and so it begins.....RTW16

[no fuss travel]

At the Victoria Market in Cape Town, there was a store in a metal building that had fabric for sale. Prices were not all that bad. It has been a couple of years now since we were there, so I am not sure if it is still there. The metal shed stores (not really stores, but stalls) was selling items made in Africa. One of the ports past Cape Town heading towards Singapore had a fantastic market that had a good selection of material, but I don't remember which one. It was a South Africa port though.

[buggins0402]

Cynthia, your pictures from Africa have been wonderful! I absolutely love the little guy with the oar in your most recent post and the little girl looking through the architectural detail of a building in the previous post! Thank you so much for taking us along with such wonderful pictures!

[cbb]

glad you're enjoying the pictures....the kids are absolutely adorable everywhere!

 

Today was a sea day so we were up walking the track early. Time change card on the bed Friday night told us to move our clocks ahead 1 hour (so that we'd be on Benin time) and then Saturday night a card told us to move our clocks back 1 hour! Anyway...we were up and walking sometime early this morning, whatever time it was.

 

Sky has been gray the past 2 days--I'd describe it as foggy, but the temperature has been quite nice for being off the coast of western Africa and the seas have been calm. When I looked up at the sun the sky appeared more brown than gray with the sun appearing as this other-worldly orange ball in the sky.

 

In Benin we took a shorex to Ganvie Village and it was one of the best shorex with O that we've ever done. We had 2 guides and 2 security guys on the AC bus.

 

The drive there was quite adventuresome with motor bikes outnumbering the cars and trucks. We did not see a stoplight the whole trip and the motor bikes weave themselves in and out of traffic, slowing only to indicate that they would like to turn left in front of our bus from the right hand lane, which was accomplished safely with the help of our driver!!

 

Yellow shirts indicate the motor bike drivers are taxis but others are people simply running errands. Often there is a whole family of people on one bike with a child squeezed between 2 adults and then another child riding in a sling on mom's back and then plastic grocery bags shoved in around the bodies. There are plastic grocery bags everywhere in western Africa!

 

One interesting thing we noticed is that there is no tobacco advertising anywhere and we did not see a single person smoking. Our guides told us that the government does not encourage smoking and places a huge tax on tobacco to discourage its use.

 

We saw only 1 gas station because gasoline is smuggled in from Nigeria and is sold in a variety of containers along the road by family businesses.

 

When we arrived at our destination, we were helped on board wooden boats with wooden plank seats on either side of the ship with the center open and a canopy top. The boats are equipped with outboard motors and poles in case a boat does run aground.

 

Many boats of different sizes, colors and ages were at the "harbor" and many had women selling fish. Only women sell fish and only men fish.

 

Ganvie Village is on Lake Nokoue and if you have ever seen Everglades National Park in south Florida you have an idea of what Lake Nokoue looks like.

 

After about 20 minutes of sailing we began to see structures sticking up on pilings in the distance and this was our first glimpse of Ganvie. As we sailed closer we realized that ALL of the buildings were up on stilts and all had boats tied in front. Our guide told us that Ganvie residents hope to one day own 3 boats; 1 for dad, 1 for mom, and 1 for the kids.

 

One goes to the market building by boat, to the doctor by boat, to school by boat, and children who appear as young as 7 or 8 are poling their way around, often with a very young sibling in the boat with them. No life jackets.....and no worries because everyone is very comfortable living on the water.

 

500 years ago they were pursued by a warrior people who wanted to capture them for the slave trade. Knowing that the warrior people's religious beliefs forbade them to go to war on water, they escaped to the lake, built their homes there and have remained there safely all this time. It is estimated that there are approximately 20-30k people living there.

 

It is an absolutely stunning place to visit. The women and men wear the most beautiful prints, often the women wear turbans of the same design, everyone appears to be very healthy...probably the fish, fruit, and vegetable diet!!

 

Some of the houses are painted, others have faded colors and others have been bleached by the sun. Everywhere there are people in boats, sometimes solo, other times there might be 7-8.

 

Many of the people will turn their heads or shield their faces from the tourists. I totally understood why. They were going to market, hanging out clothes, chatting with neighbors and at least 6 or more tourist boats came through their town. All of us wanted to take pictures and I'm sure they were simply tired of having their privacy invaded.

 

I would always lower my camera when I could tell they did not want their picture taken and I would wave at the kids who always waved back. Sometimes the adults then would wave.

 

Most of my pictures were landscapes and it was hard taking a bad picture...it was just that gorgeous.

 

I highly recommend that everyone go to Ganvie if Benin is on their itinerary. I loved it.

 

Tomorrow we are at anchor at the island nation of Sao Tome off the coast of Gabon. Again we are taking a shorex since DIY wasn't a good idea. We're going to bird watch and go walk into the forest to Sao Nicolau waterfall. Birders reported more than 135 species on the islands.

 

Several of O's plantation excursions in Sao Tome had to be cancelled because the plantations have closed. One plantation will be opened to O so that the passengers can learn about coffee production, but the plantation itself is longer a coffee producer.

 

Sao Tome is one of the places where we must prove that we've had our yellow fever shots and it is highly recommended that we protect ourselves against mosquitoes....don't have to convince me!!

 

Today was a giant brunch and in order to prepare for it, we did have breakfast in Terraces after walking. Can't just go into a fabulous brunch on an empty stomach!

 

We're having a wonderful time and know we're blessed getting to do this.

[cbb]

Yesterday we visited Sao Tome and it was quite an experience.

 

We opted for a shorex here since my research indicated that there wasn't a lot to see in town, although some did walk around city center but reported they didn't stay long.

 

Several of the original shorex had to be cancelled because the plantations to be visited were closed. One opened so that the O people could visit but there was no production

 

Our shorex was to a waterfalls and to bird watch. There were 12 in our van and our guide showed us some extra things such as stopping for people to see bananas ripening in the trees, to show us ripe coffee beans, to find a cocoa fruit for us and to find a good bathroom!

 

The waterfall was sweet coming out of the jungle but the birds decided not to show off for us. We could hear them in the jungle and we did see a few but not many. One friend told me that the birds should have hung out by a sign that said "take my picture...one dollar!"

 

It was hot and humid and I figure the birds were smarter than the humans--staying in the cool shade and not moving around very much.

 

I talked to a woman last night in the Polo line and she was so upset by the poverty she saw yesterday. I told her that our guide said since the coffee plantations had closed unemployment on Sao Tome was over 70%.

 

She and I decided that perhaps more people should see how others live and would realize how blessed we are living where we do....and that the petty concerns in cruising suddenly seem so first world.

 

I know I'm blessed.

[Not landlubbers]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with us! All of us who have travelled extensively should feel blessed! I know we do ! Our glasses are more then half full!!

[jaxw17]

Loving the reports it is good that we dont forget how lucky we are as it gives us extra pleasure in travelling.

Thanks for taking the trouble to write

[cbb]

Many different sources told us that Angola would not be a great port; we were told the people would not smile at us, that tourists weren't particularly liked (a hint of "don't like whites")that Luanda was still in pretty bad shape after 20+ years of civil war and that it just wasn't a safe place--what was O thinking of docking here?

 

We were also told that there would be no guides on our buses but that there would be "escorts."

 

well, the "sources" were wrong!! We took a shorex, "Panorama of Luanda", and it was a great experience. Our GUIDE (yes, there was a guide) welcomed us to his bus with a big grin, and a "welcome to Luanda."

 

He introduced us to another gentleman who rode in the back of the bus and I think he was probably a security man. We all boarded and drove behind another "Panorama" excursion bus with a police escort the whole way.

 

We easily drove through traffic, ignored red lights, and generally were "boss" of the highway....pretty cool experience for those of us who have driven through traffic!

 

Our guide told us some things about his country, the rebuilding that is taking place after their civil war, education, and its history.

 

Luanda is a city that appears at first glance to be a modern, high-rise buildings capital, but then you spot colonial buildings, churches from the 1600s, street signs in Portuguese and its history--linked forever with the Portuguese.

 

We saw the San Miguel Fort...a lovely fort, if forts can be called "lovely", very well maintained as well as a beautiful church, erected by a governor who survived a shipwreck. He decided to erect the Igreja de Senhora de Nazare that has gorgeous Portuguese tiles inside. We also stopped at the Mauseleum erected to honor the final resting place of the 1st President of Angola.

 

Several of the men did not remove their caps inside the Mauseleum or in the church--and one man said, in the hearing of his hosts, that the money spent on the Mauseleum could have been spent in better ways--wouldn't we Americans just love to hear a foreign tourist say that at the Washington Monument in DC?

 

Sometimes it is embarrassing to travel with others.... c

[no fuss travel]

You wonder why people like that travel. Travel is a way to open your mind, not close it. Unfortunately in any country we have our ugly tourists from home and they end up embarrassing themselves, their country, and those travelling with them. I am really enjoying your descriptions. It is bringing your trip alive. I will have a lot to catch up on when I get home from Myanmar in a little more than 3 weeks. Looking forward the catch up.

[hondorner]

Sadly, we took the same excursion in the afternoon. We had a very different experience with the guide, in the fourth of four small buses. At our first stop, parked alongside a waterfront park, the guide said we could "get out and take some photos if we liked". No one did. Then, we sat there for more than 20 minutes, someone finally asked him why we were siting there! He replied, "Until everyone is back from the church." "What church," we asked? "The one around the corner." "You never mentioned a church!" "You want to go now." he asked? Three people did, but they were back almost immediately as by now it was time to leave.

 

Next, we went to the fort, and it a good visit. The fort was immaculate, the folks friendly, and the tiles inside were outstanding. The guide disappeared and explained nothing.

 

 

From there, we drove to a narrow spit of land with the ocean on one side and the harbor on the other. The spit of land was at least 4 or 5 miles long and was all beach. About halfway, the guide said, "On your left is a beach." The procession of buses continued to the end, turned around and headed back, with no other comment.

 

Next, we went to the first President's mausoleum, and the guide again disappeared. Someone saw him later with a couple of local folks. The mausoleum was very well done, beautiful inside, and desrving of respect. Every gentleman on our excursion removed his hat.

 

We then returned to the ship, with no other comment from our guide. I'm sorry to say it was the first time we ever stiffed a guide with no tip.

 

Luanda was interesting nevertheless, everyone else was friendly, there were no problems. An entire section of ramshackle shacks along the waterfront is being torn down for new waterfront residences; we did not learn what they were doing with the poverty-stricken folks who lived in the hovels.

[cbb]

don-

 

a woman, who is on my trivia team, told me the same thing about their guide. i told her she needed to write it on her end of segment questionnaire and include the time and bus # to give feedback to the guide's company.

 

i'm sure the company would be appalled at the quality of service from that guy.

 

Like you, i really liked the fort and I love, love Portuguese tiles...amazing!

[hondorner]

I know who you mean -- same bus, same guide! Good advice.

[LHT28]

don-

 

a woman, who is on my trivia team, told me the same thing about their guide. i told her she needed to write it on her end of segment questionnaire and include the time and bus # to give feedback to the guide's company.

 

i'm sure the company would be appalled at the quality of service from that guy.

 

Like you, i really liked the fort and I love, love Portuguese tiles...amazing!

Do not wait until the end of the segment by the end of the day it should have been reported ...

[spindrift]

What wonderful summaries. I just did this trip (Lisbon to Cape Town) in November, and it was truly an interesting experience. I love your description of Ganvie Village. I loved it. You mentioned so many things that I did not hear from our guide, altho he was quite good.

 

Did you get to stop and get off in their little market and souvenir store? Everyone was tossing change, and the kids had their boats parked in a little hollow. They were having a blast and the guides encouraged everyone to toss them something.

 

I did find the poverty dreadful on the West coast. We also had done the East coast of Africa from Cape Town to Singapore last year, and I found that side to be much better.

 

Anyway, thank you all for your reports. I am loving it and you are bringing back wonderful memories.

[cbb]

We did go into the little market at Ganvie and D bought a coke which came in a slender glass bottle.

 

I took a picture of him standing underneath a very old coke sign nailed onto an even older wooden wall holding up the coke bottle.

 

Someone on RTW had her beer for the day at Ganvie. Evidently one of us has a local beer for her souvenir every time we're in port.... it's not me!!!

 

both bottles were returned so that the folks who operate the market can recycle them for money.

 

Today was a lovely sea day aboard ship. The seas were like glass and at times I could just about see the reflections of the clouds in the water. The sun was out, the breeze was gentle and everyone was in a fine mood.

 

We did well at trivia today, coming in 2nd for the 2nd day in a row but there were several teams who got points as well. We all left the Lounge feeling smart!

 

I told one of the white shirts at Terraces that I appreciated the porpoise and flying fish I had seen starboard today and he said that it was the Captain who had done that.

 

I said that the Captain must also be in a good mood and he said "Yes, the Captain has a button on the bridge that he pushes and the fish come out to play for the passengers." I told him that if he saw the Captain to please thank him for the show!

 

So, as you can see, it was one of those kinds of days. Finished the day with a lovely orange sunset....it is good to be at sea.

[TenerifeSharon]

We did go into the little market at Ganvie and D bought a coke which came in a slender glass bottle.

 

I took a picture of him standing underneath a very old coke sign nailed onto an even older wooden wall holding up the coke bottle.

 

Someone on RTW had her beer for the day at Ganvie. Evidently one of us has a local beer for her souvenir every time we're in port.... it's not me!!!

 

both bottles were returned so that the folks who operate the market can recycle them for money.

 

Today was a lovely sea day aboard ship. The seas were like glass and at times I could just about see the reflections of the clouds in the water. The sun was out, the breeze was gentle and everyone was in a fine mood.

 

We did well at trivia today, coming in 2nd for the 2nd day in a row but there were several teams who got points as well. We all left the Lounge feeling smart!

 

I told one of the white shirts at Terraces that I appreciated the porpoise and flying fish I had seen starboard today and he said that it was the Captain who had done that.

 

I said that the Captain must also be in a good mood and he said "Yes, the Captain has a button on the bridge that he pushes and the fish come out to play for the passengers." I told him that if he saw the Captain to please thank him for the show!

 

So, as you can see, it was one of those kinds of days. Finished the day with a lovely orange sunset....it is good to be at sea.

 

AHHHH! Sounds like true contentment and appreciation! So rare to read or hear about these days! Love your posts. Thanks very much for being a more than "glass half full" type of cruiser (& person)...

[no fuss travel]

Isn't it wonderful when the captain pushes that button. Ours pushed it for a dolphin show while we were eating in Jacques. We were entertained for all of dinner watching the dolphins. I think that was the slowest dinner we ever ate in Jacques, we were so entertained.

[cbb]

today was a port day--Walvis Bay, Namibia and it was another great day for us. The overwhelming opinion was how clean and orderly the place was. If one believes in stereotypes, one could say it was because this was a former German colony. There are still some German street names.

 

The streets are wide so that, historically, wagons pulled by oxen could safely navigate the streets. Independence arrived in Namibia not too long ago so it is a young, vibrant country full of promise.

 

The Chinese are here for business and have the contract for all of Namibia's yellow cake uranium for the next 30 years. We have seen first hand evidence that China is a player in many Africa countries.

 

We had chosen a shorex that was a 4x4 out into the Namib Desert to see dunes, plants, and lots of cool stuff.

 

We were greeted by Lawrence who was a fabulous guide and we were the lead vehicle in a convoy of 5-6 each seating a number around 6 plus driver. At every stop, Lawrence became the educator for all of the vehicles' passengers so our car thought we were so lucky to have him.

 

There were 5 in our vehicle which I thought was just about the perfect number. 2 people to a row, 2 rows and then 1 in the co-pilot seat. These were hardsided, and hard topped so it made it the perfect one to go to the desert.

 

We saw pelicans and flamingos in the Bay, drove deep into the desert which of course was off road, but Lawrence was careful to stay in the tracks of a previous car since the desert ecosystem is so fragile.

 

We saw plants that probably were 400 years old, saw Dune 7 and moonscapes, and places where Mad Max #4 was filmed.

 

It was an extraordinary adventure and it was so great because we were lead car, we could all leap out and take pictures before the rest of the convoy was there! Hopefully, we'll get some good pictures out of it.

 

A great day was concluded by a Namibia young people's choir coming on board and singing beautiful African songs that the conductor had written. They were amazing, their CDs were on sale, and I'm pretty sure they left happy--both with their performance and the cd sales! I know we were thrilled and gave them a standing ovation.

 

On our way now to Luderitz & the Captain is watching a weather front. We are to arrive at approximately noon or a little early.

 

May have a wonderful sunset tonight...off to the veranda!

[cbb]

today was another wonderful day. I walked early this morning but had to walk the pool deck since the wind was too high for me to safely walk upstairs on 10.

 

We were due to arrive in Luderitz at noon but the Captain had, much earlier, stated that we would arrive at 11:00 and darn if we didn't....right on the nose! He's good that way!!!

 

We also had received the good news the night before that we would be docked in Luteritz rather than anchor which we were thrilled to hear. Tendering with wind picking up....not my idea of fun.

 

Lunch inside Terraces instead of our usual veranda table but the wind just made it unpleasant to eat outdoors....little did we know!!!

 

After lunch we headed for the lounge to pick up our van # to go to Kolmanskop, also known as the Ghost Town about 15 minutes from the port. It is becoming known as a photographer's dream location.

 

Kolmanskop was briefly a boom town known for its "diamond rush." After diamonds were discovered here in 1908 hundreds of families came here, especially Germans, and created a town which boasted a hospital, bowling alley, casino, several lovely houses, a shop in which one could purchase or order any number of luxury items including champagne, an ice house, butcher, etc. At its height there were 700 families there.

 

WWI interrupted the mining, and when the men returned to Kolmanskop to work the diamond field it was soon exhausted, bigger diamonds were found elsewhere in southern Africa, and by 1954 the town was abandoned.

 

Today the desert is trying its hardest to claim the town. Walk into any of the buildings and one can see interior rooms filled partially with sand and buildings falling with the weight of sand on them. Namdeb (Namibia-De Beers) still owns the town and one can visit but cannot spend the night.

 

When we were there today, the winds were really blowing and we all had sand in nooks and crannies of our bodies that we didn't know we had! I thought I showered well upon my return but it took using Q-tips in my ears to let me know that I hadn't quite managed a totally successful shower...and i washed my hair!

 

Our van driver let us off in Luderitz to see the German (Lutheran) church at the top of the hill as well as Goerke Hus, one of the mansions built during the boom times. Since it was Sunday afternoon, most of the town's stores were closed except for one little shop doing a brisk business. The owner told us that the wind we were experiencing "was nothing...sometimes it really blows!" She is definitely a better woman than I to live there.

 

On board we took our passports back to the immigration officials to have them stamped for our exit from the country. Oceania staff and crew had this entry/exit really well organized.

 

In Walvis Bay, one entered the room from starboard, received their passport, stood in a short line, saw an official who stamped the passport and exited from port side.

 

Today in Luderitz, we did the same thing but surrendered our passport back to O staff on the port side upon completion of the stamping procedure. Really well done and took about 5 minutes maximum both times.....good job staff!

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and then on to Cape Town where we say good bye to new friends. I'm trying to encourage some of them to stay but they claim they have jobs, pets, family...really poor excuses, I think!!

 

We received a letter from the Captain this morning explaining our changes in itinerary, the reasons for the change (Chinese government) and that more information would be forthcoming concerning excursions for those ports. Of course, all excursions booked with O that have to be cancelled will be completely refunded.

 

We feel that O has kept us informed to the best of their ability and know that there are staff busily trying to work with these changes.

 

all is well tonight.

Edited February 7, 2016 by cbb

[LHT28]

one nit pick ( must be grumpy today)

it is The TERRACE CAFE not the Terraces

 

not plural

[cbb]

Terrace Cafe....noted.

Edited February 8, 2016 by cbb

[Mura]

Thank you, Lyn. That's been bugging me for a while but I was hesitant to nit pick! So you weren't alone ...

 

Mura

[LHT28]

Thank you, Lyn. That's been bugging me for a while but I was hesitant to nit pick! So you weren't alone ...

 

Mura

sometimes I speak my mind more so when grumpy :D

 

sorry about that :(

Edited February 8, 2016 by LHT28

[hondorner]

Is there anyone who did not understand what she meant? Isn't that enough of an effort to keep folks informed?

[Mura]

Of course. But sometimes it's the little things that can get to us.

 

Adding an extra ess to the word is not the end of the world ...

 

Mura

[Emma Chisit]

Is there anyone who did not understand what she meant? Isn't that enough of an effort to keep folks informed?

 

Well it was perfectly clear to me!

 

Thank you cbb for your entertaining commentary on the cruise, and taking the time from your vacation to keep those who are not on board informed.