Farewell, Africa

Many international flights seem to leave later in the day, which only causes a problem when it’s necessary to check out of a hotel early, and then figure out what to do all with all your luggage in tow until departure time. Our last day in Cape Town, we figured this out ahead and hired…

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Rendezvous in Cape Town

“Let’s meet in Cape Town!”, we promised, with a wink, when we saw Andy and Tammy before this cruise began. We live in the same hometown, and met when they were the Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Director on our long Insignia voyage. While we’ve been on Marina, they were back on Insignia, and our…

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Quest for the Big Five

If you mention Africa, no doubt most will think of its iconic wildlife. It’s why most people come to the continent, in pursuit of sighting the Big Five. The term Big Five goes back to the time of big game hunters and refers to the five most difficult, dangerous, and also the most popular trophy…

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Grape Expectations

South African wine has a history dating back to the mid-1600’s. Later decimated by phylloxera, the end of apartheid sparked a new wave of interest and innovation in the vineyards of the Cape, but for much of the 20th century, it received little attention on the world stage. Now, access to international markets has unleashed…

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Africa’s Mother City

“This is a pretty and singular town; it lies at the foot of an enormous wall, which reaches into the clouds, and makes a most imposing barrier. Cape Town is a grand inn, on the great highway to the east.” ~Charles Darwin, in a letter to his sister, Catherine, 1836 There was a collective sigh…

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African Jewel

If you could travel to anywhere on your own continent, which place would you most like to see? Interestingly, for many Africans we asked throughout our trip, their answer to that question was…Namibia. It seems to hold a special fascination for the people of that mainland. Popular for eco-tourism, Namibia, I found out, has a…

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Yes, Chef!

There is an organizational structure implemented in a professional kitchen, just like the military, that is necessary for efficiency and to avoid chaos. Developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier, a legendary French chef and restaurateur born in 1846, this system was modeled after his time in the French army, creating a chain of command that delineates…

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City of Contrasts

When you think of the most expensive cities in the world for expats, the usual suspects that come to mind are places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Zurich. Certainly not Luanda. Yet, this capital city of Angola trumps them all. For years, the city drew attention for its bloody civil war that racked the country from…

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Family Reunion

We were passengers on Oceania Insignia’s inaugural Miami to Miami “Around the World in 180 Days” voyage. Except, it turned out to be 109 days, thwarted at the final hour by a tragic accident on the ship. We were given the option to cancel or join the itinerary 71 days later in Singapore, when the…

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Stories from São Tomé

It seemed like the thing to do in São Tomé and Principé was to get out of town, since most of the ship’s tours were bird watching, coffee plantations, waterfalls. That’s usually a clue. And justly so, as it is said to be enhanced with a wealth of natural attractions including palm-fringed beaches, emerald rainforests,…

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