EmmJays Travel Journal
April 2002
Having left the Island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean we were at sea for 2 days. On April 1, Margaret and I had dinner with a meteorologist and his son. He invited us to come star gazing with him that evening. We grabbed our binoculars and made our way to the top deck of the ship. No islands, no continents, a calm sea and a clear evening greeted us. The ship only had its running lights on so it was pitch black outside. With the naked eye we could see the milky way in all its glory, the swirl of the galaxy, the clusters of stars in smaller galaxies, billions of distance stars, the alignment of the planets and space matter. With binoculars it took us even closer to the action. Absolutely fantastic!
Richards Bay, South Africa
I have always wanted to go on a safari as I love animals of all stripes. At 8:30am I was headed for a protected reserve 1 ½ hours from the Zimbabwe border. When we arrived we got into safari vehicles and our first encounter was two white rhinos. Beautiful impala grazed on the tall grasses and a family of wart hogs darted across the dirt track in front of us. Zebras were on the path so we crept along so as not to disturb them. Slender necked giraffe peered at us from on high and the buffalo paid us no attention other than a passing glance. A large family of elephants lumbered along a river bank as we watched from atop a hill. The day went quickly but it was filled with delight.
Durban, South Africa
The hills around the city are spectacular. The Zulus make up 80% of the population of Durban and many had recently left the countryside to get work and live in city. The wealth is concentrated in the urban areas and it was certainly apparent as we drove through the suburbs on our way to Tala Game Reserve. On reaching the reserve we boarded safari vehicles and drove no less that 1km before we saw a clutch of giraffe, about twenty in all. We stopped for about 15 minutes and silently watched them. They came over and stiffed at us ... it was marvellous. Cape Town, South Africa
Jamestown, Island of St. Helena
We left Cape Town for 3 full days of sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. We had traveled 26,310 nautical miles to this point and we crossed the equator for the forth time since we left Los Angeles. We got news on board that some passengers from the QE2, which was in Cape Town the day after we arrived, had been robbed by armed assailants while on a ship sponsored shore excursion. At the same time another cruise ship had been detained in port by the authorities due to drugs having been found on board. As we were free of this nonsense we got to enjoy the wonders of the sea. We saw schools of dolphins surfing on the ships wake, flying fish, the occasional whale and stealth gliding albatross. A grasshopper landed on the deck. It was about 6” long and 1 ½ ” high.
I boarded a tender at 9am and headed for one of the most remote islands in the world, St Helena. A sheer cliff on either side of our landing point and a narrow road leading into Jamestown was our first glimpse of this incredible island. Jacob's Ladder beckoned some of the passengers but not me. It was a wooden ladder that took the brave climber to the top of the cliff. I and 5 others hired a taxi van for the day. Our driver took us up a winding single lane road, which we later learned was two-way, to the top of the cliff. At the top we looked back at the Amsterdam anchored just off the island and it looked so small from our vantage point. We then drove to Napoleon's grave site and then onto his house where he was imprisoned after his capture. He died on the island but was later exhumed and moved to Paris.
We drove even higher into the mountains and found ourselves in the clouds. We were now in a rain forest with giant ferns and dense vegetation. Around and around, and up and down we went. It was very very beautiful. Out of the mountains and heading down through green valleys dotted with small houses and a few farm animals, we stopped to meet Jonathan, a giant tortoise who was 170 years old. I touched his shell. This was one of the best places to visit.
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
It took 4 days at sea to reach the east coast of South America. The sea had been a beautiful shade of topaz blue and the temperature did not exceed 23C. We arrived in Rio at 6am and I escaped the armies of merchants on the dock and made my way by taxi across the longest bridge in the world, through horrendous traffic to Sugar Loaf Mountain. The cable car was being repaired so I took the train to the top. Within a few steps I was below the huge statue of Christ that overlooks the city. A lovely sunny day allowed a clear view of Brazil's famous Ipanema and Cococabana beaches.
I spent quite some time at the Botanical Gardens which had some lovely fountains, majestic trees, small lakes covered in waterlilies and soft green ferns. I then made my way down to the famed beaches. There were a lot of young people playing soccer and volleyball on the beach but nobody was in the water. I was told that the water is dangerously polluted and that nobody goes to the beach to swim. The drive through town revealed a lot of poverty and like most large cities, concentrated wealth. The barrios were in plain sight but I was told that it was not safe to go there. Brazil does not have compulsory education for its children, which I found quite startling.
Salvador, Brazil
Recife, Brazil
A hot humid day and a visit to the Cultural Centre, which was in actual fact, a prison. The prison had been converted into a shopping arcade. The cells, about 10'x10' each held up to fifteen prisoners . There were 3 levels with approximately 100 cells per level. They now contained the merchants stalls which were abundantly stocked with everything from fine linens to hammocks. Over the top of the cell door was the cell number and the iron barred doors were still in place. A few of the cells were not occupied so we checked them out. No toilet amenities, sink, light or beds were provided, just a concrete floor and four plain concrete walls. Caroline's sister had joined us and we spent the day browsing and shopping. We ended up spending the entire day at the arcade.
Devil's Island, French Guyana
Two days at sea and then the captain had successfully anchored the ship off Devil's Island. Ile du Diable is part of Iles du Salut, which is a group of islands off the coast of French Guyana. The island is best known for its harsh penal colony. Convicts were deported from France to spend an horrific sentence incarcerated on this island. The settlement was built in 1852 and its most infamous prisoner was Henri Charriere, aka Papillon. We arrived at 10am and another ship was not successful in setting anchor so we had the island to ourselves. The island itself is a tropical rain forest and has less than 5 inhabitants. We encountered monkeys about 8” tall, beautifully coloured cockatoos, chickens and iguanas running freely around the island. We circumnavigated the island by foot within the hour. There are no vehicles on the island and beside the prison there was only two other buildings in the centre of the island. The sea was rough and dangerous as it slapped at the rocks and cliff face. We spent all day on the island.
Roseau, Dominica
On our sea day prior to arriving in Dominica we took a tour of the ships kitchen. It was raining when we docked. We were 1200' above sea level in dense rain forest as we climbed over slippery rocks toward the Emerald Pool. Water tumbled from the mountain above into this small pool. It then cascaded hundreds of meters to the sea. We got right in under the waterfall. The island boasts nine dormant volcanoes and about 70,000 people. These people are the descents of African slaves. The gentleman who showed us around the island took us to Trafalgar Falls and then to a plantation house where his wife served us a fruit punch. We paid him handsomely for his wonderful commentary, which we appreciated and enjoyed very much.
Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands
Azure blue waters and a coral reef circled the islands. It was rush hour for cruise ships when we arrived. They were coming and going in convoys and they were docked in small groups. Once clearing US customs and immigration we were on shore. I rode a cable car to Paradise Point for a view of the harbour below. On the other side of the harbour we could see Megans Bay, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We spent the afternoon getting Carolines stuff into boxes so she could ship it back to Washington. She had brought way too much stuff with her so we had to lighten her load. In all we packed 80lbs into boxes and got it to the post office. She had cleared US customs so her stuff would just go US post all the way to her house. We spent the late afternoon looking in the shops.
Florida, USA
It took 2 days in the Caribbean Sea to reach Florida. The first day it rained off and on. We passed the Dominican Republic at about noon and then several small islands here and there after that. On the second day it was sunny. We were now in the Bermuda Triangle where ships have been known to disappear. We were in a convoy of ships so if we went we would have a lot of company. On reaching Fort Lauderdale, Florida we were cleared to go ashore by 9:30am. Over 250 passengers ended their voyage here which left only 200 for the remainder of the segment. Cruise ships were docked everywhere, included three others from the Holland America line. It was Sunday and everything was closed, so we spent about 2 hours on shore then got back on the ship.
New York, USA
On our last day at sea the ship was cavernous with only 200 passengers on board. The Atlantic, which is usually an angry ocean, presented us with a velvety smooth surface all the way up the east coast to New York. We sailed into New York harbour at 7am. It was cold and windy. We passed Ellis Island where immigrants to the US used to be processed, then The Statue of Liberty, small and elegant, followed by Long Island, Staten Island and then the Island of Manhattan. All the passengers lined the decks, despite the cold, as we passed the location where the Twin Towers once stood. It had been a mere 8 months since the attack and the vision of that atrocity was still vividly planted in eveyone's memory.
My journey had come to an end and I flew home late that evening.
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