• Paulina Anderson
  • Paulina Anderson

African Cruise SA to Portugal

Ein 25-Tage Abenteuer von Paulina Weiterlesen
  • Beginn der Reise
    3. Juni 2025

    Cape Town

    4.–5. Juni in Südafrika ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Flew in with Delta from Atlanta. Business Class with a door in my cabin that did not work. Arrived 605pm but it was dark by the time we exited the airport. A lot better service at this airport than J'burg. Took a taxi to our AC Marriott Hotel. Right on the harbor with a view of our cruise boat the next morning. Wonderful breakfast buffet included. After breakfast we decided to take the gondola to Table mountain. Took a taxi to the gondola base but the line was over 1 hr wait. Thank God for fast track. We were on the next gondola up. Each gondola holds 65 people and rotates for better view. A bit windy a cold on the mountain at 3500 ft and cold but sunny so we can see everywhere.
    Made it back to our boat on time
    Weiterlesen

  • Walvis Bay Namibia

    6.–7. Juni in Namibia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Pronounced "Valves bay". The W as in Dutch V.
    Pam and I took a birding tour. First we visited the city sewer where they put the water in open ponds with reeths that changed it to grey water going back to the city/houses for watering gardens. And it's full of birds. Then we drove to the local salt dams where they put sea water to dry. From one dam to the next in diff percentage of salt. When it's 80% salt it turns pink/red. Driving around we saw pelicans and flamingos. Then by the water we saw wales. Also a pair of jackals sitting by the road. We visited a seals colony. At the end we drove up and down the sand dunes. All the above within 25k from town.Weiterlesen

  • Luanda Angola

    10. Juni in Angola ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Arrived in Luanda Angola June 9th. Had a highlights bus tour and drove around by the beach. Very poor country torn by their civil war 1975 when they got their independence from Portugal to 2002 between communist helped with Cuban troops and the US side helped by S. African groups. They do have oil but a lot of poverty because of the civil war distraction.Weiterlesen

  • Sao Tome & Principe

    12. Juni in São Tomé und Príncipe ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Very poor, ex Portuguese, group of 2 islands that got their independence in 1975. Used to have sugar cane and now cocoa plantations but not much exports
    We took the tender to port and shuttle downtown. Walked around for 2 hours but there's not much.
    The tour in the afternoon took us to an old Portuguese fort they are using as a museum today that was overly restored and not much to see
    Pam and I left the tour early and went back to the boat
    Weiterlesen

  • Takoradi, Ghana

    15. Juni in Ghana ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    In the morning I took the shuttle to downtown. Pam slept in. It turned out everything was closed because it was Sunday. Scott Sweetow, that has 3 girlfriends, was there so we walked around. He was looking for a bar for a local beer at 1030am. The taxi drivers were trying to sell us a taxi ride to a hotel. Finally someone walked us to an open bar in the back yard of a gym walking thru slums. After beer we had the "bathroom experience". The bar guy was very polite but apologized about his bathroom. It was clean but it was just a wooden enclosure with tile(mostly broken pieces) floor. Had a small plastic bucket on the side, the side of a 16oz can. I asked if I had to pee in the bucket. It was so small. He said no just the floor. Then Scott had to go after me.
    Back to the taxi station was negotiated a taxi with another couple that was gonna pay $20. I told the driver the shuttle guy said it was $30 for 1 hour of touring around. So he accepted $10. But the taxi super was upset at him for skipping his turn in line so someone else took us to the port.
    In the afternoon we took the ship's tour which took us around the twin cities, as called ( Sekondi and Takoradi). At the fisherman's port they showed us how their brand new machine from Japan that made ice blocks for boats, was working. Then we walked around the boats and took pictures. Each boat had flags on it from diff countries based on each fisherman's fancy.
    Weiterlesen

  • Dakar Senegal

    19. Juni in Senegal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The boat was running late because of head wind so all tours, including my Gore island tour, got cancelled.
    Not a fun place. Pam and I took the cruise shuttle to Independence square and immediately got bombarded by people trying to sell us stuff and guide us around. Pam did not know how to ignore them so we got stuck with a guy that was gonna take us to the 'market'. Pam never realized that he was just showing us around and there was not an artisans market. Halfway thru she tipped him to get rid of him but of course that did not work and later on he asked for more. Finally we got tired and went back to the shuttle.
    Pam even bought a T-shirt from the shuttle window because the guy was bothering her and he wouldn't give her the blue she wanted and ended up with a black T-shirt.
    Weiterlesen

  • 4 days at Sea

    21.–25. Juni in Spanien ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Had 4 days at sea because it was too windy and we did not stop at Cape Verde as scheduled
    Played bridge with Jan Holowinski from Poland. Excellent bridge player.
    Danced every night with Derek and his 2 sisters, Millie and Eve, and friend of Millie's, Chingo. Millie travels (see WhatsApp) and will keep me in her loop. Chingo invited Pam and me to her lake Washington house in Seattle. Showed us pictures of her, over 4000 shoes.
    Also met Dennis that was great at Karaoke. He's been to every province of China.
    Had beer with Scott Sweetow from Huntsville AL. He told Pam he has 3 girlfriends and got her upset. He is an explosion expert with the government. We all played trivia daily. I lost a bet on where the 2028 Olympic games are going to be, and had to buy Scott a bottle of wine.
    Met Ginger Allen from San Diego and the two of us plan to travel to the 13 South Pacific island countries together. Her son's birthday is also June 29. Played bridge with Judy and Phil Rea from OK city and Jim and Barbara Schlott from Palm Springs area, CA. She is a travel agent and can get us on Antarctica cruises.
    Weiterlesen

  • Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands

    24. Juni in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The best stop so far. Took a tour in the morning to visit the island volcano de San Angelo. One side of the island is very lush and the South very dry and airy. They have their special pine trees that grow on volcanic soil and break it down.
    The afternoon, I got off the boat and toured the old part of the city which was very quaint with old buildings and pine ceilings. Had octopus with olive oil and sherry vinegar. Then I went to the airport to fly to Cape Verde. The boat skipped docking at that stop because it was too windy.
    Weiterlesen

  • Sal Island Cape Verde

    25.–26. Juni in Kap Verde ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Flew here from Gatwick. The most touristy of the 10 Cape Verde Isles, so it was the best connection I could get in such short notice. Had to fly from Santa Cruz de La Palma to Tenerife and then to LQW. Landed at 2:05am and could not find a hotel till 3rd try. Even the Hampton Inn at LQW North terminal, that showed rooms inline was full. So I slept only 4 hrs. My morning flight was at 935.
    Six hrs flight on easyJet where the seats don't go back.
    Sal is a very dry island with only 38K people. Santa Maria had a wonderful beach and everything was centered around there. Two of my taxi drivers were from Senegal.
    Had a wonderful rum and passion fruit cocktail on the beach enjoying the sunset. When I went up to the bar to pay they had Laura's passion fruit bulb from Costco that they were using for drinks.
    There motto here is "Cape Verde - No Stress".
    The video attached was taken flying out. It shows how dry and brown Sal Isl is.
    Weiterlesen

  • Ende der Reise
    27. Juni 2025