reallyjillytravels

  Friday, April 14, 2023, Mayotte, French Comoros Our ship arrived at this port at 11:30 am. We had to anchor out in the bay and take the tender in. The dock had a welcoming committee that included women singing traditional chanting music and a man effectively accompanying them with a primative-looking drum. It was very pleasant. Arriving at the tender dock While part of the Comoros islands, French Comoros is actually a “department” of France and consists of a small island (Grande-terre) and a smaller island (Petite-terre). Pretty much everyone here is Muslim. We walked through the market by the pier. There was no place to exchange US dollars, and vendors did not take them or VISA cards. So we didn’t buy anything.  We started exploring and found a ferry to Petite-terre. We decided to take it. The ticket office was closed, so we tried to buy a ticket when boarding. No one spoke English, but they motioned us aboard so off we went. The ticket would have cost a couple dollar...

  Sunday , April 9, 2023, Durban, South Africa We arrived in Durban at 8 am and took the ship’s shuttle to UShaka Marine World. This is an extremely clean complex that includes lots of retail shops, restaurants, an aquarium, and a seal and dolphin show. We bought postcards at a gift shop which also carried stamps! At the entry to the actual theme park there was a drumming/singing/dancing group performing African music to get us in the mood.  Downtown Durban These were good dancers & singers Whale skeleton at the aquarium We bought tickets to the aquarium, and it was one of the best we’ve been to. We had just enough time to see everything, including the octopus (who had a toy in the tank). Jill somehow connected with a very large fish and a tortoise that each migrated in her direction.  The shuttle got us back to the pier in time to catch the bus to the Tala Game Preserve for another photo safari. Once we arrived, the group was split into 3 groups. Charlie got u...

  Tuesday, April 11, 2023, Maputo, Mozambique We did not have a tour booked here. Mozambique gained independence in 1975 after battling Portugal for 10 years. Then a brutal civil war ensued from 1977-1992, killing a million people and decimating the economy.  It’s currently one of the poorest nations in the world. Most people speak Portuguese or French. Not a lot of English, but some. And as with everywhere in Africa, local dialects. Nearly everyone in Africa seems to speak 2-3 different languages (or more). Can’t complain just because English isn’t one of them. There was a shuttle bus from the ship to a craft market. The market was large, nearly half were gorgeous plants which we had no way to bring home. There was artwork along all the fences. Vendors were aggressive and many were selling the same items. We looked for the bathroom and it was the worst yet. A ceramic hole in the ground, no running water or toilet paper. Charlie bought sunglasses from a vendor on the street...

  Monday, April 10, 2023 Richards Bay, South Africa We arrived at Richard’s Bay at 4 am. Six of us had agreed to meet at 5:45 am in the lounge near the disembarkation door. We were taking a private tour to the Hluhuwe-Imfoloi National Park. The ship should have been cleared by the local authorities by then, however it wasn’t.  So we waited with a few others who were going the same place, some through a ship tour, others privately like us. The advantage of going privately is you can stay twice as long for much less money. The disadvantage: if you’re late back, they are not obligated to wait for you. If they left without us it would be a difficult, even scary, situation. Twelve of us got into a large van and traveled through the countryside from the coast, passing through many villages on the way to the park. Cattle roamed freely through the countryside, and occasionally we would have to stop for cows on the road. I’m not sure how people kept track of them with no fences. ...