Summary – Long Delayed!

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

First, I would like to apologize to all who have been waiting for the final post of this blog. I had good intentions of completing the task in a timely manner, but we all know the saying about good intentions. The simple fact is, after returning home, real life intervened for the first few weeks and then the writing of a summary became a chore awaiting to happen instead of the usual pleasure I have doing my blog entries. Second, I would like for it to be known that the views, thoughts and opinions expressed below are entirely my own. They may or may not reflect in all cases the views of my fellow travel companions. At any rate, here we go…

Instead for rehashing the trip port by port, I am going to try and give my impressions of our travels and the impressions our travels have made on me. In addition I will try to answer some general questions which have been posed to me either in person by friends or through emails from individuals I don’t know who have read the blog.

I will start with our Travel Service, Cruise Specialists (CSI), located in Seattle (www.cruisespecialists.com) . As the name indicates, they specialize in booking cruises. They are, I believe, the largest single booker for Holland America Lines (HAL). When we made our first long voyage we did a lot of searching and pricing of different agencies. We found that CSI was not necessarily the lowest cost agent for the cruise itself but their ADDED VALUE made the choice easy. Our adviser, Michelle Boots, whom we have used for the past 5 years is a dedicated professional who listens to what you want and makes every effort to deliver that for you. She is pleasant, informed and responsive. As always Michelle, it was a pleasure to work with you (and thanks again for the birthday and Easter cards as well as my favorite Sees candy you sent on Valentine Day.

And no, the cards and candy were not the added value I was talking about. CSI provides company escorts on all the longer cruises. On the Grand World Voyage we had three. Henk and Lucia Barnhorn, and Tom Mullen. The hosts not only act as resources to help with any problems, either personal or travel related but host several CSI sponsored cocktail parties during the trip. They are all lovely people who we have traveled with before and hope to again.

CSI also gives additional shipboard credit and provides excursions at many ports. Sometimes these are unique and sometimes they are the same as HAL provides, but with CSI you are with a smaller group, escorted by one of the hosts and they are generally less expensive. Oh, I almost forgot – CSI give you an additional credit toward their tours or they will give the credit to your shipboard account if you don’t take any of their excursions.

In the past, I usually have always booked my travel insurance on my own because I found it to be more cost effective (cheaper). With CSI, Michelle has provided trip coverage at comparable cost or even less than what I could acquire. Here I will admonish you readers to NEVER, NEVER, cruise without travel insurance. Sure it can be expensive, especially for a long trip like this, but what if you do have a serious medical problem on the other side of the globe? The costs could easily amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don’t skip the insurance.

As you can probably see, I am very pleased with the service and price I receive from Cruise Specialist and from Michelle specifically. I can’t imagine booking a cruise with anyone else. And, no I am not a representative of CSI nor do I get any “perks” for my praise. I simply like their service.

Now, on to the cruise line – Holland America Lines. We travel with HAL for several reasons. First, HAL has the atmosphere we like, and this is very important. Many people who take their first or even second cruise are disappointed. Many times this disappointment comes from a mismatch between the client and the cruise line. There are many lines, and they each fill a certain niche. Some people want a lot of exciting activities like wall climbing, surf machines, etc. Others prefer a quieter atmosphere with lectures and classes. Do your homework and make sure the cruise line suits you before you book. A great place to start is the forum Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.com).

Another reason we like HAL is because in addition to the major, have to see, tourist ports they also visit many smaller lesser known (or even unknown) areas which might not even have a port. On longer voyages, you are not a tourist, but a traveler. The ship is just a wonderful place to live while you learn about various cultures, religions, politics, etc. of the places you travel to. Again, this is why you should research your cruise line before booking.

Holland America, like all lines, gives you extra perks as you reach certain levels of travel as measured in days. This is to encourage you to remain loyal. The perks can be pretty good. We are at the Four Star Mariner level (200+ sea days), which provides us with FREE laundry, discounted wine packages and other beverage’s at 50% discount, priority check-in and priority boarding on tenders. The priority services weren’t too helpful on this trip because almost everyone aboard were at least Four Star and many fellow passengers had over 1500 sea days. Getting these perks does inspire you to return to HAL.

Another little known perk is the benefits of stock ownership. If you own 100 shares of Carnival Corp stock (CCL), you are entitled to shipboard credit for any cruise on any of the lines under Carnival ownership. This includes not only Holland America but also Princess, Seabourn, Cunard, Aida, Costa, P&O, and Fathom. This perk is easy to get and varies according to the length of the trip from $50 for 6 days or less cruises up to $250 for 14 days or longer. The stock has been a pretty good performer and currently pays about 2.5% annual dividend. If you cruise often on any of these lines a 100 share holding offers good returns.

Is Holland America Lines the most perfect, absolutely greatest line to ever float a ship? Certainly not. HAL is a middle of the road line, far above the mass, short trip ship lines, but below the true Luxury Lines. I will say again, you must find the line that fits your niche (and budget).

My biggest complaint with HAL, which I understand is the same with almost every other line, is their cost cutting measures which we have seen over the last five years. It is evident in several areas, particularly in the number of stewards aboard ship. This was our first sailing on the MS Amsterdam and we could not have been happier with the service and crew. The food was excellent and by the second week our attendants felt like family.

The ship did have some problems and was a little worn but she was going into dry dock at the end of our voyage and I am sure some of these deficiencies were addressed. My only complaints were not with the ship or the ship’s crew, but with HAL corporate. It is a fine line they have to walk to maintain competitive pricing and meet the expectations of their guest.

As stated earlier, the food quality was excellent as was the dining service, except for one problem which I feel evolved simply due to “bean counters”. Our excellent wine steward, Ernie, had to depart about two weeks prior to the end of the voyage. He has reached the maximum days allowed by the International board which sets the rules for ship workers. Prior to his leaving he told us that he was not being replaced and one of the other stewards would be taking over his duties. The simple fact was, there were not enough stewards to meet the needs of all the dining patrons. Our table seemed to have fallen through the crack and after three days of little or no service I met with the Cellar Master. He was most considerate and made no excuses which I appreciated. They just didn’t have enough help. I cancelled the remainder of my wine package for the trip which he handled very nicely.

This incident pretty much summarized the problems we encountered due to cost cuts primarily through reduced staff. This was seen with our cabin stewards (again, they were excellent but overworked). The shore excursion staff, who seemed to have plenty of staff but weren’t nearly as knowledgeable as the staffs we have had on previous long cruises. We had some excellent lecturers during the cruise, but it seemed that the number had been reduced in order to have “cultural enrichment teams” who for me offered nothing I was interested in. To be fair, this might not be a cost saving move but a change in the experience HAL provides. I am sure many people did enjoy the cultural enrichment programs, they were just not for me. I have no desire to learn to play the mandolin or weave a headdress from flowers or play the didgeridoo. I would have much preferred a lecture about the history, economics, religion and politics of the country.

Please don’t take the two previous paragraphs as a definitive statement that the cruise was horrible. It certainly was not. My disappointments were far outnumbered my wonderful experiences which are simply too many to enumerate. My point is, I feel HAL like all other cruise lines is struggling to find that sweet spot which will satisfy the majority of travelers at a cost which is affordable. Will I cruise again on HAL? – Certainly. Will I also look at other cruise lines in the future? – Probably, although I might not be as happy with them as I am with HAL J.

Another topic I wish to address in this summary is shore excursions. Unlike a five day Caribbean cruise, the variety and number of shore excursion on a cruise which encompasses more than 60 port days is overwhelming. When planning your voyage you should allow ample budget for your excursions. It would simply be senseless to sail around the world to these beautiful ports and not experience at least a sampling of the tremendous offering they present.

The four of us spent hours, meeting together several times, researching various possibilities for excursions. As a general rule, we try to book as many tours as possible outside the ships excursion desk. It has been our experience that you generally get at least as good a tour and usually a better one by booking with or through a local agency. Many times you are using the same tour company the ship books through but paying only a fraction of the cost and you enjoy traveling with a smaller group of people, many of which are often international travelers or even locals who are not a part of your ship. I enjoy the opportunity to meet people from other countries and backgrounds and hear their views on where we are visiting as well as their views about the U.S.. On one excursion into the desert in the U.A.E. we were a private group of four who met at a Bedouin camp for a meal and entertainment. I believe we were four of only six native English speakers. The other two were from South Africa.

For this trip we booked the majority of our excursions through several different agencies. We used CSI, our travel service, for the many tours they offered. In addition we booked several tours with Cruising Excursions (www.cruisingexcursions.com). They are an international company which offer a huge number of excursions in ports throughout the world. This was the first time we had used this company and were a little hesitant. After reading many reviews and doing some research we decided to take a chance. I believe we books about seven trips and they were all excellent. In many cases we were in a “small group tour” to be no more than 16 persons and it turned out we were actually on a private tour of just the four of us.

We also used Shore Excursion Group (www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com). We have used this company many times in the past and have always been satisfied with their tours. The only drawback is the more limited number of port cities where tours are offered.

Both Cruising Excursions and Shore Excursion Group offer a guarantee that they will get you back to the ship prior to sailing or they will arrange and cover your expenses to get you to the next port. This is one of the selling tactics the cruise lines use to encourage you to use their excursions – fear that you will be left in port.

We also used Tours by Locals (www.toursbylocals.com). We have booked through this service many times and have always had excellent experiences. Tours by Locals is a company which screens individual local guides in various cities throughout the world and provides the booking service for them. The advantage of using a Tours by Locals guide is that you can communicate directly with you guide and arrange a customized literary for your port visit. The downside (which we have never experienced) is that you are dealing with an individual and not a company. Your payment is held in escrow until after your trip. If the guide doesn’t show up or it is a catastrophe, your only recourse is you get your money back. Also there is no guarantee that they will get you back to the ship before sailing time so we always use a Tours by Locals guide on the first day of a two day port stop. But like I said earlier, we have never experienced being late or a no-show. We have used Tours by Locals in South America, Europe and Australia with excellent results.

Lastly, something we seldom do but have done with no untoward results is booking onshore after debarking in a port. In this case as in all travel in a foreign port, use good judgment. This is an especially good option for the second day of a three day port stay. You have the advantage of getting feedback from more adventuresome fellow travelers and often the shore excursions department of the ship will direct you to known reliable vendors.

In addition to preplanning your shore excursion agenda, it is of utmost importance to plan for what is happening at home while you are away. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. Worrying about an unaddressed issue at home while you are thousands of miles away for months can completely spoil the enjoyment of a trip.

The standard issues must be addressed, mail, bills, security, plants, as well as preparing for the unexpected. Being gone for multiple months means you must make arrangements other than just a hold on mail. We used a temporary change of address to one of my sons for all of our mail. Another option is to have a good neighbor get the mail for you. Most travelers today pay the majority of their regular bills automatically online and that works for me for about 95% of our payments. The catch is those once a year items such as life or long-term care insurance, auto tags, etc. I went back through my payment records to spot these items and made appropriate arrangements.

Finally on to the trip itself. As stated earlier I am not going to do a port by port rehash of my previous posts. I will say that I personally did not have a single port I didn’t enjoy. But, to fully enjoy travel, one must be open minded and be able to push into the background any preconceived ideas, prejudices, and yes even expectations you might have. You must just embrace the moment life has given you and enjoy it for what it is. Sometimes this might mean being in one of the world’s most picturesque sights where you have been planning photography for months only to arrive in rain and fog. It happens. Rather than bemoaning your misfortune, get the best photos you can and then spend your time sampling the local food or just observing the culture. This way you might not come away with the photos you wanted, but you will come away with a better understanding of the people of whom you were their guests. As Samuel Johnson once said “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.” And if you prefer to look at this maxim in more negative terms, famous author James Michener said “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” Unfortunately I see people like this on every trip I take. If you are going to go then GO! Immerse yourself in as many way as possible, study before you leave home, study while traveling and then continue to study from what you learned after you get home. Do this and you will truly receive the value of the cost of your travel.

In regard to terrorism, pirates, flying, etc., I am often asked weren’t you afraid of _______? My answer is always the same, NO. Sure there are risks. There are risks everywhere. The decision is always whether to travel or not. When I decide to make the trip, I do my homework, prepare for possible problems and use common sense to avoid getting into a situation which could be dangerous. Does this mean that on our travels I am never frighten or scared. Of course not. On this trip there were several situation where I ranged from being merely uncomfortable to being scared. The point is, these were passing incidents. You should not let fear rule your life whether at home or 10,000 miles away in a country where no one speaks your language. Again, use common sense, be careful and enjoy. As someone said, stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.

Always be respectful of your host countries customs, laws, religion and language. It is easy to see how Americans have the reputation of being obnoxious know-it-alls. Some of our fellow travelers have absolutely no regard for anyone’s culture except their own (of which most in this category have very little). By simply making a small effort to say a few words of greeting in the native language will go a long way to getting started with your best foot forward. Show interest in the local culture, ask questions. Almost everyone is interested in telling you about what is special about their village, town, country, etc. Avoid saying things like “In the U.S. we do it this way….” It is fine to compare and contrast our way of life to life of the villager in Myanmar’s, but don’t do it in a condescending way. Always be respectful and you will certainly have a more fulfilling and enjoyable trip.

What was my favorite thing and my least favorite? Again this is from my prospective only. The country I most enjoyed was Myanmar (Burma). I believe this was due to the fact that it’s still has a relatively primitive lifestyle. Having been essentially cut off from the western world for so long, it has a lot of catching up to do. Although the poverty was shocking and the living conditions in many cases deplorable, the people were so genuine. It was easy to elicit a smile from a child and a laugh from an adult. They were as interested is us as we were in them. The monasteries were fabulous!

I enjoyed all the ancient sites, Delphi, Ephesus, Pompeii, Masada and especially Petra in Jordan. As I walked through the streets, I tried to imagine what it must have been like 2000 years ago. You could almost smell the bread baking in the ovens in Pompeii, as well as the urine collection system… To think of all the great historic figures which had walked these same streets. It was almost overwhelming.

My least enjoyable excursion was also the ancient site of Masada in Israel. I loved the site for all the above stated reasons. My unhappiness was with the HAL excursion we were on. The ship had very incorrectly described this 12 hour trip as being wheelchair friendly. As a result there were many persons on the trip who really should not have been. This caused everyone delays and prevented us from seeing much of what we could have seen. It was as bad a situation for those with walking disabilities as it was for everyone else. In fairness it was the excursion which was disappointing and not Masada itself.

There are far too many wonderful experiences we had the opportunity to enjoy to cover again in this summary. For those who may not have read the entire blog, if you would like to share in some of these, read the blog.

This diatribe has continued longer than I expected and I know I have rambled. For those of you have persevered to the end, I apologize. In closing I will say that I truly wish everyone on our planet had the opportunity I was granted: To see at least a small portion of our great earth in the company of a loving spouse, great friends and pleasurable traveling companions. Traveling has widened my horizons. I have learned many things. No place is as bad as you were told it was going to be. No praise can prepare you for how great some places are. My way is not the only way, and not necessarily the best way. We can always learn from others, regardless of the language they speak or where they live. This trip has caused me to reexamine my life and try to see its place in the grand scheme of things. It is small but not insignificant. I will end with a quote from Mark Twain “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.”

Until the next trip, I bid you adieu.

Wendell

Days 107 & 108 – Wednesday & Thursday, April 22 & 23, 2015 – Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

We arrived in Ponta Delgada, The Azores, Portugal early Wednesday morning. The weather forecast was for rain, but we again enjoyed another two beautiful days in port. We had arranged for a tour through Cruising Excursions. It was a “small group” tour with no more than 16 persons. It turned out to be only five, the four of us and a Polish gentleman who now lives in Liverpool, England.

We spent two days in Ponta Delgada due to the weather cancellation of Horta, also in the Azores. The city is beautiful!

As we left the city of Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the nine island group, we headed into the mountains to reach an altitude of about 3000 feet. This photo is looking back at the harbor. You can see two ships in port, the white one is a Princess and the white and dark one is the Amsterdam.

The Azores enjoy a temperate climate which borders on tropical. It rains some almost every day and the islands are very lush with vegetation.

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This photo was near the “fire lakes” area at about 2700 feet.

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Our guide Miguel. He did a great job and was a really pleasant person. Unfortunately, Miguel like so many other tour guides we have had over the past few months is highly over qualified for his position. Miguel has an MBA in Economics, but without moving to the mainland there are no job opportunities. He did live on the mainland for a while but missed his island.

Lagoa de Fogo, the lake formed in the volcano caldera.

We then visited Caldeira Velha, a hot spring on the mountain. Being islands of volcanic origin, there is still a great deal of geothermal activity. Although there are current no active volcanoes, there is enough geothermal activity to provide electrical energy to the island and also areas such as this for the people to enjoy.

The ancient giant ferns may be found here.

The public can bath in this naturally heated pool.

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The city gates.

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One of the unique features of Ponta Delgada is the black and white tiled plazas and sidewalks. The patterns are beautiful and varied.

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Janet’s Birthday!

The dining stewards sang Happy Birthday…

And served an incredible Decadent Chocolate Cake.

We sailed Thursday evening and expect to be in Fort Lauderdale in a week, docking on April 30th. Our four month adventure is coming to a close. As much as I have enjoyed the trip, I am ready to be back home and see the family! Unless something really exciting happens, I expect this to be the last blog post until my summary which will probably not be for a few weeks. If you are subscribed to the blog you will receive an email notification, if not periodically check back.

I appreciate everyone’s comments and hope you have enjoyed the journey along with us. I promise to recap the trip, give my final thoughts on the voyage and also answer some questions posed by readers about tours, etc.

Until then, happy travelling…

Day 104 – Sunday, April 19, 2015 – Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the province of Cádiz. Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in Western Europe and has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the 18th century.

The older part of Cádiz within the remnants of the city walls is commonly referred to as the Old Town. It is characterized by the antiquity of its various quarters, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town. While the Old City’s street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cádiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World.

Pre-dawn Cadiz as we sailed into the bay.

We scheduled an independent tour for Cadiz prior to sailing in January. We met our guide right on time and began the “panoramic” portion of the tour prior to a walking tour of the old city.

A beautiful morning in Cadiz!

Our first stop was the fortified wall to the city. This wall has been built and rebuilt many times with modern lanes for roads cut through the wall. This wall withstood an assault by Napoleon for over a year. He was never able to take the city and for a while Cadiz was the capital of Spain since the majority of the country has succumbed to Napoleon.

Kay, examining the “oyster stone” blocks from which the wall is made. We saw many old buildings constructed from this material. It is now unlawful to quarry the stone.

Taken just outside the wall near the modern fountain.

A watchtower on top of the wall.

These are two of the trees which Christopher Columbus supposedly brought back from the “new world”.

Low tide on Caleta Beach.

Santa Catalina Chapel. Dedicated in 1693 under the rein of Carlos II.

Santa Catalina Castle. Ordered built by Felipe II after the Anglo-Dutch looting in 1596.

The beautiful Parque Genoves. This large park contains hundreds of plant specimens from around the world.

A section of ancient Roman aqueduct. On end has a protruding lip and the other has an equivalent indention to fit the pieces together.

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The Constitution Monument. It was erected in 1912 to celebrate the Centenary of the Spanish Constitution.

In many of the former wealthy merchant houses you could see these towers. They were a symbol of wealth. The higher the tower or the greater the number of towers, the wealthier you were.

If you have any old canons lying around, plant them in the ground and they make for a great ash tray…

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Our guide for the day, German Ruiz Lara. German was very pleasant, very knowledgeable, and spoke very good English. He has a degree in chemical engineering, but with a 40% unemployment rate in Spain, he is doing something he enjoys for the time being. German obviously has a strong work ethic and lamented about the general laziness of so many in the city of Cadiz. Unfortunately due to the fact that the city is a confined peninsula, there is no room for expansion, the cost of living is very high and most of the people who work here live outside the city as does German.

I have seen these type balconies in other old cities of Europe but did not realize the design had a specific purpose. This design accommodated the ladies wearing the large flared skirts of the time.

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The Lion with a ring in its mouth signified the house of a slave trader.

The fish with coins pouring from their mouth on either side of the window indicated that this slave trader was also rich.

By stepping inside the “outside foyer” leading to the courtyard of the wealthier homes, you could see beautiful tile entryways.

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The Flower Plaza.

Here many flower venders could be found.

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This gate dates from the 13th to 15th century.

An interesting contrast.

I love the curved streets and alleys of the old cities.

A part of the ancient Roman wall.

The Mayor’s office building.

One of the dozens of beautiful squares in Cadiz.

The city of Cadiz was a surprising stop. The city is beautiful and is full of history. It is somewhere I would definitely return to if the opportunity arose. Our guide, German, also helped to bring the history alive with his knowledge and ability to relate in vivid details the city’s history.

Monday and Tuesday, days 105 & 106 are sea days. We learned that our itinerary has changed. We were scheduled to be in Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal on Wednesday and then on the island of Horta on Thursday, about 175 miles away. Due to the low pressure area passing through the port in Horta is expecting waves of 12 to 16 feet with winds up to 40 mph. Since this is a tender port the captain made the decision to spend the night in Ponta Delgada and skip Horta entirely.

Day 103 – Saturday, April 18, 2015 – Malaga Spain

Malaga, Spain. Our second of three stops in Spain and the last on in the Mediterranean Sea. Malaga with more than 3000 years of history including being the birthplace of Pablo Picasso turned out to be a very surprising stop in the most pleasant way. Its heritage encompasses the Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs all of which left its mark on the city.

Pre-sunrise as we were arriving in Malaga.

We decided to not do a tour since the city was supposed to be very pedestrian friendly. One option we did consider was the tour to Granada and the Alhambra. I would really have loved to visit the Alhambra, but a 2 ½ hour drive each way was enough to dissuade us.

We were in town before 9:00 AM on this Saturday morning. It was interesting to see all the streets being washed.

I don’t believe I have ever been in any city with as many pedestrian streets as Melaga.

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We visited the Malaga Cathedral. Although nice on the outside, but not overly impressive, it is beautiful on the inside. We stopped to listen to Morning Mass. I didn’t understand a word but the service and song were beautiful.

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This device (machine) was located in a corner of the church. I have absolutely no idea what it is and don’t have the internet time to run it down until I return home. It sure looks impressive. If anyone know about this device feel free to make a comment on the blog.

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This wall was not tiles or mosaic, but bricks…

In the garden outside the cathedral I found this orange tree.

The North Tower. Although work on the Cathedral started during the Gothic period (16th century) with the old mosque of the Arabian city, the current building is of Renaissance style and is still unfinished. Funds ran out in 1782 and so work was stopped, leaving the south tower unbuilt. This lead to it being given the popular nickname of “The One-Armed Lady”.

Our next stop was a strenuous walking tour of the Alcazaba area. Built between the 11th and 14th centuries it was the palace fortress of the Muslim governors. It is built upon the remains of an older Phoenician fortress on the side of the mount of Gibralfaro, in a position high above the city.

The climb to the top was long and consisted of steps and inclined walkways. The landscaping was beautiful.

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A view of the Plaza De Toros De La Malagueta. The local bull fighting ring.

Another view from our ascent, this one of the MS Amsterdam.

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Back on the pedestrian streets, we saw this baby stroller. It looks like a great idea but would never be allowed in the US. It is a standard stroller but has a small seat mounted in front for a young toddler to sit on. No restraints, belts or even a back…

While exploring we found a market. It turned out to be a market for fresh fish and fresh fruits and vegetables. I loved it!

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How about an olive, or a few hundred pounds of olives and by the way you have many varieties to choose from.

We decided to walk back to the ship rather than take the port provided shuttle. It was a little over a mile, but a beautiful walk.

Part of the way was along shops and restaurants and had this beautiful covered walkway.

When going through my photos after returning to the ship, I told Kay that I have been traveling too long when I can pass a view like this and really don’t pay it any attention until I see it again in the photo. We have seen and participated in so many tremendous sights and experiences on this trip that we have quite literally become numb. Marvels which a few months ago would have stopped me in my tracks now only receive a passing nod. I believe I am ready to return home and become desensitized so I can again better appreciate the little things this wonderful life has to offer.

On to Cadiz, Spain tomorrow!

Day 101 & 102 – Thursday & Friday – April 16 & 17, 2015 – Sea Day & Cartagena, Spain

This first photo is actually from day 101, at sea. Cruise Specialists sponsored another cocktail party for their clients (which compromise about 25% of the passengers). I made a point to get a photo of Henk and Lucia Barnhorn our CS hosts. This is the third or fourth cruise which we have sailed with Henk & Lucia. You could not find a nicer couple. They are now not only old friends, but we think of them as a part of our cruising family as well.

Henk & Lucia

On Friday, Day 102, we arrived in our first port of Spain, Cartagena. Cartagena was originally settled in 223 BC and the city has flourished under Roman, Muslim and Arab rule. Located on the southeast coast of Spain, the city has been a major naval port for the region and one of the most important defensive harbors in the Mediterranean since the 16th century.

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Cartagena is a beautiful protected port surrounded by a number (seven, I believe) hills all of which once supported forts.

The port is a haven for small private boats today.

Today we scheduled a 4 ½ hour walking tour through Holland America. Unfortunately I was very disappointed with our tour. Our guide’s English was not very proficient and the ambient noise in the city made comprehension for me, who suffers from a hearing problem, almost impossible. As a result, I present the photos but in many cases I have no idea what they are of….

A statue of Christopher Columbus stands above the port and point the way to the new world.

A view from the top of Concepción Castle.

In this view you can see the Roman theater.

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Another Holland America ship the larger Eurodam was also in port. This is a good photo of the ships as well as the protected harbor.

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I did love their street lighting. It was quite unique.

Watching the Eurodam as it sailed out of the harbor.

Tonight we have a short sail to the port city of Malaga.

Day 100 – Wednesday, April 15, 2015 – Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Someone had to remind me that today was Tax Day in the U.S., almost spoiled my day… One day in this port is so little time it was almost tempting to not even try to go into the city but we scheduled a “Panoramic tour of Rome” (ride through by bus) and a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, a 9 hour trip including the drive from the port to the city.

As with my latest posts, commentary will be kept to a minimum. I simply do not have the time to do the photos justice with my commentary so just enjoy the photos!

Dawn in Civitavecchia port.

New vineyards along the way to Rome.

The Pyramid of Caius Cestius.

The Coliseum.

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Lunch at Ristorante Zagara, located near the Vatican.

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The wait for security screening to enter St. Peter’s Basilica was over an hour, and the line became much longer as we waited.

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We finally made it through security!

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The letters along the top of the Basilica are about 9 feet tall to give you some reference to the size of the cathedral.

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Since it was a Wednesday, the Pope had his weekly appearance this morning.

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We of course saw only a small part of the Vatican and really only a small part of St. Peters. The Cathedral is tremendous in size, unparalleled in its structural beauty and artwork. Unfortunately, as an amateur student of middle ages history, my thoughts as I marveled at the grandeur was the cost in human suffering the church created in the building and furnishing of this grand structure. Of course to be fair, all the beautiful buildings we see in Europe and throughout the world really came at a very high cost to the people of the era.

As stated earlier, one day does not even scratch the surface of this great city. I would love to return some day to spend time walking the streets. That is the only way to really “see” a city of this nature.

We are at sea on day 101 and will then be in Spain for 3 stops, and the Portuguese Islands for 2 more, then homeward bound. I have enjoyed the trip, but after four months we are really missing our children and grandchildren. Less than two weeks now!

Day 99 – Tuesday, April 14, 2015 – Naples, Italy – Pompeii

We arrived in Naples a little earlier than scheduled. We were docked and cleared to debark around 7:30 AM. Today we had scheduled an excursion through Cruising Excursions, headquartered in London. It was described as a small group tour, between 6 and 20 persons with an English speeding guide. Our tour was to start at 8:30 and we were to meet our driver at 8:15 outside the cruise terminal. We decided to exit the ship early, just before 8:00. To our surprise, when we left the terminal, our guide was waiting for us with a sign. After quick introductions, he called the driver to bring our transportation by. As a new Mercedes SUV pulled up, our guide Fernando explained that it was just the four of us, we had a private tour! We departed the terminal at 8:10. Our information from the ship said to expect a 45 minute drive to Pompeii, our first stop. We arrived at exactly 8:30, opening time and we were the first persons through the back gate. For the majority of our two hours in Pompeii we had it mostly to ourselves. Fernando proved to be an excellent and knowledgeable guide.

Dawn at Naples Port.

Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano which buried the city of Pompeii as well as destroying all forms of life from Herculaneum to Stabiae in 79 AD. This was the best photo I was able to obtain as it was hazy all day. Vesuvius is located about 15 KM from Pompeii.

Fresh lemons at the small market when we arrived at Pompeii. The lemons grown here are HUGE!

First of all, we only had two hours to spend at Pompeii. Fernando made sure we saw a lot, but there is absolutely no way to see the ancient city fully in less than 2 or 3 days. I had absolutely no idea of its size. In fact I still didn’t realize how big it was until I purchased a book and actually looked at a map and an aerial photo. We actually walked over perhaps 15 % of the entire city. I am providing a lot of photos, but unfortunately I haven’t had time to match all the photos with the actual descriptions in my book. For now, just enjoy the photos…

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Our first stops were the Forum Baths. These were the smallest public baths which were primarily for visitors to the city. Although they were small they were the most ornate. There were cold, warm, and hot baths with changing rooms. There were separate baths for both men and women. All rooms were heated by ductwork in the floors and the walls. Street leading to the public baths of the Forum.

Looking back you can see the level which the ash from the volcano covered the city.

Some of the many beautiful floor mosaics in the baths.

A wall fresco in the baths. Attached to the baths was a brothel which was apparently located upstairs. There is an entire sequence of fresco in the waiting area of the brothel. I took photos of these, but since this blog will probably be viewed by some who might be offended (and some who are simply too young to see these images), I will not post these photos. I’ll just say they are very graphic!

A beautiful mosaic which is almost complete.

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This is something which fascinated me. During heavy rains, the streets would flood. Stepping stones were placed along the streets to allow the crossing without getting your feet wet.

The streets were preserved in wonderful shape. You can see that the time was taken to produce pattern even in the streets.

Notice the white stones. These are now called cat’s eyes. Their purpose was to help pedestrians to see the street in low light.

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Marble was scarce and difficult to obtain. In its place, brick columns were made and then plastered over to look like marble. This is a good photo comparing the two.

The four travelers standing in the forum, near the Temple of Jupiter.

I found this very small room near the entrance to the market place. When I enquired as to its purpose, since it was an unusual looking room, our guide told me it was used to collect urine. Urine was valuable for its ammonia content and was used for washing clothes.

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This is one of the many bodies found buried in the volcanic ash. When discovered, the ash had hardened and the body had decayed leaving only the skeleton. Archeologists filled the cavity with plaster to create the exact position and shape of the body as it was when the person perished.

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This is a good example of the stepping stones and you can see the chariot tracks left in the stone road.

Found at the front door of one of the many private homes in Pompeii. Our guide said it basically translates as “Welcome”. A permanent welcome mat in stone!

This photo was taken in the House of the Faun, the largest home in Pompeii. It occupies a little over 45,000 square feet. It is generally supposed that the house was built for Publius Sulla, nephew of the conqueror of the Samnite city, who had the task of organizing and reconciling the old and new interest of the Roman Republic at Pompeii. In other words he was a politician.

The house is huge and has a number of beautiful mosaics. The most famous which depicted the battle of Alexander the Great and Darius, King of the Persians is now housed in the National Museum of Naples.

These stalls were for beverage sellers. Note the counter and the decorated marble.

The recesses were to hold jugs of wine or other beverages.

“Cave Canum” mosaic in the entrance to Casa Del Poeta Tragico. It was under renovation and I had to take the photo through a small opening with wire screen. The inscription translates to “Beware of Dog”. Somethings haven’t changed much in the past 2000 years…

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An oven at a bakery and grain mill.

One of several mills used to grind grain for bread.

In one storage area there were thousands of artifacts which have been removed from the site and are now being stored. They are locked behind bars, but fortunately you can take photos through the enclosure.

This famous plaster cast has traveled the world over and been on exhibit in many museums.

It catches a moment in time of the fatal eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

After leaving Pompeii, we traveled along the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

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After our sightseeing drive along the coast we made our way to the beautiful town of Sorrento where we had two hours for lunch and exploring the town.

We had a very enjoyable “real” pizza as our guide said. If it wasn’t from the Naples area it wasn’t a real pizza.

I could have spent the entire day in this shop. It is operated by the fifth generation of its founder. They specialize in wood inlay.

This is one of thousands of beautiful pieces they had. This is a game table which has multiple layers under the beautiful inlay top. The legs and side are also inlayed. The cost was 7,000 Euros.

Me with Marco Jannuzzi, a fifth generation owner. I had to get a couple of small pieces of the marvelous work.

On our way back, we took the shortcut through the mountain. This tunnel was over 5 kilometers in length.

Back in Naples we passed this apartment building. It looks like it was wash day…

The day was great. My only regret is we only had a few hours in Pompeii. I wish we had a few days! My next post will be for our visit to Civitavecchia, the port city for Rome.

Day 98 – Monday, April 13, 2015 – Messina, Italy

I am so far behind in posting, that this one will be brief! We arrived in Messina, Italy on the island of Sicily, Italy Monday morning. Messina is the third largest city of Sicily and lies on the northeast corner of the island. With a bustling port serving as both a military and commercial port. Messina was originally founded by the Greeks in 8th century BC. With a rich history filled with ferocious battles devastating earthquakes, and debilitating disease, the island has a lot to offer tourists.

This is a port which was added due to the elimination of the Egyptian ports. We had booked a HAL tour to Mt. Etna, but after realizing the full days we had in Turkey and Greece leading up to this stop, we decided to cancel the Etna trip. It would have taken over 4 hour of bus riding with only a short time at the site. Instead we just walked around on our own. We stopping at a very local small shop in a mostly residential section for lunch. Kay had a calzone and I had a slice of a “pie” stuffed with vegetables. I also had a local beer, a Messina, the total was less than $5.00 US. Anyway, enjoy the photos.

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The famous mechanical clock tower. We were fortunate to be there at noon and got to see the “show”.

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Tomorrow is a sea day, followed by a day in Naples and then Rome.

Day 97 – Sunday, April 12, 2015 – Delphi, Olympia, Katakolon, Greece

We were again up early for breakfast and on the bus by 8:00 for our travel along the southern Greek coastline on our way to Olympia for the Easter Festival Feast. The first thing I noticed this morning when I looked out was all the smoke. It actually looked like village was burning down! It was simply all the charcoal spits being fired up to grill the traditional lamb for Easter Sunday.

The view from the hotel balcony. It looks like everyone has a spit fired up.

Looking back toward the church, the smoke is even heavier.

This was at a hotel just down from ours, I took this as we were leaving Delphi.

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A smoky haze lies over the valley.

The smoke from the grills was unbelievable!

Honey is a major staple in Greece, as are bee keepers. This was a common sight along the road, often not near any houses.

The coastal ride from Delphi was beautiful.

Fish farms are a growing industry in Greece with the majority of exports going to Italy.

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We arrived in Olympia at about 12:00 noon. There were eight lambs on the spit, almost ready for the feast to begin.

Not very pretty to look at, but they were delicious…

It takes a big cleaver and a strong arm to cut up eight lambs!

After eating we walked the streets of Olympia. Due to the holiday the Olympia ruins were closed for the day, a disappointment for us but we did enjoy our sightseeing.

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One shopping stop I did make was at the Pharmacy. Kay once again had a defective bottle of latanoprost, or Xylatan, her glaucoma medication. It is not noticeable and would not be a problem as long as the bottle is kept upright but the tiny dropper had a crack which allowed the medication to drain when on its side or upside down. Since this bottle had been traveling with us for three months it has been tumbled in every direction. Fortunately I was able to communicate with the pharmacist and obtained a bottle to finish our trip with. The amazing thing is that here in Greece as it was in Budapest last summer when I had a similar situation is they do not have the generic, only the brand. What’s even more amazing is the brand cost less than the generic does in the States. I paid 8.26 Euro or about $8.80 USD for this bottle and did not need a prescription.

On the way back to the ship we saw this scene repeatedly. The sanitation workers are on strike. Greece has so many economic and political problems… It is a shame because the people are so nice and the country is so beautiful.

When we arrive back, the ship was patiently waiting for us.

We had a little time left so Kay and I walked around the small town of Katakolon.

The beach was a rocky, not sandy but it was beautiful.

Day 96 – Saturday, April 11, 2015 – Delphi, Greece

We arose early, ate breakfast and were on our way south toward Delphi by 8:00 AM. It was another long bus ride, but again with beautiful scenery. Due to the Easter Holiday, we had to arrive in Delphi as soon as possible because the park closes at 2:30 PM. Therefore we went directly to the park before lunch.

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One of the numberless small villages and towns nestled in the mountain valleys. Occasionally we would see a Gypsy camp alongside the road. Some of these were quite large and as in all other countries where we have found this ethnic group, they are a problem for the locals to deal with.

Delphi is situated in Sterea Hellas. It is a mountainous area covered by the Parnassus range and the western branches of mount Helicon. The town of Delphi and the Sanctuary were built on the southern slopes of Parnassus at an altitude between 1500 to 2400 feet. The landscape is of spectacular natural beauty, full of sharp contrasts and is one of the most impressive and fascinating parts of Greece.

For many centuries this was a religious and spiritual center of the ancient Greek world. According to tradition, Delphi was the geographical center of the world, the meeting point of two eagles dispatched by Zeus from the ends of the universe to find the center of the world. The first traces of inhabitation in the region of Delphi go back to Mycenaean times (14th-11th century BC). Since this time a number of different cults and religions have occupied the area.

When we arrived at the Historical Site of Delphi, we first visited the museum. Here are a number of very important pieces which have been excavated over the years.

In about 560 BC, preceding the construction of the Siphnian treasury, another rich island of the Cyclades, Naxos sent a grandiose offering to Apollo of Delphi; the statue of the mythical sphinx, a female face with the mysterious smile, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird were placed on an Ionic column at the sanctuary of Gaia in order to protect her oracle. It is regarded as the oldest element in the Ionic order at Delphi. The Sphinx including the column stood almost 40 feet tall.

Statues of the identical twins, Kleovis and Byton who were immortalized as having been “the best of men”. After their mother prayed to the statue of the goddess Hereon to give the twins “whatsoever is best for a man to receive”, they went to sleep and never awoke. The gods took them with them and they were immortalized with these statues and dedicated to Apollo as eternal symbols of virtue (around 600 BC).

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A small bronze incensory circa 490-460 BC.

The prickly column with the “dancers”

Dionysus, one of a “family of philosophers” statues created around 270 BC.

The Charioteer, an exquisite piece of the beginning of the 5th century BC The Charioteer was part of a bronze complex which according to the prevailing view, was dedicated to Apollo By Polyzalos, tyrant of Gela in Sicily, in commemoration of his victory in the chariot race in the Pythian Games in 478 or 474 BC.

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Ruins of the Roman Agora at the entrance to the Delphi Sanctuary

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One of many stone tablets which can be seen in Delphi.

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The Iconic treasury built by the Siphnians near the end of the 6th century BC. The treasuries are small, elegant temple-shaped buildings erected by the Greek cities in commemoration of an historical event in order to house precious offerings. There were many treasuries.

Remains of the Temple of Apollo.

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The Theater. Built in the 4th century BC, reconstructed in the 2th century BC and took its final form in Roman times.

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The Stadium which dates back to the 5th century BC took its present form in the 2nd century BC when Herod Atticus restored it and built the stone seats which could accommodate an audience of 7,000.

Beautiful wild flowers grow everywhere!

The grounds closed promptly at 2:30 and we left for a much needed lunch!

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The setting was rustic, but the food was good.

The view from the front of the restaurant.

On our way back to the town of Delphi, where we were to spend the night, we passed through another slightly larger city which has a very narrow two-way main street. Meeting another vehicle was difficult and when we meet two other tour buses, it took 15 minutes for us to negotiate our passage.

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We finally arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Apollonia. Mark, our HAL tour “helper”, passed out our room keys. Ours was next to the last one passed out and it was explained that the entrance was on floor 3 and the restaurant was on floor 2. Our room was marked 414, so we took the stairs up one flight. Sure enough the 400 rooms were on this level but they only went up to 412. Tired and frustrated, I left Kay with the luggage an went back to the front desk. I had to wait several minutes because there was only one person at the desk. I what was probably not a really nice tone, I asked where this room was located. “No problem” she said, “follow me”. We got on the elevator, went up one floor to where Kay was waiting. She crossed the small lobby and opened the door to a suite which did not even have a number. It looked like we lucked out! We had a nice two room suite with dual balconies.

The entrance to our “suite”.

Actually, it was quite nice. The Hotel was rated as 4-Star, but certainly would not have received that rating in the States… Everything is relative I guess…

View from the Hotel front balcony.

Church visible from the balcony. This is where the midnight service was held, but we did not go.

On main street in Delphi. We took a break on this small wall to just enjoy the view. In the distance you can see the Ionian Sea (this part also called the Korinthiakos Sea).

Directly behind the wall was a drop of about 100 feet to a small ledge, after that it was another 1500 plus feet to the valley floor… You can see some of the olive tree orchards in the valley.

All along the roads you would see these permenate memorials to persons who died in auto accidents. They usually contained some religious icons and perhaps a photo or flowers. We saw several places along our travels where these could be purchased.

We continued walking through town and back down to the Delphi Sanctuary. Here we viewed the “gymnasium” area which we missed earlier today. The Gymnasium is on two parallel levels. On the highest level there was a big stoa or xystos, where athletes trained in racing when the weather conditions were unfavorable. When the weather was good, they used the paradromida, which lies in front of the xystos and parallel to it.

On the lower level there was the Palaestra, a square yard surrounded by a small sanctuary and chambers used for the various activities of the athletes training in wrestling and boxing.

Beside the palaestra were the baths. The cold water coming from the Castalia spring ran through eleven spouts into stone basins and from there flowed into a circular tank. In Roman times baths with hot water were added westwards.

Apollo’s temple as seen from the road in the evening sun.

We found this cover stone vessel. It looked like a tomb, and Janet is clowning around in it despite possible spiders…

The sanctuary of Athena Pronaia or the Temple of Athena. This dates from the 5th and 4th century BC.

The round trip walk was about 2.5 miles – a nice walk, especially coming back up the steep hill in town.

Here is a grill readied the Easter Sunday morning ritual of grilling a lamb for the Easter Feast. Tomorrow’s photos will show the incredible smoke created by the lighting of dozens of these grills.

Another blog down, currently I am only one behind but that increases to two tomorrow…

Goodnight.

Day 95 – Friday, April 10, 2015 – Piraeus (Athens), Greece – Meteora

Today starts a very busy six straight port days with one sea day followed by another 3 port days! With so many port days and activities, I am not sure when or how much delay there will be between my postings. I will try to stay current, but I am sure there may be several days’ delay for which I apologize ahead of time. We arrived in the port of Piraeus, Greece (Athens port city) around 7:00 AM. Since we were leaving the ship for two nights for an overland tour, we had our luggage packed and ready. We debarked around 8:10 and were on the road by 8:30. The drive to Meteora was long, but the scenery was beautiful.

Greece is not exactly as I had pictured it in my mind. Most photos and movies concentrate on the coast and the beautiful coastal cities. I didn’t realize that the country was so mountainous. It is the 3rd most mountainous country in Europe, behind Norway and Albania. Greece is composed of 85% mountains.

I outlined in YELLOW our route over the next three days. We leave from Priaeus early Friday morning and travel to Meteora where we spend the night, then back down to Delphi near the southern coast to visit the ruins and again spend the night in the small town of Delphi. On Sunday, we travel along the coast and cross the bridge on our way to Olympia. After a traditional Greek Easter Feast, we then proceed to Katakolon to reboard the ship

Snow covered mountains in the background, solar panels in the foreground.

Mountains and Olive orchards…

Sweeping valleys, between the majestic mountains.

A brief glimpse of Mt. Olympus in the far distance.

After 5 ½ hours of travel by bus we reach Meteora where we stop for delicious lunch. As I have found most Greek meals to be, it was huge and consisted of a large selections of appetizers (which could have been the meal itself) followed by the main and dessert. I had my first Greek beer a Mythos, which is a Hellenic style brew. It was ok, but on this trip I have yet to find a beer which rivals those of Northern Europe But in all fairness, this is wine country.

A view of the mountains from the restaurant.

We saw many climbers. Meteora is a popular destination for hiking and rock climbing.

The Metéora , "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" — etymologically related to "Meteorite") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List

The Plain of Thessaly has been reorganized as the site of the most ancient habitation in Greece. Meteora is nothing other than a group of lofty and precipitous rocks crowned with monasteries, retreats and cells, while its various caves have been turned into hermits’ cells for Orthodox monasticism since the 11th century. These pillows rise to over 1000 feet above the beautiful plain of Thessaly. The pillows were formed over 60,000 years ago when an ancient lake forced its way to the Aegean Sea, eroding the mountain and leaving these unique pillows.

We were only able to visit two of the Monasteries which are now operated by nuns. Only two Monasteries still are occupied by Monks and one only has two devotees left. From the elevations, I was able to get photos of many of the Monasteries, but I haven’t had time to actually identify the specific ones from the book I purchased. Therefore, I will just present the photos for your viewing enjoyment.

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Rossanou was one of the sites we did visit. Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside any of the churches which was a shame because the fresco decorations are incredible!

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One of our fellow travelers took this photo for us, unfortunately we are out of focus but the monastery is quite beautiful!

The Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas, built in the 16th century, has a small church, decorated by the noted Cretan painter Theophanis Strelitzas, in 1527.

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St. Stephens was the other site we visited. The Holy Monastery of St. Stephen has a small church built in the 16th century and decorated in 1545. This monastery rests on the plain rather than on a cliff. It was shelled by the Nazis during World War II who believed it was harboring insurgents and was abandoned. Nuns took it over and reconstructed it

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Looking down on the town of Kalambaka, where we spent the night.

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The view from our hotel balcony in Kalambaka. Our room is on the front of the hotel and Meteora is directly behind it.

I walked around to the back of the hotel and got this photo of St. Stephens just at dusk.

The timing of our visit to Greece was both a blessing and a curse. We of course celebrated Easter last Sunday. In Greece where the official religion is Christian Greek Orthodox and the vast majority of Greeks are of this religious persuasion. In Greece, Easter is recognized according to the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar (which is what is currently used almost worldwide). As a result the Greek Easter usually occurs after our Easter, in this case only one week later. The Greeks celebrate Easter for the full Easter week with various events each day. Since this is a Religious holiday weekend, the hours of stores, museums and historical sites are changed. Almost all are closing early on Saturday and opening late on Sunday. On Friday while we were in Kalambaka, we had the opportunity to participate in the Procession of the Epitaph, one of their most sacred ceremonies. In towns all over Greece, people gather at their church for a ceremony, then make a procession from their individual churches to a central location where members of all the churches join for a joint ceremony. It was quite impressive and massive, and this was in a small town.

This was our group making our way to the church, about a half mile walk from the hotel.

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The church where we met.

Alter boys getting ready to lead the procession.

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Not a great photo, but this was the Bishop. He finally had to stop to allow the parishioners the opportunity to kiss his cross

The crowd was body to body along the narrow streets, but everyone was patient and we observed absolutely no problems.

There were all ages and all forms of dress, from very casual to suits & ties.

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Gathering in the town square.

Children enjoying an evening out late…

Walking back to the hotel room, Kay and I stopped at a pastry shop. On the Procession night most businesses stay open quite late, with many people having dinner after the ceremony around 11 or 12 PM. The ship must have had 150 varities of pasteries! We selected three and had to leave the shop before we went crazy!

We got back to the Hotel for a goods nights rest and an for an early start tomorrow. We have another several hours of bus ride to reach Delphi before it closes at 2:30 PM. Everything is closing early Saturday because this is Easter Saturday and a holiday. Most people will be attending a Midnight church service and then having a meal. Early Sunday morning the people will begin to prepare the traditional Easter Feast. We have already seen wood and charcoal grills set up for the roasting of whole lambs which is an absolute requirement.

Hopefully I will get Delphi posted soon…

Day 93 – Wednesday, April 8, 2015 – Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

We arrived about 7:00 AM in Kusadasi, Turkey, a coastal city of about 100,000 people located on the country’s western coast. The first human settlement at Ephesus occurred during the Neolithic period, c. 6000 B.C.. The area is famous for its art, culture, history and especially its magnificent ruins. We were fortunate as we arrived at the very beginning of the tourist season, our guide told us we were the first cruise ship this year. The weather was cool, but comfortable in the high 60’s. That is much better that the 110-114 which may be reached during the summer.

Beautiful overcast morning as we sailed into port.

Our tour today took us to three major sights, the house where Jesus’s mother Mary is thought to have lived the last years of her life, the fabulous ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus and finally to the Basilica of St. John.

A view of a peach orchard along the way to the Mary’s house. The many valleys of the area are fertile and a number of different crops are cultivated.

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It’s hard to believe that this scene is only about 30 minutes from the coast.

The persecution of the Christians by the Romans and the conservative Jews increased during the reign of Roman Emperor Caligula (37-41 A.D.). It reached the point where the Apostles could no longer remain in Jerusalem and they decided to scatter to various lands in order to save their lives and spread their beliefs. Roman Asia Minor was given to St. John. The Apostle John, took with him the Virgin Mary who had been entrusted to his care by Jesus. They arrived near Ephesus between 37 and 42 A.D. A number of historical documents attest to the fact that they were here during this period. The “discovery” of the ruins of this house has a long and interesting history which I will not go into on the blog but those interested might Google “Gregory of Tours” and “Katerin Kmmerik” go find starting points of research.

Mary’s house as reconstructed for the foundation which dates to the 1st century.

Supplications and prayers to Mother Mary.

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After leaving the mountain with Mary’s house we traveled into the valley between two mountains to begin our exploration of the ancient city of Ephesus. The history of Ephesus can (and does) compromise volumes of books, but I will attempt a very brief outline of its history. Many of you I am sure will want to skip this section and for those of you who do read it, please keep in mind that many details and great gaps of history have been omitted, but if it sparks your interest I invite you to obtain one of the many books of the history of Ephesus.

As stated previously, the earliest human occupation has been dated to about 6000 B.C. Artifacts indicate that a Mycenaean settlement was in the area during the Bronze Age and the Hittite Period. At this time the city was called Apasas. Around 1200 B.C. with the wave of migrations from Central Europe there were Dorians, Aeolians and Ionians passing through the area. It is supposed that Andorklos established the Ioanian city of Ephesus and his rule was successively followed by rule of oligarchy and tyranny and then democracy. The first information about Ephesus dates from the 7th century B.C. that the city was a member of the Panionion, the Ionian League. There were a number of wars and rulers until the city was conquered in 34 B.C. by Alexander the Great and a period of prosperity for about 50 years began. Later when the Romans defeated the Syrian King Antiochus in 189 B.C., in his last testament, Ephesus was left to Rome. Again there were several rebellions but in the Augustan Period, Ephesus became one of the most important cities of Roman Asia. When the aqueduct was built between 4 and 14 A.D, it made the city the largest and most important city of the Roman Empire in Anatolia. In the meantime, Christianity was rapidly spreading in the city. In 57 A.D., the Roman population who opposed what St. Paul taught rioted against this new religion in the theater of Ephesus. (where we heard the concert tonight!). In 262 A.D. the Goths sacked both Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis and after this disaster the city was unable to return to its former prosperity and glory. However Emperor Constantine I, built a bathhouse and Emperor Arcadius constructed a street extending from the grand theater to the harbor. In 431 A.D. the Third Ecumenical Council gathered at the Church of Mary in Ephesus where the definition of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God was accepted. By the beginning of the Middle Ages the port of Ephesus had silted up, with the deposits made by the River Cayster and consequently Ephesus was no longer a seaport and center of trade, thus reducing its importance When Ephesus was conquered by the Seljuks in 1090, it was only a small town and after the short lived golden days of the Aydinogullari Emirate in the 14th century, Ephesus was abandoned.

The upper bath house on the northern entrance into the city. These baths were ruined many times due to seismic activity but were repeatedly repaired.

The city had an extensive water system as can be seen by some of the original pipes.

A part of the “Royal Walk” which was covered, as were many of the streets for protection from the fierce summer sun.

A long range view of the Library of Celsius.

The monument of Memmius. Constructed in the third quarter of the 1st century B.C. In 1960 an inscription was found which recorded the name Memmius in both Greek and Latin. It was erected in honor of C. Memmius, the nephew of the Roman dictator Sulla, by Gaius Memmius, one of the prominent residents of the city. The virtues of the Mimmius family are depicted in a personalized manner.

An early symbol of pharmacy.

The goddess Nike.

Only about 20% of the city has been recovered during excavations over the past 150 years.

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Another view of the Library.

We visited the latest excavations to open, the Terrace Houses. This is the first of the excavations of the hillside where most of the prominent families lived. The area is enclosed by a roofed pavilion to protect the delicate mosaics from exposure.

There were dozens of tables where fragments were laid out in an attempt to assemble this huge jigsaw puzzle.

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The largest house so far uncovered is about 3500 square feet in size.

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Our guide Oktay Elsever. Oktay was one of the best guides we have had on this cruise.

Some of the beautiful mosaics on the floor which date back 2000 years.

This one was at the home entrance and was probably 15 feet long.

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Some of the clay pipes used for the water system.

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Kay in front of the Library.

I know there are a lot of photos of the library, but it was truly incredible. Known as the 3rd largest library in the Ancient World.

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The public latrines.

In the private homes, the masters would have their salve sit on the cold marble to warm it for them!

The Grand Theater which seats over 25,000 persons. The exact date of construction is unknown, but from a small fountain located in the theater dates from around 100 B.C. A decorated stage was added between 87 and 92 A.D. There are three sections with different slopes to accommodate the most people and afford good sound. There are inscriptions on the different levels which indicated where specific groups were to sit.

As we left the site, there were many vendors. Even those who sold “Genuine Fake” watches.

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Basilica of Saint John

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There were a lot of storks in the area. The city provides nesting supports atop the power poles.

We stopped by the mandatory Turkish rug sales room. Seeing how the rugs are handmade in what is basically a cottage industry was fascinating. Some of the silk rugs were beautiful but expensive!

We make it back home around 3:00 PM and have to be ready to travel back to Ephesus at 6:00 PM for our corporate sponsored party and concert in the Great Theater.

In just a few hours the site had been transformed into a beautiful party venue. This is only a fraction of the hundred tables set up along the old Harbor Road.

Sunset on the theater was beautiful.

To see the ruins at night was truly special.

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We learned that we were the first group to actually use the Great Theater for a concert in the past 10 years. Previously it was a venue for many famous performers including Sir Elton John and even Sting. The authorities became concerned about possible damage caused by the amplified music.

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It was cool, but beautiful…

We had a performance of a traditional dance group.

Then a few words from Holland America Lines, CEO Stein Kruse and President Orlando Ashford.

This was followed by a concert performed by the Aegean Chamber Orchestra.

I must say that I truly enjoyed my day in Turkey. The western coast is beautiful, the people are warm, friendly and welcoming. The visit to Ephesus was incredible and to be able to finish it off with a concert in the ancient Grand Theater where so many famous people have orated over 2000 years ago was really something special.

We rest tomorrow on Day 94 as we sail to Piraeus, Greece, the port city of Athens. Here we will be debarking for a three day overland journey and rejoining the Amsterdam in Katakolon, Greece on Sunday the 12th. I am not sure when my next post will be.

Until then…..

Day 91 & 92 – Monday & Tuesday, April 6 & 7, 2015 – Haifa (Nazareth, Capernaum & Sea of Galilee), Israel & Sea Day

Today is Easter Monday of Passover week in Israel. We were out early again for an 8:00 AM tour which lasted 10 hours. Since we have already gone through face to face with immigrations in Ashdod, the procedure was much easier and quicker in our second port of Israel. Our tour today was quite ambitious, and I am glad to say went much smoother than yesterday’s fiasco.

We departed the pier at Haifa for a one hour drive through the Jazre’el Valley to Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus and the City of the Annunciation. Nazareth is revered as the spot where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her that she would bear the Son of God.

Haifa is a modern Israeli city which is built on the hilly coast. The most prominent of which is Mt. Carmel. Later there is a photo from the top of Mt. Carmel.

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Like every tourist site, religious or not, the city has been commercialized to take advantage of the tourist and pilgrims.

The city of Nazareth is no longer the quite sleepy village it was in Christ day. It is not a teeming city which is predominately Muslim as this sign and many similar attest to.

Pomegranates, in the foreground is a major product of this area.

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The Church of the Annunciation, built on (over) the site where Mary is said to have lived and where she received Gabriel’s message.

Inside the church with what is thought to be Mary’s house in the enclosure to the left.

We then visited the Church of St. Joseph. Supposedly the location of the workshop of Joseph. Personally, I have a really difficult time believing that anyone knows the exact location of many of these sacred sites, especially when the place is not “pointed out” until 700 years after the birth of Christ. I have no doubt of that this is in the old part of the old city of Nazareth and it “could be” the exact location, but so could a number of other spots. I know I am a cynic, but it goes back to the “if you build it, people will come”. On the other hand, it really doesn’t take away from the wonderful experience of being around the location that these great saints lived.

The bath house located under the Church of St. Joseph.

Our first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee.

One of the hundreds of fertile orchards around this area. Many are operated by a Kinnerets, the particular Israeli communal farms.

We then visited a baptismal site on the Jordan River operated by a Kinneret. It was a very commercial establishment, but it was a lovely area along the Jordan.

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The Jordan’s flow is now controlled by a dam on the Sea of Galilee. As a result it is a small meandering stream. I would almost hesitate to call it a river.

This is of course Easter Monday and a holiday. As a result the coast of the Sea of Galilee was covered by people on holiday. In camping areas almost every square foot of space was covered.

We had lunch at a Kinneret, the Nof Ginosar, a vacation resort. The food was excellent, but as was the case yesterday the wine was terrible (although it was unlimited).

This sign was located over a urinal in the men’s bathroom. I had to ask our guide for an explanation and she couldn’t even interpret the meaning until she read the Hebrew. Basically, it means that if you are a strict observer of the Sabbath, the use of this facility would be improper because the flush mechanism is automatic (detected by a photocell) and would thus violate the Sabbath because it would be using electricity.

After lunch we proceeded along the western side of the Sea of Galilee, passing the village of Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding. From there we trailed on to Tabgha to visit the church of Peter’s Primacy by the lake and Capernaum, St. Peter’s village.

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The sea of Galilee as seen from the shore near Capernaum. The Golan Heights may be seen in the background on the other side of the Sea.

This is the Mount of the Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount.

Capernaum is perhaps the most established and historically defined area in the region. Above is the ancient Synagogue where Jesus taught. St. Peters house (actually St. Peters mother-in-law’s house is located only a few hundred feet away, and is now covered by a 20th century constructed church.

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Some of the beautiful stonework.

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The Sea of Galilee as seen from Capernaum. Only a short distance from the Mount of Beatitudes.

After arriving back in Haifa, we ascended to the top of Mount Carmel which gives a grand view of the city and the harbor.

It was a long day, the tour lasted about 10 ½ hours, but was really enjoyable.

Day 92 is a recovery day at sea. Holland America CEO, Mr. Stein Krouse, and Holland America Line president, Orlando Ashford joined the ship yesterday in Haifa. Tonight we had a Mariner Appreciation Cocktail Party followed by dinner where we received complimentary wine. Tomorrow we have an excursion to Ephesus which will last about 7 hours. We will be returning to the ship around 3:30. We will then be leaving again for Ephesus around 6:00 PM to attend a concert held at the coliseum at Ephesus featuring the Aegean Chamber Orchestra. This is really exciting to be able to actually attend a concert here since only one or two events are allowed here each year.

Good Night….

Day 90 – Sunday, April 5, 2015 – Ashod, Israel

We arrived is Ashdod Port before dawn and the Israeli face to face immigration went smoothly. We had a Holland America tour to the famous mountain Fortress Masada on the Dead Sea. We went to our meeting area in the Queen’s Lounge almost 10 minutes BEFORE the indicated time on our tickets only to find that the buses were almost already loaded. Being almost the last passengers on left us with poor seats for the 2.5 hours each way journey. The tour was not getting off to a good start. And so it continued. This was absolutely the worst tour I have ever taken, not because the potential wasn’t there but because of poor planning on Holland America’s part and poor leadership by our guide and 40 minute bathroom breaks and the fellow passengers who simply were not physically able to make a trip like this. We wasted at total of at least 2.5 hours WAITING. People were late boarding at every stop. One person left her bag at the top of Masada with her passport, this entailed and extra 30 minute delay of everyone waiting for the guide to find and retrieve the bag. I became so frustrated, I ceased to even take photos during the second half of the tour. Masada was a very impressive place which unfortunately I was only able to see a small portion because of our tour structure, the slowness of our group and our leader’s unwillingness to allow faster individuals to move at their own pace. If I seem a bit bitter in this post, it is because I am. I hesitated to even post, but I thought I would include a few photos. Unfortunately photos do not do the great fort justice. There is just no way to get the feel for the scale of the mountain where this famous battle was fought.

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We arrive in Haifa today and have another full day tour of Nazareth and the sea of Galilee. I hope it is better.

Day 88 & 89 – Friday & Saturday, April 3-4, 2015 – Suez Canal & Mediterranean Sea

Itineraries are made to be broken! Our Suez Canal transit which was originally scheduled for Monday April, 6 was changed several weeks ago to Saturday the 4th, due to the cancellation of all Egypt stops and the addition of Israel. As we left Aqaba Thursday evening the captain announced that due to dredging work being done in the canal, traffic was now being done in a convoy fashion and we must “hurry” because if we arrive by 10:00 AM on Friday we should be able to make the 11:00 AM convoy. Otherwise we might be delayed a day. We traveled at 20 knots or faster during the night and morning and did arrive before 10:00 AM. Unfortunately, it took several hours and visits by at least 6 different boats of officials before we joined the convoy as the 29th member. We didn’t enter the Suez until 4:00 PM. As a result most of our transit was during the night and we exited at 3:00 AM. We were very disappointed that we had a night transit. The transit of the Suez for us was almost a “nonevent”. We were now too early for our Ashdod, Israel port which was not scheduled until Sunday morning. As a result we spent Saturday pretty much just sailing around the Mediterranean killing time. I spent the day reading, walking, working out in the gym and made a visit to the thermal spa.

Ships waiting to enter the Suez Canal. At one time I could count over 50 ships.

This small boat was actually hoisted aboard the Amsterdam. I later realized that it would be used to ferry the Pilot after we departed the canal. I took this photo as well as the ones which follow from our veranda.

The driver of this boat enjoyed his water pipe while waiting for the official he had ferried out to the Amsterdam.

A couple of the boats which came alongside with officials. I can understand the need for security, but it would have been interesting to know exactly what all these people did beside eat in the Lido…

The entrance to the canal.

This photo taken from deck 3 forward. You can see the crowd of passengers on the forward veranda of deck 6 which is our deck.

This mosque is located just inside the mouth of the canal.

Security by the Egyptian Army was very prevalent. There were stations like this along the first several miles of the canal. They were so close they were in sight of each other.

This interesting ferry was transporting fuel carriers across the Suez.

Another security outpost. We were probably safer in the Suez than we have been for the past week!

We arrive in Ashdod, Israel tomorrow morning. After going through security and passport control, we have an 11 hour excursion planned. We are visiting Masada Fortress and the Dead Sea. We will be passing through Arad, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We really would have liked to go to Jerusalem but since it is Easter Sunday we were concerned that the crowds would be so large it would be almost impossible to see the Holy sites. Nevertheless, I am excited to be seeing this historical site and having lunch on the shore of the Dead Sea.

Sunset over the Mediterranean Sea.

It might be a few days before my next post. We have two very full days. We are in Ashdod on Sunday and then Haifa on Monday.

Happy Easter to friends, family and faithful readers.

Day 87 – Thursday, April 2, 2015 – Aqaba – Petra, Jordan

We arrived in Aqaba, Jordan just before dawn. We had a full day excursion to the loss of city of Petra. This blog is long with a lot of photos, so I apologize ahead for any spelling or grammar errors.

Our drive to Petra took about two hours. We passed through some most amazing terrain. What I found more fascinating than the mountains and desert were the sparse occupants, the Bedouins. The Bedouins are semi-nomadic desert dwellers who thrive throughout the arid desert. In recent years most have settled into communities and many have integrated in to normal work routines within their nearby locations. In Dubi, we met Bedouins who flourished by serving and entertaining visitors at a “typical Bedouin camp”. In Oman we had a university educated Bedouin for our guide. He worked in Muscat 5 days a week and then drove his big GMC truck for five and a half hours home each Friday to spend the weekend with his family. Our guide in Jordan explained that within each Bedouin community, they kept their own laws, customs and religions. Only when an issue could not be resolved by the community leaders was it brought before the civil authorities.

They could be spotted along the road side, usually several hundred yards at least into the desert, at seemingly random locations with absolutely nothing even remotely close by.

You would see mostly men, but occasionally a woman and in this photo a child along with the small herd of goats.

Although beautiful, the countryside certainly makes me glad I didn’t have to wander this desert for 40 years!

This isolated figure didn’t even have a small herd of goats. He was just walking in the desert, not even close to the highway.

Occasionally someone could be seen riding or leading a pack donkey.

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Temple monument to Aaron, brother of Moses. Located on Mt. Aaron. This photo was taken from many miles distant…

After our enjoyable two hour drive, we reached the town of Wadi Musa, where the main entrance to the old city of Petra is located. There are 12 water springs in Wadi Musa and they are believed to be linked to the famous story of Moses, when he hit the ground with his stick and broke open 12 water springs.

We reached the Petra entrance, acquired our ticket and began our trip back through time.

Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut capital city Petra, of the Nabateans, became during Hellenistic and Roman times a major caravan center for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. An ingenious water management system allowed extensive settlement of an essentially arid area during the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine periods. It is one of the world’s richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape.

The value of Petra resides in the vast extent of elaborate tomb and temple architecture; religious high places; the remnant channels, tunnels and diversion dams that combined with a vast network of cisterns and reservoirs which controlled and conserved seasonal rains, and the extensive archaeological remains including copper mining, temples, churches and other public buildings. The fusion of Hellenistic architectural facades with traditional Nabataean rock-cut temple/tombs including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Deir ("monastery") represents a unique artistic achievement and an outstanding architectural ensemble of the first centuries BC to AD. The varied archaeological remains and architectural monuments from prehistoric times to the medieval periods bear exceptional testimony to the now lost civilizations which succeeded each other at the site.

The approach walk to the entrance of the Sic, or narrow passage which leads to the city.

One of the first monuments seen are the “Blocks of Jinn”. These huge sandstone carved blocks were thought to be water reservoirs or a place of the residence of the jinn, but they are now known to be tombs. Behind the block, there is a hole leading to a room dedicated to the dead and there are many graves dug into the surrounding ground.

The next large monument to be seen is the Tomb of the Obelisks. By the way, all the current names given to the monuments of Petra were given by the Bedouins who occupied the city for untold years before it was “rediscovered” by westerners. The façade is decorated with four obelisks which show the influence of Egyptian art on the Nabataeans.

Finally we reach the Sic, an Arabian word which means “the passage” This narrow passageway which ranges from only about 15 feet wide to 50 feet wide runs for approximately three-quarters of a mile with cliff walls which can reach hundreds of feet high.

Here may be seen one of the water channels the Nabateans constructed along the Sic to not only supply fresh water to the city but also to help control flooding.

At this point I will curtail my narration with only a few captions, otherwise I could write for a couple of days and this blog would never get posted!

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The most famous monument in Petra, “Al-Khazneth” (The Treasury). Originally named by the Bedouins because they thought it contained a treasure. Instead it is now known to be a tomb dedicated to King Aritas IV.

Kay outside the Treasury.

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Here are many tombs of the Assyrian style. It is believed that these tombs were for ordinary people because they are smaller and with little decoration.

You can “rent” donkeys, horses, horse carts or camels for to help you with navigating around Petra. These and the vendors in Petra are operated by the Bedouins who were displaced from the ancient city in 1984 when the site became a UNISCO World Heritage Site. The Bedouins were relocated outside to a new community and were give the concession rights to Petra.

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Janet peering from one of the caves made into the sandstone cliff.

This theater house could accommodate between 7,000 and 10,000 persons. It was used for the holding of religious celebrations. Altar was discovered at the center of the theater. Sacrifices of animals were held here.

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This is one of the five royal tombs carved into the side of the mountain. These did not weather as well as The Treasury due to their exposure.

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Climbing to the top to view the tombs.

The beautiful sandstone inside the one of the tombs.

Carl, Janet and Kay outside the massive structure.

Kay and I delighting in the shade of the tomb. We were fortunate, the day was beautiful and although the temperature at Aqaba Port was scheduled to reach the high 80’s, here at approximately 4,500 feet it was comfortably warm, but the sun was still pretty brutal.

A view from the top.

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A couple of Bedouin camel jockeys…

Another view of the Treasury on our way out.

As we reentered the Sic for the uphill trek back to the entrance, I continued to be fascinated with the land formations.

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It was up to the pedestrians to dodge the horse carts. They moved rapidly stopping only when it became too narrow for two carts to meet. Time is money…

A small monument to one of the more than 10 major deities the Nabataeans worshiped.

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Following our exit from the City, we walked across the street to have a delicious buffet lunch at the Movenpick Hotel. The atmosphere was beautiful and the food was excellent.

One of our servers.

The hotel lobby.

I always have to include a pharmacy photo… for those readers who do not know me, that is my profession

The Pepsi sign is for my son Clint, who works for the company in Charleston, SC. Pepsi is a very popular drink in this part of the world. It seems much more prominent than Coke.

Looking back, a view of the Petra Mountains.

Kay with the mountains in the background.

At a bathroom stop, I got this photo of some beautiful pottery.

Another herder photo. This looks like it could have been an illustration in a children’s Bible.

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We saw man of the Bedouin camps. These appeared to be for a small number of people, perhaps just a family. The tent on the right was provided by a United Nations foundation.

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This solitary figure was miles from anywhere or apparently anyone. No animals were to be seen…

The occasional camel was to be seen, but nearly so often as in Oman.

I just thought this was humorous. “The Holy Land Exchange”…

The all aboard time was 5:30 PM. We arrived back to the ship at 5:35. After a very quick washing of the hands and changing shoes, we sped to the dining room where we normally have the 5:30 seating. There was very small crowd tonight because I believe a total of 5 buses didn’t arrive until after 5:30. At least the ship waited for us.

Today was my birthday and it was an excellent one. I received cards from Tom, Henk & Lucia our Cruise Specialist hosts as well as from Michelle Boots, our CS advisor. Cards were also received from the Captain and Carl and Janet. Tom, Henk & Lucia had also placed a huge Happy Birthday Wendell sign on our door. There was a message on our phone at our return. It was the front desk crew singing Happy Birthday to me.

After dinner tonight, our dining room attendants and the adjoining ones along with our Wine Steward all joined in singing Happy Birthday in the Indonesian Language (although Ernie is a Pilipino).

Our wonderful dinner crew.

The grand finale was a wonderful CHOCOLATE birthday cake, and I do mean chocolate! Presty said he told the kitchen to make a special one and they surely did. There was more than enough for us and we shared with our table neighbors.

Facebook wishes from friends and family finished off a great birthday in Jordan.

Our next stop is the Suez Canal… I will be reporting later.

Day 86 – Wednesday, April 1, 2015 – In the Red Sea

Happy April’s Fools Day!

This is our fourth day at sea since leaving Salalah, Oman last Saturday evening. The trip has been uneventful and the weather has been great. The temperatures have been in the low to mid 80’s until today. Last night we lost another hour as we set our clocks back again. We are now only seven hour ahead of EDT. As a result of the extra hour, I was awake early enough to watch the sun as it quickly rose above the horizon. As I stepped onto our veranda, it was noticeably cooler and the humidity was much lower than it had been. Surprisingly, although the weather is wonderful, the temperature has remained in the low 70’s with a brisk wind of about 30-40 mph. With the ship heading into the wind at about 20 mph, it makes for a bit of effort to even walk the deck.

Old Sol, peeking over the horizon of the Red Sea.

This photo was taken exactly 2 minutes and 20 seconds later. It was completely clear of the horizon!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the captain kept us parallel to the Yemen coast, staying about 70 miles at sea until Monday morning when we made a sharp change of direction from west to north as we approached the Bab-el-Mandeb or “Gateway of tears” strait. This is the strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The distance across the strait is about 20 miles from Ras Menheil in Yemen to Ras Siyyan id Djibouti. The captain maintained a relatively high speed of about 27 mph along the Yemen coast and continued with this speed until we were past Yemen and alongside Saudi Arabia around 5:00 PM. Since then we have been at a more leisurely 18-20 MPH, but the seas have become a little rougher with the high winds.

I have been rather disappointed in the fact that we have seen so few ships during our Red Sea passage. I have to attribute this to the fact that the left and right ship lanes are separated by several miles and ships traveling in our direction are probably moving at about the same speed as we are.

We are current on schedule to reach Al Aqaba, Jordan on time tomorrow morning. We will be in the Gulf of Aqaba for several hours since it is approximately 100 miles in length, unfortunately we will not be entering it until around midnight. The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. Its coastline is divided between four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The city of Al Aqaba is the largest city on the Gulf and from here we have a full day excursion to the lost city Petra.

Petra, the Rose Red City. (photo of The Treasury, taken from the internet).

We are very much looking forward to our excursion to Petra and I have spent today pretty much resting. We expect a minimum of 5 miles of walking tomorrow, just on the tour, but I know it will be worth the effort!

Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the southern Jordanian governorate of Ma’an that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah (identified by some as the biblical Mount Hor) in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra was chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the "28 Places to See before You Die".

After our visit I hope to have more information to share about this special place. By the way, it was here that Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones movie, “The Last Crusade” was filmed.

At dinner tonight, when we opened our menus they were all blank. Ali and Leika had a good laugh with their April fool’s joke on us. After replacing our menus with the “real” ones and we had an opportunity to make our decisions, Ali came by to take our orders. I was the last one to order and when he asked what I would like, I told him I wanted the pickle pig’s feet. With a straight face, after I repeated the request for the third time, he realized the joke. He laughed so hard he had a difficult time actually taking my order. They guys are great and we will really miss not just the attentive service they provide, but their great personalities as well when the cruise comes to an end.

Until tomorrow, or whenever I am able to make the next post!

Day 82 – Saturday, March 28, 2015 – Salalah, Oman

Salalah, Oman – an interesting port. Located on the western extreme of the Omanian coast, not too far from the contentious country of Yemen. Growing from a small town of only a few thousand to a city of a few hundred thousand over the last two decades, Salalah is a true mixture of the old and new in this Arabian Peninsula country.

The port is located several miles from the city and is in the middle of a very busy commercial port. For this reason, we decided after the start of our cruise to take a Holland America excursion. The one we took was only 4 ½ hours in length but took us not only into the city but also to the beach and into the mountains.

Our first stop was to see up close frankincense trees in the wild. Along the way, we passed a few camels of which we would see many during the day.

Just ambling along the road…

We also got a glimpse of the beach near the cliffs and caves where the blowholes of Salalah are located. We would be returning here for further exploration.

A frankincense tree growing in the rocky mountains of Oman.

This is a very desolate looking area, but when the rainy season arrives, it quickly becomes verdant and flowery. I bet it would be something to see then…

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If you look closely, you can see the resin seeping from the tree. The white resin is harvested and sold as frankincense without any further processing.

There is abundant limestone formations in the area, if fact limestone is a major export product. So much so, that EVERYTHING in the port was soon covered with limestone dust, including the ship.

A commonly seen sight sigh the world over. This was at the Marneff cave on the beach where the blowholes are located. Unfortunately for us, the tide was out and we only saw the holes but no fountains of water…

The Mughsail Beach is beautiful, stretching for two miles and capped at each end by high cliffs. The water of the Aiden Gulf is crisp and clear.

Kay and I standing next to one of the grid covered blowholes. I guess they didn’t want you to fall in…

Something else the area is famous for is the green sea turtle. This is one of the few locations along the gulf where they are found.

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I know I have included too many photos of camels, but they are fascinating animals and they are everywhere. There are no longer any wild camels in Oman, but tens of thousands of domesticated ones. Most of which roam free during the day and return home at night. They may be seen on the mountain sides, along the roads, in the roads and even in parking lots. They seem to be completely uninhibited.

I thought this looked like a post card photo!

There should be a sign, slow traffic in right lane…

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After leaving the beach, we traveled in the opposite direction thru Salalah and into the Mountains. We eventually reached an elevation of about 2500 feet and the views were fantastic and could have only been better if the humidity was lower and we had less haze.

Again, camels were everywhere.

The purpose of our mountain trip was to visit the purported tomb of Job. (of course Lebanon also claims Job’s tomb).

The walls enclosing this small area was a mosque adjacent to the now enclosed tomb. In early days on the right side is a protrusion which pointed towards Jerusalem. In later years with the area’s conversion to Islam, the depression seen in the center, points towards Mecca.

The tomb itself is very unimposing, but it is an attraction for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

The outside of the old Mosque.

Outside the tomb, Kay poses with one of our friends.

Who couldn’t love this face!

This mother was nursing the baby camel on the side of the road. When you are hungry, you are hungry…

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Sort of reminds me of the Grand Canyon.

All over the hillsides you could see this matrix of trails created by the camels.

I couldn’t resist a Pharmacy photo.

We stopped at an area where acres and acres of orchards for different fruits were growing. We sampled some of the tiny bananas and drank fresh coconut water.

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At the spice souk (market) not only was frankincense available in any quantity and quality, but other spices and fragrances as well.

Well, we found the Arabic equivalent of our “Dollar Store”, the “1 Rial Store”.

Today was a day where the scenery was the trip. We got a very good taste of the many different terrains of this interesting country who works to maintain peaceful neutrality in a torrid region of the world. With the unrest so near to their boarders, it will be interesting to see how well Oman can maintain this desert oasis of peace.

Back on ship, it was nice to have the gym and thermal spa reopened for the first time in several weeks. Supposedly the GI problems have been steadily improving to the point we are almost back to a normal situation.

Sail-away was at 5:00 and the ship sponsored a party with complimentary food, beer, wine & drinks from 4-5:30. I picked up a couple of beers for Kay and I and brought them back to enjoy on the veranda. I just wasn’t interested in the crowd or the food since dinner was only an hour away.

Tomorrow begins the first of a four day westward sail along the coast of Yemen, a northward turn to pass from the Gulf of Aden through the “Gate of Tears” straight and into the Red Sea. The captain assured us that all was well and we had nothing to be concerned about. He then went on to say that as he rounded the tip of Yemen and turned north, he would have the ship at almost full speed until we were past Yemen and alongside Saudi Arabia. Nothing to be concerned about, but he doesn’t plan to linger around that narrow pass between Yemen and Somalia…

I am not sure when the next post will be. Unless something noteworthy occurs during our sea days, It might be after our next port in Jordan.

Until then….

Day 70 & 80 -Wednesday & Thursday, March 26-27, 2015 – At Sea and Muscat, Oman

Wednesday, At Sea

After two full days in Dubai my respiratory symptoms which have been an aggravation since Mumbai become much worse, leaving me with a deep chest cough. Since there was very little of interest scheduled onboard for this sea day, I spent the day resting. After lunch I enjoyed a two hour nap and awaked feeling much better.

Returning from dinner this evening, we found new “pillow gifts”. We had two sun powered/USB battery packs which also have an LED flashlight. The look like very useful gifts.

Thursday- Muscat, Oman

We arrived in port just before dawn. When we leave Muscat we will have a day at sea on our way to Salalah, which is close to the Yemen boarder. We are somewhat concerned with the recent militant activities in the area. Hopefully our trip through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will be uneventful.

We arrived in port just before dawn. When I awoke, I immediately snapped this photo of the early morning. The mountains which came all the way to the sea were stunning.

We had an excursion scheduled with Cruise Specialists called “Mystical Muscat”. Our first stop was Oman’s Grand Mosque.

Construction on the mosque complex began in early 1995 and was completed six years later and inaugurated in May 2001, by His Majesty the Sultan. The Grand Masque can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers.

The mosque is a beautiful piece of architecture.

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Our local guide, Ahmed. Ahmed is a Bedouin, who lives in the desert about 5 ½ hours away from Oman. He is one of 13 children by his father’s two wives. He is the eldest son by the first wife. Ahmed is recently married (less than one year) loves his large GMC truck. He works in the city for four days and drive the 11 hour round trip home on the weekends. He was a most engaging young man.

This is the bath, where you prepare yourself by cleansing prior to worship. There were many of these ‘stations’ which could accommodate a large quantity of people at a time, not only in the center station but also all along the sides. This was a men’s bath. You were expected to wash your hands, face, ears, mouth and feet prior prayer. As non-Muslim visitors, we did not have to partake of this ritual.

One of the many minuets of the Mosque.

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The main chandelier inside the main Mosque.

Ahmed, our guide. He always had a twinkle in his eyes. He, as most of the Muslims we have met are very concerned about the perception of the Muslim community and actually became emotional while talking about the radical elements which make the news. He wanted us to understand that most Muslims do not share the beliefs of the radical fraction.

This lovely lady is not an Omani local but instead one of our fellow passengers. Stephanie had previously purchased this dress & covering and certainly could have passed for a local. We joke that Stephanie is our token “young person”…

A view from underneath the grand chandelier.

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A very nice middle-east toilet facility. Most of the facilities we saw were certainly not this nice. This one was located in the Mosque.

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A view of the Old city from the side of a mountain, you can see the old fort in the background.

Al Alam Palace, the official estate of Oman’s ruler.

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Our final stop was at the colorful Muttrah Souq, or market. This might be the favorite market we have visited so far on our trip. It was large, clean and you were not hounded by sellers. You were able to browse the stalls and enjoy the sights and smells.

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Oman is known for its frankincense and myrrh. There were literally hundreds of pounds of frankincense resin in almost every other stall of the mall. Myrrh was also available but in much smaller quantities due to its more expensive cost.

I visited this Pharmacy in the market. Unfortunately the Pharmacist was working alone and quite busy, but he was friendly and welcomed me to look around.

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The entrance to the Souk.

I took this photo from the ship of the fort above old Muscat.

We very much enjoyed Muscat. It is a very modern, very clean city and the people were very kind and generous. Dubai was over the top, Muscat was a much more “livable” experience. I believe I could enjoy spending some time here.

Another sea day and then we reach Salalah where we have a half day tour which includes a visit to Job’s tomb. We are looking forward to that experience.

Until then…

Day 78 – Tuesday, March 24 – 2015 – Dubai, UAE – Day 2

Our second day in Dubai started at 8:30 with a tour scheduled with our travel service Cruise Specialists. After spending 2 days in Dubai, if I had to describe the city in one sentence it would be “Over the top!” Everything in Dubai must be the biggest, the tallest, and the best. Our tour guide this morning was excellent. She, like the majority of residents of Dubai is not an Emiratis. She is originally from The Nederland’s but has lived here for nearly 20 years but will never get citizenship since they are not given. She said oil made the UAE rich, but particularly in Dubai, oil now only accounts for a very small portion of their revenue. Finance and tourism are the primary income producers but the biggest industry is the “Marketing of Dubai.” Every building built and every development planned is to market the city.

We visited the Jumeirah Mosque built in the Islamic Fatimy style can accommodate 1200 worshipers.

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Even the bus stops are air-conditioned in Dubai, but considering that in the summer temperatures may reach 120 degrees, it’s not such a bad idea!

The Burj al-Arab hotel. Self-proclaimed as the only 7 star hotel in the world, at the time it was built, it was known that the hotel would never be profitable. With less than 300 rooms and a construction cost in the billions, the hotel was built to make a statement, not a profit.

Having never seen one before, this is the second McLaren we have spotted on this cruise. I guess it should not be surprising since even the police department here in Dubai owns a few Maserati’s.

There are beautiful flowers and bright green grass everywhere. It seem so incongruous here in the desert.

The secret to the greenery is an extensive system of drip irrigation. Here you can see the drip system with newly planted flowers. The source of water in Dubai is from desalination facilities.

This photo was taken in the Souk Al Bahar, a market place adjoining the Dubai Mall.

A good view of the Burj Khalifa, which we will be ascending this afternoon.

At 2,716.5 feet and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:

The tallest building in the world

Tallest free-standing structure in the world

Highest number of stories in the world

Highest occupied floor in the world

Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

Tallest service elevator in the world

The following photos are views from the observation deck. The nearest experience I have had to this is looking out an airplane window. I have been in some tall buildings, but nothing compares to this. The elevator ride from ground floor to the observation deck at floor 124 took exactly 60 seconds.

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A look down on the Dubai Fountain. It is 900 feet in length and shoot streams of water up to 500 feet into the air. It is the world’s largest dancing fountain. Shows start at 6:00 PM and continue every 30 minutes until 10:00 PM. We plan to come back this evening for the show.

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Alongside ATM machines, in the Dubai Mall you will find gold dispensing machines. Here you can purchase gold ingots and chains/charms . The price is adjusted with the spot price of gold and the prices displayed today ranged from approximately $200.00 to $2000.00.

After our tour, we decided to return to the ship for lunch and get a little lunch.

The port terminal, like everything else in the country is huge and beautiful.

I hate my camera was packed as we passed the small post office in the port terminal. It had a sign posted, “closed for prayer break”.

We took the provided shuttle bus back to the Mall, leaving about 4:15. The shuttle runs about every 15 to 20 minutes.

A view across the fountain lake.

Inside the Dubai mall, the world’s largest with over 1200 stores, and hundreds of restaurants. It like everything else is huge and beautiful. Our guide earlier had explained that the malls were not just for shopping, but were for socializing. The locals hate the heat and use the many, many malls as a place to gather and fellowship where it is cool.

One of the mall’s features is an aquarium.

Here is a better shot of the aquarium from the second level.

This is one of the many (how many is unknown to me) atriums of the mall. We walked for what seemed forever, never reached the third level and never covered the entire mall.

A modern Dubai shopper. Here every type of dress was seen, but in the evening there was certainly more of the traditional dress for both men and women and less western style dress.

Evening is coming at the fountain lake.

There were two multi storied LCD TV screens outside the mall next to the fountains. At the evening “call to prayer” this is what the display changed to.

This father with his son sat down next to me on a low wall. A typical situation the world around, he was strolling his youngest son while his wife was shopping with his older son. We had a very nice conversation and when I told him, I too had two sons and five grandchildren, he exclaimed “Oh, you are OLD!” I said yes, sometimes I feel that way… This photo is a little grainy, since it was already dark when it was taken.

Getting ready for the show just after dark. I videoed the show so do not have any photos after dark.

But, here is a photo I took at the earlier, before dark performance. Photos can in no way do justice to the performance. It is the largest dancing water fountain show in the world.

The beautiful mall with the illuminated palm trees all around the lake.

We had a great two days and two nights in Dubai. The city is truly over the top in every way. It is beautiful, clean, and very tolerant. In fact the imams at the mosques are all given their sermon topics each week with an emphasis on tolerance. The idea is to prevent radical Islamic beliefs by prevent them from taking root. The people are very traditional and very welcoming. It is a great place to visit, but with temperatures reaching up to 120 degrees in the summer, it is not a place I would want to live… even if I could afford to…

We have one sea day and then reach Muscat, Oman.

Day 78 – Tuesday, March 24 – 2015 – Dubai, UAE – Day 2

Our second day in Dubai started at 8:30 with a tour scheduled with our travel service Cruise Specialists. After spending 2 days in Dubai, if I had to describe the city in one sentence it would be “Over the top!” Everything in Dubai must be the biggest, the tallest, and the best. Our tour guide this morning was excellent. She, like the majority of residents of Dubai is not an Emiratis. She is originally from The Nederland’s but has lived here for nearly 20 years but will never get citizenship since they are not given. She said oil made the UAE rich, but particularly in Dubai, oil now only accounts for a very small portion of their revenue. Finance and tourism are the primary income producers but the biggest industry is the “Marketing of Dubai.” Every building built and every development planned is to market the city.

We visited the Jumeirah Mosque built in the Islamic Fatimy style can accommodate 1200 worshipers.

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Even the bus stops are air-conditioned in Dubai, but considering that in the summer temperatures may reach 120 degrees, it’s not such a bad idea!

The Burj al-Arab hotel. Self-proclaimed as the only 7 star hotel in the world, at the time it was built, it was known that the hotel would never be profitable. With less than 300 rooms and a construction cost in the billions, the hotel was built to make a statement, not a profit.

Having never seen one before, this is the second McLaren we have spotted on this cruise. I guess it should not be surprising since even the police department here in Dubai owns a few Maserati’s.

There are beautiful flowers and bright green grass everywhere. It seem so incongruous here in the desert.

The secret to the greenery is an extensive system of drip irrigation. Here you can see the drip system with newly planted flowers. The source of water in Dubai is from desalination facilities.

This photo was taken in the Souk Al Bahar, a market place adjoining the Dubai Mall.

A good view of the Burj Khalifa, which we will be ascending this afternoon.

At 2,716.5 feet and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:

The tallest building in the world

Tallest free-standing structure in the world

Highest number of stories in the world

Highest occupied floor in the world

Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

Tallest service elevator in the world

The following photos are views from the observation deck. The nearest experience I have had to this is looking out an airplane window. I have been in some tall buildings, but nothing compares to this. The elevator ride from ground floor to the observation deck at floor 124 took exactly 60 seconds.

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A look down on the Dubai Fountain. It is 900 feet in length and shoot streams of water up to 500 feet into the air. It is the world’s largest dancing fountain. Shows start at 6:00 PM and continue every 30 minutes until 10:00 PM. We plan to come back this evening for the show.

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Alongside ATM machines, in the Dubai Mall you will find gold dispensing machines. Here you can purchase gold ingots and chains/charms . The price is adjusted with the spot price of gold and the prices displayed today ranged from approximately $200.00 to $2000.00.

After our tour, we decided to return to the ship for lunch and get a little lunch.

The port terminal, like everything else in the country is huge and beautiful.

I hate my camera was packed as we passed the small post office in the port terminal. It had a sign posted, “closed for prayer break”.

We took the provided shuttle bus back to the Mall, leaving about 4:15. The shuttle runs about every 15 to 20 minutes.

A view across the fountain lake.

Inside the Dubai mall, the world’s largest with over 1200 stores, and hundreds of restaurants. It like everything else is huge and beautiful. Our guide earlier had explained that the malls were not just for shopping, but were for socializing. The locals hate the heat and use the many, many malls as a place to gather and fellowship where it is cool.

One of the mall’s features is an aquarium.

Here is a better shot of the aquarium from the second level.

This is one of the many (how many is unknown to me) atriums of the mall. We walked for what seemed forever, never reached the third level and never covered the entire mall.

A modern Dubai shopper. Here every type of dress was seen, but in the evening there was certainly more of the traditional dress for both men and women and less western style dress.

Evening is coming at the fountain lake.

There were two multi storied LCD TV screens outside the mall next to the fountains. At the evening “call to prayer” this is what the display changed to.

This father with his son sat down next to me on a low wall. A typical situation the world around, he was strolling his youngest son while his wife was shopping with his older son. We had a very nice conversation and when I told him, I too had two sons and five grandchildren, he exclaimed “Oh, you are OLD!” I said yes, sometimes I feel that way… This photo is a little grainy, since it was already dark when it was taken.

Getting ready for the show just after dark. I videoed the show so do not have any photos after dark.

But, here is a photo I took at the earlier, before dark performance. Photos can in no way do justice to the performance. It is the largest dancing water fountain show in the world.

The beautiful mall with the illuminated palm trees all around the lake.

We had a great two days and two nights in Dubai. The city is truly over the top in every way. It is beautiful, clean, and very tolerant. In fact the imams at the mosques are all given their sermon topics each week with an emphasis on tolerance. The idea is to prevent radical Islamic beliefs by prevent them from taking root. The people are very traditional and very welcoming. It is a great place to visit, but with temperatures reaching up to 120 degrees in the summer, it is not a place I would want to live… even if I could afford to…

We have one sea day and then reach Muscat, Oman.

Day 77 – Monday, March 23, 2015 – Dubai, UAE – Day 1

We arrived in Dubai about 11:00 AM, having passed through the Strait of Hormuz around 3 AM moving from the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Oman and down to Dubai in the UAE. We passed only a few miles from the coast of Iran.

At noon, the atmosphere was hazy.

The Burj Khalifa dominates the skyline with its 160 floors.

We had an excursion planned through Cruising Excursions for a Safari Experience. It turned out to be a great trip, but got off to a shaky start. We were told to meet our transportation at the main port gate and given very specific instructions even with photographs of the gate itself. Since the gate was about 2 miles from our dock, we caught a ride with the shuttle provided to downtown and got off at the gate. When our pickup was 15 minutes late we began to call the numbers provided. After 3 local calls and one to London and a call back from the driver and a waiting 90 minutes at the gate we were finally picked up. Not off to a good start, the driver had been told to pick us up at the pier (which would have been so much simpler for us). He was every upset, and ranted about how this wasn’t the first time this had happened and how the office was unprofessional. He called the office and I wish I could have understood what he was saying. The one thing I did understand was stupid, stupid, stupid…

The UAE consists of 7 states and we traveled through three of them in on our Safari Excursion.

We drove through Dubai city and passed into the desert. The highways were sand swept.

Before entering the desert dunes, we had a bathroom stop at this convenience store. The facilities were not too “convenient” but sufficed.

When we pulled off the road into the desert proper, our driver deflated the tires on our Land cruiser from 35 psi to 15 psi.

The scenery was beautiful, as the sun was getting low and the temperature was pleasantly in the 70’s.

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We were in for a thrilling ride over, across and down the dunes.

Kay and I in the desert.

Janet & Carl

A little of the action on the dunes…

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A fairly rare occurrence, we witnessed rain in the desert! It was only a few drops, but I caught it on camera…

Our driver, Samin, like 85% of the population in Dubai is not an Emirates. He is from Pakistan and has been working here for 15 years. He only stays 6 months a year, during the tourist season (winter) and then returns home. He said he lives in the mountains which are green with fresh clean water. It was obvious he missed his home, wife and 5 sons but like so many in the crowed mid-east and Asian countries he has to go where the work is that will support his family. He was very pleasant and interesting to talk with. He seemed as interested in us as we were in him.

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Another driver, in a more traditional dress.

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Happy to have his photo made, but he could have scared you if you met him on a dark street at night!

Surprisingly, the name of the tour company was Atlanta Tourism.

Carl getting in the mood.

Here you could sample some of the authentic Arabian coffee and have fresh dates, a major crop. The coffee contained spices which didn’t appeal to me.

Sunset over the desert.

Part of our tour included the chance to ride a camel. Of course we couldn’t pass this up, especially since we had already ridden an elephant!

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Ridding was easy, it was the getting on and off that was tricky.

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The animals were amazing how they could kneel down and still get back up!

This lovely couple we met while in the queue line to ride were from South Africa. They asked if I would take their photo on the camel which I was happy to do. They were then kind enough to wait after their ride and take photos for me and for Janet of our ride. Unfortunately I did not get their name, but all the camel photos are to their credit. I did give them my blog website, so please guys, if you see this, post or email me your names!

The camp site.

A rug salesman.

Some of the entertainment consisted of whirling dervishes. These dancers were amazing, some could twirl for what seemed like 10 minutes and still be able to walk away with even stumbling! Whirling dervishes were originally a form of religious worship, the purpose was for the dancer to whirl himself into a religious ecstasy. The dance has now become a very popular form of entertainment.

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We thoroughly enjoyed our 4-wheeler ride in the desert, the camel ride, the camp and show. The only thing none of us were impressed with was the traditional Bedouin camp food. Honestly, I had no idea what I was eating except for a small piece of chicken. There were several vegetable dishes and barbeque, which was served on a skewer. Honestly, we were just thankful that none of us had GI problems then next day! It was also interesting that for the food serving, the women had to go to a different line than the men.

We arrived back to the ship about 9:30 and there was a show in the Queens Lounge also featuring dancing so we went to compare.

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The belly dancer on the ship was very good, perhaps better than the ones at the camp, but the whirling dervishes and the other dancers although good, were not as good as the camp dancers.

I took this photo off our veranda of the city at night. Dubai is quite a beautiful city.

I will try to get the second day in Dubai posted soon. We are arriving in Muscat tomorrow and it will be a full day. I just don’t want to get too far behind or I might never get caught up. That is why my commentary was so brief. There were so many more thing I would have liked to share about our adventures today.

Goodnight.

Days 75 & 76 – March 21 & 22, 2015 – Saturday & Sunday – At Sea Sailing towards Dubai, UAE

This is our second day at sea since departing Mumbai, India. We will arrive in Dubai, UAE around noon tomorrow. We had a time change for 1 hour back on the night of the 21st and then another half-hour back last night. As a result I was up a 5:30 this morning to watch the beautiful sunrise over the Arabian Sea.

Since there is not much activity aboard, which I will explain later in the blog, I am taking this opportunity to talk about a number of sundry topics.

The health situation on the ship is strange. We have had some restrictions now for almost a month. It started with no longer allowing buffet style serving in the Lido, which didn’t affect us much since we seldom eat in the Lido. They also instituted no salt & pepper on the tables in the dining room and your bread is served by your attendant rather than placed on the table. Again, these were no big issues. The captain and the cruise director continue to daily stress hygiene in regards to frequently washing your hands and Purell is everywhere! The strange thing is that we have actually seen or talked with hardly anyone who has had GI problems. We learned a couple of days ago that since March 1st or in 20 days there had been 53 passengers and 16 crew members who have been diagnosed and quarantined. That doesn’t seem like a great number considering there are over 1600 crew and passengers onboard, but if left unchecked it could become rampant.

The captain seems most frustrated that we can’t get the outbreak eliminated. It is his belief that there is one or a few who creating the problem. The situation is now beginning to affect our routine. They have closed the Thermal Spa, which to our knowledge only about a dozen of us have a membership to. Just two days ago the gym was closed. All table games have been discontinued. You can’t check out a book at or even pick up a Sudoku sheet without getting it from the librarian. They are not allowed to place the on the open table.

What is most irritating though, is that you can still go to the Casino (they even had a big event last night), you can still shop in the shops and you can go to the gym if you are paying for a personal trainer. You can’t get a Sudoku sheet but it is no problem to pick up a shore excursion form from the rack outside the desk. You can still peruse the photo shop. If the situation is this serious, why are they only closing the non-revenue producing venues and not the revenue producing venues? Despite the continuing outcry for more hand washing and the closing of selected activities, if they are really serious EVERYTHING should be shut down, both revenue producing as well as non-revenue producing. End of my rant.

· We just received a notice that during the port of Dubai, special procedures will be taken to super-sanitize all staterooms tomorrow. Everyone is asked to vacate their cabin between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Hopefully this will help alleviate the problems. Our cabin attendant, Budi, told me that he understood there were currently 6 cases of GI onboard.

On a positive note regarding the health issue, the crew has been fantastic. Both our cabin stewards and the dining stewards have had to take on an immense load in addition to their normal full days. The cabin stewards daily sanitize every hard surface in our cabin in addition to their normal cleaning. They also sanitize EVERY hall handrail and every outside door HOURLY and sanitize all the hall walls at least once a day. They do this while still maintaining a cheerful and courteous manner. I just can’t say enough about the ability, curtesy, and friendliness of the crew and especially our stewards.

Below are a few of the many people who help to make this cruise both a fun and memorable adventure.

Budi, one our most excellent Stateroom Attendants

Didi, one our most excellent Stateroom Attendants

Laika one of our dining room Stewards.

Ali, our head dining room steward.

Ernie, who takes care of all our wine needs.

Eka, the happy face you see as you leave the dining room each evening. He is there to dispense a mint, a date, a toothpick or just a smile.

Presty, our Assistant Dining Room Manager, who has assisted us in so many ways they can’t be enumerated. Here he is doing double duty as a greeter and helper on shore.

On another note, it still amazes me how the crew continually maintains the ship. In the past three months our veranda has been completely painted at least once and the bannister has been varnished at least three times. It is thoroughly hosed at least weekly and our glass windbreak is cleaned daily. This is just our veranda. The same procedure is seen everywhere on the ship.

One of the best and occasionally not the best things about long cruises is the entertainment. You have the opportunity to see some extremely talented and sometimes famed performers. You occasionally even find a new gem. That was the case with a group which have performed twice in the past week. It is a group of 5 young men from Liverpool, London who call themselves Ukebox. They all play different versions of the ukulele, tenor, alto, bass, banjo and soprano. I never knew there were so many varieties. We almost didn’t go to hear their performance the first time, after all – a ukulele band? Well what a surprise. They performed so many different genres of music and performed them well. We heard everything from country to of course the Beatles. Their performance was very refreshing.

I mentioned in a few posts back that water cannons had been installed on the promenade deck after we left Sri Lanka. On the 21st we received a letter from Captain Mercer outlining the precautions which were being taken as we transit the Arabian Sea towards the Persian Gulf and until we reach the Suez Canal. The captain emphasized that it was VERY unlikely that an incident would occur due to the much increased vigilance and corporation of the many nations who have shipping interest in this area, but the following procedures were being implemented.

1. The Amsterdam will be reporting regularly to UKMTO in Dubai. UKMTO is the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization who co-ordinate all of the coalition warships in the area assigned to anti-piracy operations. We are being tracked during our entire transit and although we may not see them, warships and AWACs will be monitoring us.

2. A close radar watch will be kept on the Bridge.

3. We have extra Security Guards on deck 24/7.

4. We have 4 LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Devices) rigged, manned, and ready for immediate use.

5. We will also have charged water hoses ready for use on both sides of the Lower Promenade deck.

6. We have rigged razor wire on our freeboard deck, if a boarding were attempted, it would be on deck 3.

We also had a practice drill for the event there was even a suspicious spotting of a vessel. We are instructed to vacate our cabins and sit in the hallways. If the captain has to increase to full speed and makes avoidance maneuvers, you need to be sitting…

Although it is very unlikely we will see any of this excitement, the precautions taken do instill confidence in our crossing.

We just this afternoon received a letter from the captain with a slightly revised schedule for the next few days. Due to the short distance from Dubai to Muscat, Oman (our next stop), the captain was concerned that our speed would be so slow that it would increase our venerability to any possible pirate attack. He requested from management ashore and received permission to extend our stay in Dubai from 5 PM on the 24th until 6 AM on the25st. This will allow us to proceed at 18 knots speed and arrive in Muscat at 1:00 AM on the 26th instead of 8:00 AM. This is good news since it gives us an extra night in Dubai.

Water cannon and razor wire.

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Fernandez, one of the security officers which stand watch on the deck around the clock, working six hour shifts.

Mr. Stein Krouse, CEO of Holland America Group and Mr. Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America Line will be joining the cruise for a segment. They have invited us to attend (with a large group of others, I am sure) a special event in Ephesus featuring the Aegean Chamber Orchestra. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts and a hosted bar will be provided. We will leave at 6:00 PM and be returning around 10:30 PM. It will make for a long day since we have a seven hour excursion that morning, but it should be fun.

I will close now, having assaulted you with a cacophony of information and tidbits. Some of which hopefully you will have found interesting.

Day 74 – Friday, March 20, 2015 – Mumbai (Bombay), India Day 2

Our second day in Mumbai started out a little better. First, we didn’t have to go through immigrations on the ship before leaving, second our tour today was with our travel service, Cruise Specialists, and finally how bad could it be when you were meeting in a bar at 8:05 in the morning…

We were outside early, actually just as our bus was entering the port area. As is customary in many ports, a crew from the Amsterdam arrived at our bus to disinfect it completely.

The team both sprayed and wiped all surfaces. I want complain about that.

A good example of British Colonial Architecture. This is now a municipal building of some nature.

Typical street scene in Mumbai.

This is not a great photo, taken through not only the bus window but also the smog. What make it worth sharing is what it is and what it represents. This ungainly, cantilevered skyscraper is perhaps the world’s most expensive private home. Called Antilia, it is named after a mythical island in the Atlantic. The 34 story, 800,000-square-foot home was built by Mukesh Ambani one of the richest men in the world. Both the purchase of the land as the construction of the building has been surrounded by controversy since 2002 when the land was purchased for a fraction of its value from a charitable institution. Several of the bottom stories are reserved for parking for the family and the huge staff needed to operate the building. The 27 stories of the “home” have extremely high ceilings and it is estimated that a conventional building of this height would be as many as 60 stories tall. The home estimated to cost between $1 and $2 BILLION USD has great views of the surrounding slum areas of India. If you are interested, I suggest you use Google for more information.

One of the scheduled stops on our tour today was the famous Dhobi Ghat, a well-known open air laundromat in Mumbai. The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals as well as for individuals.

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Traditionally, only men do the washing due to the physical nature and sheer volume processed each day. Wives do occasionally help and also assist with the drying and pressing.

There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. Called the world’s largest outdoor laundry.

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Amazingly, lost laundry is almost unheard of. A mark is placed on each piece to track it and make sure it gets back to its owner.

The normal turnaround time is about 2 days except during rainy weather when the drying must be performed in conventional dryers and then it may take 3 or 4 days.

Hanging it out to dry..

The dhobi ghat is located alongside the Mahalaxmi railway station on the Western Railway’s Saat Rasta roundabout. It can be easily seen from bridge of Mahalaxmi station which is where I took these photos. A train may be seen along the left side of this photo. I apologize for including so many photos of this, but it was fascinating and something I have been looking forward to seeing.

Unfortunately begging was a common sight. Although we were warned to not give money, some of our group just could not resist. It is heartbreaking.

Our most excellent guide today, Tombi Sinja (not sure about the spelling). He rates very high on the quality level of guides and was absolutely off the chart compared to the one we had yesterday.

Just a few street scenes…

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Cows… Cows… Cows are still a common site along the streets in Mumbai. Although not nearly as prevalent as they used to be, I did not see any which were roaming free. Some of the cows you see belong to temples, since they are sacred, but most of them belong to “urban farmers” who provide the daily fresh milk Indians are fond of. And why do their owners leave them in the streets? Because it reduces their food budget! On the one hand they eat garbage and on the other hand they get fed by passerbies. Sometimes the owners actually hire a keeper for the cow while they go to work.

Our next stop was Mani Bhavan, the house where Gandhi lived while he was in Bombay. The house has been preserved and turned into a museum.

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Kind of scary when I first stepped into this upstairs hallway.

The Library

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Some colorful dress.

We next went to the Prince of Wales Museum.

We had only about 45 minutes so we only saw a fraction of the museum but I was impressed. Not only with the breadth of the exhibits but the quality how well the exhibits were displayed.

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This fellow is Ho Tei, the god of contentment and happiness. I think he should be adapted by the cruise lines, he obviously has been eating well…

The rare white tiger. Note he is not an albino, just has whitish fur.

The atrium

The museum and grounds, another excellent example of British Colonial Architecture.

While stopped at a red-light, I noticed this traffic policeman come by and tweak this little girl’s nose. It is always nice to notice the little human touches even in a city as huge and busy as Mumbai.

Ah, the Taj Palace Hotel. The hotel received world fame on November 26, 2008, when in a series of attacks in Mumbai, the hotel was attacked by Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist group, during which much damage occurred and hostages were taken. At least 167 in total were killed, including at least 31 at the Hotel. The casualties were mostly Indian citizens, although westerners carrying foreign passports were singled out. Indian commandos killed the gunmen who were barricaded in the hotel to end the three-day battle. Approximately 450 people were staying in the Taj Mahal Palace and Hotel at the time of the seizure

I included this photo in yesterday’s blog but am repeating it since we actually went inside today.

After going through security scans we entered the beautiful lobby of the Taj.

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Part of our tour today included coffee, tea and light snacks at the famed hotel.

The service of course was excellent and it was the best cup of coffee I have had on this trip. Kay equally enjoyed the tea.

I did a quick Google and it looks like discounted rates start at $300.00 USD per night.

Of course outside all the exclusive stores were greeters (i.e. security).

The lighted scene behind the front desk was beautiful, as were the clerks.

A back view of the Gateway to India showing the security put in place after the bombing in 2008.

A few more typical street scenes on the way back to the ship.

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The Leopold Café, another victim of the November 2008 terror attacks. The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. Gunmen sprayed the restaurant with bullets, some of damage is still visible. The cafe reopened four days after the attack, but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after two hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there.

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I took this sign while waiting to be checked, yet again, at the port entry. This was the first of two before we reached the ship.

This finishes day two of our Mumbai Adventure. Internet has not been working, but hopefully I will eventually get all the blog entries posted.

Day 73 – Thursday, March 19, 2015 – Mumbai, India Day 1

As I begin my blog postings for Mumbai, it is actually Saturday morning and we have completed our two day stay in the city. We are now sailing for an additional two and one-half days toward Dubai, UAE. I will do the Mumbai post in two parts, Day 73 & Day 74. Also please note that I did not do a post for the sea days, Days 70 & 72.

Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, most populous metropolitan area in India, and the fourth to the eighth most populous city in the world depending on the source and what suburbs are included in the count. The estimated city population was 18.4 million and metropolitan area population of 20.7 million as of 2011. Our guide told us that the current unofficial population was 35 million for the metropolitan area including the illegals

The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company when in 1661 King Charles II married the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, and as part of her dowry Charles received the ports of Tangier and seven islands of Bombay. During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of major roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845, transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Bombay in the 19th century was characterized by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon India’s independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. The city was renamed Mumbai in 1996.

Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. The city also houses India’s Hindi (Bollywood) and Marathi film and television industry. Mumbai’s business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures.

Sunrise as we were sailing into Mumbai.

The very first thing I noticed from our veranda as we approached the city was the smog. As we got closer the odor became obvious and my throat felt assaulted by the dust and poor air.

The Mumbai International Cruise Terminal is a pretty dirty and shabby affair with absolutely no amenities except a duty-free liquor store.

We had an excursion planned with Holland America, which we booked after boarding the ship. Before leaving home we had been reluctant to make an independent booking for this port so we waited to get details on the ship’s offerings. We decided to do an excursion to Elephanta Island located about seven miles off the coast of India. The Portuguese gave the island its name after the large statue of an elephant they found near the spot where they docked their ships. This five hour tour would afford us a short ride to the famed Gateway of India and access to the Gateway which is now closed to normal traffic due to security. We were then to board a small wooden ferry which would take us on a 45 minute cruise to the island where we then boarded a narrow gage train from the pier to the island.

The debarking procedure in Mumbai was the same as for Cochin. We had to individually retrieve our passport and appear before an immigration official who seemed to be being paid by the hour the way he minutely examined our documents. Keep in mind that we already had an Indian Visa and had already passed through this same routine once before. We were finally able to exit the ship, cross the dock to the terminal and then had to go through the procedure again before leaving the terminal. We boarded our assigned tour bus, rode the quarter of a mile to the gate where another official boarded the bus and AGAIN carefully examined our documents before allowing us to pass. On our return we went through the same process in reverse less the initial one on the ship. I thought the U.S. was difficult, but this was ridiculous.

The first thing our guide told us was that he did not work for the tour company, but was an employee of the Ministry of Tourism. To me this assured two things: we would only hear the “official” government line regarding any questions we asked that were sensitive and that he would not be receiving a gratuity from me. After all, isn’t it unethical at least and possibly illegal for a civil servant to accept money for their services…

The magnificent Gateway to India, built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary. It was originally conceived as an entry point for people arriving on steamers from England and it was the departure point for the last British troops when India obtained its independence in 1947.

Our luxury accommodations on the ferry boat. Actually the ride was quite pleasant.

Views of the Gateway taken from the ferry.

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Ferries waiting for their turn. In the background may be seen the Indian Yacht Club.

A nice water front view of the famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. This is one of the locations of the 2008 terrorist attack which killed at least 167 people, 31 at the Hotel.

Nothing is spared on the ferries to make for a comfortable and safe trip!

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Similar to European riverboat dockings, It was necessary to cross several vessels to disembark.

The narrow gage train which carried us the approximately three-quarters of a mile to the island.

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Monkeys, monkeys everywhere. We were warned to be careful, they would steal from you…

Over a thousand years ago, Hindu craftsmen carved columns and sculptures out of a series of caves located on the island. They created a temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva.

There are a total of seven caves on the island. By far the most important and impressive is called the Main. It is located on the western hill of the island at an elevation of about 250 feet above sea level. The body of the cave is supported by six rows of columns, six in each row. The columns differ not only in size and shape but even in their details. The columns all possess a fluted capital at the top.

Shiva is depicted in caves in his many different forms. The one above is interesting as it is Ardhanarishwara or Shiva in one form of Shiva and Parvati. If I understand correctly Parvati was Shiva wife. In this carving Shiva depicts both male and female.

This carving is the Kalayansundar Murti or the Marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

This huge figure carved deep in the cave I the Mahesh Murti which depicts the three faces of Shiva which correspond to the three functions of the god, namely, the creation, the protection and the destruction of the universe.

Carl and Janet standing before Dvarpala, the Guardian Figure to the right of Shiva. This give some perspective to the size of these carvings which were done from the basaltic cave itself.

The “bopsy twins”. They really didn’t coordinate their outfits this morning.

The entrance to, I believe, Cave number two.

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Not all of the caves have been cleaned and developed. This is the

Stone workers were manually forming blocks to be used in the reconstruction and repair of the caves.

This gentleman was making use a Doli, a chair carried by four local villagers to avoid climbing the 120 steps. Although it is only 120 steps there are inclines between the steps which make the climb more difficult than it would appear. The gentleman’s wife said the cost was 1200 rupees or about $20.00. I offered to purchase one for Carl just so I could make a photo. He was afraid he would never be able to live that image down…

No caption needed…

Patiently waiting for a discard.

Perhaps the locals can’t read English very well..

Kay, Janet and I decided to walk back to the ferry rather than take the train. After looking at the track, I think it was a good idea.

We had been warned on the ship, but this sign was posted at the Gateway to India warning to not eat the food from street vendors. Not very encouraging.

We arrived back at the ship in the early afternoon, too late for lunch in the La Fontaine so I was bad and had a burger at the Dive In on the Lido. It was delicious, but pretty much killed my appetite for dinner which was less than 4 hours away.

Following dinner we watched a movie in the Queen’s Lounge “The Theory of Everything” about Stephen Hawking and his wife. This was one I felt could go either way as far as amusement. As it turned out we all enjoyed the movie very much. It made me want to try and find my copy of Hawking’s book “A Brief History of Time” when we return home.

In conclusion, for the day, I enjoyed Elephantine Island and the ferry ride with the relatively fresh air. Otherwise Mumbai is probably the least favorite city I have ever visited. I have never had asthma or other bronchial problems but I suffered today. Not so much with difficulty of breathing but with throat and lung irritation, the air is really bad.

This concludes day 1. I am going to post now, before lunch on Saturday morning and get started on Day 2.

Cheers..

Day 71 – Tuesday, March 17, 2015 – Cochin, India

We arrived in Cochin, India about dawn. We had been previously made aware that immigration procedures in India were more stringent than any previous port we had visited. What’s more, the procedures are subject to change at any time: even day to day. Our procedure was as follows: everyone was assigned a GROUP NUMBER which apparently was dependent upon whether you had a scheduled excursion and the time of the excursion. When your number was called, you proceeded to the upper dining room where you were physically given your passport, a photocopy of your passport and a boarding form which you had previously completed (a couple of weeks earlier). You then moved to another area where an Indian official meticulously (and very slowly) compared your passport photo to your likeness, then your Indian visa to your likeness and finally examined your boarding form. If all was well, he then stamped your form, and passport photocopy which he returned to you. He kept your passport. You were now free to exit the ship where ONCE AGAIN, an Indian official examined the boarding pass and the passport photocopy and finally allowed you to set foot on the mainland. The captain informed us we could have arrived earlier, but the dock workers were on “shift change” and would not let him enter the port.

The result of all this bureaucracy was that all excursions were from 45 minutes to an hour late in departing.

While waiting for our number to be called, I watched the harbor activity from our veranda. There was a huge and continuous parade of boats of every variety.

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We bordered our bus about 45 minutes late at 9:45 to begin our 5.5 hour excursion. Since the all-aboard time was 4:30 and there were tours which were longer than ours, we knew the ship would not be sailing on time.

Cochin is in the southern most part of India and is considered to be an area with one of the highest literacy rates and also highest personal income.

The first thing we noticed was the crowds, and I understand Cochin is sparsely populated compared to Mumbai which we reach in two days.

The second thing which was obvious was the disrepair of most buildings and the trash along the streets.

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A line of Tuk-tuks. One of the major form of public transportation is the tuk-tuk. A small taxi which can normally carry two persons. Unions are very strong in India and the taxi industry prohibits the ship from providing any shuttle service so you are forced to use their services.

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We made a bath room stop at this hotel along the way. The facilities were quite clean although there were piles of trash next to the building.

Our excursion was for a backwater tour of Alleppey by Motorboat with lunch. Alleppey is an area of miles and miles of rivers and canals which crisscross. It is a community and a popular holiday area for locals. The one thing we have realized in both Sri Lanka and here in India is that the sense of time is not the same for the locals as it is for us westerners. What they say is a 10 minute drive to the restaurant is really a 30 minute drive. A 2 hour return to the ship is more like 2:45. I am not sure if this is really a misconception of time or simply an unsuccessful effort to make their clients “more comfortable” about the travel time. It might work if no one had a watch!

For me, I enjoyed seeing all the different types and styles of boats from canoes to three bedroom house boats (in the background of the above photo). But what I especially enjoyed was watching the people who live along this waterway performing their everyday life chores.

This young boy was fishing, something we saw repeated many, many times. It sees customary for the locals to simply step out of the house, catch a fish, dress it, and have it for lunch. I can’t get any fresher that that…

I flailed to photograph our boat, but this one is similar. We did have plastic lawn chairs on the upper deck of our boat. First class all the way!

A very familiar scene. This lady was doing laundry in the time honored manor. She would beat the clothing on the stones, rinse and repeat.

These guys just seemed to be taking a swim. Our guide said most of the river people could swim before they could walk.

This is not swimming for fun. This father and son are diving for clams. They are eaten and the shells often used for various purposes.

This lady is cleaning the mornings catch to cook for lunch.

Not only do you wash your clothes, your dishes, but also your body in the river…

While mom washes the family’s pots and pans, the daughter fishes.

Sometimes you just have to sit back and look at the rice paddy…

“Billy Goats Gruff”???

Another lady dressing fish for their meal.

Their fishing equipment is quite simple, just a cane pole, but it seems to work.

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Traveling in style.

Sorry for so many laundry and fish photos, but It just fascinated me.

These guys were rug sellers. Our guide told us they were from “up north”.

The scenery was beautiful.

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A pile of raw rice, recently harvested and waiting to be bagged.

Note the workers in the red shirts. Another sign of the strong unions in India. These are the only workers allowed to carry the rice bags from the paddies to the awaiting boats.

A small medical facility along the river funded by the Rotary Club of Sarasota.

As we passed under some trees, I got this photo of a Kingfisher bird. The colors are beautiful.

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After our river trip, we made the famous 30 minute – 10 minute drive to our restaurant. It was at the Chakara Restaurant at the Marari Beach Resort. It was a beautiful resort and a lovely restaurant.

The Chakara Restaurant

Lovely open air dining

We served ourselves, buffet style. There was a large variety of choices and a seafood grill where the chef would prepare fish steaks and grilled prawns. There was also a type of pan fried bread made to order which was very good. I enjoyed the meal, but didn’t think it was as good as the previous buffets we had in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

I did manage to get my Indian beer. Apparently this is the most popular beer in India. Suffice it to say, I liked the bird better than the beer…

We had just a few minutes after our meal and we rushed down to see the beach, which was beautiful.

On the way back, near the port, we saw dozens of these decorated trucks. Apparently each owner tries to outdo his competition. A lot of work certainly went into this decoration.

We did make it back to the ship only about 15 minutes past all-aboard. It was still almost another hour before we sailed.

I will finish up by relating a few thing which I haven’t had an opportunity to convey to you, my faithful reader. The ship has been on a health “code red” status for almost two weeks now. I haven’t mentioned it earlier because it hasn’t affected us except through some inconvenience. It appears there has been a lot of cases of GI illnesses throughout the ship, including some crew. As a result, all food in the Lido is now served by attendants and not self-serve. This doesn’t affect us because we don’t eat in the Lido. In the dining room, they have removed the salt & pepper shakers and pepper mills. Bread is served and no longer placed on the table. This afternoon, the captain with some exasperation announced there were still being new cases reported and many activities are being restricted. The four of us have personally not seen anyone who has been affected and we can’t really understand there the problem is coming from. There has been no mention of it being Norovirus. The primary emphasis is and has been personal hygiene. WASH YOUR HANDS. It is sad to think that there are people on a cruise of this nature (cost), who cannot or will not use common sense and basic hygiene.

The second item I have been meaning to tell you about is the installation of the water guns on the promenade deck. After we left Sri Lanka, I noticed that the water cannons and hoses were installed. I thought little about this because it had already been announced that a crew drill was to take place that day. When the cannons were still in place the next day, I thought it unusual because the ship crew NEVER leaves anything out that is not normally there. As we neared the Indian coast the day before reaching Cochin, I saw a number of small 20 foot boats with 2 to 3 persons aboard approach the ship and motor around it. THEN it occurred to me the water cannons were just for this purpose. If any of the small boats came too close or even looked like they were going to attempt to board the ship the cannons would be turned on them. Now after five days the cannons are still in place and I expect they will remain until we pass through the Suez Canal.

The last item I would like to share is on a much lighter note. As I have alluded to in previous blogs and posts, the four of us, Janet, Carl, Kay and myself are sometimes confusing to the other passengers as to who belongs to who. When we go to a show or sometimes when on an excursion, we simply sit in the order we are walking. In the past Kay and Carl have been mistaken for a couple as Janet and I have. Well, while in Thailand we had a new twist. One of our tour guides thought Carl and I were a couple!!! We had stopped for a break at a large jewelry company. The girls were still looking at the wares and Carl and I retired to the very elegant lounge they provided to have some of the best Coca-Cola I have had in years. It was fountain Coke and made with pure cane sugar – just like it used to be. Our guide came in and began talking with us and we made the comment that we had been traveling together for several years (by which we meant as two couples). She assumed we were partners and began to ask us about that. We explained that no we were both married and not to each other. She said that same sex couples was so common in her country now, she just took it for granted. Wow, that’s how rumors start…

Well, we arrive in Mumbai tomorrow and I hope it goes smoother than in Cochin.

Until later… goodnight…

Day 69 – Sunday, March 15, 2015 – Colombo, Sri Lanka

We arrived on time in Sri Lanka. This was a result of the captain maintaining an almost constant speed of 20 knots for two and a half days. As you recall our departure from Myanmar was delayed by almost a full day due to the tides. The channel in the Yangon River is too shallow for any large vessels to enter or exit except on a rising tide. Fortunately for us the seas were calm and the ride was smooth despite the speed. However I hate to think of the extra fuel consumed at this speed.

Below is a little Wiki information about Sri Lanka, if you are interested.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country near the south-east of India in South Asia. Sri Lanka, known until 1972 as, has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest. Sri Lanka has a documented history that spans over 3,000 years, but there are theories to suggest that Sri Lanka had pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through World War II.

Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages. It is the land of the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, dates back to the Fourth Buddhist Council in 29 BC. The country’s recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively ended when Sri Lankan military defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital, and largest city, of Colombo. It is also an important producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber, and the native cinnamon, the island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with a high amount of biodiversity.

The city of Colombo is located on the western coast of the island. Our tour took us to the southern city of Galle.

Sunrise over the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka as we approached the harbor.

Quiet Sunday morning of the port at Dawn.

To be a working mostly commercial port, Colombo is a beautiful port.

Our tour today took us from the city of Colombo to Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the southern part of the island state. It was an 8 hour tour with what was estimated to be a 2 hour drive each way over modern highways. The highways were modern, but unfortunately our transportation wasn’t. Our coach was comfortable, with air conditioning and plenty of legroom, but it’s mechanical condition left a lot to be desired. If our speed exceeded 45 mph, the driver seemed to struggle to keep it from weaving. As a result our drive was closer to 2 ½ hours each way.

I kept seeing these little stands on the street and could not understand what they were. At first I thought they were newsstands, but I didn’t see any papers. I finally realized they were selling lottery tickets.

Looking up a side street, you can see the old and the new. A Hindu temple in the foreground and a towering edifice under construction in the background.

I was amazed at the highway system in Sri Lanka. Their freeways were very modern and obviously supported by tolls.

Along the modern highway you could still see many pastoral scenes which could have been happening a century ago.

A friendly wave

The entire length of the highway is bordered by a chain link fence. I assume to keep stray water buffalo off the roads. It also served as a clothes line for the local people. This is a scene which was repeated continuously along our trip.

We had a scheduled “refreshment stop” which was actually an opportunity to purchase good from an extremely overpriced “gallery”.

Close-up of a mask

This carver was working in a little shed outside the gallery.

If I tried this, I would probably be minus a few toes…

Following our break, we entered the old city of Fort Galle. It was a very interesting and we all wished we could have had some free time to explore here. As it was we visited a museum which was a complete waste of time and then given about 40 minutes along the coast.

Much of Galle was damaged or destroyed in the tsunami of 2004 where the ocean was forced miles inland along the southern coast. Fortunately, most of the damage has been repaired or reconstructed although there are still a few places where the evidence of the 10 year old damage occurred.

These young men were enjoying the sunshine and clear blue water.

Kay, hot and windblown…

It’s tough to be a hat seller on a windy day. He was continually retrieving and arranging his wares.

These guys were enjoying what appeared to be a pick-up game of cricket.

After leaving Fort Galle we went for lunch. It was at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel, a quiet elegant setting for a delicious meal.

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I was pleased to get my “made in Sri Lanka” beer. The brand was Lion, the size was huge 625 ml, and the taste was good.

We were presented with over 100 choices on the buffet. It was an opportunity to try new and different tastes. Of course there were dozens of curry dishes, shrimp prepared in a variety of ways, cuddle fish and other exotic dishes.

This was only one of about 5 or six stations set up with delicious dishes to choose from.

The calamari was excellent, served with pineapple and a mild curry.

I couldn’t resist trying the crud and treacle. The curd was a yogurt made from water buffalo milk. Treacle is made from the syrup that remains after sugar is refined. This was the dark variety which has a distinctive smoky flavor. Together they made a very delightful dessert.

The view from the restaurant patio was beautiful. Room here command $300 USD and up per night, quite expensive by the island’s standards.

One of the most amazing features of the hotel was the spiral staircase from the lobby. The railing was made of metal figures engaged in different activities. I could have spent an hour just studying the staircase. It was a work of art!

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As we were leaving, I asked one of the bellmen if I could take his photo. He readily agreed and made everyone line up for the photo. It is obvious that some were more pleased with this task than others…

On the return trip, this is one of the many examples of British Colonial architecture we observed.

We arrived back at the ship with about 45 minutes before all aboard. There was a small market with about two dozen vendors which we perused before going aboard. As always at these markets the colors alone are spectacular.

We all came to the same conclusion that none of us was interested in dinner, having eaten so much lunch later in the day than was normal for us. Instead we showered, rested and then view the evening’s movie “Kill the Messenger” in the Wajang Theater. We then attended the entertainment in the Queen’s lounge.

It was a long and tiring day, but had its high points.

We are at sea tomorrow on our way to Cochin, India.

Goodnight…

Day 67 & 68 – March 13 & 14, 2015 – Friday – At Sea

We 2 ½ days at sea before reaching Colombo, Sri Lanka. There are not many of the shipboard activities which interest me, so I have spent the time organizing my photos, cleaning my camera equipment and catching up of 5 days of blogs. I have spent some time in the fitness center and the thermal spa. In addition, I am making the effort to get at least 5 miles of walking a day.

In one’s life there are a few things no man or woman, to be politically correct, should be subjected to. Unfortunately I was exposed to two of those things this afternoon. Being a sea day, after several long days in port, the day was spent fairly leisurely. I realized around 4:00 PM I was short of my walking goal for the day. I went down to the promenade deck expecting to do about 6 laps or 1.5 miles. I exited onto the walking deck and began my penitence. And penitence it turned out to be. There was a couple ahead of me walking at a good pace, about my pace. The lady, who was of a healthy age, by which I mean about my age, but with about 20% more body weight was really impressive for the speed she was traveling. The only problem, at least for me, was her outfit. She was wearing white tight spandex pants. As I followed the pair I quickly realize I had a decision to make. Either I would have to increase my pace and pass the couple or I would be forced to follow behind what reminded me of two opossums in a pillow case fighting to see who could escape first. It didn’t take very much deliberation to decide on the first option. I increased my speed, passed the two and never looked back, literally or figuratively.

I thought this would be the end of my woes this afternoon, but it wasn’t so. Obviously I have done something to anger the gods… As I reached the port side of the ship I was confronted by a quite elderly gentleman with a huge pot gut wearing a RED spandex speedo. Fortunately he was reclining on a lounge chair, so I was only subjected to the sight for a few moments as I approached and passed. Unfortunately, I had to endure this routine for 5 more circuits. I am sorry but people should wear age appropriate dress. Oh well, enough of my rant. I now must get a shower and get dressed. We have an invitation to the Captains table in the Pinnacle Grill tonight and cocktails before, beginning at 6:00 PM. Maybe this will make up for my unfortunate afternoon…

Below is the invitation to the Captain’s dinner and the cards below list the six courses and two wines of the menu.

The dinner was very nice and the food of course was wonderful. Kay and I were seated at a table of four with Margaret, as single lady from Florida and Ashton, an Officer who reins from Nederland and is head of the Marketing Department. We enjoyed the 3 ½ hour meal and conversation. I was thankful that menu cards were provided because otherwise I would not have had any idea what I was eating! As a gift, we each received a ceramic delft travel coffee mug which depicts the map of the Grand World Cruise.

We arrive in Colombo tomorrow morning and have a tour scheduled with Cruise Specialists. Hopefully I will be reporting on our visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow or the next day which is at sea.

Good day…

Day 66 – March 12, 2012 – Thursday – Myanmar 3rd day

Since all aboard today is 12:00 Noon, we have a shorter tour. It is for about four hours and will take us to a nearby village where we will be able to interact with the local people, visit their market and observe their daily life.

As the morning drive started, it looked like a repeat of the past two day’s traffic issues. After only about 2 miles we came to a dead stop due to road work. At least it was interesting to observe. Almost all the labor is done by hand. This includes leveling the road surface with shovels, melting the tar, and even sorting and carrying the gravel to be placed in the tar.

These drums contain tar which is heated by wood fire, then carried in large buckets by two men to pour on the road.

Here a makeshift shelter was built from drums to afford shelter from the sun. Perhaps some of the workers actually are living here since clothes are hung to dry.

These women sorted the gravel, then carried it in the baskets to the road.

This is the most modern piece of machinery I saw at this worksite.

A farmer minding his cattle.

Sunscreen and cell phones.

We were stopped as this train passed through the village.

Note the safety arm, it is operated by hand with a counterweight.

We visited another small monastery. There are hundreds in the country.

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This is the studying and worshiping area.

This is the living area. There is not a lot of space, but then they have very few possessions.

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The exterior of the monastery. It is quite different from the teaching facility we saw yesterday.

After the visit to the monastery, we walked through the village.

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The children were excited to get a string of beads left over from the ship’s Fat Tuesday party.

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This looks like a Monk’s motorcycle convention…

After our walk, we took a pony cart ride to the village market.

This was our pony cart driver.

The pony carts had wooden wheels, but were covered with old truck tire treads which were attached with wire.

Father and Daughter

Ready to ride…

The market.

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Spices, spices, spices…..

Pepper anyone?

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This was the Big Momma. She was really controlling things on this end of the market. She was keeping everyone hopping, handling the money and appeared to be keeping the books. When I asked for permission to take a photo, she gave me this thumbs up!

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Again, permission asked and granted for a photo.

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Quite a surprise here. I stopped at this shop which sold “monk supplies”, alms buckets, incense, Buddhas, robes and various other items. It was in a very quiet part of the market and the young lady was in the floor working and I didn’t pay her too much attention. When she realized I was there she was so startled she let out a little yep and then the other lady came out. They looked at me and just smiled and went back to their work. It wasn’t until I was editing my photos and I enlarged this one that I realized the round things they were making were being made from 1000 Katz bills. Each of the dishes contained about $80 USD in currency. I guess that was why she was startled. I can’t believe they were doing this in the floor at the busy market. Now I wish I had paid more attention…

Following the market we each boarded a trishaw for the ride back to our bus.

This was my trishaw driver.

After we got back to the ship, I took this photo from our veranda. What appears to be a pile of sticks is actually huge teak logs. Due to the ban on endangered wood to many countries, all of these logs are awaiting a place to go.

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This is an enlargement showing the logs in relation to the red truck which can be seen in the previous photo. Each log is labeled.

As we sailed up the Yangon River as the sun was setting, I got this photo from about a mile away. It conveys to me what I always thought Burma must look like…

This finishes my Myanmar blog series, I hope you enjoyed the photos even though I didn’t have time to give a lot of commentary. I could have written a book about what we experienced during our 3 day stay. We are now setting sail for Sri Lanka across the Bay of Bengal, the largest bay in the world. We have about 1300 mile to go.

Thanks for looking, until later…

Day 65 – Wednesday – Marh 11, 2015 – Rangoon, Myanmar

Second day in Myanmar was a full day tour with Cruise Specialists to Bago – The Ancient Mon Capital. Unfortunately to reach Bago, we had to again travel through Rangoon with its unbelievable traffic. On the plus side, this gave me an opportunity to take some photos from the bus of the street life in this very hot, crowded, noisy, dusty city.

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These truck/buses are the most common mode of transportation in Rangoon.

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More foraging in the trash for treasures…

The different ethnic origins are obvious as you look at the people. Predominately you see Chinese and Indian features.

Construction work on a major mall. Note the bare feet and no safety devices on the pole scaffolding.

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Once you get outside the city, you enter a country which is many years behind in development. One modern item which is frequently seen is the cell phone.

The atmosphere is full of dust, even on the paved roads. I can’t imagine what it will be like when the rain comes…

Typical homes outside the city. Myanmar has one of the highest discrepancies between the rich and the poor of any country. Although the government has moved away from military control, the “generals” as the guides and common people refer to them still control the vast majority of the country’s wealth.

Along one section of road, pottery was seen at every building.

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A roadside café.

You see an interesting mix of written languages. English is not infrequent in the city, but is seen less often in the countryside.

A vendor making her way to a location to set up shop.

Enjoying lunch literally on the side of the street. You would see vendors with platters of corn on the cob and they look delicious.

After almost three hours of travel, we reached our first scheduled stop the Kyakhatwaing Monastery. This is the largest monastery in Lower Myanmar and one of the three largest monasteries in the country. This is a teaching Monastery where monks from all over Myanmar and other countries come to study.

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Monks having the main meal of the day.

This is the kitchen where the dirty dishes are washed… doesn’t look like fun to me…

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Here is where the food is cooked by a wood fire.

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Inside the Monetary, you saw families, children and LOTS of dogs.

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The “cream” seen on so many faces, especially children is plant material which is used as a sunscreen.

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After visiting the Monastery, we traveled a short distance to our restaurant for lunch.

This little one was with some older boys who were begging outside the bus. Unfortunately, if you ever gave anyone (or everyone) something, you would NEVER be left along again. Our guide discouraged giving to the beggars, but it was hard not to.

Fixing a flat.

Most of the lighter skinned (non-Indian) residents were careful to avoid the sun.

We reached our lunch location, the Hantharwaddy Restaurant. It was a very nice, clean establishment with very good service and food

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I had the opportunity to add a new beer to my list. Simply called Myanmar, it was an amber lager of 5% ABV and was definitely a good beer. Lunch included two beers. When I found the beers were 640 ml each, I only drank one and half of Kays. If I had both of mine and 1 ½ of hers, it would have been the equivalent of a six pack. I could have just cancelled the remainder of the tour!

One of our lovely servers.

This was our menu. It was delicious.

Our next stop was at a small local village where there was a weaving shop. Some of the workers certainly looked like child labor…

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This matron was pleased to have her photo made.

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These children were playing a game where the one who was “it” used a cane to try and touch the other players as they ran and jumped to avoid being caught. It appeared the cane must remain flat on the platform. They were obviously having a good time.

Kay purchased some cloth from this shop, which had weavers in the back

This shy lad preferred to watch us from a distance.

We stopped at yet another reclining Buddha. We elected to forgo another Buddha temple (which would involve removing our shoes and socks) and instead walked around the small village market. There was a truck/bus filling with passengers and venders were selling the equivalent of take-out meals for the travelers. This gentlemen who was proud to pose with his goods was selling roasted geese. There was also vendors of corn on the cob.

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I suppose this take-out came with its own carrying handle.

Passengers waiting to load.

There were two young ladies sitting together and I asked if I could take their photo. This one was happy to have hers made but her friend literally ran from her chair and hid behind a counter.

After returning to our bus, I asked our guide what these were and was informed it was dried fish. It must be quite popular…

Our bus driver.

Another reclining Buddha. This one we could photograph without actually entering the temple area which would have involved taking off our shoes and socks.

Although Buddha was male, many of the depictions of Buddha show feminine characteristics. As I understood from two different guides, this is just artistic license because a feminine statue is deemed more pleasant to the eye. Can’t argue about that…

Kay again being forced to pose for a photo…

On the return trip we made a “happy room” stop at a nice restaurant, the only one within the next 30 miles or so. They were very welcoming and gracious, there were even “doormen” who would walk you the 30 feet from the door to the bus and shield you from the sun.

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Kay being spoiled again.

Our last stop for the day was the Takkkyan War Cemetery where the graves and memorials of over 27,000 Allied soldiers who died in the Burma and Assam campaigns lie. Most of the soldiers were of British and British Colonies.

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The LONG trip back to port took over three hours. At we again got the opportunity to get some nice photos of the traffic and street people.

This child was enjoying the traffic.

A street vendor.

As I said earlier, there are a lot of cell phones. After dark you could see many faces lit by the glow of their cell phone screen.

When we finally arrived back to the ship it was almost 8:30 PM and we had been gone for 12 hours with the majority of them riding the bus. We were tired…

Soon I will get the third and final installment of our Myanmar adventure posted.