Madagascar, the world’s 4th largest island used to be part of Africa until about 180 million years ago. Because it is so isolated, it has many unique animal species. Its population is over 30 million people and growing rapidly. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 81% of the population live at […]

Reunion is way down south in the Indian Ocean off the SE coast of Africa. It is fully French. Its citizens carry French passports. Although we have visited here twice before in 2010 and 2019, (https://jetsetway.com/reunion-island/  and (https://jetsetway.com/reunion-island-2019/), never have we been to St Denis, its major city. The Grand Marche is the spot for […]

The Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa and the least populated (approx. 100,000). Claimed by the French is the 1756, taken over by the British in 1811, the Seychelles gained independence in 1976. Built in 1903 the central downtown clocktower represents the ties between The Seychelles and The British Empire.   We were docked […]

Day 1 was catamaran day. 12 of us chartered a catamaran for the day. It started out very hot and humid. A group went in the dingy to the toll for excellent snorkeling. Then it rained for 10 minutes, which we all quite enjoyed. They served us a great lunch. Day 2  Jess went to […]

We had a nice hike around Colombo today. The city was pretty much dead today because things were closed after the end of Ramadan. Here is a picture of normal busy days. We witnesed significant poverty. In the middle of things was a Hindu temple. Who would guess seeing a 75-foot lighthouse in the middle […]

Sabang is the most Northwesterly city in Indonesia. Population is about 42,000. This housing overlooked our cruise dock. Most of us who took a tour chose to go on the two-hour rickshaw ride to see a bit of the city. The city was mostly closed today because Ramadan had just ended. This is a typical […]

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and a tourist delight. There is so much to do and prices are ridiculously cheap. I hired a private guide for five hours and was quite pleasantly surprised to see the deluxe van he brought, to say nothing of the driver. We’re talking $115 total! It is such […]

Singapore is one of the world’s great cities. About 6MM people live here and 20MM more will visit this year. We docked right across the water from the Marina Bay Sands. View from our room. Here is a shot Allyn took from inside the  rooftop restaurant where we dined last night. Greenery is big here. […]

A must read. About 10,000 convicts populated Freemantle Prison during 30 years starting in the mid 1800s. Britain used the system to expand its world influence, punish criminals, and make its homeland a safer place. It is Western Australia’s only World Heritage Site. Convicts were those who took the three-month journey from Britain. Prisoners was […]

It was a beautiful day, today, in Busselton, Australia.  Located on the southwest tip of Western Australia, it is known for its beautiful stretch of white beach. It is famous for its 19th century mile-long wood jetty. That makes it the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. Locals made good use of the public parks. The […]