Livin’ my best cruisin’ life

 Unfortunately this morning after we docked the Captain advised us that, due to local unrest, we would be unable to go ashore. Apparently a rebel group has been trying to overthrow the government here, and rioting has occurred in the past few days. The ship is loading provisions and then we will depart for the Canary Islands. This is just part of touring in west Africa! I’ve included a picture of the Captain’s letter to us and some views from the ship.

 Here are a few pictures of some beautiful people and sights of Gambia.

 As we arrived in port, I was surprised to see so many modern looking buildings. It looked like a commercially prosperous area. I decided to take the free shuttle to a craft and art market just outside of town. Here are some pictures from our arrival and some street scenes.

 The Takoradi Market Circle, which was huge in downtown Takoradi, has been closed by the government because of safety concerns. In response, many of the vendors set up a pop up market on the pier. Unlike other locations, the sellers here were extremely polite, grateful for sales, and never bothered people to make a sale. When I purchased a necklace, the man who sold it blessed me for buying from him!

 Since we crossed the Equator, it was important to celebrate with an initiation ceremony for all passengers and crew who had never done this before. King Neptune and his queen presided over this ceremony, which was held at the pool. Representing all who were first reaching this milestone, crew members were made to bow to the ocean’s fish, get slimed, and take a dip on the pool. We all received our certificates as “shellbacks” who proved our seaworthiness!

 This morning we experienced an unusual milestone-our ship stopped mid-ocean when we reached the point on the earth that is on the equator and the prime meridian at the same time! The Captain positioned the ship with the bow due north, the stern due south, the starboard due east and the port due west! This is a very difficult thing to do! Although it looks like we are in the middle of nowhere in the ocean, and we are, here is what it looked like.

 

 When we arrived st Sandwich Bay, our expert guide, Marius, revved up the car and up and over the dunes we went. Needless to say, it was a thrilling ride! I posted some pictures to give an idea of the height of the cliffs.

 We drove along the packed Namibian sand toward Sandwich Bay and witnessed some beautiful scenery! The water keeps the dunes high and prevents serious wind erosion. At times our 4by4 had to dodge the incoming waves to make our way along the sand.

 On our way from Walvis Bay to Sandwich Bay, we stopped to see the beautiful flamingos. We were surprised to learn  that these flamingos can fly up to 40 miles per hour!

 

 

 

 One of the most naturally beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town is an amazing place to visit. We took a city tour and explored areas of the city from high rise buildings downtown to the beautiful beaches and up to Table Mountain.