Location: Nosy Be, Madagascar Nosy Be is a small island right off the north-west of Madagascar. The port is the amusingly named Hell-Ville (named for French Admiral de Hell). I took a boat to Nosy Komba to meet some local animals. Nosy Komba does not even have a pier, so we had to take our … Continue reading Lemurs

Location: Mamoudzou, Mayotte Mayotte is a French "department" of islands just north of Madagascar, part of the Comoro Islands. I think "department" is kind of like the relationship that the US has with Samoa and Guam. Along with Réunion, Mayotte is the farthest southern extent of the European Union, and they use the Euro. And … Continue reading Mayotte

Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania Less than 30 miles north of Dar es Salaam is the island of Zanzibar, which is also part of Tanzania. Technically Zanzibar is a series of islands, we visited the main island of Unguja. Like many of our ports, Zanzibar does not have a dedicated cruise line terminal, so we docked in … Continue reading Zanzibar

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania While the Seychelles could be considered the beginning of Africa for this world cruise, but arriving in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, there is no doubt. Dar has over 4 million inhabitants, yet it does not seem as crowded as Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam nor Colombo, Sri Lanka. While there is … Continue reading Dar es Salaam

Giant Bat Well, maybe not "giant." Below is the bat at CoCo Island in the Seychelles. I swear it had at least a 3-foot wing span. Picture by fellow world cruise guest Ron Oakley. Big Bat (image by Ron Oakley) Fruit Carving There was a great set of carved fruit at last night's dinner. Slice … Continue reading Bonus Day