DXB-AMS-LAX-FAT

25 Nov. We left DXB @ 1:45am, our new time is now 6:30 am and we have passed three time zones already.  I finally found a plug so I can charge my netbook here @ AMS. Our first flight was uneventful.  We were very surprised at the lack of security at DXB.  We didn’t have to remove our shoes or pull out any liquids for inspection, etc.  However, the weight of our carryon bags was even checked and we had to readjust locations for some things.  We had wine and a snack when we got on our first flight, then they woke us (seemed I barely dozed off!) 1.5 hours before arrival to serve a somewhat questionable breakfast.  They said it was an omelet…one should be thankful to get anything of course!  We also had a sealed-in-plastic blanket and a small pillow, so we were treated well, no complaints.  There was even enough room to almost stretch my legs completely out in front of me.  Bring on the next flight!!!

Our flight left AMS on time, more security here but still nothing like the USA, no shoes off and no liquid inspection, but we were body scanned and patted down, I actually appreciate the efforts!  One at least has a small feeling of safety after this is done.  The flight was uneventful and we were lulled to sleep more than once despite the daylight all the way.  I took photos of Greenland, pretty stark out there, and the ocean of iceberg photos is a stark contrast to the miles of desert we just left.  It is  an amazingly diverse world HE created for us!  KLM is a great airline to fly, they gave us a lot of food and most (despite the breakfast) was quite good.  They even came around with a snack of ice cream! 

Arrival to LAX was also uneventful, I am not as tired as I thought I would be.  I did sleep a few times on this last long flight.  Off the plane, passed immigration, collected luggage (so happy it arrived!), then through customs, recheck our bag 20 feet from customs, outside to the shuttle taking us from International to domestic Terminal 4, check in, pass strict security, eat at Chili’s, on the bus to the remote terminal serving Fresno, and waited about 10-15 minutes to board and on our way HOME!  We were thrilled that our luggage arrived and our sweet neighbor Cheryl was there to pick us up and bring us home.  She is so smart she even brought our house key… since I can’t immediately recall where I left it.  It IS great to be home.  First thing was a shower, then laundry was started immediately and we attempted to stay up and moving to be “back in sync” with local time.  However, I faded sometime after the 3rd NCIS on Demand then John woke me to go to bed.  Oh my, my OWN bed felt SO DARN GOOD!  Like slipping on a comfy body glove or the like.  It was a great trip, lots of memories.  I took 3,017 photos that are now downloaded on my PC as well! 

Good-bye Dubai!

24 Nov. Thursday:  Everyone at home is about wake up on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy the company of friends and family and make every attempt to prepare and eat all the enjoyable food they possibly can.  Oh yes, and all the American Football games, I won’t miss that! 

It is now 3pm in Dubai and we are already at the airport because we really couldn’t think of anything else we wanted to do. We are well aware that we have a 10.5 hour wait for our flight to take off.  However, to wait at the airport or wait at a mall, makes very little difference to us.   A 2-day stay here would have been enough for us.  For us it was one of those places to see check off our “to do” list, so we are glad that we saw it of course.

After arrival to the airport we had our lunch, some delicious lamb curry.  It was the spiciest curry we have had but still quite delicious.  We will miss eating lamb so frequently as it is quite expensive to buy at home.  We have a nice window seat and a place to put our feet up so we can relax, read, play cards, take turns walking around and check in when the KLM/Delta counter opens up. On one of my walks I found a nice coffee place with overstuffed chairs and latte!!!  I’m happy now!  Off to check into our flight, it is on time “so far” so we are hopeful.

I also called Deb and it was great to hear her voice and get some bit of news from home.

Dubai Day 3~Desert Safari

23 Nov. Wed:  We slept in and it felt good.  John got up, pulled on some clothes and went down to get us a bit of breakfast and some coffee before the breakfast time closed.  What a sweetheart!  We slowly got ready for our half day tour and received a call they would be 1/2 hour later than first planned, which was fine.

We were picked up at our hotel just after 3pm and went on to Barbara and Mike’s hotel, and another couple from Austria was picked up there as well.  I thought the driver/guide said they were from Australia and they weren’t very talkative but they were younger than the rest of us and very quiet.  Conversation with them was not great but I decided not to worry about it.  It was later I heard they were from Austria and apparently didn’t speak much English! 

It took us about 45 minutes to drive out of the city and to the dunes where our trip began.  We were in a Toyota (Pathfinder I think) and it was quite nice.  Our guide was Jay from Pakistan and not too personable.  Through Barbara’s conversation with him we found out a bit more about living here.  Not being a citizen, even though he was born here, when he gets to the age or inability to work anymore he will be asked to leave the country.  Of course it is his choice to live here now and accept the future, which means he has no retirement or future here. We are not used to what we see as unfair treatment of others. 

There were about 20 various 4x4 vehicles at the starting point, we were surprised there were so many on this trip.  Anyway, they all let air out of their tires so we would have the best dune ride and off we went. It was lots of fun in the comfy vehicle! I felt certain we might roll a couple times but apparently our driver Jay was quite used to this and gave us a bit more exciting drive than some of the others as we observed. We stopped at a camel farm after the wild ride but more interesting was to see some wild camels along the way with their new babies! The camel farm is a breeding farm and that was all we really heard about it. On to the campsite where we ate a delicious BBQ, rode a  camel, watched a belly dancer, and smoked the shisha (the famous Arabic water pipe).  We ran out of time and I didn’t get to have the henna tattoo I hoped for. 

The camel ride was not what I really expected; 1) it was difficult to get on, 2) when the camel stood up it felt as though one might catapult off, 3) when the camel sat down again I felt I most assuredly would be pitched over the front of the beast into the sand, but I hung on for dear life! Well “check” that is check off of things to do in this lifetime!  Once one was up and riding it was quite pleasant and we enjoyed it, it was definitely the up and down that were precarious. No wonder the zoo has you get on from a platform!

The dinner was really tasty.  There were several salad choices, I had cucumber, tomatoes, coleslaw, and tubule (sp?).   There was rice, potatoes and some lentil dish that I didn’t try.  There were extras of which I cannot recall all of them but they included a pita type of break and humus as well.  The meat choices were beef patties, lamb chops, and a delicious spicy chicken, all of which were grilled to perfection.  I should say I didn’t try the beef but the lamb and chicken were wonderful. 

After the meal I tried the shisha, it was like smoking flower petals. I actually enjoyed the small cup of coffee and the date they gave me more than that pipe, perhaps because I am not a smoker to begin with, but it smelled nice like incense. 

The belly dancer cam out on the ground level stage and most people sat around the stage and watched her performance.  The four of us did not, it could be that the 3 bottle of wine we drank caught up with us or we just weren’t interested. 

It was a nice evening and we enjoyed Barbara and Mike’s company for the last time on this adventure.  They head home tomorrow  and spend one night near Heathrow, then home to Vancouver, BC.  They will arrive home the same day we do.  I hate to think about preparing our suitcases.  That is a job for tomorrow.  I did just throw things in as we prepared to get off the ship and we need to have it more organized for flying to be sure all the “non-carry-on-items” are securely packed.  Tomorrow…

Dubai Day 2

22 Nov Tuesday:  There was some confusion with our clocks this morning but we didn’t realize it until we showed up 45 minutes early for the Big Bus at the Dubai Mall.  Even thought the mall had not opened, at least there were some nice benches to pass the time until the bus arrived.  People watching is a good pass time as well!

Yesterday we rode the blue line so today we are doing the red line and the nighttime tour.  We rode the blue but to the first stop for the switch to the red line and bumped into Barbara and Mike from the ship.  It was a great surprise to see them and we spent the hour-long Arabian Dhow River Cruise with them on into the early afternoon when they switched to the blue line and we went on to do the “Treasure Walk” with the red line.  The Dhow cruise was relaxing and interesting along the Dubai river.  The weather was pleasant and the slight breeze created by the movement of the boat helped keep us cool.  The bus part was slow moving today with all the traffic but we still enjoyed it. 

Our stop to begin the walk was the Dubai Museum maintained within Al Fahidi Fort.  We only had time for a brief look there but it seemed like a very nice and interesting museum, very well done.  The guided walking tour consisted of just 8 of us, including a nice couple from Monterey, Mexico who were also on the Brilliance with us.  The walk took us past another mosque and Hindu Temple right next to each other.  It was explained that this was very unique to have these two faiths operating right next to each other in peace but not uncommon in the UAE.  Things were quite at this time as it was after 3pm and the souks were closed for the afternoon break.  We rode the small abra “taxi” boats across the Dubai River again and docked in front of a lovely traditional spice souk.  I am just so impressed with the aroma emanating from these little shops and happy to find them open as well.  Our guide told us we would be able to take any herbs and spices into our home countries, unless we are from Australia.  I was thrilled to hear this and hope it is true.  I bought a large supply of vanilla beans at a very, very good price to make my own vanilla when I get home, and just a few more dates.  We passed through the Gold Souk as well, again… just a different one. I have never seen so many jewelry shops, and so few customers!  We boarded the Big Bus again after this walk and disembarked at the Deira City Center Mall where we will pick up our night tour at 7pm.  At one point today the only option for the WC was this one “in the floor” – it was an interesting little adventure as well and made me think for a brief moment I was back in Japan! 

We had time for dinner at this mall and used a 20% off coupon from the Big Bus booklet as well.  Then back on the bus and at this point we contemplated what thoughts went through our minds in buying this nighttime portion of the trip.  We have been past some of the same things more than once since the red and blue line overlap in several places.  Anyway we are back on the bus seeing all the same buildings and malls with lights on them.  We also realized the “light show” we are seeing is not the one we thought it was with the fountains at the Dubai Mall.  At least we have a live commentary for this tour and not just the plug into recording.  He told us Dubai is the city that never sleeps, I thought that was New York?  By the time we arrived at the Wafi for the “light show” we have trouble feeling interested and the second time John suggested a taxi we went back to the hotel.  Don’t get me wrong, we did have a nice day but I am tired of malls and big buildings.  The economy has hit Dubai hard as well as the rest of the world and the people are struggling here as well.  Where apartments, houses, and buildings were about 100% occupied in the past, that is not the case anymore.  People have moved up to 1.5 hours away because it is much cheaper to live further out.  Since they “only” pay about US$2.00 they find the commute worth the time.  They also have fewer workers as the tourism is down.  It seems the building of the World Islands is at a stand still, or at least very slow moving at the moment, since no one is buying in with prices beginning in the million dollar+ category.  However, it is quite obvious this city still wants to present a very rich forefront.

Oh, today on the bus we bumped into two Aussie couples on the bus as well.  We commented about “missing” our waiters the first night off the ship.  We were surprised to hear their comments that they might miss the waiters but certainly not the food.  They were not happy at all with the food.  We were quite happy with the food even though if there was a “lobster night” we missed it, I meant to ask about that but I forgot.  Our table mates were also happy overall with the food.  I think one night we sent something back and it was quickly corrected.  It has to be difficult to cook for so many.

We had a good deal for our taxi ride back tonight, only cost about US$10 like last night but the trip was twice as far, he was an honest driver.  We had a bowl of soup in the hotel restaurant and then worked on getting yesterday’s blog posted.  It was a process to sign on and I still don’t know what “plan” I am signed on with but it worked anyway! Unfortunately, I can’t get it to work the next morning (on the 23rd) but I plan to visit the lobby and work on that as well.  If you don’t hear from me again you will know it is just too challenging…

Farewell Brilliance~Hello Dubai

21 Nov Monday: We were docked when we got up and our first view of the day was the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa. After breakfast and email we were off the ship quite fast. However, then things came to a sudden stop as we got to the “taxi line” such as it was, not really a line at all. It was a mass of slightly irritated people descending upon the few taxis that quickly whisked in and then just as quickly back out with their new found fares. Soon, as is human nature the mass pressed forward to the small gate and the taxis were stopped by those people who overtook them for departure. Needless to say there was some turmoil and heated comments. John got forward and secured us a taxi but I so wonder about those elderly people waiting in the sun, for who knows how long, to get a taxi. It is a shame there was no organization with that aspect of things. I suspect more taxis were on the way for the lucrative business of the day.

We were to our hotel (US$14+plus tip+bags), checked in, and on our way by free shuttle to the Dubai Mall to catch the HOHO bus by 10:30am. Our hotel is nice and seems large to us since we have been on the ship for 18 days!  We were checked in early without even asking.  Unfortunately, Wi-Fi is not free as I thought, but it is reasonably priced.  On our little shuttle from the hotel we met 3 people from Laguna Beach, CA. They had vacationed in India (I believe they were from India) and the flight home routed them through Dubai so they stayed 3 days as well to see things here. On to the mall, and the HOHO (known here as the Big Bus). We bought a two day pass and a night pass as well to see the various points at night with the fountains at one of the malls. It was not too hot to be outside under the canvas top for the tour. There was a nice breeze as we went along past the various sites on the blue route. The Persian (Arabian) Gulf waters are a beautiful turquoise color and the white sand beaches of the Jumeirah public beach looked quite inviting, despite the lack of trees. We had good photo opportunities at the Burj Al Arab Hotel (which is supposed to look like a sailing ship) along the route. We passed a really fun looking water park called Wild Wadi, if we had kids, we would go there and forget the views of the skyscrapers and malls, which the UAE seems very proud to promote. We passed the lovely Jumeirah Beach Park, which features one day of the week for women and children only. This route on the bus also took us out on the Palm Island, to the tip of the island where you find Atlantis on the Palm, a very posh place housing another water park, a dolphin experience, and Atlantis experience among other things. Since none of those things were included in our ticket we decided not to get off. We did get off at Mall of the Emirates to have some lunch at one of the food courts. Lots of choices, I am sad to say John had KFC, I had a Lebanese lunch of chicken and salad, with several extras that I didn’t eat because I was full. I didn’t know it came with soup, bread, and dessert when I asked for the chicken and salad. The soup was good, tasted like some sort of white bean soup but it was just too much food. The price of the food was very reasonable. I got this huge meal for around US$5 including a diet coke (the only sugar free drink I could recognize). We were stunned later when we bought an ice cream to pay US$7-8 dollars each! It was a learning experience anyway, This mall houses Ski Dubai and we wanted to take a look at that. The mall was huge but the ski area was not nearly as large as I thought it would be from any vantage point we had. They do have 3-4 ski runs but they are more or less side by side, complemented by the snow play area. It is impressive but does look rather artificial with formed and packed snow, not “fluffy” snow to make snowballs with. They way they have it organized one must decide to eat in one of the surrounding restaurants in order to get a really good view of the slopes and play area, but we managed to take a few photos. Back on the Big Bus to the starting point, the Dubai Mall.  We wanted to get some walking in so we did so in this mall.  There is a gold souk we wanted to take a look at but in reality it is simply one jewelry store after another, not a traditional souk.  As you can guess the my interested in a mall, and John’s as well, diminished rapidly.  We did walk quite a bit and then took a taxi back to our hotel.  The free shuttle for the hotel is apparently just once a day, 10:30am to the mall and 3pm back to the hotel from the mall. We didn’t attempt to make it on the shuttle but took a taxi back later. We were told the taxis are good and inexpensive, but we got a dishonest drive who took us in circles a but and then tweaked the exchange rate, US$5-6 so we know now.  John and I both sensed he was taking us in a couple circles! 

We are tired tonight and not hungry after our big lunch either.  John has a couple little boxes of cereal from the ship so he went to the restaurant downstairs and bought a glass of milk for us to share on the cereal in a coffee cup provided.  We miss Johnny and Joey our waiters on the ship!!!  I will post this sometime tomorrow.  Too tired to figure it out tonight. 

Abu Dhabi, UAE

20 Nov. Sunday:  8:45 am we were in the Pacific Theater with our tickets and met Darlene and Stuart so we would be on the same bus for the tour planned today. As we departed the pier drove along the Corniche and old fishing boats in the harbor that will soon be some sort of museum or in a museum.   We continued to the Grand Mosque. Our tour guide gave us a lot on information about the country on the way to the mosque.  Abu Dhabi is, as we knew, the capitol of the UAE.  Someone who is a citizen of the the UAE is an “Emiratee” (sp?), They have rights and benefits that others living here do not have in the area of education and healthcare, along with interest free home loans.  These people are a minority as well since this is a relatively new country and the people born here are few, around 10%, the rest are people who moved here for the opportunity from south Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.). One must also have a sponsor, and pay the sponsor either monthly or annually.  You want to keep your sponsor happy because every year your right to stay here must be renewed.  If you are a foreigner and you have a child born here, they are not a citizen.  Getting citizenship is very difficult. 

We have arrived at the Grand Mosque now.  The first thing we did upon arrival was separate, men to the right and women to the left to receive our garments to wear into the mosque.  It was very hot and even standing in the shade with the extra garment on was a bit brutal for me. These garment are “one size” and mine was very long but I could use the scarf I brought as a belt to hold it up so I would not trip. The mosque was built in the last decade, but only open now for 3.5 years.  It is the 3rd largest mosque in the world and achieved two world records:  1) World's largest and heaviest carpet and 2) the world's largest chandelier. It is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and the first President of the United Arab Emirates, who is also buried at this location. We didn’t see the tomb.  The main prayer hall can accommodate up to 9,000 worshippers. It is very ornate and exclusively for men, when it is time to pray, others are allowed to visit when it is not prayer time.  Time to pray is six times a day.  There are clocks all around the mosque.  These clocks show the date and a Muslim date, is they year 1432 (I think).  They count the beginning of time from when Mohammed was disliked and had to flee from some place (I forgot where) so that is the beginning of time for their calendar and their clock is solar to do with astronomy as well so the time is also different. It is all quite confusing.  Anyway this same clock also says what the exact prayer is that you are to pray in case you can’t recall.  The two rooms next to the main prayer hall, with a 1,500-capacity each, are for the exclusive use of women.  The mosque is quite ornate and very expensive to build.  No one knows the real cost but they think between 3-5 billion dollars. It is quite ornate, made of white marble, with other colored marble inlay.  I don’t recall seeing blue marble in the past, like these flowers.  There is also gold, gold leaf, and semi-precious stones in the pillars outside such as malachite and others. It is much too large to fit in a single photo, so I bought a postcard!  I know it is an amazing place but I lost interest quickly.  The grandeur is beyond my interest I guess.   

Carpet info:  (if you care)  The carpet laid out on the vast expanse is the “World's Largest Carpet” made by Iran's Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi. This carpet measures 5,627 m2 (60,570 sq ft), and was made by around 1,200 weavers, 20 technicians, and 30 workers. The weight of this carpet is 47 tons – 35 tons of wool, and 12 tons of cotton. There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet.

Chandelier info:  (if you care)  This mosque also holds the world's largest chandelier. There are seven imported chandeliers from Germany and are copper and gold-plated. The largest chandelier has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height. Both of these records were previously held by the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman.

We also drove by the Emirates Palace, a fabulous hotel for only important people, others are not even allowed on the grounds.  It is quite a sight but I am not impressed by a culture that does not have equal rights.   

Our final stop was the Heritage Village to witness the traditional life of the old Arab world. The Heritage Village houses a small museum depicting daily activities of the Arab community prior to the discovery of oil.  t was an interesting place and personally I would have liked more time there and less at the mosque.  Around the back of this village they had old boats and such and fantastic views of the Corniche and the city.  We had a minute to stick our hand in the water of the Persian Gulf as well!  Anyway, it was a nice visit and we are back to the ship around 1pm.  I am glad to be back because it is getting hotter by the minute.  I must also say there are a lot of flags out to celebrate “40 years” of existence, so you see this is a young and rich country, though I don’t think a lot of their equal rights. 

Raising Falcons for hunting is a common practice here.  Tourism is a big market here, they know the oil industry will eventually be depleted.  Desert trips and such are becoming more popular all the time.  We will do a Desert Safari out of Dubai in a few days. 

Dinner was bittersweet, we have had such a good time we hate for it to end but yet, we miss those at home as well.  To my surprise “someone” arranged to celebrate my BD tonight (for tomorrow).  Very loud singing at my table and a delicious little treat from the Portofino for my dessert.  Stuart and Darlene bought a round of crème de menthe for all of us, I had just told John earlier I wanted to have one tonight.  So nice of all of them.  So enjoyed meeting George and Tawny and I know we will all keep in touch.  It really has been a delightful cruise! 

After dinner we picked up our passports preparing for departure tomorrow morning.  We will disembark 8:30-9am and head for our hotel in a taxi.  Taxis are supposed to be quite reasonably priced.  We hope the hotel will store our luggage until check in time, which will leave us free to get a 2 day pass for the HOHO bus and be on our way.  That’s the plan anyway.   

Details about visiting the mosque:  Respectful attire is recommended when going ashore in a Muslim country. Women visiting the mosque must cover their entire body with a black caftan type of dress (abaya) plus their head with a scarf, leaving their hands and face exposed. Food, drinks and smoking are strictly prohibited at the mosque. It said no sandals or exposed feet but there were many men and women with bare feet, even our guide.  Men are also to be fully covered but they did not have to wear specific clothing like we did.  No exposed shoulders or knees, long pants are required. There is a specific code of conduct list while visiting the mosque which has to be adhered to otherwise guests might be denied entrance.

•No transparent (see-through) clothing. No shorts for men. No shorts and skirts must be ankle length.

•No tight clothing, no swimwear and no beachwear.

•Shoes will have to be removed before entering the mosque, so we recommend slip off shoes.

•Headscarf for ladies is essential (these can be provided when you arrive).

•Intimate behavior; i.e. holding hands or kissing is not acceptable in a Muslim place of worship.

•For safety and respect to worshippers, visitors should stay within the areas of the mosque that are permitted and not roam freely around. Smoking and food are not allowed in the mosque area.

•Visitors are requested not to touch the Holy Quran (Holy Book) and other architectural elements inside the main prayer hall.

•ALL women will be asked to wear a traditional robe (abaya) and headscarf (shayla) before entering the mosque. Guests may wear their own, however, must be closed (not open abayas) and non-transparent.

Gulf of Oman ~ Persian Gulf

19 Nov. Saturday:  We slept in very late, shocked to see it was 10:38am when we woke up!!!  I think that is a record for us!  The water is like glass this morning, just lovely, you would think you were on a lake.  We will soon leave the Gulf of Oman and enter the Strait of  Hormuz.  The water is only 300 ft deep here. Per Captain Henrik it is a wide strait with “two lanes” where we can be passed if other ships desire.  He also said that 33% of the oil that is transported on the sea comes though this strait. Iran is to the northeast and Oman to the southwest but soon the UAE (United Arab Emirates) will be to our south.  We are quite slow now as we have very little water to cover on our way to Abu Dhabi.  The captain’s joke was not to worry about us going slow, it is not because we are running out of fuel, we took on 100 tons of jet fuel for our engines so we will easily have enough to get there.  So in the middle of the day we will be leaving the Gulf of Oman heading to the Persian Gulf.  The US and UK, people in the north call it the Persian Gulf but those in the south call it the Gulf of Arabia, interesting.

Anyway in the early afternoon we posted the blog and had a small lunch.  They had some lovely seafood paella, which I had a small taste of, it was delicious.  In addition, I had the tasty Tandoori chicken with a simple salad of Romaine and tomatoes.

Around 4pm we headed off to play bingo hoping we might be lucky today~that was not the case of course!  Anyway we had fun anyway! 

Dinner was for six including:  George and Tawny along with Stuart and Darlene.  I had a delicious manicotti tonight, a real treat as I love pasta.  This was my third pasta dish for the cruise.  A couple nights ago they substituted cherries jubilee with grapes jubilee, Stuart was very unhappy about this. lol  So after many comments our head waiter Joey said he would do his best to have it for us tonight, which he in fact DID!  That was very sweet of them to make the extra efforts for us.  George also treated us to some delicious lemoncello with our dessert.  We have had such a good time at dinner and hate to see it come to an end.  I am thinking we may see George and Tawny again even though they are from the UK as they travel a lot and plan a trip to the US maybe next year.  Tomorrow is our last full day on the cruise.  We will be in Abu Dhabi for the day. 

Muscat, Oman

18 Nov. Friday:  A beautiful sunrise over Muscat, Oman.  What a lovely port! It is Interesting how we got the sunset last night and the sunrise this morning, we have changed positions for sure! John took this as the pilot boat came along side. At one point we stopped just outside the port.  Then there were some “honks”  (as much as small boats honk) and we saw our security guards wave and depart.  I am not sure about the box of “equipment” as I forgot to look!  Of course I never saw it to begin with! 

In this port we have shuttle buses to take us to the gate where we will begin our tour today along with Rick and Sandra from Michigan.  Our representative Issam met us promptly, in fact he was waiting for us. So off we went for our Muscat, Oman Tour:  Nizwa/Bahla/Jabrin (Jabreen) Fort (Day Trip) – “Inspiring Interior” with Mark Tours.  We left just about 8:30am and drove off in a black Toyota Camry, John in front and Rick, Sandra, and myself in the back seat.  There is nice A/C and Issam is very friendly. We traveled on lovely, immaculate freeways, past Sumail Gap (photo stop) that divides the Western and Eastern Hajars and onto the Old Capital of Oman, Nizwa, famous for its silver souq (souq=marketplace) and a big round fort. We were fortunate to get there early since the souqs are closing early today, it is both a holy day and a holiday.  There is a spice souq here as well, I loved it and could have shopped a bit more there through all the magnificent spices.  I wanted the vanilla beans but I was afraid customs would take them from me.  They sell all sorts of things here; birds, livestock, fruit, vegetables, etc.  One of many items I have not seen in the past was date honey.  After this interesting visit we moved on to the Nizwa fort.  Issam purchased our entrance ticket and gave us a partial tour.  After he explained things he then gave us time on our own to explore the fort. went to Bahla and had lunch there, which was delicious.  Issam arranged the restaurant and left us going to the mosque to pray, then he returned and ate, then we left.  The lunch was delicious.  On the menus  they have “mutton” and then lamb in parenthesis. Though mutton is a rather negative term to us it is used here.  John had mutton roast and I had mutton curry.  Rick and Sandra ordered the same thing and it was absolutely delicious.  First they brought us a “salad” plate, then along came rice a version of bread, not a tortilla or a pita, but something in between, then we got the meat dish and began to eat.  It was served family style other than the meat course which went separately to each of us.  I am not a huge rice fan but this rice was so different and tasty.  I know there was lemon zest, raisins, some sort of bacon tasting meat (I am sure it was not pork), caraway seeds, cashews, and I am not sure what else was in it but it was delicious.  The lamb curry was not too spicy, actually the lamb roast had more spicy taste than the curry.  We shared and we both liked the curry best. 

After lunch we went to drove up to the top of a nearby point to have a great overlook of the Bahla fort and the city.  This huge loam fort is under renovation at present so we could not visit it.  Bahla is also known as the pottery capital of Oman.  Because of its cultural value, Bahla is placed in the UNESCO’s list of heritage monuments. Our next visit is Jabrin Castle, which was supposed to be a photo stop only, but the gentleman there said someone important called and said a cruise ship was in town and people were coming to visit, so it was open.  Thankfully, there were only half a dozen people there during our visit!  We happen to run into Barbara and Mike, and Terry and Maureen! We had a nice visit to this magnificent fort but we didn’t we didn’t see painted ceilings, dungeons, or hidden passages, but it was still very nice.  After this we had a speedy return to Muscat.  I didn’t see the speedometer but Rick said we were going 120-130 KPH.  They thought around 90 MPH.  Who knows, anyway it was a great day, we are back safely, and it was a good price for what we did.  The one unusual sight we saw was a couple of camels riding in the back of a pickup truck.  Yep, it’s true.  Issam told us they tie their legs together so they won’t stand up.  It sounds cruel but they looked pretty happy.  My photo is not so great, Rick is supposed to send me his photo!

Departure from port was on time.  We wonder about the couple that was forced to leave the ship today and have heard different rumors…  Captain Henrik exited the port with his usual humor telling us as soon as he found reverse we would be leaving.  He also told us he was going to go close to the shore line on the starboard side so we could get a nice look at the mosque and the sultan’s palace.  Captain Henrik adds to the experience when he makes these special announcements for our benefit and does these special things he doesn’t have to do.  

We were tired but continued on to dinner at our usual time of 6:45pm for 8 of us again.  It was delicious and I over ate, first time really I have done it on this cruise.  I think it was because we had such a large lunch as well.  Nicoletta brought 2 special plates of tiny amuse bouche desserts to our table tonight for sort of messing up George and Tawny’s dinner reservations last night.  That was sweet of her.  We have completed day 16 of the cruise and used up the 10 prepaid bottles of wine we ordered.  Oh, we have 3/4 of a bottle of red in our room still, maybe we will take it to dinner tomorrow night.  We can always buy another bottle of course, it’s just that it is a much better price to buy a package. 

Tonight they are having “dancing under the stars” that begins at 10pm and then a special appetizer buffet that begins at 11:30pm.  Needless to say, we will skip that!  Thus closes day another day of this journey.   

Gulf of Aden, Day 3

17 Nov. Thursday:  I think maybe I put the wrong day of the week on yesterday’s blog, oh well.  Today is our last day at sea before Muscat, Oman.  After posting the blog up in the Windjammer and reading emails, we headed to the Galley Buffet.  They said they never did this particular event in the past.  They told us about the buffet last night at dinner and advised all of us that we must wear closed-toe shoes in order to participate (walk into the galley to get out food).  They sent at least a half a dozen people out of the line in front of us because they had on open toed sandals.  Anyway, it was interesting and a nice event, I took a lot of photos. 

We played bingo today and we were really close to winning but of course that didn’t happen.  We also had coupons for free pulls on a slot machine.  While others before us won at least a key chain, we got zip!  That’s okay… We played cards in the card room and a bit of backgammon as well.  Today we were a bit off the grid as they warned us the satellite TV would have nothing “live” (like the news) for 3-4 hours.  No bother to us of course as we were doing other things.  This is the activities director Cuddy, he’s a kick.

I bought some new rechargeable batteries for my camera but they don’t seem to hold the charge very well either.  Maybe there is something wrong with my camera?  Ugh.  I hope it lasts for this trip! 

When we went back to our cabin to spiff up for dinner (casual) we watched the first sunset we could see from our balcony.  All the others have been on the starboard side but due to our position we had this treat on the port side.  The additional treat was a school of small dolphins along side.  Really the only way to describe them was “frolicking” as they seemed to be having so much fun.  There were probably about 15-20 of them, nice to see as we really haven’t seen any sea life along this voyage. 

Dinner was 6 tonight.  There was some mix up with George and Tawny and I am not sure about Camilla and Kurt.  We ate with a nice couple from England, along with Darlene and Stuart.  Back to our cabin and prepare for tomorrow’s excursion in Muscat, Oman.

I’m posting this early since we will be leaving for our excursion at 8am. 

Gulf of Aden, Day 2

16 Nov.  If I forgot to comment about music on the ship, that is piped music in common areas, I will comment now.  In Barcelona they had tango and other Spanish music playing.  When  we left the Mediterranean Sea we then had music that sounds Arabic or middle eastern.  Anyway, I like the fact that this lends to the atmosphere of the trip.  One place we go to post the blog is deck 11, Windjammer outside area where they have not done this but play other canned music.  Today they have now piped in the Arabic type of music so I am happy about that. 

Today we ate in the Seaview Café, and looked at the lunches in the Solarium as well. The Seaview has pizza, Panini, and pasta along with French fries and plain side salads.  They also serve soda, beer, and wine as well.  The Solarium lunches look lean and healthy, plus being attractive.  We will try that another day. Oh, the Solarium also had a chocolate layer cake that definitely didn’t look “healthy” but probably quite delicious!

I finished my good book, City of Thieves by David Benioff.  It was really good though a few parts were a bit sad or depressing, I would recommend it.  Today there were no sightings of military ship escorts or helicopters, just a lookout or security dressed in black with binoculars. Stuart said they are just regular crew dressed in black but I don’t think so.  I think they security, maybe crew security of course.  We heard this story from George, and we believe it because he is on the same deck as the “sequestered” guests.  Anyway, the story is this couple went to Jerusalem on a private tour the day we were in Eilat. They were warned the time was very tight but they went ahead.  We did leave the port a few minutes late and they did say we were waiting for two guests.  Apparently they had pulled up the guest gangway and left the crew gangway out, the couple came and boarded and off we went.  However, the crew (justifiably in my opinion) scolded them for being late and causing delay of the ship.  Anyway, George felt this man was a businessman used to running things and didn’t take the admonishment well.  Apparently he found the captain’s cabin and began banging on the door causing quite a ruckus. The details are unknown but we do know they are not allowed to leave their cabin now and will be disembarking in Muscat, Oman when we arrive.  I am sure there will be a pending lawsuit.  If it was me I would just be grateful they didn’t leave without me in Eilat!   

Dinner was 8 of us again:  Camilla and Kurt, Darlene and Stuart, Tawny and George, great fun as always!  George and Tawny plan a trip to the USA and maybe they will come and see us. Even though we have “My Time” dining we do have the same assistant waiter and waiter most nights, Johnny and Joey.  They are great fun and certainly cater to our whims. Tomorrow is our last day at sea, of these five in a row.  I can say we have mastered the task of relaxation!  What will we do when we are back to real life!?!  Oh, Verizon worked on the ship, I briefly spoke with Mom tonight, well actually it was 1am tomorrow.  We are now 12 hours ahead of time at home.  I think that is the last time change for us.  Good to hear your voice Mom!!! 

The Gulf of Aden

15 Nov. Today is the first day we will have the black out situation on the ship after sunset.  Well, it’s not exactly a total black out but diming of lights so the staff can see out better at night.  We seem to have a Naval ship, we think Italian, as our companion off and on.  Better to be safe than sorry I guess.  The day is uneventful so far, other than John is not feeling well, sick to his stomach I hope this will pass quickly for him.

Around 12:30pm we heard a helicopter.  It came along the port side, hovered, circled the ship and then left I guess since it did not land and we no longer heard it.  Interesting!  I thought maybe someone was sick and had to be taken off the ship but since it didn’t land, that was not the case.  It said “Marine” on the side so we thought maybe it was the a local Coast Guard keeping watch over us.  That military looking ship comes and goes.  George told us at dinner it was a German helicopter, there was a German flag near the back, which apparently we did not see.  Earlier in the day, when the captain addresses the guests at noon, he said the waves were 3-5 feet so we had no concerns since a pirate ship could not come aside in that water as it would be crushed against our hull or side.  He called it anti-pirate waters/weather and that he was sorry to disappoint all the folks with binoculars that hoped to see a pirate. Anyway, we haven’t seen anything but freighter-type ships passing by and only a few of those.  John thought a couple were oil tankers.  

Hmmm, we had big intentions of doing “something” today but honestly it felt good to simply read, rest, and walk a bit, a state of relaxation.  After dinner we really enjoyed the first show we went to, a Broadway tribute by the staff cast.  It was really good.  I love the ABBA music from Mama Mia, which was part of it along with other selections.  John is feeling fine now.  Must have been over indulging on something... I can’t imagine… Maybe tomorrow I will actually go take a look at the gym.  No need to rush into these things! There are a couple eating venues we have not even looked at so I do want to at least see these before we disembark.  It’s hard to believe our time is passing and we will be home in just over a week!  Clocks ahead again tonight! I tried to call Mom tonight from the ship on my cell phone but it said I had no service on the world phone, which seems odd since it is a brand seen a lot around Europe. I wonder if Verizon would work but I was too tired to try it. Per the ship paper it supports 390 phone services.  Since we are now 10 hours earlier it is a challenge to find a time.  We’ll see.