Been There Done That Too…

Malaga

// April 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Spain, Transatlantic Nov'07

After spending a pleasant day at sea we arrived in Malaga, Spain. Similar to the Tourist Bus in Barcelona, Malaga has the Malaga Tour City Sightseeing Bus. You can easily walk to most of the central sites in Malaga, like the Cathedral and La Alcazaba, however the climb to Castillo de Gibralfaro is exhausting. The bus really is the best way to go. It’s about a 10 minutes walk to get out of the port – avoid the taxis at the port they’re pirates charging 25 Euros for a 5 minute (or less) taxi ride). You can either walk over near Alcazaba or the cathderal to catch the bus – or go to the left when you exit the port and you’ll come to a large bus stop. Look for the “city sightseeing” sign. (more…)

Barcelona

// April 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Spain, Transatlantic Nov'07

I arrived into Barcelona late on EasyJet from Stanted (after taking MaxJet from LAX to Stansted). I had a private transfer to my hotel setup through viator.com because I knew after travelling for almost 24 hours I really didn’t want to deal with taxi drivers. This costs a little more, but is well worth the convenience and safety. You not only have someone to help you with your bags, you know exactly what it’s going to cost and your driver knows exactly where you’re going. No scenic midnight sightseeing trips that get you to your hotel – “the longway.” (more…)

Nairobi

// November 15th, 1996 // Comments Off // Kenya, Passage To Africa

Back to civilization. After three days in the wild Nairobi seemed exceptionally noisy, busy, dirty, and chaotic. Nairobi isn’t all mass congestion, there is a wildlife preserve practically in the middle. I didn’t get a chance to go there, but it’s supposedly a fairly good one. There are also some other unique places in Nairobi like “The Carnivours Club.” A rather legendary restaurant that offers a prix fix menu feauturing roasted – just about anything if it’s not on the endangered species list: Giraffe, gnu, antelope, warthog, zebra… well you get the idea. I just couldn’t make myself go, however I hear that giraffe is the best it’s tender and sweet. I went to Wimpy’s instead (British version of Burger King). (more…)

Kilimanjaro and Amboseli

// November 14th, 1996 // Comments Off // Kenya, Passage To Africa

The countryside past Tsavo gradually goes from the dramatic red and orange earth of Tsavo to a much grayer, less dramatic landscape with the tall grass and less brush. Crossing the plains on the way to Amboseli we were frequently rewarded with the site of Kilimanjaro, however we never did see the top of the legendary mountain that dominates the plains that surround Amboseli. We also passed several native villages and all the children in the villages would run out to the minibuses asking for candy and pencils. (more…)

Tsavo

// November 12th, 1996 // Comments Off // Kenya, Passage To Africa

The one thing I didn’t expect was the vibrant coloring. The landscape glowed in red and orange. The lodge had a wonderful verandah you could relax on and watch the animals drink at the watering hole. The most endearing was a young elephant. It took him over an hour to work up the courage. He acted like a child playing hide-n-seek. Starting out behind a tree 100 yards away, he’d peak around the tree and then go back behind it. After an hour, he finally mustered up the courage to come all the way down to the water. (more…)

Mombasa

// November 11th, 1996 // Comments Off // Kenya, Passage To Africa

Arriving in our last port we are greated by over a dozen enterprising salespeople selling their wares on the dock right beside the ship. This made souvenier shopping incredibly easy – and a lot of fun. Not only do you bargain here, you trade. Half of Mombasa must have pens, soap, shampoo, conditioner and anything else the passengers and crew thought Orient Lines wouldn’t miss from the Marco Polo! This is by far the best place to buy wood carvings 1/4 what they were asking in Djibouti. (more…)

Djibouti

// November 7th, 1996 // Comments Off // Djibouti, Passage To Africa

After several wonderful days at sea cruising down the East African coast we reached Djibouti, a tiny country on the elbow of Africa. I believe our cruise director summed it up perfectly in his Port Talk “I think the only reason we stop in Djibouti is because the fuel’s cheap. We will have shuttle busses running to the main part of town, but my quess is you’ll come back on the same one you went in on.” (Ok, so I actually did get off the shuttle – I caught the next one back to the ship, 15 minutes later.) (more…)

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