We arrive in Port Louis, Mauritius’ capital. Off the southeastern coast of Africa and east of Madagascar, Mauritius has been under control of various empires from the Portuguese, Dutch, French and finally British. Today, the population is mainly made up of Indians practicing Hinduism with a smaller minority of Creoles (Black Africans) with few Chinese …
Our cruise had three stops planned for Madagascar, best known for lemurs. One in Antsiranana (formerly known as Diego-Suarez) at the top of the big island and two in Nosy Be, since we were on a back to back cruise. Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, the captain cancelled the Antsiranana call where we had …
After visiting nearby Zanzibar, we arrive in the big city of Dar es Salaam, the largest city and financial centre in Tanzania. A group of Tanzanians dressed in traditional garments perform a song and dance for us before we hop on our bus for our tour. You notice immediately the tall buildings of the city …
The hot and muggy weather still follows us as we arrive in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. The ship has to tender in as there is no port large enough to accommodate it. We meet our guide Charles, who brings us to historic Stone Town, …
We arrive in Mombasa, Kenya in the early morning around 5:30 am. There is no need for an alarm clock as we can hear loud African drums and singing outside our stateroom. A large singing troupe dressed in right colourful African wear greet our arrival. Opting for a private tour of the city, we meet …
We arrived in Port Victoria on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles in the early morning pass the wind turbines and there is a distinctive smell of fish in the air. As we make our way out of the ship, we see why—a fish processing plant is across the bow of our ship. Later …
There are a lot of things to do in Dubai, one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous city in all of the Emirates at over 3.6 million of which only 15% are UAE nationals the rest being expats mostly from Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippines). There …
We arrive in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, in the morning and opt for a tour of the city on the Hop On Hop Off bus which is conveniently located at the cruise port. The day is sunny and warm so we scramble up to the open air top.The first stop that we …
After many flights and long hours, we arrive in Doha is Qatar’s capital city and main financial hub, a country founded from an offshoot of Al Bidda in the 1820s before gaining independence from the British in 1971. The winter temperature of twenty-five degrees Celsius that greets us at the Hamad International airport in Doha is pleasant—a far cry …