the boats

We visited Lamin, another large town and the location of the oyster farm on the river. We were all surprised with a boat ride to see the oysters hanging from the mangroves. Women run The Gambia’s oyster trade. Only when the tide is out can the women collect the oysters from mangrove roots, preparing them on land and then transporting and selling them in the Gambian capital of Banjul. The shells are ground to make building blocks.

On The river Gambia

Tide down so the oyster can be harvested

Dodou's very proud father welcomed us to his home

We then met Dodou’s family in their compound, brothers, sisters and his father. He is so proud of Dodou and all his family. They served drinks and watermelon and danced and sang.  Friends forever as The Gambian value all people.

This little girl loved my white skin

Washing up in the compound that houses 200 people

 

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 12-7-23

This port, also called the Abidjan, Ivory Coast, became independent from France in 1960. The ship offered a free shuttle to the Craft Center of the City of Abidjan, CAVA, and we discussed the prospect of a taxi for a bit more of an excursion after the market.  Brian and Sandy were with us so we could adventure together. The day did not go as planned. This is a massive cargo port so our cruise berth was given away in the night and we were assigned a berth at the very end of this complex. The shuttle to CAVA, with port security, was to be a 20 minute ride and it took an hour. Apparently some missing paperwork which most likely had a fee attached to release the buses.  CAVA was not an area we even wanted to explore after hearing from the passengers on the first shuttle. Talk of rodents, open toilets and finding a taxi didn't seem advisable. We got back on the bus before it left for another hour ride back to the ship. The captain related even more issues with this port and we may be the last Holland America ship to ever dock here.  Free drinks in the Lido pool area tomorrow for an hour.  

At first only two shuttles for 1,000 passengers,

After the delays the staff assigned numbers and some waited 

3 hours to get a shuttle. The last shuttle was at 2:30.

The container port we were docked in.

Work progressed as the green busses came and went.

The Artisan market. Security?

Some passengers shopped.

Street scene.  Are they living here and dinning?

An update.  Our experience was not shared by everyone. Some loved the market, found taxies and all made it back to the port.