On the high seas from Ghana to Lisbon - April 2018

16 nights aboard the Silver Cloud , followed by 2 nights in Lisbon

Click on any of the thumbnails to get a bigger version of the picture

Business Class from Madrid to London, then London to Accra: we could get used to this! But maybe a more dignified
way of boarding the plane? A night in the Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra before the TRUE holiday began

16 days and nights of being pampered and super well fed- surprising that we had any time to explore ashore!

. .

Our first lunch up on deck was perfect, & well pleased with Suite 640, with butler, Daneesh, above , when we accessed it later
The padre was somewhat partial to afternoon tea. The dinner we had with the Cruise Consultant, Emily & mum Jude, just sent him to sleep!
Hot Rocks dining got colder as we sailed north. And were we proud of that certificate received from Captain Adam - free washing & all!
Enjoyed our meals with Victoria and Claire - though La Dama was a rip off!
And even had a few games of bridge . Alphonso & Snitzhana kept us well entertained on the piano, & all the waiters were whizz

 

 

First port of call was Takoradi, to visit two Cape Coast Slave castles, but we first stopped to see fish being smoked & then visited a school

The usual police escort (to facilitate our progress or to keep tabs on us bears?). The 2 castles visited were impressive, but sinister with all their history
Found some friends at lunch, before being fascinated by Pablo's drone - later saw its impressive shots!

Next day we went ashore in the Ivory Coast.

Once more the police escort- & 3 of our super expedition team. Grand Bassam was past its heyday! , but hey, look how it once looked!

Then onto Sierra Leone

We defied the waves to get ashore at Tokeh in a zodiac but got drenched on the return voyage!
Decided eating the cake was better than fire

Next day we went ashore in Freetown and drove to the Chimp Sanctuary

After a colourful show on the quay, we were driven to a football match for amputees before heading to what was, really, a zoo!
After lunch in the hills, a quick visit to the National Museum and then, what fun, the Railway Museum

On to a "Thomo's" tour of the Gambia- only the final fishing beach we visited was really worth seeing

A lorry made a change from a coach, and no police escort! The school was begging, but the primitive beach cafe was authentic. Loos in a nondescript museum

We then arrived in Senegal and had a half day tour of Dakar- hardly Silversea expedition worthy!

But the sand painting was fascinating and the North Korean Bronze monument..well...bizarre

 

But this was followed by an afternoon on Goree Island- with its colonial architecture, just made for the padres !

The ferry parked alongside the Silver Cloud to transport us across- got to know its captain en route! Then we detatched ourselves from the guides & had a
super explore of dilapidated buildings, guns, castle.. The dinner was a shambles & we were missing when they brought the return ferry forward 'Not our fault'!

Still in Senegal, next day we journeyed down to the shell island at Joal Fadiout

Walked the long way round, but then dithered too long about taking a canoe back: that did for the madre's ribs-ouch!!
A beer to recover, a visit to a primitive village & then we were suspected of being terrorists yet again!-all we wanted was lunch

Thence to the Spanish Sahara, well . . Morocco calls it the Western Sahara, and we were well tagged by the Moroccan Stazi!

Trips in the desert on 2 successive days was not good planning , & those poor camels . . .

And finally to Marrakech, a near 3 hour drive from the port of Safi

The Bahia Palace had wondrous ceilings, but too many visitors- even in April. Lunch was peppered with music & belly dancers
The visit to the Majorelle Gardens- Yves St Laurent- was a highlight, even in the rain. And the medina seemed less aggresive than in the 1980s!

End of the road ( or rather the sea!) Lisbon

Boyzz Life in 2018