Here We Go Again - More to Sea

May 8, 2024 San Juan,   Puerto Rico Back in the US,    Back in the US,   Back in the USA San Juan was really a perfect last stop.   It allowed us to go thru immigration here rather than have to do it during the hectic day of disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale.   This goes for the crew as well as us.   It is hard to believe but when we get into Ft. Lauderdale, the crew gets everyone and their luggage off the boat.   They take on whatever supplies they ordered to be there and then they bring on 1800 new guests and their luggage and then they head back out on the same day we came in.   The logistics of all that is mind boggling.   We didn’t sign up for an excursion at this stop because we just wanted to get off the boat and walk around in Old San Juan, and the ship was docked right smack in the middle of it. Captain Frizzo opened the bow so we could enjoy the afternoon sail in. There were four of us today, Eloise, Blackie and us, and ...

 May 3, 2024 Cape Verde - The Green Cape We sailed into our last African port this morning, Mindelo, Cape Verde.  The name means "green cape", but it wasn't very green as they have not had a significant rainfall for about 7 years..  It is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands.  The cape received it's independence from the Portuguese in 1975 and now aligns itself more closely with Africa even though it lies 385 miles off the west coast of Africa. We are on a small private bus tour today with some friends.   Our guide today is the spitting image of Usher so that is what we will call him.  He said he has heard that before.   He takes us up to Fort D'el Rei.  This fort was built back in the mid 1850's  by the Portuguese.  Later, the fort was used as a prison and then a school before poor upkeep caused it to be closed.  Now it is a very picturesque spot to look down on the harbor town of Mindelo. We got some great panormaic vie...

 Banjul, The Gambia ... "It's Africa" May 1, 2024 It’s May Day here in The Gambia and because of the British influence, it is a holiday and a lot of people are out and about.   Schools are out, markets are open, and it’s hotter than the hinges on the gates of hades here.   And I said that correctly, it is The Gambia.   It is how they want to be called. Afterall, it's Africa. The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, and has a population of 2.7 million people.   It is completely surrounded by Senegal and is only open on the western side where the coastline offers great beaches.   We had a pretty busy day as we drove around the city of Banjul and saw the sights.   Let me say first of all that Banjul is another very poor country.   Peanuts are their biggest export.   Alex Haley’s book, Roots, was based here as this is the home of the fictional Kunta Kinte. One of the biggest problems in The Gambia is the lack of human rights w...