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Darren and Janet

Darren and Janet

34 ülke gezdi Okumaya devam et🇦🇺Adelaide
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    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      View of Luanda Bay from the fort
      Welcome to LuandaOur first view of LuandaGreeted on the dock by dancersLuanda skylineSenhora de Nazare ChurchOld and new side by sideOur police escort blocking side roads to clear our route1The old and the new side by side2View of the suburbs from the fortEntrance to San Miguel FortFirst President's car and boat, on display at the Museum of the Armed Forces2Agostinho Neto Mausoleum, Angolan parliament in the left background

      Luanda with an escort

      11 Haziran, Angora ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

      We awoke to the sight of Luanda Bay as we arrived in Angola.

      Angola was a Portugese colony until gaining independence in 1975. Upon independence, Portugal left Angola without establishing a new government, so Angola suffered 27 years of civil war, which left much of the country in ruins. Beginning in 2002 with a new constitution, Angola is still slowly recovering, with new high rises towering above shanty towns, and a beautiful beach front promenade running around the bay. It is, however, not yet regarded as a tourist destination (10 ships stopped here this year, and we are the last ship of the season).

      The capital Luanda is the largest city in Angola (population 9.5 million), but is rated as the most expensive city in the world for expatriates and foreign workers to live, mainly due to the lack of quality housing.

      We were on the first tour out today, in a convoy of 6 buses, with a police escort. First stop was Senhora de Nazare Church, built in 1664. After we were escorted back to the buses by police stopping the traffic for us to walk across the road, we headed to the San Miguel Fort, with commanding views across the city.

      Built in 1576 by the Portugese to protect their colony, it was the major site for slave traffic that was exported to Brazil. For many years the fort was a self-contained town, protected by thick walls and cannons. Today it houses the Museum of the Armed Forces.

      We drove along Ihla de Luanda, a narrow spit of land housing many beach bars and restaurants, before heading to Agostinho Neto Mausoleum, a rocket shaped structure and resting place of the first president of Angola. Unfortunately we couldn't enter, as repairs are currently being undertaken.

      Again with our police escort, we returned to the ship in time for lunch, then headed straight back out on the shuttle bus to town. We are docked at an industrial pier, so were unable to walk direct from the ship, but had to catch a shuttle... which only took us to a shopping mall. The mall had very limited opportunities to buy any souvenir items, and even when I was approached outside the mall by a street vendor, they were moved along quickly by the mall security staff. The authorities are so keen to create a good impression, we were barely allowed to mingle with the locals, so unfortunately only saw a sanitised version of the city.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      1Shuffleboard champion
      Sunrise in Angolan watersCraft session in the Observation Lounge3View from breakfast, deck 4

      Sea day... off to a slow start

      9 Haziran, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

      The day began at sunrise for me (which is unusual in itself!), with more rocking motion on the boat than usual. Turns out we were stationary and had been so for a while, so was getting an extra buffeting.

      At 7am the captain announced over the PA that we were stopped because of an issue with the propulsion system.

      Follow up announcements communicated that they have identified, then fixed the issue, and shortly after 9am we were back underway and full stream ahead towards Luanda, capital of Angola.

      Another full day at sea, so today's activities were craft morning, more book reading, coffee, cakes, shuffleboard and trivia (we won again).      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      Cupcakes for afternoon tea
      On the pool deckWarm scones also for afternoon tea1Block PartyCocktails in the piano bar before dinner1This is how my soup arrived... dry!1Then they add the liquid at the table. Never seen deconstructed soup before 🤣Evening show in the theatreEvening show in the theatre

      Slow boat to Angola

      8 Haziran, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

      A full day at sea as we make our way from Namibia towards Angola, and it's the first time we've actually felt the ship move around, with seas building to 4m tonight.

      The day was spent mostly around the pool deck, even though it's not quite warm enough to swim yet... but plenty of book was read.

      Today's lecture was on the life of Nicolai Tesla, and trivia was on again - after 3rd place yesterday, we had our first win today with 13/15.

      Before dinner they had a Block Party, where drinks and nibbles are served in the corridor outside your room and you're encouraged to meet your neighbours.

      Dinner tonight was in one of the specialty restaurants (French cuisine tonight), then some musical entertainment in the theatre, before a rolling night's sleep ahead.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      1Dune 7, our route up on thr left
      3Foggy morning leaving the ship2Flamingos, Walvis Bay lagoon3Salt evaporation ponds, Walvis BaySalt works , Walvis BayDune 7, on the way upOn top of Dune 72Dune 7, the quick way down1Namib Desert road1Welwitschia plantMoonscape5Old railway station, SwakopmundSwakopmund lighthouseSwakopmund beach frontSwakopmund streets regularly get inundated by sandCoast road between Swakopmund and Walvis BayWalvis Bay suburbs1A common sight at the ports - 2nd hand trucks shipped from Europe for delivery to Botswana

      Salt, sand and Swakopmund

      7 Haziran, Namibya ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

      We booked an independent tour today and met our driver at the gate to the port. First stop in Walvis Bay was the lagoon to view the flamingos, but being breeding season, there was only a handful present. We continued along the coast to the salt works and evaporation ponds.

      Heading out of town, we stopped at Dune 7 - at 383m, the highest sand dune in Namibia and 5th highest in the world. It is part of the coastal dune belt that runs 30km from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund. We climbed to the top the long way, but came down the quick way, straight down the face... with boots full of sand.

      Our journey took us to Swakopmund via an area known as the Moonscape, and to view the Welwitschia plant. It has been called one of the ugliest plants in the world and grows only in the deserts of Namibia and Angola. It is unusual because the entire plant has just two leaves. The leaves rest on the ground, and as they grow, their ends get split into multiple ribbons, which gives the impression that there are multiple leaves. Many of these plants are over 1,000 years old.
      Since rainfall in this area is erratic, the plant absorbs moisture from fog that regularly develops at night over the desert. This is achieved by the leaves by keeping their spores open at night and closing when the fog lifts. Because of the dependence on fog, the plant is seldom found more than 100 km from the coast.

      Last stop was Swakopmund ("mouth of the Swakop") , a popular beach resort town characterised by 19th century German colonial architecture. We had a quick city tour before returning to Walvis Bay via the coast road.

      The ship departed Walvis Bay at 5pm, heading north to Angola.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      Main street, Walvis Bay
      Walvis Bay, view fron the shipDias Memorial, commemorating Bartholomew Dias landing in 1487Walvis Bay suburban streetYacht Club precinct, our cache event location1Afternoon tea trolleyRSS Voyager docked in Walvis Bay

      Walvis Bay

      6 Haziran, Namibya ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

      As we continued cruising towards Namibia, our morning activities consisted of a leisurely breakfast and another trivia session (with the same team of 6, we came third today, after yesterday's 2nd place).

      We arrived in Walvis Bay at midday and, after immigration processing on board, caught the shuttle bus from the port to the city. For reasons unbeknownst to all of us, the shuttle destination was a shopping mall on the outskirts of town. Walvis Bay is very spread out and not a walking town (or a tourist town), so after a quick peruse to confirm that the shopping mall was the same as every other suburban shopping mall, most people caught the next shuttle back to the ship.

      Walvis Bay is the primary port for Namibia, as well as a vital link for its landlocked neighbours to the east. It is also a former South African naval base, and remained under South African control after Namibia's independence in 1990, finally being integrated into Namibia in 1994. There are very few tourist attractions, but there are 6 caches spread around town, so we negotiated with a taxi driver for a 1 hour journey around the caches. Then we caught the shuttle back to the ship, arriving just in time for afternoon tea

      At 6.15pm we hosted a geocaching event near the dock, and had one local cacher attend, then returned to the ship for South African buffet dinner and an early night before our full day tour tomorrow.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      Pool deck
      Fresh juice for breakfastIce cream deliveryWhere we've been...Einstein lecture in the theatreAtrium3Sea fog today. The fog horn sounded a number of times

      North to Namibia

      5 Haziran, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      We had a full day at sea, so it was shipboard activities for us. Between us, we partook in a guest lecture about Albert Einstein's personal life, a Pilates class, a trivia session, and a bracelet making crafternoon. No prizes for guessing which of us did each activity!Okumaya devam et

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    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      2Departing Cape Town
      1Our roomView from the balcony1Cruising out of Cape Town harbour

      Sailing out of Cape Town

      4 Haziran, Güney Afrika ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

      We spent a lot of today waiting ... our cruise departs at 5pm tonight, but we were given the first transfer window from the hotel, at 10.30am. After hotel checkout at 10am, we waited only a short while in reception, and arrived at the cruise terminal well before 11.00am. South African Immigration changed the time of their availability, so we wandered the V&A Waterfront until check-in opened at midday.

      After formalities, we boarded the Regent Seven Seas Voyager, our home for the next 23 days. The ship is close to capacity with 615 passengers, including 195 Australians who boarded today.

      First activity was buffet lunch, in one of the 6 restaurants on board. In the afternoon we walked the decks to familiarise ourselves, then settled into our suite late afternoon.

      Shortly after 5pm we departed Cape Town, heading north towards Namibia.

      After dinner we attended a caberet variety show in the main lounge, a taster of the entertainment on offer during the cruise.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      1Boulders Beach penguin
      Bo-Kaap neighbourhoodHouts BaySeal on the dock, Houts Bay3Funicular to the old lighthouse, Cape Point Nature ReserveLighthouse buildings, Cape PointOld lighthouse, Cape PointOstriches, Cape of Good HopeBoulders Beach penguinsBoulders Beach penguins, juveniles moultingBoulders Beach penguinsBoulders Beach penguins, man made burrowsBoulders Beach penguins2

      Good Hope and Boulders

      3 Haziran, Güney Afrika ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      We had a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula today, beginning with a visit to the colourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood across the road from our hotel. It is the oldest surviving neighbourhood in Cape Town, dating from the 1760s when Malay workers (slaves) were bought in by the Dutch colonisers.

      Travelling via Chapmans Peak Drive, a coastal road carved out of the mountain in the 1920s, we stopped at Houts Bay for an optional boat ride to see seals on a nearby island. Given the rain and rough seas, we chose the walk around the markets and dock area instead.

      We continued south to Cape Point Nature Reserve, stopping for lunch before walking up to the old lighthouse. Built in 1860, it was decommssioned 40 years and dozens of shipwrecks too late, after its high altitude meant the lighthouse was in cloud many days of the year, and couldn't be seen when the sailors needed it most! A new lighthouse was built at a much lower altitude.

      The drive continued via the Cape of Good Hope, the most South Westerly point of Africa, to Simon's Town and Boulders Beach.

      The beach is a popular tourist spot because of a colony of endangered African penguins (previously known as Jackass penguins) that settled there in 1982. It is in a residential area, and a series of boardwalks allows the birds to be observed at close range as they wander freely. From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3000 birds in recent years.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      1Table Mountain, view from our hotel room, early morning
      Company Garden's residentTable Mountain from Company Gardens2Section of the Berlin Wall, gifted to Nelson Mandela in 1996Public Safety Officer1Round nosed Mercedes. You don't see many of them!!Silo Hotel, V&A WaterfrontTable Mountain from V&A WaterfrontVictoria & Albert Hotel, V&A WaterfrontV&A WaterfrontColourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, from our hotel roomTable Mountain, her tablecloth was on most of the day

      Cape Town walking

      2 Haziran, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      We arrived in Cape Town late last night and received notice that our scheduled tour to Robben Island today had been cancelled because of the weather, so a new plan was required.

      We investigated a late notice walking tour as we were recommended not to walk the streets for safety reasons. As most of the impromptu walking tours leave from Market Square, we made our way towards there.

      As we were walking we noticed security guards on most street corners, all in high vis uniform with body worn cameras, and armed with batons. We later found out that they are called Public Safety Officers, and 320 of them patrol the streets 24/7 to reduce crime in the CBD. Their presence was reassuring, and the number of other tourists and walking groups gave us the confidence to continue alone.

      We began our walk through Company's Garden, which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company to feed the growing settlement as well as provide fresh produce to resupply their passing ships.

      We also found the only piece of the Berlin Wall in Africa... slightly out of place in a city mall!

      Our final destination was the Victoria and Albert Waterfront precinct, one of the city's major tourism areas with a plethora of shops, restaurants and markets. After lunch and a thorough discovery of the area, we caught an Uber back to our hotel late afternoon, having walked 9.6km for the day.      Okumaya devam et

      Çeviriyi gör
    • Darren and JanetDarren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
      Pyramids of Plaine Magnien
      GRSE WaterfallEast Coast road sceneryMauritian driving, often in the middle of the road to the avoid the drop off, parked cars and dogsEast coast road sceneryView from the Mahebourg waterfrontMouchoir Rouge Island, MahebourgLocal shopping, Mahebourg1Mauritian Liverpool celebrationsRural driving , east coastEast coast road sceneryPath to Pyramids of Plaine Magnien. We elected not to drive this last section!Walking home from dinner last night, Trou d'Eau Douce

      Orevwar depi Moris*

      1 Haziran, Mauritius ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

      Our final day on Mauritius, and we have a 1 hour drive to the airport and 6 hours to do it... so plenty of time for detours.

      First stop was Grand River South East Waterfall, a few minutes out of Trou d'Eau Douce. Finding the path to the waterfall was the biggest challenge as it wasn't signposted from the road, so we took a track through the sugar cane plantation, then followed the noise down to the waterfall.

      The east coast doesn't have the wide sandy beaches of the north and west, so it's not as touristy... which means very few resorts, but fabulous sea views from the road most of the way. There's also a large number of Hindu temples - Mauritius is the only African nation with Hinduism as the dominant religion.

      Amongst our stops was a monument to the first landing of the Dutch in 1598, who named it after Prince Maurice Van Nassau, head of the Dutch Republic. They introduced sugar cane, rice and tobacco, and also bought the first slaves. They abandoned Mauritius in 1710. In 1715, the French arrived, and ruled until they were defeated by the British in 1815. Independence was gained in 1968.

      The largest town in the south is Mahebourg, a few minutes from the airport. The Sunday waterfront market was in full swing when we arrived, as was a noisy celebration of Liverpool's recent Premier League victory by the Liverpool Mauritius Fan Club. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Mouchoir Rouge, named after the "red handkerchief" that was waved as a signal to the boatman for those who wanted to go to or return from the island, not because of the red roofed house.

      Our final stop before boarding our flight to Cape Town was the Pyramids of Plaine Magnien. Initially believed to be built by an ancient civilization, recent accounts have confirmed they were built by sugar cane workers who decided to neatly pile the volcanic rocks they cleared when planting the sugar cane. That's not as exciting 😐

      * Farewell from Mauritius, in Mauritian Creole - also known as "Morisyen," it's a French-based language spoken in Mauritius. Primarily a spoken language, it's the most commonly used language on the island and is spoken by almost everyone.      Okumaya devam et

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