Month: November 2022

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

November 10, 2022

Today we arrived in Tanzania and our first stop is Dar Es Salaam. I can’t say this country has ever been on my bucket list. I’m not even sure if I even knew it existed before we planned this trip.

We picked up the pilot about 7:30 am and began the journey into port. Impressive looking city from afar. I would have never guessed a city like this existed in this area of Africa.

According to our cruise director Jeremy, this city has experienced tremendous growth in the last few decades. As we pulled in, a few groups of entertainers played for us. The ship has been docking on the starboard side most of the trip. This gives us a great view right off of our balcony.

We have no tour scheduled today and our plan is to take the shuttle into downtown and walk to the golf course that we were unable to contact. Maybe we can play. Shuttle was only a few minutes and we were dropped off at the Sheraton Hotel. The walk to the course was 1.5 miles. It was hot and humid. Upper 80s. Lots of vehicle traffic complete with the required horn honking. Few if any sidewalks. Infrastructure on the poor side but trash management seemed to be better here. People everywhere. Most dressed nicely. Suits, colorful African dresses, school kids in uniform. Lots of people. Tuk-Tuk vehicles used here too. I did see some women carrying stuff on their heads. Looked like a picture from a National Geographic magazine.

The golf course was a bust. Looked like it had been watered last year sometime. Obviously closed.

We decided to walk to the Kerikoo market. Streets full of people selling everything. We stopped in a little store to purchase some water. Lucky for us, English is also an official language along with Swahili. My Swahili is just not up to where it should be. I asked the woman behind the counter if she took credit. No. US Dollars? No. “What are you looking for”, she asked. Water, was my response. I can help you, she said. She went to the cooler and gave us a bottle of water each. Free. She also gave a bottle each to two ship people who decided to follow us because we had a map to the market. Hospitality. I like this place.

The walk to the market was a struggle. Everyone is on the rode at the same time. Bikes, motor cycles, people pushing carts, cars, trucks. Horns, horns, horns. You don’t wait for anyone because you will wait forever. It is never ending. Want to cross the street? You go. Never mind that 2 tuk-tuk’s, 3 bicycles, and 6 cars are coming. This was definitely an example of old world meeting new. You would have never guess this market existed in such a modern looking city.

The couple that tagged along with us were completely lost. They had a map from the ship but it was not detailed enough to get you anywhere. John and Teen. John said this reminded him of Saigon. I told him I was just thinking the same thing but only from pictures. He was quite fearful of getting robbed either by force or lack of haggling skills. He was obviously a Veteran and asked if I was military. He reminded me of other Vietnam era veterans that I have met. It is not possible to “un see” what was done over there and most seem to be carrying that around with them.

We worked our way back to the Hilton and sat down and had a beer and a glass of wine (glass of ice on the side please).

We spent some time here chatting with John and Teen and enjoyed the free wifi. John was in the Navy and Teen was Vietnamese. She was adopted by a couple in Minnesota in 1972. I helped her download the maps.me program I use to navigate. I was surprised by her heavy Vietnamese accent after being here for 50 years.

I was surprised by the number of ship people hanging out in the lobby. They obviously had no tour scheduled and I guess this is “getting off” of the ship. Lots of people do not have cellular service nor do they purchase the ridiculously priced package on the ship. Having free wifi is like being in a candy store for them.

We had lunch on the ship and relaxed in the room until dinner. I was completely soaked from the experience out in the heat.

The evening entertainment was a local Tanzanian group. The Tanzanian Boys Circus. 5 young men that I guess were under 30. 4 of them did most of the show. The fifth one was a soloist.

I can’t remember the last time I was so entertained and impressed. Amazing acrobatic moves showing shear strength. If Ed Sullivan were still around, they would have made it to his show. I suggest that you look up this group on YouTube. They are really unbelievable. The 5th member is what I would call a contortionist. I can’t even believe what he was able to do. You guessed it. 10

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at Sea

November 9, 2022

Last day at sea before our four day stop in Tanzania.

We attended a meeting for those who are going on the overnight to Victoria Falls and the Chobe Game Lodge for a safari. This is a 5 day, 4 night excursion off of the ship. It was a very informative session that included things like malaria protection, insect repellent, visas, passports, etc. We start in Maputo and take a flight to Johannesburg. We stay at the 54 on Bath Hotel in Soweto. The next day we fly to Victoria Falls where we stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel. The next day we go to the Chobe Game Lodge where we spend the next 2 nights. 2 flights to Capetown where we meet the ship. We begin this excursion on November 19.

Another wine tasting today. I like to do wine tastings but find the other folks there to be a bit pretentious. If you like a wine, great. Does anyone really care if you notice a hint of carob or the color happens to be bright? What happened to less filling, tastes great? The sommelier, Rod, is very knowledgeable and does a great presentation. We tasted 4 “old world” wines. They would have gone well with a side of aspirin. I didn’t have a favorite this time. Terri liked the Merlot from Romania. Papa Ruda. 100% Merlot.

The cheese and grape plate went down rather easily.

We had dinner with Jim, Lois, Bill and Nancy again. We had planned this Monday to celebrate the midterm election. I didn’t bring the fireworks I had planned on bringing.

The evening entertainment was Paul Stepien. We saw him a few nights ago and this was supposedly a new show. Many of these entertainers only have one show to present and Paul was no exception. He relied on many things he had already done. We were disappointed.

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At Sea

November 8, 2022

Today was the day we crossed the equator. Without delay, here is the picture you are looking for.

There is a tradition of this ship and maybe others, employees that have never crossed the equator on the ship are “guppies” and they must go through a ritual in front of King Neptune. Employees that have gone through the experience assist in the ritual. In this sense, it reminds me of band camp. Students that were most afraid of band camp made sure that “newbies” had the worst experience possible. Thereby relieving themselves of the guilt they had for their own fear. Here, experienced employees ordered underlings around wearing pirate costumes.

The pictures show King Neptune with his Queen. The Zanzibar singers and dancers are in front of them. After admitting to their sins of bad performances they are directed to the other end of the pool where they are covered with what looks to be cake frosting. The ships officers then give a thumbs up or down if the slathered group can enter the pool to wash off or be sentenced to bake in the sun. I saw a thumbs up.

We received a notice of poor internet in the coming days. Not sure how it can get any worse.

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At Sea

November 7, 2022

Another day of perfect weather. 

We did team trivia and lightning trivia. In lightning trivia, 30 seconds are given after the question and then the answer is given. We are full of meaningless facts but there always seems to be room for more. Everyone in our group seems to be able to contribute and that makes it fun.

It is hard to get news in the location we are in. The internet is not stable enough to download anything. The ship provides access to some free online newspapers but the latest edition is almost a week old.

We had dinner with two couples we met early in the cruise. Jim and Lois and Bill and Nancy. We met them in a game of trivia. I know that Jim is a retired surgeon but occupations really didn’t come up. Both couples live in Cincinnati and Bill and Nancy have a second home in northern Michigan.

We did talk politics for almost half of the dinner. We discussed how it is nearly impossible to talk with those that play for the other team. We decided to meet for dinner on Wednesday night to celebrate the Tuesday midterm election results. Needless to say, they play for our team.

Dinner went later than we planned and we missed the evening entertainment.…

At Sea

November 6, 2022

Another great day at sea. Beautiful weather and water as far as the eye can see. We are traveling about 500 miles from the coast of Somalia. Far enough that to avoid any problems. We are heading slightly southeast. The sun rises on the port side of the ship and sets on the starboard side

We made it to Sunday Brunch today. The food just kept coming. Nothing to order, there are samples of many dishes on the many courses. Outstanding.

We had another time change last night and we are 8 hours ahead of home. In a few days we will be passing he equator and there is a ceremony for all ship staff that have never crossed the equator on a ship. It involves the swimming pool, King Neptune and kissing a fish.

We are considering booking a round of golf in Tanzania but it appears to be difficult to do from the ship. None of the courses have a page on the internet for setting up a time and calling them doesn’t seem possible from our location. At least not a wifi call. The internet is much too unstable and a call will not go through.

We continuously have more than 6 members in our trivia group. 6 is the limit but 8 doesn’t to seem to provide any additional help. There are no prizes given to the winning group. I would be happy with a muffin. At the music trivia, I was the only one that had answers to any of the recordings that were played. Most of the group said they never listened to music from the era that was played. Foreigner, Styx, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Queen. I recognized all of the tunes but one. Titles didn’t come as fast. We scored in the middle of the pack. One of groups said they got them all right.

During the general knowledge trivia no one appears confident enough in their own answer and many times our scribe will write down an answer that someone else gave. The confidence level is very high when the answers are given and they happened to be correct. We all have the same reaction. Hands in the air, “That’s what I said”. Why didn’t you write it down?

We made dinner plans with a few couples we met on the ship for Monday night.

The internet is unbelievably slow. It isn’t stable enough to do anything that requires two factor authentication like logging in to your bank account. A text message and security code will be sent to your phone to verify it is you. Unfortunately it does not arrive soon enough to use.

The water appears to be very calm but it still has large swells. It makes sleeping great but workouts at the gym fascinating…

at Sea

November 5, 2022

Today we headed northeast through the Gulf of Aden. There is a shipping lane that is monitored by local authorities and also by the U.S. Navy. These keeps us far away from

Somalia which is our biggest threat. The Captain said we wouldn’t be turning South until sometime tomorrow.

It’s amazing how quickly the days pass. I can still remember the days in elementary school. It seemed like hours between 3:00 and 3:15. The second hand just didn’t move as fast as it should. Now I want it to stop moving so fast. When did this change?

Today is my grand daughters 4th birthday. Wasn’t she just born yesterday? We did manage a FaceTime call late afternoon which was early morning back home.

Today we received forms that need to be filled out for entry into and out of Tanzania. Paper forms that haven’t been adjusted to indicate that the sex check box is optional nor a spot asking about my pronouns. I’m not sure what to think.

There is a meeting of our tour to Victoria Falls where our Safari begins. The tour is in a few weeks but the meeting is Tuesday. All these days at sea is a good time to take care of these things.

Tonight’s entertainment was Paul Stepian. Paul was from Poland and was billed as a “multi instrumentalist”. By his own admission, he was a flutist that also carried around a midi-controller in the shape of a clarinet. This instrument has a reed and senses pressure changes to manipulate the tone. The tone generated is controlled by a switch on the instrument and the user is able to play any of the standard midi sounds. He demonstrated a tenor sax, harmonica, and a few other instruments. He began his set with his standard flute covering a few Michael Jackson tunes. Very impressive. He took out the midi controller covered some Stevie Wonder. He did a medley of movie soundtracks where he used is alto and piccolo flute. Great performance and fantastic musician. Maybe some of the weaker acts make me give him such a high rating. 10

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at Sea

November 4, 2022

Today we continued on our way through the Red Sea and I could see some land as we passed through the strait that separates Jabouti from Yemen. Upper 80s and very humid. The Sea is relatively calm. I did hear about some excitement that happened early in the morning as two small watercraft were near the ship and security watched them carefully and were ready to react. Captain Smit said nothing about this at his noon announcement.

I attended an informational talk about our next stop Dar Es Salaam. Not a typical tourist stop and the guides may or may not be language proficient and knowledgeable about the area. They do accept USD and Euros but small denominations are needed.

Average day with team trivia. What part of the body has the most gold. It’s not teeth. What musical is “We’re in the money” from. I have conducted the musical twice but had no answer. Shame. I should have been paying more attention. I did know what kind of acid is found in an automobile battery.

We had dinner next to a mother traveling with her son. They were from Florida and Terri asked what they thought of their governor. We are huge fans. I had already sized them up as Libs and wanted no part of the conversation. Mom didn’t like him because he is taking women backwards. How? Abortion was her only answer. Son said he doesn’t like immigrants. He mentioned the statue of liberty and the welcoming message. No response on legal immigration. New friends made.

The evening entertainment was vocalist Maria Campos. She sang songs from musicals that made it from stage to screen. We sat next to Jose and during the first number I already knew Jose was on his way out. Terri kept flashing 2 fingers. I gave her a one and Terri came back with a zero. Our dissatisfaction with her performance had nothing to do with her ability to sing. She can sing very well. The music was canned and I can’t even rate the band. The songs she sang would be fine during a musical as the words provide the storyline. When you hear one of these tunes outside of the musical, especially one you haven’t seen, the words become rather meaningless. Fans of musicals probably gave her a ten. We left to play some cards.…

at Sea

November 3, 2022

Breakfast is quite amazing. There is so much variety it can be difficult to decide. Yogurt? Greek, plain or flavored. Fruit? All kinds already cut for you. Baked goods? Sticky buns, croissants, chocolate croissants. Bagels of all kinds. Toasted? Just asked. Cream cheese, jelly, or some other spread? Eggs. Any kind you want cooked to order. Omelets? yes. Bacon, sausage, links or patties? pork or turkey? Potatoes? yes.Cheeses and cold cuts of all kinds. Waffle station. Pancake Station. Pasta station. Breads of all kinds. Cereal? Only 6 varieties. Can you see why people complain?

Miss muffins is now sitting with a couple that is obviously from Germany. After each complaint I hear. Yaw, yaw, yaw.

We are quite disciplined. Raisin bran for me and Terri has oatmeal. Sometimes I’ll have a few boiled eggs. Today I had 2 over medium. Discipline isn’t as hard as you might think. A look at fellow passengers can put you on the correct path quickly. Lot’s of extra flesh here.

Very warm today as we walked by the open area by the pool. Upper 80s is my guess. We are almost exactly in the center of the Red Sea, 100 miles from each coast. No cell service and the satellite internet is poor. That is something I could complain about.

Group trivia usually provides some good laughs. At what age did King Tut assume power? At what age did he die? The Valley of the Kings was in a town originally called Thebes. What is it called today?

Music trivia was very difficult. 60s and 70s but there were at least two tunes that no one recognized. Our host is from Colombia and her selection of tunes could have been influenced by that. We were one short of 6 so we called over a woman who was sitting alone. She tried to contribute but her insistence of having a mask over her face made it impossible to understand.

The sun is setting at 4:45 and by the time we get into the dining room it is dark.

Evening entertainment was impressionist Robbie Howard. A former Las Vegas headliner, Robbie began the act with some Frank Sinatra. Spot on! He continued with Tom Jones and She’s a Lady. Great rendition. He spoke after singing the tune and sounded just like him. I expected to see panties being thrown on stage but none appeared. He continued with short selections of famous artists doing their hits. He stopped at one point and did a Johnny Carson monologue. Fantastic. The highlight of the show had to be 3 men that he pulled out of the audience and had them each in front of a mic. He of course did a short interview of each man asking what they did in life. Consultant, accountant, farmer. He told the audience that no matter where in the world he is, he can always make three men sound just like the Mills Brothers. Their part? On cue they were to sing something like doot doot doo be wah, doot doot wah. The tune was Cab Driver. The band started, Robbie sang and then pointed. I can’t remember when I have laughed so hard. Of course the farmer, Pete, sounded like a seal barking for some fish. Robbie went over to his Pete’s mic and moved it closer to him so the audience could enjoy it even more. He told Pete that there was an agent in the balcony that would be interested in him. A sea world agent.

What a show but band that accompanied him was really weak. We heard them play ballroom dancing tunes last week sometime. The pianist was in his own world and didn’t work with any of the band members. Robbie did a great job cueing but he was out to lunch.

Leaving out the band it was a great show! 10

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at Sea

November 2, 2022

Today we begin an eight day stretch at sea. Through the Red Sea and around the horn of Africa. Today we received this:

Captain Smit said that there hasn’t been terrorist and piracy in this area for some time and this High Risk warning is to be cancelled January 1 of the coming year..

8 days is required to get to Tanzania, our next port. We will be passing Somalia, and Ethiopia. I can’ say these countries are on my bucket list. Tanzania requires a Visa. All countries but the USA $86.50. USA passport holders $136.50. Someone doesn’t like us.

Back to the routine of workouts. At least the view is nice. I wish there was a way to remove the TV screen on these.

The team trivia team we have adopted is still in the middle of the pack but we have fun. Jose was correct with the element on the periodic table with the shortest name. I knew what http stood for. Terri knew what the game that was originally titled “Conquer the World” was. Richard knew the largest Gorilla species. Richard thought the longest running play in Britain was the Phantom of the Opera. I told him that is not a play but a musical. We never came up with the right answer.

After the game LJ complained that her 2010 Toyota Prius would start all by itself and some people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. I suggested that she have a mechanic put a kill switch in. She keeps it outside of her house because she is afraid it will start and she will die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jose said that he saw a woman complaining to a chef that there is not enough variety in the cookies that are available. She also wanted raisin bran without raisins. 2 women this morning complained that the oatmeal was too runny.

I guess I find this complaining entertaining. Miss muffins had two at her table today. They shared complaints about all kinds of things from Nordstom’s to the tour at the Valley of the Kings. They are quite loud and it is difficult not to hear them.

Dressy night at dinner. My date.

We skipped the Zaandam singers and dancers tonight and opted to watch a movie.…

Safaga , Egypt

November 1, 2022

Today we docked in the port city of Safaga. Nothing to see here but there are side trips to Luxor. We did a cruise of the Nile years ago and have been to Luxor. We decided to take a bus ride into Hurghada, about an hour away. We collected our passports again yesterday as Egypt is requiring that we carry them.

Our bus leaves at 10 am and instructions were to meet out on the pier. We showed up on time and were led to the appropriate bus. We selected our seats carefully. One unwritten rule about bus tours is there is no switching seats. Once a seat is selected, it is yours for the remainder of the trip.

The bus led us to the customs area where we were instructed to get off of the bus. Some carried bags. I left mine on the bus. Inside customs there was a conveyor belt for bags and a scanner. Bags were loaded onto the scanner. Mine remained on the bus. We walked through the scanner. Lights flashed, beepers sounded. Some passengers made a fuss. The customs agents didn’t move much. One had his feet up on a table. Everyone walked through and then grabbed their bags. The fuss over passports was for nothing. No one asked. No one cared. The sawed off shotgun I carry in my back pack was safe in the bus.

We use an app called GPsMyCity and follow walking tours in cities all over the world. Most of the tours are outstanding. I don’t believe there is much to see in this city but maybe some shopping and fun haggling.

The bus was a HAL tour and the complainers were in full force. “Are there maps? We were told there would be maps.” Marco was our guide on this trip. ”We can’t hear you back here”. This is the kind of behavior that drives us insane. Most act like they are 8 years old but do not listen like an 8 year old. They don’t listen. Period. I like 8 year olds.

Fortunately we had strong cell service the entire route. There was a lot to see on the way if you like sand. Plains of sand, blowing sand, ripples of sand, sand mounds. Exciting. We arrived in town and were off the bus first and on our way.

Our walking tour only had 6 stops. We decided to stop for something to eat since it was already past lunch time. We found a restaurant that had a 4.5 star rating on trip advisor. We sat down and placed our order. Language was limited. Any questions we had about the menu that involved any detail were met with a confused look. I ordered the Chicken Schwarma and Terri the Spring Rolls. Nothing like some good Egyptian food with an Arabic touch. We waited and waited some more. After about 30 mins someone came in and went right into the kitchen. I guess the chef was still in bed. We waited some more with more apologies from the waiter. Finally the food arrived. Chicken Schwarma with french fries. Something new. Terri had some rolls. She had me taste one. Still cold from the freezer. No use complaining to people who can’t understand us. We finished and paid our bill. Chicken Schwarma, Spring Rolls, bottled water, two glasses of wine. $13.50. Nothing to complain about here.

Our first stop on the walking tour was the marina area. The city reminded us of Cairo. Failing infrastructure. Bad sidewalks, buildings in extreme disrepair, lots of trash everywhere. Lots of open businesses selling tourist junk. The marina area was very nice and people entering have to past through security. Lots of beeping through scanners but no one paid much attention. I guess this is the Egyptian way.

This are was very well maintained and it was obvious it was strictly for tourists or those with money. The shops were nice but they sold the same junk as the ones out on the streets.

We were off to the next stop which was a shopping area that sold all kinds of nice things. The walk along the way was rough terrain. Nice paving brick sides walk half torn up. Bolts sticking up in the sidewalk where a street lamp used to be. A donkey pulling a cart. Lots and lots of traffic. People here drive with the horn first, steering wheel second. Beep, beep, beep beep, beeeeeeeeeep. It was non stop.

This is the country that probably had the greatest culture in the world 5 to 6 thousand years ago. They left us the greatest artifacts ever found. The pyramids, the great stone statues, mummified remains. All that is left is people hawking souvenirs of a culture that they have no connection to and cities that are a crumbling mess.

I guess some things are fair as I live in the State of Michigan with the worst roads in the world and I do remember having my pickup truck over filled. Maybe not quite as much as the gentlemen below.

The walk was 1.5 miles. When we arrived there were no signs of anything shopping area as pictured. Another victim of Covid 19 shutdowns is my guess. We had very little luck with the other sights on the app. It really needs some updating but my guess is they can’t find anyone who wants to work. We did pass 2 nice looking mosques along the way.

Pick up time was 5 pm. We stopped in a hotel for a drink and then boarded the bus. The one hour trip went by quickly. Back in the port there were more games with customs. Get off of the bus, go through the security screening area and then back on the bus. Same dumb look on the customs agents. I probably had a similar look I my face. We are learning the system. This time we took our bags, put them on the conveyor and let the lights flash and sirens sound, grab our bags and then we walked the several hundred yards to the the ship We probably saved 30 mins as all of the passengers …