Zululand, South Africa May 8, 2023 When we arrived in South Africa, we immediately went by van to Phinda Forest Lodge for a photo safari (we were part of a group of 8 passengers from the ship).   Phinda is one of the many lodges owned by a company called “&Beyond” which promotes sustainable travel […]

Maputo, Mozambique May 7, 2023 We just finished—wait for it—a pirate drill. Apparently we are about to enter a high-risk area (HRA) for piracy. Not something you see every day.  Anyway, we arrived in Maputo, Mozambique on Monday, May 1st. Now officially known as the Republic of Mozambique, it has a population of 30 million […]

A Stop in Nosy Be, Madagascar April 28, 2023 We arrived at Nosy Be, Madagascar on the 27th of April. (The island country is officially known as the Republic of Madagascar.) To put this visit in perspective, it is necessary to consider one overriding  fact, namely that Madagascar is  one of the poorest countries in […]

On to the Seychelles April 26, 2023 The Republic of the Seychelles, as it is officially known, is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean consisting of 115 islands. Its capital and largest city is Victoria which also happens to be the smallest capital city in the world measured by population. In fact at just under […]

Salalah,  Oman April 25, 2023 Our last stop in the Middle East was Salalah, Oman. Salalah is the 3rd largest city in Oman, which is officially known as the Sultanate of Oman. It is one of the only two Sultanates in the world, the other being Brunei.  Salalah (pop about 200,000) is the capital city […]

More on the Middle East — Abu Dhabi April 24, 2023 After visiting Dubai we sailed over to Abu Dhabi — the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the second largest city of the UAE, after Dubai. As of 2018 the population of Abu Dhabi was about 1.8 million people. However, […]

The Middle East: Exploring Dubai April 23, 2023 We flew from Delhi (where is was 102 degrees) on Saturday the 15th to  relatively hospitable Dubai where it was a refreshing 75 degrees. The next day we were on a walking tour of Old Dubai.  We first marched through the Bastakiya area that features the “Creek” […]

On the Road to Jaipur April 22, 2023 We got up and boarded the coach to Jaipur fairly early. There was no lack of cows on the main road, for which the other vehicles made way.  Along the way we stopped at a rural village named Abhaneri to see its historic step well.  Stepwells were […]

April 12, 2023 The Agra Fort After visiting the Taj Mahal in the morning we made our way over to the Agra Fort, about 2.5 kilometers away. Also known as Agra’s Red Fort, it was built by Mughai Emperor Akbar. Construction commenced in 1565 and was completed in 1573. (They didn’t have the EPA to […]