Walvis Bay, Namibia February 23-24, 2024
Walvis Bay is known for their spectacular sand dunes...some of the largest in the world. During the morning we took a taxi out of town to visit the great dunes known as the Dune Belt.
Larry went four-wheeling while I hiked. The area was sand and tall dunes for as far as the eye could see.
During our second day a driver took us by Pelican Point, a sandbar mudflat, to see the pelicans and flamingos on our way to Swakopmund, a German settlement north of Walvis Bay. What a nice town.
Knowing we had several upcoming days at sea, Larry and I strolled the waterfront before returning to the ship. We found many parasailers on the water and enjoyed watching them during our last hours in Walvis Bay.
Jamestown, St Helena February 27, 2024
One of the most isolated places in the world, Jamestown, a British Territory had a narrow single street that ran up the narrow valley in the mountains.
We walked around the town spotting the infamous
Jacob's Ladder built in 1829. It had 699 steps to the top of the mountain. "Break your heart going up and break your neck coming down."
We were lucky to find a small van tour that took us to Napolean's grave and his exiled home, Longwood. (1815-1821).
We also visited the Governor's home called Plantation House where the oldest island inhabitant lived. Jonathan the Tortoise had his 191st birthday in 1923. He was hatched in 1832 and brought to the island in 1882. Jonathan was so cool.
What a great day! This little remote area of our world was totally off our radar...but we sure enjoyed talking with the folks of Jamestown.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil March 3-4, 2024
I got up early to catch the sunrise while our ship entered Botafogo Bay in Rio de Janeiro. The last time we were here it was spectacular and I didn't want to miss a moment of it.
We rode a cable car up to one of Brazil's most iconic landmarks.
The view was fabulous from the top.
Salvador, Brazil March 6, 2024
One of three hundred churches in Salvador. The outside architecture was nice but the inside....
has many intricate designs using gold.
We wandered about the city which had a spectacular view from the top of the funicular .
The town had many city courtyards.
We noticed the Portuguese sidewalks designs had come all the way from Europe. They were prevalent in Salvador just like Lisbon.
Many of street vendors were dressed in colonial costume.
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| When the ship entered the Amazon the waters turned muddy brown. |
The ship stopped to gas up in Fazendinha, Brazil, us cruisers were not able to depart from the ship.
As we cruised up the Amazon the river we experienced a phenomenon called the "Meeting of the Waters". This occurs near the city of Manaus, Brazil where the dark sediment-rich waters of the Rio Solimoes meet the lighter colored waters of the Negro River, creating a visually striking contrast that can be seen for a significant distance before the waters fully mix. What a thing to see!
Insects began to appear on the ship as we went up the river.
Manaus, Brazil March 13-14, 2024
Our first day we walked about the town of Manaus taking in many of the sights.
We really wanted to get out in the water to see the infamous pink dolphins. A friend had told us that we could spot them behind the open air markets.
This is the only place in world that has pink dolphins.
We also had been told by lecturer on the ship of the slimmy little worm that liked to swim up into your privates. OH MY! This made me question, "Do I really want to get into the water to swim with the dolphins?"
Larry found a gentleman along the waterside to take us across the river where the pink dolphins swam.
Larry braved the water and swam with the pink dodlphins while I captured it all on the camera.
They were very thrilling to watch.
When we arrived back at the dock a small fishing boat was unloading their catch of the day.
Larry and I spent the next morning at the Zoo in Manus which explicitly had animals from the Amazon.
We really enjoyed seeing animals from the region. There was no way we would have been able to spot these in the wild.
The insect house was closed, but a gentleman was kind enough to let us in. It was interesting to see these displays.
These are some huge critters!
We were welcomed with music and dancing.
We took a boat tour of the area.
Bird watching was great.
Folks were living on their boats.
We caught a local bus into town.
Our driver took us on a trip completely around the island of St. Lucia. The eastern side is the most beautiful part of the island.
The infamous Pitons mountains
Our driver, Tookey promised to take us on a boat ride on our next visit to see the Pitons from the waterfront.
Our ship, MSC Poesia, in the harbor
What extraordinary beaches!
Fort de France, Martinique March 24, 2024
The Poesia docked beside the Norwegian Encore in Fort de France.
This picture shows the difference in size of cruise ships. Our ship is more of a medium size cruise ship. It feels large with all the same amenities; however, it has fewer guests.
Phenomenal art on the side of buildings
Larry’s artsy side, cool old doors.
San Felipe, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic March 26, 2024
A very nice shopping area greeted us as we walked off the ship. Exquisite tropical birds were on display.
Friendly Parrot, such beautiful colors
Larry and I tried to drive to Puerto Plata in 2023….but the roads were full of potholes. They were so bad that we decided against it. Little did I know that we would come here in 2024 by cruise ship.
Larry and I started walking toward the mountain and ended up catching a public bus…it was too hot and our destination, Pico Isabel de Torres, ended up being farther than expected.
We rode the Teleferico Cable Car 2600 feet up the mountain. The view was awesome.
The top of the mountain was a statue that reminded us of the
Christ the Redeamer Statue in East Timor. We hiked a lovely trail at the top of the mountain. The temps were cooler up in the higher elevations.
On the way back to the ship we came across some lovely Macaws. Macaws are the world’s largest parrots that are long tailed and colorful. They are known for their large, strong curved beaks and strong toes. The trainer had them put on a sweet show.
On this cruise Larry taught me how to play the guitar. With so many days at sea I had a grand opportunity to practice. Another thing checked off my bucket list.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Resort, Bahamas. March 28, 2024
What a lovely place….. The most sparkling island beach….
Other than MY CLEARWATER BEACH!
Sugar white sand beaches with a wave area and a calm water area.
All kinds of water toys to enjoy.
Larry and I spent the whole day walking around the island. Luckily is was slightly overcast so the temps were tolerable. Everything was manicured. The Bahamas are not a favorite Caribbean Island for me but this island changed my mind. This is my favorite part of the Bahamas.
Upon returning to the ship that evening Ettienne Fuentes, Jr preformed.
Outstanding drummer, Outstanding show!
Miami, Florida. USA March 29, 2024
Larry and I walked the streets of Miami visiting the Bayside Marketplace. We also took a boat trip around the Miami Harbour spotting celebrity homes. A fun way to be welcomed back to the USA!
The MSC Poesia came into Manhattan….rainy and cloudy.
After breakfast we said goodby to our crew friend, Song.
We walked off the ship easily passing through immigration.
We walked three blocks from the ship to our friend, Robert’s apartment. Robert has lived in this apartment for many, many years. He is so fortunate to be just a couple of blocks from Times Square.
He is a couple of blocks from where the horses are stabled. We enjoyed the horses clip clopping each morning on their way to Central Park to give folks rides each day.
We spent two weeks of bliss in New York City walking and riding the subway everywhere. Robert does not own a car, but he bicycles everywhere. He commuted to work on his bicycle before retiring.That is so cool! When he needs to travel out of the city, he simply rents a car.
One of the first places we visited was the 911 Memorial Museum. I visited this with Kathy several years ago and left with such a solemn heartache. Larry had never been and he liked this particular motorcycle.
We spent one sunny day hiking through Central Park.
We took a boat ride around Manhattan during the Solar Eclipse of 2024. AMAZING!
Getting the solar glasses in NewYork City was an awesome, one of a kind adventure.
Robert's spring flower garden. There were many signs of spring all over the city.
Times Square is always great entertainment. The people watching is always full of surprises. We really enjoyed our first Steak and Shake lunch.
Another exciting moment was the earthquake that hit while we were in the city. We actually felt it while laying in bed. We turned on the news and there it was on national television.
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.
We enjoyed walking Bryant Park, the High Line, past the Rock, the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, the Edge and Wall Street.
We had planned to go to the Guggenheim Museum, but the portion we wanted to see was closed due to remodeling. Our saying “save something for the next time” had real meaning.
We had a GREAT time in New York City. Thank you Robert for sharing your beautiful apartment with us. We flew out of LaGuardia to Tampa to regroup and relax for a couple of weeks before beginning our summer adventures.
