Islands of the Caribbean
Almost Home
After leaving Devil’s Island we had a two day sail to the Caribbean and the islands of Trinidad, Barbados and St. Barts which were our last Ports of Call before reaching the end of our trip in Fort Lauderdale. It’s been 114 days, 39 Ports and 35 countries and we’ve met so many people along the way that it’s hard to remember them all. However, we’ll discuss the more interesting and annoying characters in a follow up post that should be amusing. The trip has naturally changed our perspective on the many cities, countries and regions that we visited and we’ll be able to put a face on news reports, the travel channel, national Geographic and the animal planet, rather than looking at them as something foreign a long way off. We’re looking forward to getting home, catching up with our friends and family and enjoying our little corner of the world in Vero Beach. We’ll enjoy staying put for awhile but the trip did wet our appetites for more travel and with luck and a recovering stock market we’ll want to return to some of the places we visited for a little more in depth look at the areas.
I have not added much commentary to the 3 islands in the Carribean. Hopefully the pictures will show the beauty and character of each. However, there are decided differences in the island. Trinidad is a mix of Indian and African influences while Barbado’s is distinctly African. St. Barts, on the other hand, is French including all the arrogance you would expect to find in France.St. Barts
Devil’s Island, French Guyana
"Looking for Papillon"
This is spooky place with a very dark history. There are actually three islands that make up the former French penal colony, 3 miles off the coast of French Guyana. Opened in 1852, it served as a prison until 1952 (most likely a death sentence). The inmates ran the gamut from political prisoners to thieves and murderers. The terrible conditions and spread of disease (malaria & yellow fever) on the island guaranteed that more than 70% of the 80,000 prisoners were never seen again. The remote location with shark filled waters made escape virtually impossible. As I recall, however, Steve McQueen (Papillon) escaped to Venezuela. Actually, after many years on the island Papillon lived a good life as a hotelier in Venezuela. Recently, however, there has been some debate over who Papillon actually was.
We found Devil’s Island to be a very hot, humid tropical jungle with monkeys, macaws, iguanas and small rat like animals. The island is mountainous and as you climb the trails there are reminders of the penal colony everywhere. When you arrive at the top there are eerie ruins of the old barracks, the cells, prison hospital, chapel and former guard’s mess hall that has been converted into a hotel (sort of). Further along is a children’s cemetery. It seems that after the inmates completed their sentences they had to stay on the island for 8 years and work. France sent female convicts to the island to marry these freed prisoners. Their children did not last long.
On the positive side, today there is a small harbor that seems to be a stopping off place for yachts and small boats from South America. The paths leading around the island have beautiful views of the ocean and the other islands. Once on top of the island, we were able to buy a beer and enjoy the company of other shipboard prisoners. Since we were drenched from the heat and humidity by mid afternoon we were happy to head back to the ship after our beer.
A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
We thought St. Helena was isolated until we got to Ascension Island and the village of Georgetown. This place doesn’t even make it on the world map because it’s so small and isolated. The best way describe Ascension’s location is that “it’s in the Atlantic a thousand miles from nowhere.” The good news is that the ship did not have to go out of its way to get there.
We arrived off the coast of Ascension to discover that the swells were lifting the Tenders (ships boats) 6 feet up and down and the sea would wash over the pier. So, the Captain decided to wait and see if the tides helped. Finally he took a tender to view the situation himself. On returning he notified us that those that were in good physical shape (meaning you could walk) could go ashore. So off we went in the tender and had to wait as the first passenger tried to get off—he was a guy that used a walker on the ship.
The island is a British dependency, is really laid back and mainly serves as a military tracking station and former marine garrison. There is a church, a few bars, a hotel (more like a motel) several forts, a few gift shops and a golf course. The golf course greens are made of crushed lava that have been pressed flat with diesel oil and are called “browns” by the locals. The fairways are marked out with large volcanic boulders. It has officially been registered as the worse golf course in the world, although the old condo course on US1 in Vero may give it a run for the money. Four of us started up a hill that would lead to the course but after 20 minutes of walking straight up a volcanic road in 86 degree heat we gave up and went to the hotel for a Beer. Who cared if it was only 11:30 in the morning?
We also noticed a few other things on the island. On the way down the hill we saw a sign that read “entering Georgetown, drive carefully.” Georgetown is the only village on the island so where were they coming from? The license plates had numbers like “A21.” The largest number I saw was only 2 digits. In town there are sheep running through the streets along with donkeys. At the Church there is a sign that reads “please close doors after entering to keep out the Donkeys”. Upon arriving back on board the Captain said that he would circumnavigate the island so that those that were unable to visit would have a chance to see it. He would not have been happy if he knew about the guy with the walker. 
Homeward Bound
We’ve begun our trek across the Atlantic and have left Africa behind. Over the next 2 weeks each of our last 6 ports will get us closer to Fort Lauderdale. We’ll make the most of each port but are also looking forward to getting home.
St. Helena is a British Overseas Territory and one of the most isolated places in the world, located more than 1,200 miles from the nearest landmass (Africa). Because of its remote location it became the place of exile and death for Napoleon (1815-1821) after his defeat at Waterloo. We were able to visit his former home, Longwood, in the mountains as well as his former tomb (his remains have since been moved to Paris).
The island is quite beautiful with green lush mountains, vertical cliffs and V-shaped valleys. The weather is moderate with the annual temperature somewhat over 70 degrees. There is no airport and the only mode of transportation and import of goods is by the islands ship which returns every two weeks. The town of Jamestown where we were tendered into is located in a v-shaped valley between two mountains. One of the most unusual and daunting sights is “Jacob’s Ladder.” This is a long improvised very steep stairway leading up the sheer mountain to a plateau with some homes above. It was originally built by the military to link the fort above with the town of Jamestown. The ladder is 900 feet long and has 700 steps. If you climb it you get a certificate that states you were dumb enough to do it. Unfortunately you also have to climb back down. Well, we were surprised to find hundreds of our ships passengers and crew climbing the ladder. Marie did it and I filmed her. I opted out when one of our friends that we had done the ATV’s with 3 days before passed out halfway up. He was helped down and we all had a Beer together afterwards. He didn’t get a certificate.
We spoke to several of the town’s people including our taxi driver, the proprietors’ of the local hotel and a guy that was the former Magistrate. They all agreed that the town was like living in the 1950’s, with no crime, few interferences from the outside world, a beautiful climate, scenic vistas everywhere and an 18 hole golf course. They said that the 6,000 residents were not interested in what we call “progress.” We understood that and found the place to be as close to Shangri La as we’ve encountered. I cannot imagine living in such an isolated place but if you were born and raised there it would make for a very comfortable life. 
The landscape of Namibia in West Africa is not what we expected when we envisioned Africa. The great Namib Desert makes up much of the overall land mass; however, it has great wildlife and is distinctly African. The land is desolate but has something very special---diamonds. The first person to purchase land from the natives was Adolf Luderitz, founder of this town. Luderitz was the first German settlement in Southwest Africa and in 1884 the German military took over the port. There were several wars between Germany and the allies during WWI and WWII. South Africa to its east also claimed it for some period of time. Finally in 1990 Namibia became independent.
Diamond mining has driven much of the areas economics. We met a couple in Luderitz who managed the operations of the de Boers diamond mines nearby. As with the rest of the world, diamonds have fallen on hard times because they are a luxury. The company has over a year’s supply of inventory on hand and has shut the mines for 4 months giving all employees a fully paid leave of absence. So, even in the little town of Luderitz our U.S. housing market collapse has affected this local economy.
Luderitz and Kolmanskop
Luderitz was our first Port of Call in Namibia and in the morning we headed out to Kolmanskop, the first diamond mine. In the 19th century Jan Kolman was traversing the desert when he began finding what appeared to be diamonds on top of the sand. From there the town was founded and the Germans began to arrive. It is now a Ghost town with the Sand trying to reclaim what’s left. It operates as a museum and we found it pretty interesting to see how these 400 people lived while digging for diamonds. They built an ice house, sausage factory, bowling alleys and a medical clinic. They were able to use shovels since the diamonds were very close to the surface and large equipment had not yet been invented. After the 90 minute tour we found our taxi driver and began the trip back to Luderitz. On the way, he announced that the fee he had committed to was only a one way fare and that he wanted double the price. I told him to take us to the tourist office and we would straighten it out. He finally agreed to a $5 tip. These guys are in training for a New York City taxi job.
As you can see from the pictures of Luderitz, it’s a very pretty seaside town. It sits on rocky shores and reminded us of Maine, although it’s much drier. The buildings are painted bright colors and most of the roads are sand. They’ve begun some work to attract tourists along the waterfront with a few shops and restaurants. We had a delightful day walking in the spring like weather and ate lunch overlooking the harbor. The ship was unable to moor alongside the pier because of tides. The Captain also announced that the Rotterdam would have been the largest ship ever to enter the harbor and he did not feel good about that. So, we tendered in from the outer harbor.
Walvis Bay and Swakopmund
Walvis Bay (Whale Bay) our Port is about 350 miles North of Luderitz, also on the Atlantic. Our destination this day was the Sand Dunes about 20 miles North in Swakopmund. We had agreed with some shipboard friends to rent 4 by 4 ATV’s and take a guided tour of the Namib desert. We didn’t know what to expect but all agreed that it ranked high on the “most fun” scale when we were done. The dunes can reach 1,000 feet high and as the group of 15 followed our guides we all became more confident—probably a mistake. The dunes became more like the moon and much of the time we travelled on virgin sand with the Atlantic off to our West. The Weather was perfect and after 2 hours of non stop action we were ready for lunch and Beer at a German Brew house in Swakopmund.
When we returned to the port we found out that the ships Dentist had to be medivacked. He took the ships excursion on the ATV’s and flipped over shattering his collarbone. We’ll pray that we don’t have a toothache on the way to Fort Lauderdale.
But for us it was a great day and a good send off as we left the African continent for St. Helena in the mid Atlantic. Luderitz and Kolmanskop
Swakopmund and Namid Desert
Cape Town, South Africa has been one of the ports we’ve been most anxious to visit since the beginning of the trip. According to Frommers travel guide, Cape Town is considered ,by many, to be the most beautiful city in the world. We would agree with that assessment. It’s the 3rd largest city in South Africa and lies at the foot of Table Mountain (3,750 feet) and on the shore of Table Bay. Most of the former dock area is now a commercial and tourist waterfront area with museums, craft markets, and restaurants. Cape Town is the tourism capital of South Africa with the largest number of tourists of any South African city.
We encountered rough seas since leaving Durban which got worse as we rounded the Cape of Good Hope on our way to Cape Town. We were scheduled to spend 2 ½ days there (longer than any other port) but upon arrival the Port Authority would not allow the ship to enter the harbor because winds were gusting to 60 knots. So, we rode at anchor in the bay from 10:30 AM until 9:30 PM when we were finally allowed to enter the harbor. That simply meant that we had some time to make up, which we did.
Our first day in Port started out with a visit to Robben Island, a former prison for political prisoners and now a museum. Actually, what this means is that it was a former prison for Blacks that were campaigning against Apartheid. Among the most famous of these inmates was Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison for spearheading the African National Congress (ANC) as a legitimate party. He was released in 1992 and became President of South Africa in 1994 with the ANC becoming the majority party. Robben Island is 9 miles off the coast of Cape Town which you reach by boat. The ride out is quite beautiful and takes about 30 minutes. Once there we were given a tour of the island by bus, after which we were introduced to a former prisoner, who was our tour guide for the remainder of our internment on the island. We were brought inside the prison and shown how he and others had lived. They lived in 8 by 10 foot cells with no mattress and only 2 thin blankets. There was no toilet, no desk—no anything. They only had a bucket which they emptied out in the morning. One of the cells we were shown is Nelson Mandela’s, which I have included a picture. During the day they were driven to a limestone quarry where they worked at hard labor all day. Many went blind from the light of the limestone and others have severely damaged eyesight, as does Mr. Mandela. This reminded us a bit of Alcatraz which we had visited a number of years ago. It’s within sight of Cape Town (vs. San Francisco) which prompted some of the prisoners to attempt escape. There were a few attempts but no survivors. The only residents left on the island (other than the employees of the Museum) are a Penguin Colony that has been there for years.
After returning to the harbor we decided to attempt to get to the top of Table Mountain (over 3,000 feet) which had been closed in the morning because of wind. You get to the top by Cable Car and luckily it had reopened. The cars rotate 360 degrees on the way up the mountain which gives you a spectacular view of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. Once on top there are stone paths to walk for various view points. Actually, it’s pretty extensive since Table Mountain is over 3 miles long and ¼ mile wide with a mostly flat top (hence “table” mountain). The winds were howling and it was pretty cold (it’s late Fall here) but we managed to walk most of the paths and after 90 minutes took the cable car back down to the base of the mountain (which is still halfway up the mountain from the harbor). From there we went back to the harbor to visit some craft shops and have our first local beer of the day (Castle).
For our second day in Cape Town we hired a private guide along with 2 other couples to visit the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Peninsula (about 2 hours away). This is the Southern tip of Africa and is where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic meet. The guide, “Niels” was half the fun because of the stories he told. The short version is that he is a white South African who was orphaned at the age of 2. He mostly looked after himself and lived just outside Kruger Game Reserve, South Africa’s largest. His early occupation was “Poacher” in the park and later Poacher of Abalone and other illegal sea life—pretty nice guy huh? Well, he claims that after a few days in Jail as a young guy he learned his lessons. For sure he had a lot of stories to tell and knew the area really well. On the way to The Cape we stopped at Boulder Beach the site of the largest Penguin Colony. These are Jackass Penguins and were a lot of fun to watch. Once at the Cape of Good Hope a Cable Car takes you to the top. You then get to climb another 160 steep steps to the Lighthouse on top (what fun). The pictures I’ve posted show the fantastic views. In fact, Marie and I can’t remember a more beautiful setting. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a Winery for some tasting and even though it was early we decided to follow Niels direction that, in South Africa “we drink when we’re thirsty.” The wine was good and Cape Town a highlight of our trip. We left for Namibia later in the afternoon where we’ve rented 4 wheelers to tour the Namib Desert. We’ll let you know how that goes in our next Post.
Robben Island Prison
Table Mountain
Harborfront
On the way to the Cape of Good Hope
Durban is a city of 4 Million people and the busiest port in South Africa. It’s also the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is best known for its warm weather and beautiful beaches. The majority of the people are Zulu but there are also Indian and Europeans, chiefly Afrikaners of Dutch descent.
Today we hired a private tour guide for the day. We were tired of the ship’s bus tours and the private tour was about half the price. We’ve pretty much decided to go this way for the rest of the cruise since we’ll be in larger ports than many of those we visited in Asia. In the morning we headed out to the Valley of 1,000 Hills, about 45 minutes from Durban. This is a mountainous area and the views into the Valley are beautiful. I’m sure my pictures don’t do it justice. More important we wanted to visit a Zulu cultural village since we would be leaving the province tonight. Our guide, Christian, was a Zulu and had been brought up in a typical Zulu Village about 4 hours North of Durban. He recounted his upbringing and that his Father was a Polygamous who had 6 wives and 50 Children. He walked 24 miles roundtrip on dirt roads and through the bush to school each day, much of the time barefoot. Unfortunately, only 32 of his siblings are still alive with the rest having died of Aids. I described this Pandemic in my last posting. Christian took us to a Zulu Cultural Village where we were able to see how things were done in the old days and in many cases, still today. The dances that I show in the pictures can’t really be appreciated without the drumbeats but it will give you some idea.
We returned to the city and visited the Old Indian Market where you get a chance to bargain with the Indian Merchants. No matter what price you pay you get the feeling that the Indian got the better of you. Next it was a city tour and then the Beach for lunch and a beachwalk. This is a beautiful area lined with beach side vendors, restaurants, a shopping area and an aquarium. It was a great day in the high 70’s and perfect for lunch on an oceanside deck followed by a walk. Great day. Durban is a city that deserves more than one day. 
Trinidad
