Cruising the WorldDay 84

April 16, 2019 – Naples, Italy

We arrived at 8 am today. Captain Mercer announced that the immigration officials wouldn’t be on board for at least 15 minutes and that it would take at least 30 minutes to clear us. Next announcement was when the officials finally came aboard. 8:35. Hammish finally announced that we were cleared at 9:10. He also said that the Captain gave us extra time in Naples. All aboard is now 6:30. It is amazing how things work.

We quickly got off the ship and headed to an ATM in town to get some Euros. We will be able to use the Euros at most of the stops we will make until we finally head home. Lots of traffic on the streets and lots of horns. We did find an ATM and were able to withdraw some Euros. We headed back to the port to meet out tour guide. Pick-up was 9:45.

Maria met us at about 9:35 and we waited for two other couples. We boarded out tour bus at 9:45 and made two more pickup stops on our way to Pompei. I remember Pompei from school and I knew it was Mt. Vesuvius that caused the sudden destruction of the city. Mt. Vesuvius exploded in 79 AD and completed covered a very prominent Roman City. Second only to Rome in size. The area was first settled around 800 BC

We didn’t arrive until 11 am because of the pickups and traffic. My main concern about this adventure was getting back on the ship. Now it looks like 6:30 pm is not even enough time.

We finally started the tour at 11:30 am and the site contained hundreds if not thousands of visitors. We considered breaking off of the group more than one time but glad we did hang in with the group.

I have seen ruins from the Roman times before but I was really impressed with the size of the city. It covers about 170 acres. Maria said that it had been covered with 4 – 6 meters of ash and was forgotten about until the 16 C. Serious excavation took place in the 19 C. What really is amazing is that life was captured as it ended. People were covered in ash and their bodies decomposed after about a year. What was left were the skeletal remains and a cavern of hardened ash around what was formerly their bodies. Archeologists could tunnel down, pour in plaster and then clear the debris around them. What remained was a plaster likeness of their bodies with the skeleton inside. These bodies could be viewed at the museum. Closed on Tuesday. I did look on the internet and found some images. Very impressive.

I took this photo to try to capture how big the area is. This is just one street of many, many streets. The stone structure in the lower part of the photo held water. There were many to be found.

Each water fountain had an image carved into it. This became a way to identify areas of the city for those that lived here.

Water was carried in lead pipes. There are some who believe that these pipes killed the Roman society by poisoning them with lead. Others think they didn’t live a long enough life to be affected by lead.

These signs were added by the excavation team.

This is a close up of the street. The narrow crevices are spaces between stones. The large one is a rut worn by the countless wagons that rolled down the road.

This is a photo of the spa. The spa was used after the work day ended. The work day began with the sun at 6am and ended at noon. Afternoon was spent at the spa.

The ceiling still shows intricate design and color.

This is where one would undress and then store clothes above the bench.

Water was heated and brought into the spa with pipes. The room with the water would feel like the sauna at today’s gym.

Directions to the brothel.

Above each room in the brothel.

A concrete bed insured kept customers didn’t take too much time.

This floor was the entrance to one of the wealthier residents.

This held rainwater that residents used before aqueducts were built.

Mt. Vesuvius

Items found in the city.

The city square.

We spent about two hours exploring and then went for lunch. With all of the delays it was 2:30. We walked over to the restaurant where we were to enjoy pizza and a drink and then on to Mt. Vesuvius. Unfortunately our guide said that they could not get us back to the ship on time because the road to and from Mt. Vesuvius was clogged with traffic. Disappointed, we left the restaurant and were taken back to the port area in Naples. We decided we would try lunch in town.

This place looked perfect. Trattoria Medina.

What can be better than a deep fried pizza?

We did a little shopping after lunch and returned to the ship about 5:15. After all of the fuss above ship departure time we arrived an hour early.…

April 15, 2019 – at Sea

Today we were invited to the main dining room for breakfast by Jim and Jean. Breakfast doesn’t begin until 8 am so this was really a change to our schedule. I had the buckwheat pancakes and Terri had the Swedish pancakes. The food was a nice change and we enjoyed conversation about shore tours we have taken. Jim and Jean have been doing HAL tours and Jim refers to the guests on the tours as “crypts”. Those that have trouble walking because of their weight or age.

We left breakfast about 9:20 and then headed to the main stage for the presentation Ian does just before every port. Information about immigration, dock location, shuttle busses, etc. can only be found here. All of the planning I did for shore excursions was based on the times given a year ago. When Ian announced that “all aboard” was at 4:30, I knew we were in trouble. 6 pm was the time I was working with. This is the third time such a change has been announced. I went back to the room and sent our tour company a note. Can they guarantee that we would arrive at the port by 4:30?

The change in breakfast time meant gym time was a bit later and a lot more crowded. We managed to grab an elliptical and a treadmill. I have been doing so much training on machines that I am the highest level that it can go up to. Level 20 on the elliptical. Quite a workout. Terri is working on speed on the treadmill and I hear hup..hup..hup..hup as her feet land on the tread.

I went back to our room to check email. Tour company says “no” but we can still do half of the tour if we want and get back at 2 pm. I went up to the main desk and asked when all aboard was. “5:30”. I told the nice young lady that Ian just said 4:30. She told me to go to the EXC tour desk. The answer here? “We don’t have that information yet”. Talk to Ian. I went to see Ian and he repeated his “4:30” answer. He shrugged his shoulders when I told him I had a tour that ended after 5. He did say “they won’t leave you behind”.

Terri suggested we rent a car and drive from Naples to Barcelona if we miss the departure. Too far I thought. I did look at flights and they are cheap. We decided this is a place we can risk missing the ship departure.

We missed group trivia because of all of the fuss. We went to lunch and ran into Ian when we were leaving. He pointed at me and said “5:30” is the departure time. He had confirmed it with the Captain.

Our tour company says they can drop us off at the port at 5:15.

15 minutes is not much slack. Let’s see how it goes.

It was a gala night and we had dinner with Bob and Brenda. Brenda was backpacker years ago and she had many stories to share about trips she has done.

We were cruising through the strait between Italy and Sicily. We sat up in the Crow’s nest and watched the sunset near Sicily.

The Amsterdam singers and dancers did a show entitled Amor. Very well done. It is always a pleasure to listen and watch them.…

April 14, 2019 – at Sea

Very cool day today. I have put more miles on the treadmill and elliptical than ever before. I’m not sure what it will feel like when I run on solid ground. I ran after lunch today instead of 7 am. What a difference. 2 people in the entire gym. At 7am it is always quite crowded.

The Mediterranean continues to be rough. We are near Greece as my phone showed a welcome to Greece message. No land can be sighted so I am guessing we are more than 15 miles out from shore.

Team trivia: What is a group of leopards called? One who collects teddy bears is called? If you know, we need you here!

We out on deck chairs on the lower promenade but went to the back of the ship. It was sunny and there was no breeze. We had jeans and sweatshirts on as temps were in the 60s. Outside of room it is very windy and too cool.

We have been watching movies in the room and some TV when we have down time. Terri was trying to watch the Masters but ESPN would not co-operate in this area. Football (soccer) is king around here. I have watched more news since we have been on board than I have in the past 20 years combined. I can’t always download the WSJ because of speeds.

Tonight’s entertainment is a comedian that shall remain nameless. I don’t mind criticizing musical acts. Musicians are tough and know when comments are valid. Comedians are different and their appeal is based on their audience. A great comedian can adapt. This one could not and his show was rather weak. There were few laughs but I liked the fact that he didn’t need to be vulgar or political. When I see a comedian look at his watch, I know that he is reaching the limit of his material. I wish him luck.…

April 13, 2019 – Suez Canal Transit

Today we began our journey through the Suez Canal at 5:30 am. Ian would speak about the canal over the loudspeakers. This meant muffins would be available on deck.

It was warm enough to be outside in a t shirt and I did sit outside a bit and walk around the ship. I realized that this wasn’t going to be as exciting as the Panama Canal. This canal was at sea level the entire way. No locks. It had also been widened quite a bit so there were no mules to pull us through.

I realized that there wasn’t going to be much that I found interesting to see. Some points had nothing but desert on both sides. Ian spoke mainly of conflicts in the area that continue until this day.

There was an occasional marker.

The Canal entrance near the Red Sea.

The trip through the canal took about 8 hours which was expected. When we we emerged into the Mediterranean Sea on the other side it was noticeably cooler, windier, and the water was rougher. We haven’t seen water this rough in weeks.

Our warmer clothes came out of the suitcases we had stored under the bed. I’m not sure if we will be sitting out on the deck for a while.

As we cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Naples we will be at a latitude similar to Washington DC.

We spent the day reading, watching and listening. We did go to see a movie about Forrest Tucker starring Robert Redford. Good movie for a nap.…

April 12, 2019 – at Sea

Today is a recovery day. Clocks back another hour. We are 6 hours ahead of home. 4 days at sea and then we arrive in Naples, Italy.

Lots of stops with few sea days ahead. It will be very busy and then almost a week to get back across the Atlantic. 34 days left sounds like a long time but it will go quickly.

Today we arrive at the entrance to the Suez canal. We anchored outside the entrance and waited our turn. Ships go through as part of a convoy. 2 days notice must be given and inspection by canal authorities takes place while we wait. Cost for our ship? $250,000. We anchored at about 5 pm and will wait until about 5:30 am to proceed. Travel time through the canal is about 8 hours and when we are through we will be in the Mediterranean Sea.

This ship was outside of our room and waiting also. It is a Panamax ship which is the largest that can fir through the Panama Canal.

We had dinner in the Canaletto today with Harry and Linda. This is an Italian eatery that is available to all guests for a modest up-charge. We enjoyed trading stories about our trip into Jordan. Harry sings in the ships choir and Linda plays in a flute choir back home. We had fun critiquing each of the musical groups on the ship.

The evening entertainment was Duo Yalba. They are a pair of multi-instrumentalists. They are fluent in many languages and many instruments. They took us on a musical tour around the world. Playing music from Columbia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, USA, and countless others. Each tune featured different instruments. Many instruments were made by the duo. Lots of pan flutes, recorders, some percussion instruments, guitars, violin. The house band backed them up. Great show. Final number? What else – El Cumbanchero!…

April 11, 2019 – Wadi Rum, Jordan

I arose about 4 am to check out the stars. It was nice and I could see the milky way. Not much different than Hickory Island but nice to see.

Breakfast at 6:30 am. Great Jordanian food. Murad showed at 7 am and we were off for the Dead Sea. 4 hours of driving time. We did stop for a restroom break and ran into Brian and Sandy and we realized we were on the same tour, with the same company but with different drivers. We would meet up with them at each stop the rest of the day.

We arrived at the Holiday Inn Dead Sea at about 11 am. We grabbed our gear and headed down to the beach. Here we changed into our swim gear and went into the sea. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. It is about 10 times saltier than regular seawater and contains many other minerals. It is also the lowest body of water on earth.

Floating in the Dead Sea is not an issue. Step in and and start to wade. Step back and you are floating.

We played around a bit and then took some time spreading mud all over ourselves.

Julie, Dave, Sandy and Brian joined us for a group mud photo. We let the mud bake and went back into the sea. All of us are on the Amsterdam.

The shine off of my head was used as a beacon to lead the others back into the sea.

Lunch was inside the hotel. As Holiday Inns go, this was definitely a 5 star. Lunch was buffet style with plenty of great Jordanian food. The tour that I had booked was over at this point. We could hangout at the hotel, swim in the sea or the many swimming pools, or head back to the ship. One of the other couples suggested we see a few more sites that were relatively close by and that is what we chose to do.

The first stop on the extended tour was Mt. Nebo. This is the location where Moses saw the promised land. The drive up was right out of a James Bond thriller. Hairpin curves all the way up and our driver ignored the fact that we were inches from the edge of the road and certain death. I was hoping Q included a few of his goodies in this substitute Aston Martin we were in.

The view of the promised land.

This area is very important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Jordan river is in this photo and Israel is on the other side. Our next stop was the Jordan River to see the location where John the Baptist had his church and Jesus was baptized.

Murad took us to the entrance where we purchased tickets and then a shuttle took us to the Jordan River. The bus was well used and not quite up to the Detroit city busses I used to ride as a kid. We were able to enjoy the biting black flies on the bus as we waited for the shuttle to fill. I was so happy that other people get to enjoy these flies that we have at home.

We arrived at the site and followed our guide. He was less than a jolly fellow. He was very insistent and unpleasant but we carried on.

The Jordan river.

Here is the spot where Jesus was baptized.

Further down the river a sign warns that no one can go in the water or be baptized. On the Israeli side, groups of people were being baptized. An armed guard was posted on the Jordanian side.

We took some photos and then headed back to the bus. Our guide perked up and said “you wait for the bus in here”. “Here” was a gift shop. Obviously a cousin. More junk in here. The shuttle arrived and took us back to our driver.

It was 5 pm. We had a full day and dreaded the 3 hour ride back to Aqaba. Since we had James Bond in the makeshift Aston Martin we arrived a bit sooner than expected. Murad was waived over by police along the way. A few nasty words were given to the police officer and Murad then threw the ticket into the glove box and peeled away.

We needed to pay Murad for the past two days and he dropped us off at an ATM in Aqaba. It was a Thursday night and the town was alive.

Murad explained that while drinking is legal in Jordan, it is frowned upon to consume with your family. Alcoholic beverages are very inexpensive in Aqaba, unlike the rest of Jordan. Young people tend to go to Aqaba to let loose and do things they normally wouldn’t do back home.

Murad took us back to the ship and along the way we were stopped by customs. The officer asked us for our passports. We turned over photocopies as the ship had our originals. He didn’t appear to even look at them and handed them back. More angry words from Murad. “Who escapes from America to come to Jordan” , he said.

We arrived at the ship about 9:30 pm. An hour to spare before all aboard.

…

April 10, 2019 – Aqaba, Jordan

We arrived in Jordan at 7am and were able to meet our driver, Murad at 8 am.

Our first stop today is Petra. The drive was about 1 1/2 hrs. We met our guide outside the entrance. Mahmoud will describe the sites along the way.

Petra was built by the Nabateans and later it was occupied by Romans. These caves we saw along the way are tombs carved out of the surrounding walls. Petra is believed to be settled as early as 9,000 BC but flourished in the 1st Century AD when many of these structures were built.

The further we walked, the narrower the path, and the lower we descended. The path below our feet is not the original path. It is about 15 ft higher. Sediment that was deposited and improvements made in the last few years are responsible for this. On both sides of the path are walls that have water troughs carved. Ceramic pipes were placed in these troughs and then were covered with rock. These troughs provided fresh water to the community of about 20,000 that lived here.

This is the entrance to the Siq. This is a natural splitting of the mountain that resulted in this 1.2 km path.

The original floor look like this.

This photo shows the wall. Chisel marks show where it was carved out. The flat stones cover the water trough that lined the entire length of the pathway to the center of Petra.

This photo shows one of the many damns built recently to keep the Siq dry.

This photo shows the first glimpse of the lowest point of the Siq.

The Treasury or Al Khazna. About 40 m high. The Treasury is crowned by a funerary urn, which according to local legend conceal’s a pharaoh’s treasure. The Treasury was probably constructed in 1st century BC.

The Siq continues past the Treasury and we begin to go back uphill. This tomb represents many we saw. The upper tomb shows the “Stairway to Heaven” that was part of the many tombs found here.

This photo shows the Theater.Carved into the side of the mountain. This can accommodate 4,000 spectators.

This photo shows the crumbled stage in front of the fence. The back wall of the theater was rebuilt by the Romans as is evident by the columns.

These photos show the Royal Tombs which are across from the theater.

After two hours, Mahmoud’s tour was over. We thanked him and he continued to his home at the other end of Petra. We decided to go up to an area that had more tombs and showed a view of the area below.

Inside one of the tombs shows the carbon left by torches used by people who lived here years after the Nabateans.

The ceiling.

I snapped this photo up at the tomb to show an example of all the vendors that we saw along the way. There are hundreds. They are all peddling the same junk they purchased from China.

The Siq was getting very crowded. There were two other ships in the Port of Aqaba. When a ship arrives for only a day, Petra is usually the stop most of the people make. We knew it was going to be very crowded. The walk back was about an hour with no stops. It was noon and we needed to meet our driver at 2. We decided to start back and possibly take some side walks. When we got back to the Treasury, we realized it was much too crowded to do much of anything and decided to walk back out and not do any of the side trips. We sat at the Cave Bar next to the Petra Guest House Hotel at the entrance of Petra and waited for Murad. We were early so we had a drink and waited. Murad showed up and took us to lunch at the Petra Moon Hotel. We enjoyed a buffet of traditional Jordanian food.

The food was delicious. We saw quite a few people from the ship on different tours here. We spent about an hour sampling all of the food and then headed out to our camp in Wadi Rum.

Unfortunately there aren’t many roads in this part of Jordan and we had to go back to Aqaba and then out to Wadi Rum. Along the way we stopped at and old steam powered locomotive. The locomotive still runs and used for tourists.

Our camp was in the middle of the desert. Terri waits outside of the camp as we get our room.

Our “tent” at the Bedouin camp.

We stowed our gear and then met Khalid who took us out on his jeep for a tour of Wadi Rum. It was 5 pm and our two hour tour would end with the view of the sunsetting.

This photo shows where the movie the Martian was filmed. The area at our feet was red sand. Perfect for a movie about the red planet.

Thomas Edward Lawrence – Lawrence of Arabia 1917

It was time for the sun to set and we found this private place to view it.

…and so did these folks….

Dinner was served at 8 pm and it was cooked Bedouin style. In the ground. BBQ chicken and lamb and all sorts of great food was served.

This photo shows the dining tent.

We finished our dinner and headed back to our tent. We needed rest for tomorrow. Breakfast at 6:30 am and then a ride to the Dead Sea at 7 am.…

April 9, 2019 – at Sea

Tomorrow we arrive in Jordan and the remainder of our stops will be in Europe. We have many days at sea to get to Naples and then over a week to get home from Ireland. This part of the trip will go fast and be very busy as the ports are not that far apart.

It was 77 degrees on the deck yesterday but it felt much cooler. Terri had jeans on and I put mine on later in the day. I haven’t had jeans on since we left Detroit back in January.

We have lived in this room together for two months and two weeks and have figured out how not to drive each other crazy. It can be done!

Having a room that opens out onto the deck probably kept us closer to our room but allowed us to spend a lot more time outside more than most passengers. I am sure a majority of the passengers only get fresh air when we dock at a port and they have a tour. I overheard some passengers say that they never see anyone sitting out on their balconies on the floors above us.

We are beginning to forget what we did at some of the ports. We have had to look back at the blog to refresh our memories. I can see why so many people on this cruise do it again and again. It always feels new when you have no memory.

I am looking forward to faster internet. It is difficult to even download the paper each morning. The ship does print the NY Times digest each day and we each have a copy each morning at breakfast. Our heads continually shake back and forth as opinion substitutes for news in every article. I don’t need to hear how global warming is the cause for parents paying bribes to college officials although climate change must be the reason MSU lost to Texas Tech. What else can it be?…

April 8, 2019 – at Sea

Today we moved out of the high risk area for piracy and the water cannons outside of our room were put away. Ian shared a story with us now we are out of danger. 10 years ago on anther ship they were approached by two skiffs coming from Somalia. The ship started evasive action, turned on the water cannons and started the audio blasts. The pirates finally gave up but did try several shots at the ship of their grappling hook. When they arrived in port, CNN was there to do interviews with the passengers.

One more sea day and then we arrive in Jordan. We will be in Jordan overnight and I will be away from the blog. Pictures and stories when we come back. We plan to see Petra, spend the night with the Bedouin in Wadi-Rum, swim in the dead sea and hang out on the beach.

Interesting day at group trivia. What sport is a niblick used in? My answer was golf. Along with a spooner and brassie this was the old name of a club. The team said no and went with cricket. I told Terri I bet it is the club used to get out of a sand trap. The answer? Golf – a club used to get out of a duff! Hamish appears to love phobias. Each game we learn a new phobia. Apiphobia?

Calm seas today. We did see some islands off of Yemen but not much else. The humidity level has dropped and it is very comfortable out on the deck. I think our days sitting out here with shorts on are coming to a close.

Tonight was the Arabian nights gala. We did our best to be in costume.

…

April 7, 2019 – at Sea

Today we moved up to 3 star mariners. This a rewards program through Holland America and its parent company Carnival Cruise lines. One star is awarded for completing a cruise. 2 stars for 30 cruise day credits, 3 stars for 75 cruise day credits, 4 stars for 200 cruise day credits, and 5 stars for 500 cruise day credits. One of the nice perks for 4 and 5 star mariners is priority boarding on the ship and ship tenders. It means little on this cruise because most of the passengers are 4 and 5 star mariners. It will mean more if book another cruise.

A note about the internet was given to all passengers. A 500 MB data limit is on the top package. After 500 MB is reached, severe throttling occurs. 500 MB is not very much data. Texting works fine but there are times when my google email app will not even load and web pages the same. This makes blogging difficult. I know other bloggers who wait until they are in port to post on stronger wifi. I choose to upload fewer photos.

For the team trivia buffs: Which pure metal element has the highest melting point? Who was the author of Sleepy Hollow? Which Latvian City is known as the Paris of the Baltic? See how much you don’t know?

The seas were rough today and the wind has picked up some. We have been on this ship so long that it is rare that we feel any motion.

We are in the red sea and it is one of the warmest and saltiest. It contains an algae which turns the water reddish brown. It doesn’t look any different to me. Maybe as we move farther north.

Tomorrow night we set clocks back one hour. We will be seven hours ahead of home.

…

April 6, 2019 – at Sea

We received this today. Sounds like fun and we plan to go when we are in Amsterdam.

We have been moving at nearly full speed the entire day. Lots of container ships in the area.

The Canadians were absent from trivia today so it was up to the four of us. In what country was Red Bull created? What does the nautical term POSH mean?

I realized that how loud someone speaks is inversely proportional to how important what they have to say is.

Not too many passengers on this ship can see their toes.

The more of this world I see the more I realize that freedom and capitalism have improved the lives of millions of people. So free that they now can look at the system that gave them so much with complete ignorance and disgust. Some serious travel around the planet would change that.

We ran into Bill today and we decided to have dinner together in the dining room. Bill took a side trip to the Taj Mahal and it was nice hearing about it. We felt it was too much travel time with not enough to see. Bill said it was worth going. I’m not sure we will ever get back to India.

The entertainment was a second show of Dukebox. We passed, played a game of scrabble and then went back to the room for a few episodes of Seinfeld. The humor is timeless.

…

April 5, 2019 – at Sea

Today we will be cruising along the coast of Oman and then Yemen. Tomorrow afternoon we will make the turn toward the Red Sea. It is in this narrow channel where danger lurks. This is heavily used shipping channel and there are lots of ships that pirates can choose from if they so desire.

A woman was on the treadmill to the right of me this morning and she kept looking over at my screen and then flipping the channels of hers to try to find Fox News. Little did she know she was on the dreaded treadmill number 4. She obviously just got on the ship in India and doesn’t know about treadmill number 4 lacking Fox News.

Team trivia is not only difficult because of the questions, it is also difficult because of Hamish and his pronunciation of words. Even when corrected, his pronunciation doesn’t change. Roman numeral for 400? Good luck!

We have noticed many ships in this area. I imagine they follow a route that is monitored by the by the protecting maritime force.

We had dinner in the Lido and were watching some whales coming up for air. By the the size of the blast of air that we saw, I would guess that they are on the small side.

The internet is worse than ever. I got locked out of one of my bank accounts because of suspected fraud. Most of it is caused by the slow speed and the impatient user. I won’t have cell phone connection until we reach Jordan on Wednesday. I have experiment using google hangouts to make wifi calls and I did have success today. I will be calling the bank later when they open.

The evening entertainment was Helen Wilding. She is from the UK and is an accomplished actress, and singer. She opened up with a medley of tunes from the sound of music. She sounded just like Julie Andrews. Following this was a medley of Gershwin hits. Well done. Ave Maria was done well. Her cover of “At Last” was weak. She did “When You Wish Upon a Star” with some visuals aids of stars moving on a screen that children would love. Her final number was a compilation of herself singing harmony for a youtube channel that she created. Not my cup of tea. I give her an 8.…

April 4, 2019 – Muscat, Oman

We arrived in the capital of Oman, Muscat, at 8 am. We had no tour scheduled and we are going to see the sites on our own.

A short bus ride took us to customs. A quick baggage scan was done, and then back on the bus. We were dropped off on the Mutrah Corniche. This is a 3 kilometer promenade along the water.

The Souk, or Bazaar in non-Arabic countries, was not far from here but it doesn’t open until 9 am. Time for a walk to Riyam Park which is about 1.5 kilometers away.

Our walk was along the waterfront and was extremely clean and well maintained. The sidewalks were made of marble with an etched pattern.

The area around the promenade was meticulously manicured and watered. Very little rain here so everything has the be watered. The water comes from the ocean and must be desalinated before it can be used.

What a difference from India. The waterfront in India looked just like this photo of the Muscat waterfront but the Indian waterfront had mounds of trash everywhere. None here.

I don’t think I have been anywhere that looked as pristine as this. Maybe Disney World.

Our goal was the giant incense burner monument.

The path up was not open and we learned later that this monument is closed for a few months. We headed back to the promenade to a watchtower that would afford more views.

These watchtowers are found all over Muscat. Some are inside forts, others, such as this one, are mounted high up on a hill.

It was getting very warm and we knew that as more people got off of the ship the city would become very crowded. Another ship, the MSC Splendida was already in port. I learned later that this ship had 3500 passengers on it. It was definitely time to get to the Souk.

Just in case we decide to move here.

The Souk reminded us of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Shop after shop. Jewelry, antiques, household goods, clothing, Chinese Rolex watches. You name it. It’s here.

We made a few purchases and headed back out. Two things we wanted to see were the Grand Mosque and the Opera House. They were on opposite sides of town and over 10 kilometers away. We were approached by a taxi driver and started negotiations. $60 USD. We offered $40 and he balked so we walked. A few yards away he called us back. He had a driver that would do it for $40.

The Grand Mosque was our first stop. Little chance we were getting inside because it closes at 11 am for visitors but the outside was still beautiful.

The next stop was the Opera House. The Sultan loves opera and he had this built less than 10 years ago. It looks like a good tour for the DCCB.

Everything about this hall was superb.

Our driver, Sami, gave us a bonus stop at the Sultan’s Palace (at least one of them). He has been Sultan of Oman since 1970.

All of the buildings above are part of the Sultan’s Palace.

Sami dropped us off back near the Souk. It was absolutely packed with people. We wanted to hike up to a Fort nearby. Why not? 95 degrees and 350 steps.

The fort was interesting only for the views. There wasn’t much to see inside. Here one can see both of the Sultan’s ships.

It was 3:30 and we decided we had enough. All aboard was 5:30 and we did have a bus to catch.

Evening entertainment was two cellists from Poland. They called themselves Celli. Both were classical trained cellists and they performed with the house band. They opened up with Bach’s Tocatta and Fugue in d minor. They made it through the fugal section and then broke into some Bach inspired rock and roll with the house band. They did an arrangement of Vivaldi’s Winter from the Four Seasons. The pair introduced themselves and then spoke a bit about opera and how every single opera ever written is the same and it contains the following four items. An Overture, two lovers, someone who does not want them together, and a death.

“We’ve decided to save everyone 4 hours of their life and to do that we have written a little opera”. The pair explained that the overture is just some noise being played while the audience waits for everyone that is late. “You are all here, so we don’t need that”. They described a happy male figure and then played a happy sounding minuet stolen from a famous opera. He was happy because of the woman he had just met. The woman’s mother appeared and they played an excerpt from Carmen. Someone is killed! Another excerpt. I recognized every excerpt and couldn’t help but laugh. Exceptional playing by both. They did selections from Mama Mia and then finished with a montage of pop music.

It was nice to hear some great musicians play.

We received this in our room after the concert. looks like the pitrates in the area may be trying to starve us into submission. Little do they know that we have been on 17 meals a day for 70 days and can outlast anyone!

Terri thinks people on the ship will start hoarding food when the chef cuts back to 15 meals a day.…

April 3, 2019 – at Sea

Another day at sea!

Today I was on the “liberal” treadmill. This one treadmill skips from channel 30 to channel 32. Fox News is channel 31. Probably a victim of some legislation banning the channel because the treadmill isn’t sustainable or green enough. It does show MSNBC, CNN and BBC. It is tough to do an aggressive workout while watching comedy. I did my run with the travel channel.

Ian did his tour information this morning. It looks like Muscat will be an easy port with a bus that takes us to the Souk/Bazaar. He said that we will all be amazed how clean Oman is. After India, this will be a treat.

More work outside our room again and we weren’t able to sit on the deck outside our room. Terri was back on the phone working for another fruit basket but the offer was another room on the 6th floor that had a private balcony. We had no interest and toughed it out watching “Hunter Killer” on tv.

What surface is broom ball played on? Curling came to mind so my guess was ice. “No” said Janet. Curling is a Canadian game so I felt I had to default to her. I said maybe it was a slang term for curling. “No” was her response. I said maybe it was another game played on ice. “No”. I convinced Debbie, who is our scribe to put down ice. Some of the guesses were clay, grass and cement. The answer? Ice! It was also a gamed that began in Canada.

Tonight’s entertainment on the Main Stage was Dukebox – Dukes of Music. Paul and Matt are from the West End of London and draw their experience from the theatrical world. This was very apparent when they came onstage with the “look at me, I’m wonderful” attitude.

Unfortunately the audience didn’t agree with what these two thought of themselves as I heard many negative comments when the show was over. I doubt of these two are leads in the musicals they have been in. Their arrogance was quite apparent and they really had trouble delivering.

The pair did some Sinatra, Elvis, Beatles, and David Bowie. I was unimpressed with all of it. The one tune I thought they did a great job of was a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The harmony here was very good and continuing down this path may have saved them. I give them a 6.…

April 2, 2019 – at Sea

Today we experienced our first “Pirate Ready” drill. The crew manned the water cannons outside of our room. Passengers were to be out of the rooms and away from windows.

The cruise to Oman should be without incident. When we leave Oman and cruise around the horn of Africa we will be in the area of highest risk. The ship has been sailing with lights off during the night and all window shades are required to be shut.

We took on some new passengers in India and have noticed that many do not have the signature “triple spare” tire look. They should blend right in after a few weeks of muffins and ice cream.

Team trivia is definitely taking a turn for the better. Debbie and Fred can usually kick in a few correct answers from previous games they have played on other cruises. The Canadians, Brian and Janet usually take the art and literature category. Terri and I are best at science and math. The occasional music question goes my way as long as it doesn’t involve words to songs. Today I answered the Coltrane question correctly. The mammal with the highest blood pressure? Lindsay will know this one.

We did dinner in the Lido today. Its not as nice as the dining room but it is very quick. It is generally the same food served in the dining room but it is served cafeteria style.

We turned the clocks back a few more times. We are only 8 hours ahead of home. 70 days has gone by very quickly and we are starting to talk about places we would like to return to. New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore get a yes.

We are past the hottest weather we will have on this trip. It is already noticeably cooler and less humid. The Captain does his usually announcement of location and weather at 12:25 pm and he gave us some temperatures of ports we will be stopping at over the next 40 days. Oslo is 36 today. Tough to take after days close to 100.

…

April 1, 2019 – Mumbai, India

Our second day in Mumbai and we have no tours planned. We decided we would visit the Churchgate train station to experience the 5 million users it has daily and also observe the Dabbawala in action. This is the lunch delivery system that uses trains and bicycles to deliver hot lunches through Mumbai. 11:30 is the time the delivery starts. We did a walk in front of the Arabian Sea first. It was a beautiful but very hot day. We walked to the end and then headed to the train station.

We were a bit early so we took some seats and watched the trains come in. We noticed that the first few cars were for women only. I initially thought it was a cultural thing and then I came across this sign.

I had to look up Eve teasing. From Wikipedia “Eve teasing refers to the temptress nature of Eve, placing responsibility on the woman as a tease. Teasing the girls, passing comment on them, harassing them, troubling them purposely is called ‘eve teasing.’ “.

This is a picture of the inside of the train station. Nothing here suggested to me that Eve teasing is a problem but after reading about it I think otherwise.

The Dabbawala have been doing lunchbox delivery for over 100 years. A Bollywood Movie called “lunchbox” is based on them.

We met an Indian tour guide at the station who asked if we were waiting to see them. Of course we were. He said that they don’t speak the local language, they have very little education and they can’t read or write. They use a color coded system and then a building address to get them to the correct location. “There are a lot of lazy people in India” he said. When they see a lone person in India “We ask, ‘What do you do’, response: ‘Nothing’. ‘Come, you carry box’. “

I couldn’t help laugh. Lots on the web about the Dabbawala.

Almost lunch time. A man carries what are obviously individual lunch bags that individuals use over and over.

Outside of the station, bags are further distributed and placed on bicycles to be taken to offices.

Delivery men with white hat.

The impressive part of the system is the huge volume done without computers or written records. This system has been studied by Fortune 500 companies.

We stopped in a restaurant for lunch. Why not Chicago style pizza when visiting Mumbai?

We walked back to the ship and were exhausted from the heat. All aboard was 5 pm.

We had dinner in the dining room and sat with Pat and Elmer. Both were Boeing employees and have been retired since 1991. They had taken the side trip to the Taj Mahal and we enjoyed talking about that.

Early night for us. We received this before we retired for the evening.

I was expecting something like this as we travel in this area.…

March 31, 2019 – Mumbai, India

Today we arrived in Mumbai at 7 am. The port was right outside our room.

I am expecting a total assault on the senses today. We packed up our gear and went through the port building. Luckily we went through customs already in Kochi so we only had to present our landing card to port authorities. Things moved quickly. We met up with our driver and guide after a few minute wait. Freni was our guide and she was going to show us us around Mumbai.

The Taj Palace Hotel was our first stop. The hotel faces the harbor and can easily be seen from the port where the ship is. This part of Mumbai was originally 7 islands that were separated by water at high tide and mud at low tide. The area has been filled in and is now on all solid ground. The hotel was built in the early 1900s. There is a lot of interesting history here.

People here refer to it as simply the “Taj”. Beautiful interior with high end shops and restaurants.

In front of the Taj is this gate. Built in 1924.

Mumbai was quite empty since it was Sunday and it was early. Shops opened after 9 and many were closed for the day. The assault of the 22 million who lived here was not felt at this time of day. We were able to get around quite freely.

The trains station below handles 5 million people daily. Today it was very calm. Many of the buildings are under renovation to prepare for the monsoon season where 2 meters of water fall over several months.

We drove and stopped at some sites with some interesting architecture. Ghandi’s home was our next stop.

I learned a lot about Ghandi from Freni in a very short period of time. Here is a letter to his friend, Adolf Hitler.

Next stop is the Douby Ghat. Here is where manual washing takes place. The tracking of all items is done without computers.

Lunch was at the horse track. The Gallop.

We had chicken and some shrimp that we all shared. Very tasty. It was time to Freni to leave but not before we met our guide for the afternoon. Raz lived in the Dharavi slum and he would be our guide. Our driver drove us a few miles where we started our tour. Up and over on a pedestrian overpass and down into the slum. Before our descent, Raz described what it was like growing up in the slum. He is the 7th generation of his family living there. He described his high school graduation and how he was called on stage and when it was announced where he was from, the student body laughed at him. There was a lot of emotion still left to this day. He went home and told his mother and she said “Well why don’t you do something about where you live?”. He was one of the reasons that Freni did not continue with us. Those from the slum feel that they should be the people giving the tours and they are now hired to do that.

The beginning of the slum.

If you look closely at this photo you can see bits of plastic in a pile. This area of the slum is the plastic recycling area.

The plastic is purchased from the government at the dump. There are different sources of plastic.

Old phones and computer cases.

Car numbers and fenders.

Plastic is send through a grinder made here in the slum.

Washed and rinsed in these tubs.

It is dried on the roof and then bagged.

It is then turned into pellets and sold to plastic manufacturing companies where it is made into other items.

A pickup game of cricket.

It’s Sunday. Time for a shave.

This is the fabric dying area. Tubs for fabric and dye.

The dye.

This area takes paint cans and removes the leftover paint and then sells them back to paint companies.

The men in this area heat the cans until the paint dries and then they scrape it out by hand.

These men are making collars and cuffs.

The cardboard recycling area. Raz asked me a few times if I have ever tasted cardboard. I said no. Good thing he said, the middle layer is made from elephant dung. High in fiber I learned. No worries to you. US cardboard is made with cow dung.

Former river, now a drainage ditch.

Advantages of the slums for those that live there. Close community, common goal, no rent, no government intervention, no taxes, no building codes, no regulations. Advantages for the government – a cheap way to recycle.

People use the lower quarter of their shack to cook and clean and sleep up stairs.

This is the leather products area. Buffalo and goat are used.

Many high end brand bags are made here in the slum. Aramani, Jimmy Choo, etc. They are beginning to put the Dharavi name on goods. It will go no where in India but may take off internationally. Terri purchased this bag.

American tourister luggage? Made right here in the slum.

School at the edge of the slum.

No reason to leave the slum. Everything is right here.

This is the clay pot area.

Our guide. Raz

We had another great day of learning. Many Indians look down on the people from the slum but they are providing a much needed service. The slum is mainly full of men who come from villages all over India. They come here for two or three years to make money to take back home and start a business.

We ended our day back at the Taj for a drink.

We decided to walk back to the gate of the port. About 3 miles. I’m glad we did. The area outside the Taj was now teaming with Indians that were all around this area. It was difficult to walk on some streets and traffic was at an absolute standstill. A cab ride would have taken double the time it took us to walk.…

March 30, 2019 – at Sea

Today we travel along the coast of India toward Mumbai. We plan to arrive at 7 am. Weather will be sunny and close to 100 F.

No trivia today. A silent auction was held instead. Artwork done by passengers, dinner with Hamish, dinner with Ian. We passed.

Dinner with Jean and Jim. We had a great time talking about our plans for tomorrow in Mumbai. Jean and Jim are staying on board since they have been there before. We have a tour guide and driver and going to the “Must See” in Mumbai. The afternoon we are visiting the Dharavi slum.

The evening entertainment was Kenny Martin. Kenny did a show a few nights back that we missed. He came out playing a banjo uke and sang “Has Anybody Seen My Girl”. Great tune and he sang well. Grabbing his saxophone he played Brubeck’s “Take Five” and allowed all of the house band members to solo. It was great to see them finally open up and play and they played well. He grabbed his clarinet and did Lionel Hampton’s “Flyin’ Home” , and the Darktown Strutters Ball. His playing reminded me more of Pete Fountain than Benny Goodman. His last tune was a yodeling tune. His show was a blast!…

March 29, 2019 – Kochi (Cochin), India

Today we arrived at 7 am as expected. We were up and ready to go. We received a letter last night that said we were in group “14” to be dismissed from the ship. My driver was already waiting for me off of the ship.

They called the first group at about 7:30 am. The second group wasn’t called for over an hour. Hamish announced all of the items we needed with to take with us to immigration. Key card, passport, landing permit, visa. The ship staff had already given two pieces of paperwork. We just needed our keycard and passport. Correct? Wrong. We also needed the visa that I applied for back home. It looks identical to the landing card so everyone in line to get off was as confused as can be.

Our group was called at 9:30 and we were off. A cab driver took us to meet our Tuk Tuk driver, Sudheer. He would take us to see the sites in Kochi. It was warm but the Tuk Tuk felt nice because there was nothing to stop the breeze as we drove to each destination.

Our ride for the day.

First stop was an area where men were making fishing nets.

These were circular nets that had stones sewn in all around the perimeter. One could cast the net into the ocean and centrifical force would open it up. The stones would sink the net and the fishermen would wait. They would then pull up the net using a rope that other ropes tied to the edges. This created a sack where the fish were trapped. We saw some fisherman use these but the catch was mainly small fish.

Our next stop is Douby Khana.

Washing stalls across from drying area.

Some items on the ground for drying.

Terri using the iron. Iron is filled with coconut shells that are burned for heat.

Next stop, Santa Cruz Cathedral.

The Chinese fishing nets are big attraction. Same setup as when Chinese explorers arrived in the 14th century. Big rocks are tied to the backend as ballast. Nets are lowered and then raised catching fish, soda bottles or other kinds of trash.

This woman is making papadam. Similar to what we had with Nim back in Sri Lanka.

A Hindu temple that only allowed Hindu’s inside.

A musical group here at a Hindu Temple that allowed visitors. Very repetitive. Reminded me of rap without words.

A visit to this temple required a sarong and shoes off.

It’s hard to understand some of these traditions. Taking your shoes off is meant to show respect. Cleanliness. For most folks, their feet are as dirty as the streets they walk on with no shoes. Our feet where filthy after we left the temple. So much for cleanliness.

The swastika means different things in different cultures. In Indian culture it refers to divinity and spirituality.

Terri and I both agreed that the following picture reminded us of the circumcision room we saw when we were in a mosque in Istanbul. What a thing to remember.

Last day of school for kids here and they celebrated by showing powdered paint at each other.

The Portuguese first colonized this area in the 16th Century, the Dutch in the 17th Century and the British in the 19th Century. Independence was gained in 1947. Lots of history.

We asked Sudheer to take us back to the ship about 2:30. We had seen plenty and couldn’t wait to back to the ship for a shower and cold drink.…

March 28, 2019 – at Sea

Today we are coasting at 10 knots on our way to Kochi, India. Any faster and we will get there before the port is ready for us. Captain Mercer said we can double our speed and get there a day early but we would have to dock in the container port for a cost of $45,000.

Our arrival time tomorrow is 7am. We are not looking forward to going through customs. There is a landing card and visa requirement along with the passport. Some folks here have memory issues.

Another good day at team trivia. Not the winners but up there near the top. Which country is first in the alphabet? Which mammal has the largest brain? Hope you are looking these up.

We decided to play a few games and watch a movie. A repeat of the the Filharmonic was on the main stage and we passed. We need rest for tomorrow. Big day.

…