Sight Seas

Land of The Eternal Spring When and Where:            08/2002 – Guatemala City                                              03/2003 – Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango                                            05/2004 – Guatemala City, Antigua 30 th Country Visited; 10 th North American Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         With 18.5 million citizens, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America.   -        ...

River Country When and Where:           03/2023 – Banjul 74 th Country Visited; 11 th African Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         90% of the citizens of The Gambia are Muslim.  -         The Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa. -         The Gambia was at one time the center of the slave trade.  Again today, I witnessed hopeless poverty.  But unlike Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the people in The Gambia were happy and friendly.  I again took Across Africa Tours and this experience was much better than past experiences.  As I disembarked the ship, the first Gambian person I saw was wearing a Phillies ballcap.  My tour left the port and within a short distance, we were in the mix of heavy traffic and pedestrians in downtown Banjul, the Gambian capital.  We stopped at the ...

 Cocoa Capital of the World When and Where:            03/2023 – Abidjan 73 rd Country Visited; 10 th African Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, is the ninth largest city in Africa with roughly 5.5 million people.   -         The Ivory Coast is the top producer of cocoa in the world.   The cocoa production of the Ivory Coast and Ghana combined account for over 60% of the world’s cocoa production.   -         Of all the countries I’ve visited on the 2023 Holland America Grand World Voyage, the Ivory Coast is the only country which has a Level 3 Travel Advisory from the State Department: Reconsider Travel. Prior to arrival, I had a tour booked with Delaware’s Across Africa Tours.   A few days before arrival in the Ivory Coast, I received notifica...

Dire Poverty When and Where:           03/2023 – Takorati, Sekondi 72 nd Country Visited; 9 th African Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence.  -         Ghana is the largest producer of gold in Africa and the 7 th largest producer of gold in the world.  Today I witnessed dire poverty up close.  In my travels around the world, I’ve seen people living below the poverty line in many countries.  In Ghana, I saw no rich or working-class people, just poor people struggling to survive.  Sometimes tours highlight the natural beauty or rich history of a country.  And there are tours like today which are enlightening but depressing.  Our ship docked this morning in the in Takoradi, a harbor town along the southern coast of Ghana.  I offboarded the ship along wi...

The Land of a Thousand Islands When and Where:            11/2000 – Dubrovnik, Konavle, Cavtat                                            08/2012 – Dubrovnik                                            09/2022 – Zagreb 17 th Country Visited; 11 th European Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         Croatia has 1,244 islands. -         Dalmatian dogs originated in the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. -         Many...

  The Oil King of Africa When and Where:            03/2023 – Luanda 71 st Country Visited; 8 th African Country Visited Interesting Facts: -         Angola is the birthplace of dreadlocks.   -         Despite Angola being rich the natural resources of oil and diamonds, the average Angolan lives in poverty.   The life expectancy of an Angolan is under 55 years.   Angola is unlike any other country I’ve visited in Africa.   Angola has a socialist government, and the military has a tight control over the lives of the citizenry.   Before arriving in Luanda, the capital, the ship passengers were warned sternly that safety should be our main concern.   We were also warned that if we took photos in certain areas, we would be subject to arrest.   Being adventuresome, I rarely book tours offered by the cruise line.   But in...