Sydney to Cape Town

We booked our world cruise in three segments. Our first post covered the first segment. 

Though the second cruise segment ended in Cape Town, South Africa, we thought it made more sense to group all the Australian and African ports together, leaving the Mediterranean for the next blog.

For the 36 days of Part Two, we spent a total of 28(!) days at sea and visited eight ports. 

On top of that, we had nine time changes as we continued to sail westward. It was nice to gain an hour every few nights, but after so many changes we eventually felt a bit of jet lag. I guess we could call it boat lag!

Ship Life

Since there were so many sea days, we spent a lot of time entertaining ourselves on this floating hotel. Sea days are typically no problem for us anyway. In addition to the usual pool and meal times, we also sought out some activities.  

I won $150 at a spa raffle and enjoyed a hair treatment and cut. My hair came out shiny and healthy. It was still a splurge for me and my hair has felt so much shinier and healthier since.

Corey won some free play in a St. Patrick’s Day casino promotion. Every time there was a casino event, we made our way there to participate. Promotions help even the odds a bit!

The ship crossed over the equator and a friendly crew tug-o’-war competition took place. It was fun to cheer on the various department teams. Eventually the deck department (the “deck heads”) triumphed.

In our opinion, the enrichment really fell off for this segment, and it seemed like a second thought. There were a few lectures on Australian history, for example, but they all took place after we left Australia (and after the ship had boarded a few hundred Australians who likely did not need the review from their schooling). The section between New Zealand and Australia had no enrichment at all! We were disappointed that a world cruise with this many sea days would flub by not having high-quality enrichment lectures scheduled at appropriate times to accentuate the port stops.

We spent more time watching downloaded television shows and movies. The televisions onboard are pretty great, with Princess offering a ton of content to coincide with holidays, events, and the ship’s location. With a little finagling, you can use a USB drive or HDMI cord to watch your own content on the television. There are also a few movies shown outdoors every day, and we enjoyed watching Wicked on the pool deck.

We also typically attend the shows each evening. There’s a few I skip but we enjoy the nightly singers, comedians, gymnasts, and other artists. Occasionally we are wowed by something we have never seen before, like this sand artist, who creates art using sand and a light-projector. I would have never guessed that was a thing!

Speaking of entertainers, one of my friends from my shipboard days was a singer on Island Princess. It was fun to catch up with Erwin, and to learn about the next phase of his career: he is changing from being a singer in the production shows to having his own show as a guest entertainer!

We continued to do yoga and walk the promenade deck.  The weather was generally great and the evenings were pleasant. 

Luckily we were able to avoid a handful of cyclones and again experienced rather calm seas, with waves no higher than ten feet.

Cabin Changes 

Cape Town was technically the end of the next segment. And because we booked each voyage separately we needed to change rooms (again). The ship makes it pretty easy by moving your luggage and everything hanging up. So it was a fairly quick pack up. I hated, HATED our second cabin. Our third cabin was essentially identical to our first cabin and overall a much better room. What’s the difference? 

Even though the Island Princess is more than 20 years old, certain rooms were added during a retrofit in 2015. The newly-updated rooms have more square footage, a large shower with a handheld nozzle, and a full window to see out. See our tour here.

The older room had an obstructed ocean view, with a tiny terrible shower. It was impossible to bathe and not get water all over the bathroom. It also was a room with two pull-down beds, and they creaked all night even when the seas were moderate. It is always a good idea to check reviews of your particular room on a cruise ship, because they are not created equal. Here’s a short video of the older cabin.

Let’s get into the ports! 

Ports of Call

Sydney

We woke up at 6 AM to catch the scenic sail in to Sydney Harbor. The sun was low in the sky and it cast a beautiful pink glow on the beautiful skyline. We enjoyed watching the sun rise over the Opera House while the guest Pop Choir sang for all on the outside deck. What an original way to reach Australia! 

Once ashore we walked through the Royal Botanic Garden, a large and free park located close to both the cruise terminal and the Sydney CBD. We debated staying for a tour but the first one was late in the morning and we wanted to spend more time in other neighborhoods, but we took a long stroll through the garden and stopped for a quick coffee and breakfast.

There were many birds perched in the trees, meandering on the ground, and swooping through the air. Unfortunately we got hit by some poop. Corey got bombed on the arm and somehow both my sneakers got hit! 

We left the garden and headed toward Marrickville, an older industrial neighborhood of Sydney, known for having an abundance of breweries. The subway was easy to navigate, well signed and clean. We love cities where you can tap on/off with a credit card. 

A few stops later we exited and began our walk on the Ale Trail. Our first brewery was Batch Brewery. 

We started the day with a small sampler of their experimental brews. Nice sours and hoppy ales. We were thankful for a refreshing drink and fast WiFi!

While back on the trail, an interesting building caught our eye. So we stopped for a half pint on the covered patio at The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre, home to Hawke’s Brewing.

Our path then led us to a great smelling bakery for Aussie staples. We split a sausage and fennel roll and a beef, bacon and cheese pie. Yum!! 

Donut Garage, the pretty pink building across the street, was a beacon and I pulled Corey over to try their donuts. What a tasty treat! One of my favorite donuts ever! We split a salted caramel donut and brown butter donut. Soft, doughy goodness and nice folks. The fun part was seeing the various cars in the garage, including a DeLorean made to look like the Back to the Future time machine. 

We then visited three more breweries around the neighborhood snacking, and sampling craft beers and natural wine. We felt reminiscent of the “Frelard” area of Seattle (the industrial area between Fremont and Ballard). We also love that we did not see a single passenger from the cruise ship!

In the late afternoon, after five brewery stops, we headed to the nearby neighborhood called Newtown. It was only a 30-minute walk and we passed so many cute pubs, cafes, and restaurants, many offering a smattering of sidewalk tables. Such a fun scene!

Once we arrived in Newtown, we followed an app for a self-guided walking tour which took us down some fun smaller streets and past gorgeous homes. Funky, gritty, vibrant and gay area. Many of the buildings and houses maintained their Victorian charm. 

Finally it was time for dinner. Eight miles of walking deserves pizza, right? A friend recommended a wood-fired pizza restaurant called Bella Brutta.

We were able to squeeze in without a reservation. The clam pizza (their specialty) was delicious. Corey enjoyed an anchovy and tomato salad while the crab-and-ricotta-stuffed zucchini flower hit the spot for me. 

The bus stop was just outside and we used public transport to take us back to the CBD. We easily transited around Sydney by bus, light rail and subway. And again, all of Sydney’s public transit (including the ferries) uses credit card tap-to-pay. It was so clean and easy. In fact, all of Sydney was clean with no litter on the streets.

With back-on-board at 9:30 PM, we had such a nice long day in port that it felt like it wasn’t just a cruise stop. Most of the day the ship was completely out of view, and it was not until we were back in the Rocks area that we started to see our fellow passengers again. We enjoyed the night scene at the Harbor and boarded just a few minutes before the deadline.

Melbourne 

We relaxed our feet on the sea day between Sydney and Melbourne as we knew we’d be covering a lot of miles between these two long port days. In fact we walked 8.6 miles in Sydney and 10.2 miles in Melbourne. Let me tell you how we racked up all that mileage!

The harbor around Melbourne is incredibly large, with a narrow opening to the Tasman Sea called The Rip. The ship sailed into the harbor early in the morning, timed with a slower current of only 3 MPH. 

Island Princess came along side the pier and we jumped off the boat just before 10 AM. We walked over to the tram stop near the port and tried to use our Myki transit cards from last time. We had one physical card and one card on Corey’s Google Wallet. Corey’s didn’t work, so we chanced a ride on the tram without paying. In the CBD, we visited a transit office. After a long discussion, we discovered that the Google Wallet Myki card expires after a short time of inactivity, and the physical cards (which cost money to purchase) also expire after just two years. At least with regard to paying for transit, Melbourne should take a lesson from Sydney. Their current cashless system is really difficult to use.

Though we had previously visited Melbourne as a port stop before we hadn’t spent any time in the actual city itself. 

So we began our day walking down Degraves Alley. It’s known as the hotspot for grabbing a coffee, in a city that rivals Seattle with regard to coffee culture. 

The scene was fairly quiet and the merchants seemed a little pushy. Honestly we both felt tourist trap vibes so decided not to sit down anywhere. Instead we grabbed a delicious cup of java from Fieldwork Coffee and a still-warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookie from The Confectionist next door. It was the cutest cookie shop I’d ever seen. Now before you start judging us on our meal choices, remember that we hoof it all around these neighborhoods so we need carbs to keep going! 

We meandered and shopped around the CBD and eventually made it up to the famous Victoria Market. 

Touring local markets is one of our favorite tourist activities. Victoria Market is a massive place with vendors selling all kinds of goods: meat, fish, wine, leather jackets, souvenirs, and coffee shops. It would be easy to spend hours wandering around the aisles. With our limited time we didn’t linger anywhere too long. We picked up a borek, a bottle of natural wine, and some jelly-filled “American Doughnuts.” That makes our third donut stop in a week and this trend has got to stop!

Since we snacked instead of having lunch, we decided to head down to the Docklands neighborhood for an app-guided audio tour. 

We learned all about the wharf and city history through the docks while walking around the nicely-rebuilt neighborhood. Glassy skyscrapers stood near the piers with neatly manicured playgrounds and boutique coffee shops. It was a beautiful waterfront in that way, and eerily quiet in the blustery afternoon weather. 

After completing a large loop we headed a few blocks over to Costco. This location in Melbourne is known as the busiest in Oceania but it was quiet on a weekday afternoon. 

We started the shopping trip at the food court and tried two items special to this part of the world. The Aussie Meat Pie was large but a pretty standard version of a meat pie. We were also excited to see “combination” pizza, which left the United States food courts in 2020. But to our pleasant surprise, an Aussie combination pizza meant a combination of meats (pepperoni, sausage, and bacon) on a barbecue sauce base! We would be happy to see this pizza make its way back home.

After buying a few items, we took our full backpack on a tram back to the CBD, to squeeze in more sightseeing before reboarding the ship. 

Corey found Section 8, a fun bar in Chinatown, for a round of cocktails. It was a funky outdoor space filled with young people and loud music. I felt so uncool as an older tourist but still had fun. 

Chinatown seemed like a vibrant or throbbing heart of the city. So many rooftop bars and busy restaurants with lingering smells of five-spice and barbeque duck. The small alleys were filled with street art and entrances to speakeasy-style bars. Would love to go back and explore more!

We walked through and headed back down to a tiny gritty street we had previously missed, Hosier Lane. This seemed like another tourist trap and found the famed art to just be meh. It was layers of graffiti and a handful of looky-loos. 

At the end of the alley we crossed the street and walked through Fed Square. I had hoped to eat at Big Esso, a restaurant known for using Australian First Nations ingredients in their food and drink (and which has subsequently closed).

We tried to grab a quick drink but we were running out of time. The service was friendly and fun but not quick. Eek! We ended our day speed-walking through the CBD, missing a tram by 42 seconds (thanks to the digital board for letting us know), and impatiently waiting for the next one that was already behind schedule. We anxiously traveled back to the pier and ended up jogging down the quiet and quite-long pier. 

My shins were burning after stepping all day in flip flops. We knew we were a few minutes late but I couldn’t afford to slow down to see exactly how late. The gangway came into view and I sighed a little seeing that it was still attached to the ship. If you don’t see a gangway, you know you’ve missed the boat! Fortunately we made it on, but it was a good lesson not to cut things too close.

Perth

We had four sea days to let our legs and feet recuperate from all the walking (and pier running!). The ship sailed directly west and because these waters come up from the southern ocean the weather was cool and windy. 

The port for Perth is in the suburb of Fremantle. We were excited to spend more time in Australia, and in a city we had never visited before. Perth is in Western Australia and we were surprised to learn that the state is larger than Texas and Alaska combined! All that land and there is really only one city: Perth.

We lined up early to get off the boat right at clearance. Fremantle is on the Perth public transit system, and connected by a train. We zipped over to the train station, and since it was Sunday, we were able to buy a “family pass” for unlimited public transportation. (Perth uses a transit-card system but also offers paper tickets so visitors do not have to pay for the transit card. The transit employee was quite helpful to the small crowd of cruise passengers using the ticket machines.)

We took the train north to the busy Swanbourne Beach, located just west of Perth proper. As we walked through the residential neighborhood, we passed by crowded brunch spots, and joined others heading toward the ocean.

The aquamarine waters and soft white sand greeted us. By 10 AM it was already starting to get toasty and the swims were refreshing. After all the city walking the past week, we thought it would be nice to enjoy one of the things WA is known for, the gorgeous coast. 

After a couple hours we jumped on a bus and headed into the city. Corey was really interested in seeing the modern, glassy Bell Tower, where bells are hand-rung on Sundays at noon. We arrived in time to hear the bells, and enjoyed walking around Victoria Quay and the views of the Swan River. It was fairly quiet on a hot Sunday, but like other Australian cities it was clean and well manicured. 

I was feeling famished by the time we stopped for lunch at Milky Lane, a local hamburger chain that was playing 90’s American hip-hop. We ordered the Kevin Bacon burger and a salted caramel thick shake.

With the minutes passing by quickly we jumped on another bus to head up to the Northbridge neighborhood. We didn’t have much time so we admired some of the architecture around the Cultural Center area, then grabbed a cold drink at Picabar, which has a spacious beer garden and a fine selection of beer and wine. We wanted to spend a part of the day exploring Fremantle before rejoining the ship, so we boarded the train to head back down the coast to explore the Fremantle Market and the shoreside.

The market was busy and filled with souvenirs, food stalls, fresh fruits, and meats. We bought sliced mango and ate it outside. The streets in Fremantle are cute and it is a nice walk around the neighborhood. Cruise passengers can make a nice day out of the seaside area of Fremantle without even having to go into Perth.

We capped our day with a pint on the waterfront at Little Creatures Brewery, where an acoustic guitarist entertained us with quirky versions of songs by MGMT and Enemy of the Sun, among others.

I would love to go back and spend more time exploring Western Australia, if it was not for sea snakes and land snakes and who knows what other “little creatures” thrive in Perth!

Port Louis, Mauritius 

Africa is a wondrous place and we’ve seen so little of it so far. Mauritius is a small island nation, located even further east than Madagascar. The island was uninhabited until the 1600’s, making it a place that was colonized by Europeans without displacing any indigenous people. While most inhabitants speak a local Creole, signage is mostly in French or English.

It’s a small island, 40 miles by 30 miles. It takes an hour or two to get just about anywhere on the island because traffic can be bad either on the large highways or on the narrow, crowded streets.

We rented a car and had a travel route in mind before we disembarked Island Princess for the day. 

Monday is the big market day in Mauritius’ second-largest city, Mahébourg. So we left Port Louis and headed straight there on a large, modern highway. While there were some good items at the market, we had a hard time obtaining local currency. All of the ATM’s were either out of money or had really long lines. We found one juice vendor who took euros and gave Mauritian rupees as change. Overall, Mahébourg was not that scenic, and we enjoyed some samosas and headed toward the beach.

It was a delight to see the calm waters at the Blue Bay Beach. This beach is protected by a reef so it is a snorkel haven. We walked a bit along the nice beach, but decided to not linger as we wanted to see more around the island.

We drove along the coast as much as possible but Google Maps kept giving us bad directions. The roads were tiny and passed through small towns and villages.

Some of the beaches looked incredible on the south coast, but we wanted to have lunch. There were so many mega hotels blocking access to the ocean, and we were denied access to one restaurant because we were not hotel guests. Other restaurants had 30-minute waits, so we kept moving.

We stopped at the Maconde Viewpoint on the south side of the island.

We drove around La Morne but did not hike it since we were now hungry, and we kept moving north on the west side of the island.

We stopped for lunch at Le Bonne Chute and dined on tender creole calamari, wild boar curry, and smoked marlin carpaccio. It was all excellent!

We continued north until we reached Port Louis, where we returned the car and walked to board the ship. It was a nice road trip day, driving through sugar cane fields, passing by beaches, and overall getting a sense of the south part of this small country.

Cape Town, South Africa 

We woke up early to square away last minute details and finish packing our room for our final move of the cruise. We were excited to go ashore to visit one of our favorite countries, visit with a friend, and step on land after several sea days. 

Mother Nature gave us a delay though. We were too fogged in to dock. The pilot had instructed the boat to wait for the fog to lift before they would come aboard and proceed with docking. It ended up being about an hour delay. Then immigration was a slow process, as South Africa required every passenger to meet with an officer and have their passports stamped in. By 11 AM we still hadn’t been called to go ashore, and our friend Emma was at the terminal waiting for us. So we decided to jump the line. We made our way to the gangway where there was no wait, where we just scanned off without hassle. We walked into the small terminal to wait in line for passport control. About 20 minutes later we were through and on our way to explore the Western Cape in Emma’s buckey (truck). 

She planned a wonderful overnight trip for us. We first drove out of the city and visited two gorgeous wineries in Stellenbosch, Spier and Fairview. We were hoping to taste in Stellenbosch, so this was a delight.

After enjoying some lovely wine and selection of fresh cheeses, we got back on the highway and drove further inland to the Breede Valley. 

The scenery stunned as we drove through the mountains and valleys and past vineyards. There were highway signs cautioning of baboons, and those warnings were accurate, as there were large brown baboons hanging out next to and on the highway… looking both ways to cross the road.

Eventually we exited the highway and entered Emma’s family farm. They grow table grapes and own lots of land including a dam, a cottage, and grape processing shack/barn. 

We toured it all during golden hour hoping to catch some antelopes frolicking in the river, but the only thing we saw were some dassies up on the rocks (a small critter that we also saw in eastern South Africa). 

Our night “wine-d down” with a braai (cookout) and wine. It was so nice to catch up with Emma. Emma is from South Africa but recently moved back from Thailand to be closer to her family.

When we last saw her in Thailand, she introduced us to South African boerewors sausage, and we enjoyed plenty of those when we were in South Africa. Emma once again proved a fine braai chef as we enjoyed boerewors cooked over grape wood coals. After some stargazing and more wine, we fell soundly asleep.

The next day we got an early start and headed back into the city. With no fog around we were able to clearly see Table Mountain and the other peaks that tower over Cape Town. 

We parked at Camps Bay Beach, dipped our toes into the icy cold water, and enjoyed the views at Zenzero, a beachside restaurant. 

On our way back to the port we drove up the coastal road with incredible views and large mansions perched along the cliffs. We stopped for a quick lunch at Delicious Fish, where freshly-fried fish-and-chips hit the spot. With just a little time left, Emma drove us around the V&A Waterfront before dropping us off at the cruise pier. It was a special and wonderful visit to see a place that is special to someone else. 

As the boat sailed away during sunset, we said farewell on the promenade deck and were rewarded with amazing views of the city, especially since we had arrived in a thick fog. We love South Africa and hope to return to the Western Cape one day soon. Thanks again Emma for a remarkable overnighter!

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Namibia is a lesser known tourist destination but there’s a lot to see there! Namibia has a complicated history and did not gain its independence until 1990.

This port stop was one of the biggest highlights for me and it did NOT disappoint. From Walvis Bay, most trips either go south (Sandwich Harbor, flamingos), or north (a large dune called Dune 7, and the German colonial town of Swakopmund). Our aim was to drive south to Sandwich Harbor, a natural area with enormous sand dunes.

After the grueling disembarkation processes in Bay of Islands and Cape Town, I decided to make my dad proud and get in line ridiculously early to go ashore. So we set the alarm for 6 AM and made it a bit of a relay. I stood in line for awhile then Corey relieved me and stood in line while I got ready for the day and ate some breakfast.

Our efforts paid off and we scurried down the gangway at 9:30 AM. This was my first time being the first one off the ship! 

We walked down the pier and faced the gauntlet of drivers with signs. I locked eyes with an exuberant lady and decided to negotiate with her for a driver for the day and we were on the road by 9:40 AM. Alfred was our driver; a nice guy from Walvis Bay. On cruise days, many of the drivers come from hundreds of miles away to find work as drivers and tour guides.

The Namibian dollar is pegged 1:1 to the South African rand, and the rand is commonly accepted at par. So we retained a stack of rand so that we could negotiate in the local currency.

Alfred first stopped for the permit, then we made our way to the lagoon. The tide was out and the flamingos were about a football field away. Thankfully we had brought our binoculars with us. There were hundreds of pink flamingos just standing around in the mud! 

Alfred deflated the tires to allow for sand driving, and we zoomed off toward Sandwich Harbor. 

We drove past the salt pans and a salt factory, and past some pink lakes (made pink by salt-tolerant micro-organisms).

As the road ended and turned into sand, we made a quick left turn and started climbing a dune. I wasn’t quite ready for off-roading yet but no time like the present! After stepping out for a quick photo we jumped back in and raced down our first dune of the day. It’s good to have the right music on so our driver was blasting… Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. Shrug. Why not?

We followed a parade of trucks all speeding south on the beach to Sandwich Harbor. By this point in the morning we were no longer first in line but that no longer mattered. We were just excited to have the day going so smoothly. 

Driving through the sand felt like we were in a Land Rover commercial or a movie like Dune. It was a little scary and I think had I known what it would feel like, I might not have signed up for the experience! Like driving in the snow, our vehicle swayed in the tracks of the convoy. I slid around side-to-side on the pleather seats as the truck jerked left and right. I felt a little queasy. 

The waves lapped at our tires as the rising tide spilled out onto the beach. As we continued driving, we saw a live seal making its way down to the water, as well as a dead seal with a group of jackals sunbathing with full bellies.

Eventually Alfred put on navigation. I didn’t understand at first. Then we took a sudden turn away from the beach. Immediately the car was climbing the dunes, weaving left and right as we quickly rose with the steep angle. We nearly crested the dune before the tires spun round and our momentum stopped. We rolled backwards down to a level spot. Alfred let more air out of the tires and we stepped out to take photos. A handful of trucks came up and I loved watching them attempt the same incline. Some made it on the first try and others not.

Finally it was our turn again. Alfred punched it and as we were about to crest, some tourist just standing in the sand got in our way. Eek!! We aborted and coasted in reverse down the hill, finally making it up on our next attempt.

Once at the top we saw some ship friends and enjoyed the breathtaking views and the sweet satisfaction from fulfilling dreams. We had fun taking photos too. Then we zoomed down the dunes which must be at nearly 90 degrees. Photos do not give justice to the angle at which these vehicles drive up and down, so check out this video. It felt like downhill skiing or a roller coaster drop.

After hitting most of my other bucket list items over the past three years (visiting Antarctica, rafting the Grand Canyon, Black Sea beaches), seeing where the dunes meet the sea was a priority for me. In fact, one of the reasons we booked this cruise was because it stopped in Namibia. 

It’s important to get out of your comfort zone and I definitely was. From racing along the beach to the pointed edge of the towering dunes, I was a little nervous and thankful for the “oh shit” handle above the window. 

We slowed things down after all the excitement of Sandwich Harbor with lunch on the waterfront back in Walvis Bay. The service was slow but the food was so fresh and delicious and the portions were ginormous. 

We had a few hours with Alfred remaining, so we drove out to Dune 7. It’s only about 15 minutes out of town on the highway. This drive gave us a greater vantage of the city and area. It really is just all sand!

Dune 7 now charges an access fee so we just checked it out from the parking lot and watched some kids on the top of the dune. We didn’t feel like making the climb so it did not make sense to pay the entrance fee in order to just snap a few photos.

We ended with a quick drive through some of the Walvis Bay neighborhoods, where we saw a group of kapana vendors. Kapana is spiced and grilled beef, usually served in a cluster of vendors who compete for customers. Unfortunately we were too full to stop for a beef snack!

Our ride was comfortable, clean and only cost 4000 rand for seven hours. We also bought our driver lunch and provided a tip, so the total ended up under $300 USD. This compares well to the five-hour small group trips that we saw around $150-200 USD per person (although these often include a lunch).

The ship had announced that it was not possible to walk out of the port, and that a shuttle to the Dunes Mall was provided (the Dunes Mall is across town). We were able to walk to the gate of the port where we found dozens of drivers waiting. It is possible that we could keep walking out from there, although there was not much to see in the area, and no public transit system. If we are in port again, we would likely take a taxi north to Swakopmund and spend the day there.

We got back on the ship and had to take a nap. The rush of the adrenaline gave us a pretty big crash! But we set an alarm to wake up for sailaway so we could watch the land fade away before seven days of sailing to our next port of call. 

Mindelo, Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)

A set of islands off the coast of Senegal, Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony that gained its independence in 1975. Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente, is the second-largest city in Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is known for its turtle populations. In fact, five of the seven species from around the world are found there. We debated whether to snorkel with turtles or not. On the southwest part of the island there is a beach village called Sao Pedro. There you will find a population of turtles located not far offshore, and the local fishing boats will take tourists out to swim with the turtles. But there are mixed reviews online, with many saying that the turtles are being restrained in the harbor by fishing nets.

So we decided to spend the day walking through Mindelo. The sun was shining brightly and many people were around to greet all the tourists flooding the streets. Bom día! Too bad our only other Portuguese phrase was obrigado. It made it difficult to negotiate at the markets we visited.

We walked south down the waterfront until we hit the fish market with its vibrant-colored seafood. We perused the craft market at Estrella Square, which had a lot of Chinese-made goods and Chinese batik (wax-printed) fabrics. However, it also had a number of garment makers who used the Chinese fabric to sew their own items like colorful dresses and skirts. It would be a good spot to pick up a made-to-order garment which could be finished before heading back to the ship.

Lastly we perused the municipal market looking for fruit. Market fresh herbs filled the air. Woven baskets, vegetables, some fruit. Expensive limes. Decided that this was not the right place to pick up fruit. The islands of Cape Verde are quite dry and arid, and virtually nothing grows locally! But we were able to get two good espressos at a total of just over $1 USD (paid in Cape Verde escudos).

We kept walking as it felt good to stretch our legs after seven days at sea. Eventually we made it to the north side of town to Lajinha Beach, a beautiful stretch of blue water and white sand. We had wanted to swim or relax on the sand but a fierce wind was ripping across the beach and sandblasting those brave enough to be out there. It reminded me of our first night camping in the Grand Canyon.

Luckily there were two cafes with cover from the pelting sand. The one at the far north end of the beach had more crew and locals. The south one, closer to the port, was filled with tourists and Island Princess guests. We stopped at both! Prices were similarly inexpensive at both of them, and both accepted credit cards.

After a generally uneventful and relaxing day, and an afternoon of beach drinking, we stopped by a supermarket to get some local goods, then headed back to the ship.

Continued cruising…

From here the ship will head into the Mediterranean Sea, stopping first in Gibraltar and continuing east to Greece and Turkey. We will disembark in Rome but the World Cruise will continue without us all the way back to Fort Lauderdale then Los Angeles, creating a global circumnavigation for the passengers who boarded at those ports.