Starting The Revised Route

Heading Towards Africa

We are now on the revised route since going through the Suez Canal is not a safe route, especially for a ship with the word “America” written prominently on the hull. The next three ports Male, Maldives; Victoria, Seychelles; and Zanzibar, Tanzania are located near the equator. No way to avoid the heat and humidity.

Maldives

We arrived in the Maldives on the weekend. It is the smallest country in Asia. Ramadan still had several days left before the end of the holy month. One of the most widely known tenets of Ramadan is fasting from dawn to dusk. Our Cruise Director did ask us to be prudent with where we drank water while ashore. The Maldives being primarily a Muslim country, we wanted to respect their beliefs and customs. Therefore, since we did not have a tour booked and because I turn into a puddle in the heat and humidity, we opted not to go ashore.

When we saw our friends come back on board, most said many of the shops and restaurants were closed. We knew we made the right decision. We did take photos from our balcony. We noticed that Male has a very busy airport. Of course, there are a lot of resorts on the surrounding islands. Water sports are a big draw in the Maldives.

Mahe, Seychelles

Mahe is one of 115 islands in the Seychelles. The capital city of Victoria is located on Mahe. It also has the distinction of being the smallest capital city in the world. Mahe has approximately 25,500 people with about 8,500 living in the capital. One of the first sights you see in Victoria is the clock tower which goes back to the ties with the United Kingdom. I put a map of the location of the Seychelles in this blog. It seems the UK needed this map when they shipped the clock. As you can see it did finally arrive in Victoria.

Before British rule, the Seychelles were officially under France from 1756 to 1814. For such a small island chain, it has 3 official languages: French, English, and Creole. Our guide for the day had a definite French accent.

We started with a walking tour of Victoria. It was early in the day so not many people were out and about. The market was just getting set up and already crowded with people trying to get their fish and veggies for the evening meal. I don’t know about you but I’m not sure I can buy fish loaded with flies. It was getting hotter by the minute. By the time we were finished, I had already consumed a 16oz bottle of Gatorade.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Mission Ruins of Venn’s Town

Getting here was on a winding mountain road yeah the bus had great AC. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is where missionaries ran a school for liberated African slave children. These ruins serve as a reminder of the Seychelles’ campaign to eliminate the slave trade following the abolition of slavery in 1835. At the entrance was a statue dedicated to the Liberated Slave Movement.

The lookout was up another hill with a twisted path and exposed tree roots. On top of that it started to rain just as we made it to the shelter. The view was pretty cool. The shower did not last long nor did it cool the heat and humidity. Gatorade! Gatorade! Gatorade!

Can you polish your floors with a coconut shell?

At a stop in a craft village, our guide told us about using coconuts to do housework. I think I like our modern conveniences much better.

Lunch and Relaxation

Our lunch that day was at a resort. The food was good but the best part was the extra time provided for swimming. We chose not to swim instead finding a nice shady place to hang out and enjoy the cool breezes. It really doesn’t get much better than this!

Zanzibar, Tanzania

We’ve been to mainland Tanzania on a safari several years ago but Zanzibar was a new experience. We went into town in the evening thus avoiding the extreme heat. We did a quick tour of the city including the local market. The smell of the fish was powerful, making us glad we did not visit the market in the heat of the day. The one thing that all of the markets had in common was great-looking fruits and veggies.

The streets were crowded with people and cars. Ramadan was nearing the end and our guide told us everyone was getting ready to celebrate. It started to rain and even that did not diminish the enthusiasm for shopping. However, the rain did make taking photos through the bus window quite difficult. Fortunately, the rain didn’t last.

Zanzibar felt like the Africa depicted in old movies. The ocean air wreaks havoc with the buildings. Most looked like they needed a powerwash. Many sites were badly in need of basic repair. As a way to explain the state of the city, our guide talked about the corruption of the government. Stonetown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, receives funds to maintain the buildings. Per our guide, the money goes to other things instead of maintaining Stonetown.

One thing we learned was that Zanzibar was the birthplace of Freddy Mercury of Queen. There is a museum dedicated to him.

Luckily the Cultural Center was open. We saw a rehearsal, and the guys sounded great. They also had crafts for sale.

The evening ended with a dinner at a hotel on the coast. Good food and music ended the perfect evening.