Lomé, Togo

            Sunday, 28 Jan 2018 – At about 8:45 AM, an announcement told passengers that the local people on the dock of Lomé were welcoming us.  From our portside window near the front of the ship, we could see them; however, they were near the aft exit of the ship.  On our way to breakfast and even as we ate breakfast, we had a better view because the dancing continued for about three hours.  Six drummers, two (men) on stilts, and 12 dancers performed.  Otherwise, since our excursion was scheduled for afternoon, our day began much like the previous five days: breakfast, swimming for a half hour, and then lunch.
            Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a very small nation in West Africa, bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east, and Burkina Foso to the north.  It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea.  Togo covers about 22,000 square miles, making it one of the smallest countries in Africa.  Sally had always thought that northwest Africa gives the appearance of a head facing west.  If you can visualize this shape, Togo is on the underside (throat?) of the head, with its coastline (where its capital Lomé is located) facing south.

Map of West Africa

            At 2:15 two busses were waiting on the pier to take passengers on our 3-hour excursion “Voodoo Ceremony in Sanguera.”  The ship was docked in Lomé, and it was a one-hour drive to the village of Sanguera.  Isaac, our tour guide, spoke very broken English, and we didn’t understand much of what he said.

            From the 11th to the 16th century, various tribes entered the West Africa region from all directions. From the 16th century to the 18th century, the coastal region was a major trading center for Europeans to search for slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name “The Slave Coast.”  In 1884, Germany declared a region including present-day Togo as a protectorate called Togoland.  However, after World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France, where Togo remained until it gained its independence from France in 1960.  Although Togo is supposed to be a democracy, one man (and then his son) has been “President” since 1967.  Even though the official language is French (which appears on billboards and signs), the spoken language seems to be a native one.

          In climate, Togo is tropical sub-Saharan.  Because of the possibility of insects, Jesse wore jeans, but most male passengers wore shorts; Sally wore capris.  Both of us wore short-sleeved shirts, but we also used bug spray.  (However, we didn’t see any mosquitoes or other flying insects.)

Libation Ceremony

            After the busses parked in Sanguera and passengers disembarked, we walked a few yards to where an elder was standing.  He “offered a libation” which involved his pouring a liquid on the dry, dusty ground while he uttered unintelligible words.  After that, a guide told us that we could “enter his compound.”  Throughout the libation, many villagers, including children, were standing around him and us.  Then we all walked several yards farther back into a clearing, where the audience sat on benches facing the clearing.  Young children were everywhere, many sitting among the ship passengers.  Here, we watched tribal members dancing to drums.  Although both men and women took part of the dancing, most of them appeared to be teenage boys.  We were expecting to see some drama unfold.  At first, it appeared that something important might be happening in the middle of the group of dancers, which was to one side and blocked from our view by the dancers.  Two young men and one woman wore grass skirts over their shorts.  Despite the “falling down” of one male dancer who appeared to be in ecstasy and, then, several minutes later, of another dancer, we could not see any action that might be precipitating such behavior, even after the group separated enough for our visibility to improve.  The old man who had offered the libation was not part of that group.  Part of the ceremony included the hacking open of one coconut and then another with a hatchet.  The first coconut appeared to be filled with blood; the other two were filled with the clear liquid which was poured into a cup and several participants drank from it.  Jesse noticed that a few of the men had slight cuts on their arms that were bleeding.

            As the bus drove to and from Sanguera, we found the countryside interesting.  Although the main streets in Lomé were paved, the side streets were simply dirt roads, sometimes with water running down or standing in them.  Since local people walk most places, stands selling food and many other items were very frequent along the road.  Jesse commented that motorcycles were larger here than in Vietnam, but not nearly as large as the Harleys that Americans ride.  Since most of the road traffic consists of motorcycles and a few automobiles, our bus driver used his horn very frequently, warning pedestrians and motorcycles not to get in his way!

            In 3 hours at 3:15, we arrived back at the ship.  We danced for a half-hour before dinner at the café.  At dinner tonight, we learned that a nightclub in Fortaleza, Brazil, was the scene of a deadly shootout early Saturday.  According to CNN, a gunmen opened fire early Saturday at a party in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza, killing at least 14 people, including eight women.  We were just in Fortaleza 8 days ago on 20 Jan 2018!

Before turning in for the night, we set our clocks forward one hour again – which caused us to go to bed an hour later than we would have preferred, since we were supposed to have an excursion leaving at 8:30 tomorrow morning.  (Now we are 7 hours later than Iowa time.) 

5 Days at Sea

            Tuesday, 23 Jan 2018 – Before retiring last night, we set our clocks forward by one hour, for the third time since Miami.  As of today, we are 4 hours later than in Iowa, now on our way eastward across the Atlantic Ocean toward Africa.
            After breakfast, we swam – and watched each other to make sure we didn’t hit our heads on the side because of the strong “current.”
            We ate dinner in the Grand Dining Room for the fourth time, to eat and talk with dancers Christina & Spiro, and want-to-be dancers, Jalynn & Mike. “Jay” (as she calls herself) wanted to hear how the others of us learned to dance.  Christina & Spiro learned on cruises; although they dance in pretty much the same style to any type of music (by speeding up or slowing down), they look good on the dance floor.  Although Christina grew up mostly in Georgia and they live in Augusta, she’s “not a Dixie girl,” she said.  Her father was military.  Spiro, from Greece, has a heavy accent; he has also lived and worked in other places in the world.  Jay & Mike live in Maryland, near Washington, DC.  We also discussed genealogy, research methods, DNA genealogy, etc.
            Wednesday, 24 Jan 2018 – This morning at breakfast we sat with Jack & Kathie.  In talking about travels, it came out that he was also in Vietnam, a year before Jesse.  However, Jack was a medic.  He decided he liked the military and stayed in and retired after 42 years.  The rest of the day fell into our usual routine: swimming for a half hour, lunch, dancing for a half hour, and dinner at the café (when Sally had lobster for the 12th time!).
            Thursday, 25 Jan 2018 – As we were walking back to our cabin this morning at 10:00, the ship’s captain announced that we would have training at 10:15.  Although this had been announced previously, we had not been given a time for it.  The first part of the training was for pirates.  (We had this training previously on a ship cruising at the mouth of the Red Sea.  Apparently, pirates also might operate on the west coast of Africa.)  In case we hear the alarm (6 short blasts & one long one), our drapes are pulled shut if we are in the cabin; also lights would be out.  We are to go into the hallway outside our room, as we did for this drill.  After this, we received a review of the emergency drill (while standing in place, without going to the Insignia Lounge or lifeboats).

Crossing Ceremony

            After the drill, we swam for a half hour.  (Sally was glad that we hadn’t put on our swimsuits yet before the drill was called!)  Soon it was time for lunch… and then for dinner.  There was no dancing tonight. 

Crossing Certificate

              Friday, 26 Jan 2018 – At 11:00 AM the “crossing ceremony” was held on deck by the pool.  When we have attended these previously on other ships, we never found a place to sit – although Jesse can take some photos by holding up his camera above the heads of most people (because of his long arms).  Therefore, he went alone today for that purpose, for just a short time.  We crossed the equator previously in December 2011, September 2012, and March 2015.  Also, we had already crossed it on this cruise, not long before reaching Recife.  The first time crossing, one graduates from a polliwog to a shellback.  We and other passengers received certificates.
            Since that ceremony took place poolside, we didn’t start our half hour of swimming until about noon.  In the hot tub, we sat and talked for quite a while with Sharon from Wisconsin, who now lives in Tucson with her husband Barry.  Then we hurried to eat lunch before the café closed.  At lunch, we talked with Tim, whom we had met earlier.
            In the evening we attended (along with about half of the passengers – the other half attended last night) a “private cocktail party” for Oceania Club members.  This affair was almost exactly like one we attended a few nights after boarding the ship.  Again, we were served free drinks (rum punch for us), and we danced to the orchestra.  During that time, we made arrangements to eat dinner with Christina & Spiro in the Grand Dining Room.  Spiro, though Greek, grew up in Tanzania; he attended secondary [boarding] school in Greece, and studied architecture in England.  Christina’s father was in the U.S. military, and she was born in Munich.  She and Spiro were married in a civil ceremony in the U.S., but the marriage was not recognized by the Greek Orthodox Church – until they were remarried by the Church!  They moved to the U.S. primarily so that their child (Christina was pregnant) would not have to attend boarding school.
             A little later, we danced again from 8:45 to 9:15   Tonight before bed we set our clocks forward again, making us 6 hours ahead (later) of CST at home.
           Saturday, 27 Jan 2018 – When Sally awoke, she thought it might be 5:00 AM or so – but it was 9:00 AM.  After donning clothes, we hurried to the café before they finished serving breakfast at 10:00!  Then we went swimming for a half hour; the water was even calmer than yesterday, which meant more people came into the pool while we were there.  (Usually they don’t stay very long because they aren’t wearing swim goggles, and salt water burns their eyes.  But one woman did “swim” for a half hour yesterday without getting her head wet!)
            At lunch time, we found out that the café had set up a separate buffet line with breakfast items for passengers with confused brains that hadn’t adjusted well to the clock changes!   We danced in the Horizons Lounge from 6:30 to 7:00, and joined Christina and Spiro for dinner in the Terrace Café.

Recife, Brazil

Church of Saint Anthony

            Monday, 22 Jan 2018 – This morning we had to get moving early in order to eat breakfast before our 4-hour excursion “Highlights of Recife and Olinda [Brazil].”  First, it was necessary to take a shuttle from the ship through the shipping area of the harbor, and then walk through a large, seemingly empty building to our tour bus.

            When signing up for excursions, Sally made a small error this time.  Although she might have chosen the best one, we had seen most of these sites in 2011.  However, we had a better guide this time – Hugo – who had spent some time in the U.S. and even used American slang (such as “gonna”).  First the bus drove through the heart of Recife (pronounced “Re-see’fee) to visit the gorgeous Golden Chapel that is part of the Convent and Church of Saint Anthony.  Its intricate Baroque design, covered in gold leaf, makes it one of the most beautiful and historic examples of religious art in Brazil.

            Recife is part of the fourth largest metropolitan area in Brazil, with a population of nearly 4 million.  Before being colonized by Portugal, the area was briefly held by the Dutch.  When we noticed an absence of languages other than Portuguese at tourist sites, we had to remind ourselves that Brazil is about the same size as continental U.S.A. (without Hawaii and Alaska) – and people in Brazil speak Portuguese, just as Americans speak English.

Sipping Coconut Juice in Olinda

Next, we headed to the 16th century colonial town of Olinda.  At Carmo Square, we left our motor coach and boarded a minivan to traverse the narrow winding, cobblestone streets of this historical city center.  Olinda's main square, the Alto da Sé, lies on the crest of the town's highest hill.  A remarkably well-preserved colonial city, founded in 1534, UNESCO has declared Olinda a world historical monument.  Upon arrival, we followed Hugo on foot to explore the Alto da Sé and the Sé Cathedral.  At one point, we watched a brief Brazilian dance by a few young people in colorful costumes.  After walking through two craft shops, we boarded the minivan and then the bus.

Photo Stop at an Urban Beach

En route to the ship, our bus stopped so that we could see a Recife urban beach.  Even though none of us planned to go into the water, Hugo somewhat jokingly warned us of the shark danger here.  He said that there have been 60 shark attacks since 1990, and 30 of them were fatal.  At the beach we saw a large sign warning of sharks – and this sign included an English translation.  Hugh told us that man created the shark problem by destroying mangroves forests.  A mangrove is a tree or shrub that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide.  Mangroves typically have numerous tangled roots above the ground and form dense thickets.  Those mangrove forests were the habitat of many animals, which provided food for sharks that have lived in that part of the ocean for thousands of years.  After mangrove forests were destroyed, sharks started attacking humans.  There are reefs along much of the coast of Recife; in fact, the word “Recife” is derived from an Arabic word for reef.  Although he didn’t exactly say it, we both thought that Hugo implied that it is safest to swim inside the reef at low tide, when the sharks are less likely to be closest to shore.

We arrived back at the ship about 1:30 instead of 1:00.  Our group was probably minutes late at the various stops, which made the trip a little longer.

Since lunch wouldn’t be served much longer in the café, we hurried as fast as we could.  After eating, we swam for about a half hour, though Sally stopped a little before that.  Back in the room, Sally took a nap – which extended 3 hours.  Jesse wasn’t happy because we missed some dancing during that time.  Then we had dinner, and danced for a half hour before returning to our cabin for the night.

At Sea

            Sunday, 21 Jan 2018 – We barely made it to breakfast this morning before the Terrace Café stopped serving (which is 10:00 AM).  As we were finishing, we heard an announcement that their “special Sunday brunch” would be served in the Grand Dining Room starting at 10:00.  However, our breakfast was delicious (as usual) and we didn’t feel we had missed anything.
            Soon we were in the pool for our half-hour swim.  Sally insisted that the pool was even rougher than it has been.  We could see whitecaps on the sea today.  Also, when we used the shower beside the pool, the spray from the nozzle kept changing direction because the wind was coming from all sides, it seemed, so that it was impossible to stay under the spray.  Therefore, swimming was definitely great exercise!  Although we have not said previously, this pool contains salt water.  Also, the poolside shower water was very cold until a few days ago; now it is warm, no doubt because of the ship’s location.
            We danced tonight in the Horizons Lounge for 45 minutes, during which time we also talked with new friends.  After that, we enjoyed a wonderful meal in the café.  Some desserts are impossible for Sally to avoid; the brownie with nuts was still hot inside, just out of the oven, served with a choice of ice cream was just too good to resist!

Fortaleza, Brazil

            Saturday, 20 Jan 2018 – Since our ship wouldn’t be docking in Fortaleza until this evening, this was mostly an “at-sea” day.  As we have been doing, we swam for a half hour after breakfast.  From 5:45 to 6:30 PM, there was dancing in the Horizons Lounge.  Since this was the only dancing scheduled for today, several couples were already dancing when we arrived there – most unusual.  Choppy seas still caused extra, unplanned steps.  And then we had our dinner.
            Due to a strong head wind, it had been announced earlier today by the Captain that docking at Fortaleza would be even later than previously estimated.  The ship didn’t actually dock until 9:00 PM.  About that time, we joined a line waiting near the ship’s exit.  Right outside the ship, we were ushered onto a waiting shuttle.  One shuttle had just taken off; we waited for 5-10 minutes before ours left, taking us through the dock area.  After getting off that shuttle, we walked only a few yards before boarding another bus, which took us to the central market of the city.  Although it was after 9:30 PM by then, a huge crowd of people were in the downtown market area of Fortaleza.  Some visitors might have been shocked to see people in the streets so late.  However, we remembered from our 2011 cruise around the southern half of South America that the Brazilians who boarded at Rio de Janeiro had wanted the dining staff to serve them dinner at 10:00 PM (which they refused)!  Also, this was Saturday night in Fortaleza. 

Fortaleza's Central Market

            Our bus stopped in front of a hotel, where we had been instructed that we could board a bus (marked “Insignia”) at any time, in order to return to the ship.   We saw many rows of stalls set up across the street, where all sorts of items were being sold – food, drinks, bags of popcorn, clothing, tablecloths, artwork…. For perhaps 10-15 minutes, we walking, looking at some things, without approaching too closely.  Although Jesse had considered shopping, we didn’t have local money and he would not have handed over his credit card in that dark environment.  Because it was so dark and we were not walking as part of a tourist group, Sally was frightened and hung onto Jesse’s hand!
            Soon, we walked back to the corner, crossed the street, and boarded a bus that other Oceania passengers were also boarding.  (One woman who boarded the bus after us said that the sales person wouldn’t accept U.S. money.  However, we heard from someone else later that apparently some sellers did.)  Jesse had tried to take a few photos but it was much too dark for very good photos.  We were back on the ship by 10:45 PM.  Later, someone told us that she had taken the bus right back to the ship, without even getting off!

At Sea

            Friday, 19 Jan 2018 – At breakfast, we sat at a table with Canute and Julie.  He is of Jamaican descent, and they live in Toronto where Julie was born.  After finishing our meal, we continued to sit for a few minutes to talk with them.  Soon we were in the pool having a good swim.  According to the ship’s TV channel, seas were “moderate,” but the pool water was “sloshing” back and forth so much that we had to watch the sides carefully, to avoid being hurt.  It seemed too dangerous to swim on our backs.  (Later, the higher deck was closed for walking due to high winds.)
            A special announcement from the Captain this afternoon informed us all that the ship would not be docking in Fortaleza, Brazil tomorrow morning as originally scheduled.  Because of an emergency medical problem of one passenger, the ship had turned back to Belém in the wee hours of the morning and now would not reach Fortaleza until about 7:00 PM tomorrow; therefore, (of course) excursions were cancelled.
            In the late afternoon, we danced in the Horizons before dinner.  We were delighted to see several other couples dancing there.  Since there was no dancing scheduled after dinner, we returned to our cabin for the remainder of the evening spent with Internet and TV.

Belém, Brazil

            Thursday, 18 Jan 2018 – This morning we went to breakfast early (for us) and then swam for almost a half-hour.  After that, we ate lunch.  Since we needed to meet at 12:00 noon for our 4.5-hour excursion “Art and Culture of Belém ,“ we knew we would be very hungry if we didn’t eat lunch before leaving.
            When we arrived in the Insignia room just before 12:00, the others in our group had already left to board a tender – so that we were among the last to board.  We squeezed into two of the few vacant seats.  [Insignia tenders are small, holding only 100 people; there is no upper level.]  When we had a close look at the water surrounding the tender, the water was definitely not ocean; to us, it looked like the “muddy Mississippi.”  En route, we could see lots of tall buildings ahead on the shore.  Within 15 minutes, we arrived at the dock in Belém.
            Belém, capital of the state of Pará, is in northern Brazil, and is situated on Guajará Bay, part of the Amazon River delta. Our ship had already advanced from the Atlantic Ocean about 80 miles up the Para River.  The city’s climate is equatorial, with an average temperature of 80 degrees and an annual rainfall of 86 inches.  (It might have rained an inch in places while we were onshore!)  In 1616 the fortified settlement later called Santa Maria de Belém (St. Mary of Bethlehem), consolidated Portuguese supremacy over the French in what is now northern Brazil.  The city has mainly profited by trade, first the sugar trade; then rice, cotton, and coffee, followed by rubber.  Today, valuable exports include (among other things) metals, Brazil nuts, and pineapples.  In the market by the pier, people come very early each day for fresh fruit and fish. The fish are from the river, not from the ocean.
            Onshore, our guide, Raissa, led us to our bus.  Although it was very large and double-decker, our group sat on the top level only, in about the front half of the bus. 
            First, we visited a 17th-century Baroque church, Santo Alexandre (St. Alexander), the former Jesuit complex.  The façade of the church is white with four stories, with the fourth level being a tower on each side of the church.  Inside, we found it to be very dark, with dark wood and poor lighting.  Except for the new, comfortable seats, the interior is of dark wood with no color visible on walls or ceiling and few decorations except for sculptures.
            Early writings indicate that at the end of the 17th century, the college associated with the church had a library of 2,000 books, painting, and sculpture workshops.  Connected to the church now is the Museum of Sacred Art.  Started in 1998, this important cultural museum is the first of its kind in the Amazonian region.  Considered Brazil's most important museum, the Museum of Sacred Art is home to more than 300 pieces of sacred art.

Fort Presépio

Leaving the Museum, a short walk (in the rain) brought us to Presépio Fort, a 17th-century fortress that served as the original hub of the city.  Out on the patio are original 19th-century cannons that were used during Belem's wartime past.  The main attraction at the fort is the Encontro Museum, which recreates the history of the Tupiunambá Indians prior, during and after the Portuguese settlement.  All signs here were in Portuguese, as they had been at the Museum of Sacred Art.  However, we found the pictures on the wall very interesting.  Two appeared to show a tribe practicing cannibalism.  One, which was a photograph, showed a priest blessing some natives, who wore no clothing.  Other pictures also showed the natives with no clothing.

            Next, we visited the Teatro da Paz (Theater of Peace), located in Belem’s main square.  This Opera House remains a bold testament to the city's former rubber fortunes.  Inside, in the main room, we sat in the large, rear balcony.  Looking up, we could see more balconies at several levels.  Our guide explained how opera attendees had been seated according to their social status, with the highest strata of society being the rubber barons.  Middle class and working class people had their own seating sections/levels.  At the top, servants could attend, standing because no seats were available for them!  This 19th-century Rococo building was recently restored to its original glory, and once hosted such famous performers as Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  (She is most recognized for the creation of the role “The Dying Swan” and, with her own company, became the first ballerina to tour ballet around the world.)
            As we came back to the entrance of the theater, though the door we could see torrents of rain coming down.  We laughed because we could also see an umbrella vendor near the door, trying to catch the eye of any interested buyer.  Actually, earlier that day, our guide had advised us to carry umbrellas, but this time she had told us that it wasn’t necessary.  However, after a few minutes, it was only sprinkling, and we walked to our bus.
            Since we had not been standing in one place for long at a time, Sally had told Jesse to leave the backpack (which is her folded-up stool) on the bus.  However, by this time, she was feeling tired from not getting enough sleep last night and from her back beginning to hurt from too much standing.  Therefore, we stayed on the bus at our final stop, which was to the Jewel Museum, formerly used as a prison until just a few years ago.  The state’s first jewelry collection, which began in 1999, is housed here.
            Soon, we arrived back at the dock and were ushered immediately onto a tender going back to the ship.  We continued to feel chilled for several hours from being wet from rain and then sitting in the cold air-conditioning of the bus.
            Within 15 minutes of being back in our cabin, Sally was asleep – until Jesse woke her an hour later for dinner.  In the café, we ate seafood stir-fry, which was excellent.  Although Sally (unlike Jesse!) has been resisting dessert most of the time, tonight she couldn’t resist brownie & ice cream.  After dinner we danced for 30 minutes, this time with at least three or four other couples.

Map of Brazil

At Sea

            Wednesday, 17Jan 2018 –. We went to breakfast late (as late as possible and still obtain the full breakfast), and swam afterward.  The ship continued to rock a lot today, causing the pool to slosh back and forth like the tide going in and out.  In rough water, using swim goggles helps us see the sides of the pool as we approach, lessening the risk of being thrown against the side.  In general, others didn’t think the pool seemed inviting.  Of course, we ate a late lunch. 
            Dancing was from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Horizons Lounge.  An hour was really too long for Sally since we were the only dancers and had no one else to talk with.  Again, the rocking of the ship caused many extra, unplanned steps taken across the floor; however, we were part of the “show” for anyone who happened to look up from their conversations.  At least, the orchestra applauded us after we finished our Tango!  (They were glad that someone was listening to them!)
            Soon afterward, we happened to be walking into the Terrace Café for dinner at the same time as Rich and Helma, whom we had met last night.  As we had the previous time, we talked until 9:30 PM and were among the last to leave the restaurant.

Devil’s Island, French Guiana

            Tuesday, 16 Jan 2018 – Today our ship anchored off the coast of a cluster of three islands.  All passengers wishing to go ashore received tickets to board a tender, which left every 30 minutes.  Since it was only a short distance, in very little time we were on an island.
            Although it seemed that our destination today was to be “Devil’s Island,” further information clarifies the situation:  The Îles du Salut (Salvation Islands, in French) consists of three main islands: (1) Île Royale, (2) Île Ste. Joseph, and (3) Île du Diable.  The Salvation Islands, so-called because missionaries went there to escape a plague on the mainland, are a group of small islands of volcanic origins about 6.8 miles off the coast of French Guiana.  Originally, the entire group was called the Îles du Diable (“Devil Islands”) by their earliest known settlers, a group of colonists from France who retreated to the islands in the 1760’s from the unhealthy lowlands around Kourou.
            Today our ship’s tenders took us to the Île Royale.  After climbing up a long path and then numerous steps, we found ourselves near some small buildings. 

Governor's House (museum)

            On the walls inside the Governor’s House (museum) were numerous paintings of prisoners, shown as they lived, in cells, at work, awaiting the guillotine, being buried at sea, etc.  A sign near the door told of the painter, Francis LeGrange, who had himself been a prisoner at Devil’s Island.  Although LeGrange (1894-1964) was a good painter, he could earn more money by falsifying bank notes, paintings of others, and rare stamps. (It was said that he copied paintings better than he created them!)  In 1931, when he was 36, his livelihood drew suspicions, and he was sentenced to ten years of forced labor at the prison on Île Royale.  Francis LeGrange’s paintings provide a major historical testimony of the everyday life inside the Devil Island Prisons.
            Devil’s Island was the commonly known name for the penal colony of Cayenne, and was a famous prison of the 19th and 20th century.  It operated at several locations in French Guiana.  Opened in 1852, it was notorious for being used for internal exile of French political prisoners.  It is also known for its harsh treatment of criminals who were deported there from all parts of the French empire.  In 1938 the French government stopped sending prisoners to Devil’s Island, and in 1953 the prison system was finally closed entirely.
            The most famous prisoner was Capt. Alfred Dreyfus (born in 1859), a French-Jewish artillery officer who was wrongly accused of selling military secrets to the Germans.  In 1895 with poor evidence, Dreyfus was summarily convicted in a secret court martial, publicly stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.  His conviction was based primarily on anti-Semitism.  The Dreyfus affair became one of the most tense political dramas in modern French history.  In 1908 Dreyfus was officially exonerated by a military commission; the following day, he was readmitted into the army with a promotion to the rank of major.  In his 50’s, he served on the Western Front during World War I, mostly behind the lines, though he also performed front-line defense at Verdun.  During that war, Dreyfus rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.  He died in Paris, aged 75, in 1935.
            Although we could see paths which might lead to more buildings, with a very few people from our ship venturing onto them, in a short time we were dripping with perspiration in that humid, very uncomfortable environment.  At that point, we believed we had seen enough of this depressing site.  Retracing our steps back down to the pier, we soon boarded a tender and returned to the ship.
            Soon afterward, we were in the pool, enjoying a cool, relaxing swim and brief “soak” in the hot tub before lunch.
            This evening we attended our second Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party, just like the event held on January 4th.  The first one was soon after we boarded in Miami to start the first segment of this cruise, and this second one (tonight) was held after the start of the second segment.  (We assume that a third party will be held after boarding in Cape Town, for the third segment.)  Besides enjoying the free drinks, our main pleasure is the opportunity for dancing, as the orchestra plays before and after the introductions of the ship personnel.  This time, we ended up sitting at a table with a couple whose cabin is next door to ours, Carissa and Don, of Scottsdale, Arizona.  (Incredibly, this is their third World Cruise; and each time they have stayed in the same cabin!)
            After the orchestra stopped playing, we went to eat dinner, tonight in the Grand Dining Hall (for only our third time so far).  Here we were seated with Rich and Helma of Allentown, PA.  Helma explains that her parents were immigrants from Austria, and her name is spelled “Thelma,” without the “T.”  In her early years, she lived not far from Des Moines, Iowa, where she had been a teacher/counselor.  The four of us found so many mutual interests and beliefs to discuss that we stayed at the table talking at length – and, as a result, we missed our usual final dancing of the evening from 8:45 to 9:15 PM.

At Sea

Monday, 15 Jan 2018 – The seas were still rough today.  In fact, the pool was not only covered with a net, but the water had been drained from it.  Therefore, no swimming today!  But tonight we did dance though we and the other couples sometimes stopped, laughing, because we were nearly falling down.

Scarborough, Tobago

Sunday, 14 Jan 2018 – Today our ship docked in the Bridgetown harbor, where it sat all day alone, with no other passenger ships in sight.  Our small bus of about 20 passengers departed from the pier by 8:45 AM to start our 4-hour “Tobago Highlights and Folklore Show” excursion.  Our guide was Smeaki (at least that’s how her name sounded to us – she might have said “Asweeki” or something similar); the driver was Roger.

Fort King George

Scarborough was first settled by the Dutch in 1654.  A few years later, the settlement fell first to the French and then to the British.  Since the British won any engagements, English is the official language of Tobago.  (However, Smeaky’s heavy accent was indicative of some other native language!)  Our bus stopped at Fort King George, built by the British on a cliff high above the ocean in the 1770s.  This fort, which is the island’s best-preserved historical monument, offers a fine panoramic view of the bay.  (Today, the saturated soil showed the results of heavy rain last night or early morning.) 

After viewing the remains of the fort, we visited the Fort King George officers’ quarters which is now the home of a small but interesting museum.  Inside, among other items, are ancient Amerindian artifacts, maps from the 1600’s, and some very nice artwork from Africa. 

In the museum Sally noticed a plaque on the wall explaining August 1st, Tobago’s Emancipation Day as the “Day to mark freedom” after the Middle Passage and 300 years of slavery.  Further research on this topic, as related to Tobago, provides more detail:

In the British Parliament, the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolished slavery throughout the British Empire (with the exceptions of the Territories in the Possession of the East India Company – which took place the following year on August 1, 1834).  Only slaves under the age of six years were freed.  Former slaves older than six were re-designated as “apprentices” and required to work 40 hours per week without pay, as part of compensation payment to their former owners.  Full emancipation was finally achieved at midnight on July 31, 1838.  Interestingly, although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation didn’t happen until 1862 (to take place as of January 1, 1863, abolitionism gained momentum in the U.S. in the 1830’s.

Smeaki informed us of the money exchange rates, and then said that the minimum wage here is $15 an hour – but at $1 USD = $6.7 Trinidad/Tobago, $15 equates to about $2.44.  She also said they have oil; it is deepwater off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.  Online, we later learned that Trinidad/Tobago is the wealthiest country in the Caribbean as well as the third richest country in the Americas after the U.S. and Canada.  Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, the country’s economy is primarily industrial (not based on tourism or agriculture), with an emphasis on petroleum.  Additional petrochemical aluminum and plastics projects are in various stages of planning.  Although Tobago was obviously more prosperous than the other Caribbean islands that we visited, it did not appear at all “wealthy” to us.  And, so far, only about 5% of its employment is in oil/gas.

When we passed a cemetery, we saw what appeared to be goats grazing on the grass there.  Smeaki said they were sheep that had been recently sheared.

At another stop, we saw Fort James, a British-built fortress constructed with coral stone in the 1800s on the site of a picket post where soldiers watched for enemy invaders.  On those grounds are two old-looking trees with big bumps like warts on them; we were told these are almond trees. 

Also nearby, near Plymouth, on the grounds of what was once a sugar plantation, is the Mysterious Tombstone (or Mystery Tomb), which bears a puzzling epitaph from the 18th century.  The perfectly visible inscription is as follows:

“Within these Walls are Deposited the Bodies of Mrs. BETTY STIVEN and her Child  She was the beloved Wife of ALEX B STIVEN to the end of his days will deplore her Death which happen [sic] upon the 25th day of November 1783 in the 23rd Year of her Age  what was remarkable of her She was a Mother without knowing it  and a Wife without letting her Husband know it, except by her kind indulgences to him.”

Smeaki said, in part, that Betty was of royal descent, which required that she be interred on the grounds of their residence, not in a common cemetery.  However, the Internet provides other hypotheses, definitely not saying that Betty was of royal blood, but rather than most locals believe that this was a clever concealment of an interracial romance between a white slave-master and a black female slave.  From https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mystery-tomb:

“The stories, though, are a bit too big to believe: that Betty gave birth to four children while unconscious, whose existence was then concealed from her.  Also, the story relies on the idea that once a man takes a woman’s virginity, he becomes her husband, even without a ceremony.  Another, contradictory story claimed Betty was a wanton woman who fell in love with a man and got him drunk enough to marry her without his consent, but proceeded to indulge his every whim.  After getting pregnant, she got sick and gave birth in an unconscious state.”  There continues to be much hypothesizing.

Our bus drove through the Mount Irvine Bay Golf Course, carved from the grounds of an old coconut plantation, not far from a 5-star hotel.  Here, we used the washroom.  Inside the ladies’ room was a sign in English and three other languages that said, “Please do not wash your shoes in the sink.”  The sign struck Sally as funny because she remembered a similar sign in one of the Arabian countries that said not to wash feet in the sink.  Nearby, the beach at Store Bay on the island’s western tip offers a glorious view of the sea.  When we passed some coconut trees, Smeaki told us that they use coconuts in many ways.  Of coconut oil, she said that they even rub it on a baby’s skin as young as 2 days of age.  [Hey, you pediatricians out there – does that sound like a good idea?]

Finally, at the Fairfield Cultural Centre, we were greeted with a drink of punch, rum and coke, or rum punch before being seated for a traditional folkloric performance held outdoors.  At first, two men drummed skillfully, making those drums talk! Then, five young female dancers appeared, dressed in colorful costumes.  (Smeaki was the lead dancer.)  They wore long, white dresses (Smeaki’s was satin) with a shorter, red plaid skirt open in the front over the white dress and a matching short cape fastened at the neck.  Turbans with big bows in the back were on their heads.  Then the drummers performed again while the dancers changed clothes.  When the dancers appeared again, they were wearing orange and light green outfits, tight shorts now instead of long dresses, while dancing between two wooden poles.  Smeaki asked one unlucky man who was sitting on the front row to join them briefly.  Then, two young ladies used one of the poles to do the limbo.  Although they also asked for a volunteer for that activity, the audience sat still.  (Jesse says he was pretty good at the limbo in his younger days, but when he tried it later in our cabin, he was glad that he hadn’t volunteered!)  Anyway, the performance continued, with one young lady performing the limbo with great expertise, getting extremely close to the ground.

After returning to the ship, we swam and then Sally napped (since she awoke at 5:00 AM today).  Before dinner, we danced for 15-20 minutes.  For dinner, we ate Creole seafood soup and then salad; for the entrée, Jesse had beef stew with okra in it, and Sally had vegetables and a very thin slice of roast sirloin, which she requested of the server who was slicing the meat.  (Food is definitely as one likes it here!)  Jesse had dessert.  Later, in rough seas and the floor seeming to move under us, we danced again for a half hour, trying hard to put our feet where they were supposed to go – and sometimes just giving up and laughing!  Later, we danced for a half hour before the show (again with a “wobbly floor”) while people were gathering.  As many as 5 couples were on the floor this time; often there are only two couples – not many dancers on this ship.  We are known as “the dancers” to many other passengers, who compliment us.

Before bed, we set our clocks ahead again.  Now we are 2 hours earlier than Eastern Standard Time.  (In this way, we will gradually lose much more sleep!)