Today we're in The Gambia - had a great day visiting the biggest and longest running market. Everything from fish, food to crafts and local art. Lots of smiling  and friendly people. One of the folks we met pointed out how close a relationship Canada and The Gambia have, apparently we have sent volunteers and provided help in education and health care.
We're still traveling through a hi alert area for piracy and we picked up a number of armed guards who'll be with us until the end of the month. The ship has reduced its lights to a minimum, we have to keep our curtains closed and our deck lights off at night. 

Today we're in Dakar, Senegal, our first African port. The day started out predictably for Africa, customs officials were late arriving and so the ship wasn't cleared on time. We had decided to miss the rush and go ashore around 10 am. Unfortunately the buses for the ship's tours didn't arrive and the crew improvised by using the shuttle buses. The shuttles buses were meant to take passenger into town - passengers not on tours - otherwise known as us. That meant we spent 45 minutes or more waiting pierside for a shuttle into town, lots of conversation and getting to know more people.
The shuttle finally arrived and then took quite a white to get out of this very busy port. Lots of traffic and a touch of chaos. We eventually arrived at Independence Square and we spent the day exploring the city with new friends Kyla and Bill. Immediately two locals glommed onto us and became our guides, protectors and "help" with vendors. Pretty sure they got a kickback anywhere we bought anything. Nice guys with good English.
We experienced the market with its plethora of vendors, everyone vying for our attention. We managed to buy a few things and try our hand at bartering. 
​Adrian helped Bill buy a throwdown wallet - that's a decoy wallet that you provide when someone is trying to rob you! One that's got some money in it but not all or most. One of the many travel tips going around the ship.
Our "guides" also showed us the oldest building in Dakar, the presidential palace (no photos allowed) and the always mandatory church.
We had lunch at a lovely Boulangerie - Dakar has a huge French culture and French is the first language. Tomorrow we're in Banjul, Gambia.

St Patrick's Day at sea. Our new friend Kyla had a birthday and her husband Bill planned a surprise birthday party for her onboard - how cool is that. A lovely event - they have a suite so it was just barely large enough to host about 10 of us. Kyla was genuinely surprised and we had a great time. Bill found a passenger to be MC - they ship made sure the cabin was ready and decorated and Chef delivered the cake. The celebration then moved onto the dining room.
We're on our way to Dakar, Senegal where we dock tomorrow. We received a special security letter last night letting us know we are entering a High Risk Area HRA and giving us special instructions on what to do. The east coast of Africa is prone to pirates so we're travelling through a special corridor that has US and UK Naval Forces assigned to protect merchant vessels from pirates, assigned by the UN. We'll be under high alert from now until March 31.
Also - gossip update - our fitness centre/gym has been closed for the last week or more and I told you it was due to increased Covid cases - turns out it's actually due to the ship letting the fitness manager go and not having a replacement arrive yet. We're hopeful we'll get a new person and the Centre will open over the next few days!
​Happy St Patrick's Day!

Greetings from Cabo Verde! So excited to have a new port to explore after three days at sea. We stopped at Porto Grande which is the port for Mindelo and is on the windward side of the isle of Sao Vicente. We did our usual "walkabout" - beautiful Portuguese inspired buildings in bright colours, cobblestone streets and art murals.
The water here is a gorgeous blue and very clear - sandy beaches. The islands are volcanic and have almost no vegetation, all the vegetation, such as the palm trees, have been brought here. We explored the vegetables market, saw the fish market and enjoyed a walk through the cobbles streets. The community is surrounded by mountains and the homes and business sprawl up the sides - good exercise! We managed to get a walk in on the beach, lunch at a local cafe and a beer beachside. 
There was a lot of security for a state dignitary visit - red carpet and all that. We chose not to wait for the event and walked a bit and then ended up back at the government building just as the dignitaries all arrived. Black sedans pulling up and secret service types all running about. A bit of excitement for the day. There were two other cruise ships also in port so the community was fairly busy.

Another beautiful day at sea! These last few days have been particularly lazy! The gym is closed - they close the gym when 3% or more of the folks onboard have covid! That's left me with walking in circles on the deck. Lovely walking in the sunshine with a cool breeze but a fair bit of other walking "traffic" to navigate, many of whom walk slowly or holding hands - ugh!! 
Tonight we had a games night with new friends onboard, and then we stayed and played "Brain Teazers" with the group. We got our first Big 0 points! Passengers can earn Big O points by participating in  organized activities on the ship - this was our first time participating - our Brain Teaszrs Team came in 3rd so Adrian and I each earned a point - another 24 or so and we might be eligible for a pair of socks or a mug..... Looking forward to the Cape Verde Islands tomorrow!

Another sea day - we lose another hour tonight so we'll be 2 hours ahead of home. Today they had to turn off the ships air conditioning for a couple hours while they cleaned the 

First day of our journey to the Cape Verde Islands - Lazy sea day today. Gorgeous day to enjoy coffee on the deck. Adrian had some work to do so I spent the morning watching the flying fish and reading. This afternoon we played Bridge for a bit and then enjoyed our balcony again - catching a glimpse of some Dolphins. Loving our sea days and balcony time. Tonight it's wine by moonlight.

Another day at the beach - this time Fortaleza, Brazil. This is our last port in Brazil, we set sail this evening for the Cape Verde Islands. We took the opportunity today to visit a grocery store and stock up for our 3 days at sea. Sparkling wine, dark beer and some potato chips. Excited to be moving toward Africa.

Fabulous day today in Natal, Brazil. We spent the day walking the beach (9 miles) and enjoying lunch in this wonderful surfside restaurant.  Natal is famous for its beaches and sand dunes - it's literally a city of sand. The dunes are amazing and the beach is pristine. Even with so many people enjoying the sand and the surf the area is practically garbage free.
Hotels, and restaurants run the length of the beach, each with their own umbrellas and on the beach seating and/or service.
Our Nasi Goreng for lunch was spectacular and we had a great visit from a young girl who was making art out of reeds - I got a great handmade fish. 
​This is a place we'd return to. Such a fun beach area with great food and a lovely vibe.

Another beautiful day in Brazil! Recife is another large coastal city with a sister part, Olinda that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We didn't love Recife - maybe our mood today who knows. We took a cab from the port to Olinda and had lunch and walked around. Lots of old architecture in the form of churches and Monasteries. We may have been spoiled by the waterfront promenades and beaches of other cities or perhaps we simply missed that part of the city here.
Our lunch in Olinda was interesting - we've seen many vendors selling Tapioca with no idea really what that is. Todays restaurant specialized in Tapioca which they use to create a sort of tortilla which holds various fillings. We chose to try both a chicken and a shrimp version. Not something I'd have again but pretty fun. Tomorrow we're in Natal - our second last port before crossing to the Cape Verde Islands.