OUR WINTER CRUISE DAYS 9, 10 and 11

At Sea

Friday 9 November 

It was a day at sea and the weather was getting warmer. We went up to the jogging deck early before sunrise when it is quiet. My calf muscle was feeling all right but I started off gently. I only managed four laps when it suddenly cramped and got very sore. I stopped running immediately and went to the gym to workout there instead. Moira continued walking round and had a mug of coffee waiting for me when I returned to the cabin to shower and dress.

After breakfast we sat outside at the stern to get the benefit of the sunshine. We tried the loungers but they are absolutely useless, the backrest won't stay upright on any of them and collapses when you lean back. I thought that the design of sun loungers was fairly standard and simple but somebody thought otherwise and messed it up. Instead  we moved up a deck where there were tables and wicker chairs in the open. We sat there all morning until lunch, reading and soaking up the sun.

In the afternoon the sun was more forward and the stern was in the shade, we moved to chairs on the pool deck. They appeared to have relaxed on the smoking regulations as we were surrounded by smokers. Eventually we found a spot that was smoke free and settled there. Again at the pool deck it was noisy with the 'entertainment crew' organising games. I was also starting to get a little burnt by the sun so about 4:30 we headed for the gym for another session of exercise.

Moira enjoying the music in the bar

It was a gala night in the main restaurants and most of the people were dolled up, the women in their finery and men wearing dinner jackets. We made do again with the buffet after watching a magician illusionist in the theatre. The singers were enjoyable in the bar tonight and it was nearly 10pm when we eventually made it back to the cabin and bed.

At Sea

Saturday 10 November

Still out in the Atlantic, but we must have been quite near to the shore as lots of sea birds were following and flying round the ship. Mostly  they were white with black patches on the tops of their wings and yellow about the neck. They had pointed tails. We didn't find out what type of gull they were, I will look it up on the Internet the next time we get connected. 

My legs was still not right, so I went to the gym while Moira did her laps of walking. After showering and breakfast we went to the seats at the stern to sit. The weather forecast on the ship's daily news letter promised a good day with temperatures over 25C. They got it wrong, it was cold out on deck and there was a thick haze that blotted out the sun. We came inside and spent the day in the disco lounge reading. At one end of the lounge they had an instruction class on chess. I sat and listened to the guy explain different openings and defensive positions before losing interest and returning to the book I was reading.

After lunch we were back in the shelter of the lounge until early evening when we went to the gym for an hour's workout. The show in the theatre was classical music played by a violinist accompanied on the piano. It was enjoyable and a few of the numbers played we recognised for a change.

Our cabin

Tonight after dinner we had on our dancing shoes and did our 'Strictly Come Dancing' performance. I don't suppose the judges would have scored us very highly but we enjoyed it. When the couple that were singing finished we didn't wait for the next guy to start but headed back to the cabin and bed.

I woke during the night with indigestion. I took a 'Rennies' and that settled it and I got back to sleep. I think I must be eating too much, I will have to cut back or I'll get fat even with all the exercise I'm doing at the gym.


Dakar, Senegal

Sunday 11 November

The ship had reached Senegal and tied up at the capital Dakar while we were having an early breakfast. We had gone straight to the buffet once we had showered and then ashore.

Traders on the quay

The quay was full of traders with their goods laid out. They had wooden ornaments, leather goods and other souvenirs. We had a look at what was on offer then made for the city. It was the usual long walk from the ship to the dock gate but there didn't appear to be a guard or passport control. There weren't any direction signposts or a tourist board office to obtain a map, so we just had to make an intelligent guess. The direction we picked was right and soon the minaret of the mosque could be seen in the distance so that was taken as our marker.

Dakar was a typical African town, rubbish everywhere, potholed pavements and streets, dilapidated buildings. It was surprisingly quiet until we realised that it was still early on a Sunday morning. We reached the market area and the traders were just beginning to open up their shacks and set out their stalls. We continued in a straight line towards the mosque intending to look around the market on the way back. The mosque was much the same as the others we had seen, they must have a standard design and only the size varies. It appeared to be closed and there weren't any tourists visiting, I satisfied myself with some photographs before carrying on further along the same road. 

The obelisk, Un People

In the distance there as a tall stone obelisk, our next target. The streets were fairly wide but there were no shops except at intersections. There the shops curved about the roundabout. One exception to the general squalor was a huge modern hotel, with a row of tour buses outside to transport the guests. When we reached the tall pointed concrete structure it was fenced off, on it was carved the year in Roman numerals and the statement in French, Un People. There was waste ground beside the monument and they were setting up goals for a boys football match. There was a large crowd there who we thought were supporters, but later they marched along the street in what appeared to be some sort of demonstration, at least it was friendly.

Dakar mosque

We turned back now and were beginning to suffer a bit from dehydration. It was very hot and humid. At a cafe we tried for a cool drink but they wouldn't accept US dollars or Euros, we had to stay thirsty. The market was now in full swing and we wandered about the stalls always conscious of the direction we had taken and how to get back, with all the narrow streets and alleyways that looked alike it would be very easy to get lost. In the market you could find almost anything, there was one area for bathroom fittings, from loos to shower  compartments. It was like any Eastern or African market, if you stopped to look at something of interest you were immediately hassled by the stall owner.

Decorated taxi

About an hour viewing the market was enough, it was getting hotter and we were very thirsty. We made our way back to the ship, there didn't seem to be much more to see. The traders on the quayside were now doing some good trade with people from the ship. I think this was as far as a lot of them had ventured today, if not on one of the expensive organised tours. There aren't many who go off on their own, especially in a strange African country.

Once on board we got ourselves a drink and went  to the stern for a seat. The ship wasn't sailing until 1:00 so we had time for lunch before returning to our spot to watch the departure. It wasn't much of a job to get out to sea, the pilot reversed us from the dock and when straight and heading for the harbour opening he left in his little boat and we were on our own. Just outside the harbour mouth was a small island where captured African natives were kept before transportation to the West Indies and America and slavery.

Railway station

We spent the afternoon sitting in the sun at our spot at the stern. Moira wasn't feeling very well, probably from the heat this morning and lay down in the cabin later in the afternoon. I wasn't feeling too energetic myself and we gave any thoughts of the gym a miss. Tonight it was our now normal routine, the show in the theatre, dinner then music in one of the bars. The variety this evening was pop music and dancing. It was good and we both enjoyed it.

Leaving Dakar

Slave transportation island