This was our day to disembark the Sea Princess and journey to Rome. To say it didn't go as planned, didn't go well, was a mess, was stressful...well, none of those phrases begin to describe how miserable it really was. After we cleared immigration onboard we were challenged immediately when we tried to actually move our luggage off the ship...the problem was that all elevators were filled with new mattresses which were being unloaded and moved to and fro through our deck. My suitcase was impounded to be moved separately and became missing shortly thereafter. Finally, we were reunited and settled ourselves outside the ship, but inside the security perimeter.
While waiting we spoke with a crew person who helps with excursion details and he advised us to move our luggage via shuttle bus to outside the port area where he said our driver would probably meet us. This was around 9:45 or so. We re-read our materials. Rather than an 11:00 target it seemed to say more likely it would be a noon pickup. At this point, I could probably get back on the ship; not so for JM...he was O.U.T. So we discussed and guessed, surmised and thought and decided to take the expert's advice. We loaded all our stuff into the shuttle and moved to the outer perimeter of the port, near a McDonalds! More waiting, watching and guessing and dragging our stuff along as we tried to figure out the best vantage point. Giving up, we figured a phone call to the company hired to meet us would be a good thing. Next problem? Find a phone and make the call. Well, that went badly too, as the phone had Italian instructions which made no sense to JM and when he was able to make a call, the number was disconnected or something similar. At this point, JM was very frustrated and I was standing with a pile of baggage in the hot sun by the side of a busy, busy road.
We moved to another spot, closer to the shuttle buses where we could go back to the Sea Princess perimeter if we needed to do that, but saw Jenene, JM's singing partner, and she commented that she saw a man with a sign saying "Beech" back at the ship. So I was sent back to the ship on the next shuttle while JM stayed with the baggage. That took awhile, but I did find him and his van held about nine other people who were crammed into it, and now about 40 minutes behind schedule. I got in and apologized profusely for holding everyone up and we jetted off to find JM and our luggage. That took awhile, too, but finally we were reunited and headed to Rome.
The drive to Rome was without incident...nice highway, and quiet as our driver spoke no English. Couldn't tell if the other passengers were English speakers, disgusted, or asleep! JM and I were in the front seat with him; we were all on physically friendly terms I guess you could say. Once in the city, he had been given instructions to just drop us someplace pretty far away from our B&B, but we asked for door to door service and he complied and we tipped him generously as a result.
Once at the B&B we rang the bell on the door of the building, but soon realized no one was there. We couldn't get in and it is an apartment building with a locked access door to the foyer. What to do? A woman came out shortly and didn't close the door all the way so in we went with all of our luggage. We drew straws and I lost and walked up about a hundred steps to the apartment/B&B on the 4th floor. I knocked and rang, but no one was answering. I found the lift and got back down to JM. We fussed a bit more and decided to move our luggage up and as we completed that task, our hostess arrived and let us in. She is charming and her name is Maria. Maria needed to make up our room, but made us comfortable with snacks and cool drinks while we planned our next moves.
We wandered about our new neighborhood which is just beautiful and very convenient to shops, the Pope, and gelato...what more do we need? But later we decided to do the Night Walk and to get bus tickets to the starting point. The bus station is a very short walk from us and we, of course, ran into more problems; the machine wouldn't take our euro note after repeated tries and many not nice words from JM. After giving up we went to the Bus Station Help Desk, but he spoke no English and that was hopeless as we couldn't make ourselves understood at all.
We walked every bit of it, probably a couple of miles, took a thousand pictures or more, and went to sleep very tired, very confused and praying ... a lot...for a better day tomorrow.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th AT SEA. And THURSDAY, JUNE 27th, 2013. NAPLES, ITALY
So, today at sea we will round the southern coast of Greece across the Ionian Sea and later tonight well round the southern coast of Italy and head up between Sicily and Italy through the Messina Straits toward Naples. We're quickly coming to the end of our odyssey.
Finished laundry and have pieces hanging all over my room. Went to choir but late and stayed in the back. I just had a funny feeling that the weeps would take over and I didn't want to embarrass myself or anyone who might misunderstand. Sometimes it's just the lyrics of a song, or other times it's a chord that just sounds ethereal or a chord that brings an old or new memory to the forefront.
But I suspect this time it's because I'm leaving in the midst of a commitment that I really enjoyed. Sure, there were cranky people from time to time, but in the end it's about something else entirely ...maybe it's our common goal of performance that drives us to try harder, to focus more, and work more diligently...to please each other and Alana and Alan. I think maybe when at sea for a certain length of time our sense of self changes a bit and music aids that correction in a good way. It also reaches our pleasure place and can even give giggles, like hearing Purple People Eater after umpteen years!
THURSDAY, NAPLES
In the morning, JM called and we met Alana and Alan and walked the city a bit, stopping to discover one of the modern wonders of the world...coffee and chocolate Naples style! What a joy to move through the busy morning traffic and just enjoy each others company! Sunny morning, light breezes, outdoor cafe, folks rushing to work, our chocolate delights! But JM was due to organize the confusion for the afternoon excursions and he needed to get back, so we scampered back to Mother Ship and prepared to launch ourselves on our very last tour...this time to Herculaneum and a chance to see and understand the volcanic devastation.
While Pompeii had 20,000 residents, Herculaneum had a mere 4,000. That meant our area to cover was much, much less and the day was lovely, so it was a pleasure to feel the breezes and hear the birds ...I guess I miss our birds! The city is in the middle of Naples, surrounded by apartment buildings and some greenery and gardens and lots of colorful flowers. Hovering over it is, of course, Mt Vesuvius. It was amazing to see all the mosaics and frescos and how fresh some parts look after more than 2000 years. JM took hundreds of pictures and I took a few too...see below.
We got back to the ship and started our packing although neither of us was in the mood for the task. We stopped after eight for a quick dinner and headed to Crooners for some relaxing music. Back to pack more, and back to Crooners to end the night. Shared some wine and champagne, chocolate and other sweets then said goodbyes half heartedly. The day was a brilliant one to remember.
Finished laundry and have pieces hanging all over my room. Went to choir but late and stayed in the back. I just had a funny feeling that the weeps would take over and I didn't want to embarrass myself or anyone who might misunderstand. Sometimes it's just the lyrics of a song, or other times it's a chord that just sounds ethereal or a chord that brings an old or new memory to the forefront.
But I suspect this time it's because I'm leaving in the midst of a commitment that I really enjoyed. Sure, there were cranky people from time to time, but in the end it's about something else entirely ...maybe it's our common goal of performance that drives us to try harder, to focus more, and work more diligently...to please each other and Alana and Alan. I think maybe when at sea for a certain length of time our sense of self changes a bit and music aids that correction in a good way. It also reaches our pleasure place and can even give giggles, like hearing Purple People Eater after umpteen years!
THURSDAY, NAPLES
In the morning, JM called and we met Alana and Alan and walked the city a bit, stopping to discover one of the modern wonders of the world...coffee and chocolate Naples style! What a joy to move through the busy morning traffic and just enjoy each others company! Sunny morning, light breezes, outdoor cafe, folks rushing to work, our chocolate delights! But JM was due to organize the confusion for the afternoon excursions and he needed to get back, so we scampered back to Mother Ship and prepared to launch ourselves on our very last tour...this time to Herculaneum and a chance to see and understand the volcanic devastation.
While Pompeii had 20,000 residents, Herculaneum had a mere 4,000. That meant our area to cover was much, much less and the day was lovely, so it was a pleasure to feel the breezes and hear the birds ...I guess I miss our birds! The city is in the middle of Naples, surrounded by apartment buildings and some greenery and gardens and lots of colorful flowers. Hovering over it is, of course, Mt Vesuvius. It was amazing to see all the mosaics and frescos and how fresh some parts look after more than 2000 years. JM took hundreds of pictures and I took a few too...see below.
We got back to the ship and started our packing although neither of us was in the mood for the task. We stopped after eight for a quick dinner and headed to Crooners for some relaxing music. Back to pack more, and back to Crooners to end the night. Shared some wine and champagne, chocolate and other sweets then said goodbyes half heartedly. The day was a brilliant one to remember.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013. ANZAC COVE (scenic)
ANZAC Cove was named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp landed there in June, 1915 and undertook the first battle of World War 1. Thousands of lives were lost in this Battle of Gallipoli which lasted an incredible eight months.
In tribute to these soldiers, the ship held an early morning memorial service presided over by Captain William Kent and featured the Sea Princess Pop Choir. It was very, very hot on the deck because we were barely moving and the sun was blazing on us. But our song was lovely and I think both Alan and Alana are thrilled...that it's over! It was stressful for Alan and for the choir too, because we all wanted it to be perfect.
We also sang the Aussie and Kiwi National Anthems and a few other hymns. Then it was laundry day again. Both JMB and me want to have all our clothes clean to travel to Italy on Friday, but to our dismay, all laundries are again CLOSED until tomorrow morning.
Tonight is Jeff's last two shows...they both went on, but show number one was slightly tragic with mic problems and missing props. Show two went very well and Jeff sang his heart out!
We reluctantly missed LOVE THEME ENTERTAINMENT trivia! When we don't make it to trivia or music it seems like something is missing...what happens when we get off the ship?
Tomorrow is our last Sea Day!
QUOTE from the Patter: "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ...Dr. Seuss
In tribute to these soldiers, the ship held an early morning memorial service presided over by Captain William Kent and featured the Sea Princess Pop Choir. It was very, very hot on the deck because we were barely moving and the sun was blazing on us. But our song was lovely and I think both Alan and Alana are thrilled...that it's over! It was stressful for Alan and for the choir too, because we all wanted it to be perfect.
We also sang the Aussie and Kiwi National Anthems and a few other hymns. Then it was laundry day again. Both JMB and me want to have all our clothes clean to travel to Italy on Friday, but to our dismay, all laundries are again CLOSED until tomorrow morning.
Tonight is Jeff's last two shows...they both went on, but show number one was slightly tragic with mic problems and missing props. Show two went very well and Jeff sang his heart out!
We reluctantly missed LOVE THEME ENTERTAINMENT trivia! When we don't make it to trivia or music it seems like something is missing...what happens when we get off the ship?
Tomorrow is our last Sea Day!
QUOTE from the Patter: "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ...Dr. Seuss
MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013. ISTANBUL, TURKEY
The Captain talked to us last night and said we would continue on to Istanbul. Even though there might be problems in other parts of the country, he felt that we should stop...he told us very specifically which areas to avoid and, since the tours were to less targeted areas he was certain we would be safe.
In the morning we were given letters from Captain Kent, reiterating his message of the night before and Jeff and I went off with 38 other hearty souls to visit Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque with over three hours left for us to wander the 4000 shops in the Grand Bazaar...no guide needed or wanted for that part. And we probably managed to see about half of them...at least it felt like it.
First a word about the port...so unusual to be at the actual link of Asia and Europe. One side of the ship looks at one continent and the other side another place entirely.
Now we got lucky again with a wonderful guide who looked like Jim Valvano and with a similar personality...chatty, funny, and opinionated. While we were in the main pedestrian only boulevard leading to the Blue Mosque, a number of motorcycles zoomed by. Finally he stopped a couple of them and yelled at them in Turkish of course. I don't know exactly what he said but it wasn't too nice and I think he got his point across. They were interrupting his train of thought as well as disrupting guests in his country...I think that's the gist of what he said.
So, we got in line to receive a look over by the fashion police of Islam...then some of us got blue scarves to better cover our hair and elbows, others got whole robes to cover shoulders, elbows, arms, and knees. Then, we were told to take our shoes off and put them in plastic bags which were provided. We did not have to do the ritual washing of almost everything, but we were granted access to the mosque. What followed was an in depth discussion of Islam as well as a thorough explanation of the mosque's history and how it is used today when the call to prayer is sounded. Very interesting stuff...nothing scary or intimidating at all.
But it was a very warm day and having to wrap your head and cover your arms in an unknown rough fabric encouraged the perspiration to run down...well, pretty much everywhere. The Mosque has about 20,000 delicate blue Iznik tiles in 33 shades of blue, more than 216 stained glass windows and more than 50 different tulip designs.. After the tiles were made it is said that the color recipes were destroyed so tiles like those will never be made again...it also means that if some are stolen or fall off, too bad kids! And it is also said that one tile was recently sold and brought $240,000.
JMB fussed at the bare feet aroma lingering in the Mosque, but enjoyed photographing it. Several men came in to pray while we were there: they were early for the next call and seemed totally unbothered by the throngs of people and tour guides. We left, and put our shoes on as we clambered down the marble steps outside. Then we all walked across the plaza to Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. St. Sophia is a World Heritage Site, so I can cross one more off my list.
Back on the bus, we rambled and rumbled to a carpet demonstration and learned the difference between Turkish carpets and Persian carpets. (double knots vs single knots). Just outside the carpet store was the arched entrance to the Grand Bazaar and its 4000+ shops featuring everything. We bought tea, and a few other goodies, to help the teetering Turkish economy.
Somewhere in there we stopped for a bite to eat...two Cokes and two chicken wrap sandwiches plus an order of fries for Jeff....total? 890 Turkish Lira which equaled about $48 USD! A pretty hefty lunch price for an outdoor bistro! It was a tasty lunch, but, really?
Overall I think we agree that we really like Turkey...it's different. It's clean. Yes, we like it.
Back onboard, tonight's movie is SKYFALL, but the real attraction is The Janene and Jeff Show...or the British Invasion production, which was excellent. And, as has become our very favorite part of the day, after a quick bite to eat after the show, we stop and relax to happy music by Alan and Alana. More often than not, we all share a bottle of nice wine...ending some beautiful days making new friendships stronger...
Quote for today? "The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready." ... Henry D. Thoreau, WALDEN, Chapter 1
In the morning we were given letters from Captain Kent, reiterating his message of the night before and Jeff and I went off with 38 other hearty souls to visit Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque with over three hours left for us to wander the 4000 shops in the Grand Bazaar...no guide needed or wanted for that part. And we probably managed to see about half of them...at least it felt like it.
First a word about the port...so unusual to be at the actual link of Asia and Europe. One side of the ship looks at one continent and the other side another place entirely.
Now we got lucky again with a wonderful guide who looked like Jim Valvano and with a similar personality...chatty, funny, and opinionated. While we were in the main pedestrian only boulevard leading to the Blue Mosque, a number of motorcycles zoomed by. Finally he stopped a couple of them and yelled at them in Turkish of course. I don't know exactly what he said but it wasn't too nice and I think he got his point across. They were interrupting his train of thought as well as disrupting guests in his country...I think that's the gist of what he said.
So, we got in line to receive a look over by the fashion police of Islam...then some of us got blue scarves to better cover our hair and elbows, others got whole robes to cover shoulders, elbows, arms, and knees. Then, we were told to take our shoes off and put them in plastic bags which were provided. We did not have to do the ritual washing of almost everything, but we were granted access to the mosque. What followed was an in depth discussion of Islam as well as a thorough explanation of the mosque's history and how it is used today when the call to prayer is sounded. Very interesting stuff...nothing scary or intimidating at all.
But it was a very warm day and having to wrap your head and cover your arms in an unknown rough fabric encouraged the perspiration to run down...well, pretty much everywhere. The Mosque has about 20,000 delicate blue Iznik tiles in 33 shades of blue, more than 216 stained glass windows and more than 50 different tulip designs.. After the tiles were made it is said that the color recipes were destroyed so tiles like those will never be made again...it also means that if some are stolen or fall off, too bad kids! And it is also said that one tile was recently sold and brought $240,000.
JMB fussed at the bare feet aroma lingering in the Mosque, but enjoyed photographing it. Several men came in to pray while we were there: they were early for the next call and seemed totally unbothered by the throngs of people and tour guides. We left, and put our shoes on as we clambered down the marble steps outside. Then we all walked across the plaza to Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. St. Sophia is a World Heritage Site, so I can cross one more off my list.
Back on the bus, we rambled and rumbled to a carpet demonstration and learned the difference between Turkish carpets and Persian carpets. (double knots vs single knots). Just outside the carpet store was the arched entrance to the Grand Bazaar and its 4000+ shops featuring everything. We bought tea, and a few other goodies, to help the teetering Turkish economy.
Somewhere in there we stopped for a bite to eat...two Cokes and two chicken wrap sandwiches plus an order of fries for Jeff....total? 890 Turkish Lira which equaled about $48 USD! A pretty hefty lunch price for an outdoor bistro! It was a tasty lunch, but, really?
Overall I think we agree that we really like Turkey...it's different. It's clean. Yes, we like it.
Back onboard, tonight's movie is SKYFALL, but the real attraction is The Janene and Jeff Show...or the British Invasion production, which was excellent. And, as has become our very favorite part of the day, after a quick bite to eat after the show, we stop and relax to happy music by Alan and Alana. More often than not, we all share a bottle of nice wine...ending some beautiful days making new friendships stronger...
Quote for today? "The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready." ... Henry D. Thoreau, WALDEN, Chapter 1
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013. MYTILENE, LESVOS ( in the Greek Islands)
Oh boy! This was a beauty, and gets a top vote from me! Absolutely gorgeous! On a sun drenched Sunday morning, just picture yourself wandering along a sleepy cobblestone lane peeking into flowery sweet scented courtyards with little tables already set for morning coffee. Oh my gosh...here I could live...Or visit on a regular basis! Me and 3 million olive trees, this island's major trade. (Add Jack in there too!) One little elderly lady stopped Jeff and offered him a piece of bread, but when she saw his camera she decided she would rather have her picture taken...so with a nod of her head she posed for him...a typical Greek grandmother clad in black!
We wandered further into an old stone olive oil manufacturing museum situated in the middle of this darling little mountain village. It was very interesting to hear how olive oil is actually pressed and be able to see all the hand machinery involved. But, more so, it was just a beautifully restored place, quiet, flowery, and serene.
Another stop was an old church in another adorable mountain village where the cobblestones went up, up, up and twist, twist, twist and turn ending in the church's courtyard. In the little lane were many private shops featuring wonderful pottery and wooden bowls and decorative items. I had to pass them by, very regretfully, because Jeff and I had sort of lost each other and he was the cash carrier. There were also some REAL outdoor wine and vine covered eateries so authentically Greek, you'd swear you were there! And we were! They looked more real than the very best movie set...I expected Zorba to wave to me any second! WOW is the best word. And, yes it was hot and we were exhausted by the end of the day, but it was wonderful. I've fallen in love again...with Greece. I didn't expect to, but it happened. Jack, we'll talk about where to celebrate our 50th!!
I took the tender back to the ship while Jeff continued on in Mytilene taking more photos and wandering to his heart's content. I need a long nap so I can dream about this day again...
The posted pictures are from the olive oil location...so lovely...
We wandered further into an old stone olive oil manufacturing museum situated in the middle of this darling little mountain village. It was very interesting to hear how olive oil is actually pressed and be able to see all the hand machinery involved. But, more so, it was just a beautifully restored place, quiet, flowery, and serene.
Another stop was an old church in another adorable mountain village where the cobblestones went up, up, up and twist, twist, twist and turn ending in the church's courtyard. In the little lane were many private shops featuring wonderful pottery and wooden bowls and decorative items. I had to pass them by, very regretfully, because Jeff and I had sort of lost each other and he was the cash carrier. There were also some REAL outdoor wine and vine covered eateries so authentically Greek, you'd swear you were there! And we were! They looked more real than the very best movie set...I expected Zorba to wave to me any second! WOW is the best word. And, yes it was hot and we were exhausted by the end of the day, but it was wonderful. I've fallen in love again...with Greece. I didn't expect to, but it happened. Jack, we'll talk about where to celebrate our 50th!!
I took the tender back to the ship while Jeff continued on in Mytilene taking more photos and wandering to his heart's content. I need a long nap so I can dream about this day again...
The posted pictures are from the olive oil location...so lovely...
PIRAEUS, GREECE. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013. ( Our ATHENS stop!)
WOW! Just can't believe we're in Athens. A long time dream ever since I helped make a scale model of the Parthenon in sixth grade Miss Parrish's class. And I have the newspaper article to prove it! And a long time dream of Jeff's was to see the Theatre of Dionysus, and he did. We were both like little kids in a candy store...uh, we did that too, but it's another duty free story.
We were up really early again and our sleep deficit mounts. Out tour hit the jackpot. We had an outstanding guide and what a difference it makes. Kristie was so passionate about her country and it's history! It was infectious. We still had to climb the slippery marble steps with no railings, but the lovely breeze kept the temperature manageable for a change. Of course it became miserable once we got down into the Plaka ( the old city bazaar area). It's another holiday weekend here and although traffic was less than usual we were told, the crowds grew and by midday were pretty heavy. We had time on our own to shop and picked up just a few minor things, preferring to wait until tomorrow and the island touring of Lesvos.
In the evening, Jeff performed his hourlong solo show which was just beautiful and well-crafted to include a nicely balanced selection of Broadway show tunes. It was a very special evening! And after that, the crew had a unique Dancing With the Stars performance...the dancers who dance regularly with Jeff in the Princess shows danced with cooks, servers, stewards, and the like. There were ten and it was such fun and the top winners were one of the cute female dancers who danced with a cook's assistant. And after that....we killed another bottle of wine celebrating the day. Two fifteen is too late when you need to be up and alert at six!
So, Athens is past and I really liked the city even though it presented itself as one that needed a little polishing and fixing. I loved the bay and the way the many marinas hugged the city...and of course the lovely blue sea and skies! Oh, and the flowers too.
So,on we go...next stop? Tomorrow the Greek Isles...Lesvos, the third largest of the Greek Islands, and the port city of Mytilene...
Quote today: "Surely to have seen Athens gives a man what Swift calls Invisible Precedence over his fellows." ...Sir Edward Marsh
We were up really early again and our sleep deficit mounts. Out tour hit the jackpot. We had an outstanding guide and what a difference it makes. Kristie was so passionate about her country and it's history! It was infectious. We still had to climb the slippery marble steps with no railings, but the lovely breeze kept the temperature manageable for a change. Of course it became miserable once we got down into the Plaka ( the old city bazaar area). It's another holiday weekend here and although traffic was less than usual we were told, the crowds grew and by midday were pretty heavy. We had time on our own to shop and picked up just a few minor things, preferring to wait until tomorrow and the island touring of Lesvos.
In the evening, Jeff performed his hourlong solo show which was just beautiful and well-crafted to include a nicely balanced selection of Broadway show tunes. It was a very special evening! And after that, the crew had a unique Dancing With the Stars performance...the dancers who dance regularly with Jeff in the Princess shows danced with cooks, servers, stewards, and the like. There were ten and it was such fun and the top winners were one of the cute female dancers who danced with a cook's assistant. And after that....we killed another bottle of wine celebrating the day. Two fifteen is too late when you need to be up and alert at six!
So, Athens is past and I really liked the city even though it presented itself as one that needed a little polishing and fixing. I loved the bay and the way the many marinas hugged the city...and of course the lovely blue sea and skies! Oh, and the flowers too.
So,on we go...next stop? Tomorrow the Greek Isles...Lesvos, the third largest of the Greek Islands, and the port city of Mytilene...
Quote today: "Surely to have seen Athens gives a man what Swift calls Invisible Precedence over his fellows." ...Sir Edward Marsh
Friday, June 21, 2013
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013. ASHDOD, ISRAEL
Good Morning or Boker tov!
Up at 6:00 AM, an uncharacteristic time for me to be moving, much less awake! And out the gangway at 7:00 to meet with Israeli Immigration officials. Sounds scary. Reality...a nuisance.
All passengers, going ashore or not are REQUIRED to meet and present passport and landing card, already signed by immigration officials. AND, we have to take our passport and card with us
when we go ashore later this morning for our Crew Tour. Nevertheless, it took about an hour of standing in a queue, the deed is done and J and I had a nice breakfast with a few surprises. We must have received some new food when we were in Egypt because FRESH peaches, apricots and cherries appeared this morning! And two nights ago we had a fresh persimmon!! It was yummy...a cross between a sweet tomato, apple and peach. We missed lobster last night due to laundry...ate at the buffet that was poor at best. Some nights are better than others, and although the choices might look good, the taste seldom matches. Often, by 8:00, most entrees are dried out or lukewarm. Still, I didn't have to cook, so no complaints from me...I can always find fruit or veggies, cooked or raw.
I wanted to mention the differences between the Suez and Panama Canals...the Suez looks like a canal dug by hand. It's very wide and there are no locks. It's pastoral with a few nice bridges to pass under and the largest swing bridge in the world...like the Figure Eight Island Bridge only much much larger. One side, East, I think, is primarily desert while the other side has small villages and green, irrigated farmland along the way with small docks and fishing boats here and there. From time to time there are lovely homes with large picture windows facing the canal with built in entertainment! Both sides have guarded highways along the water's edge. The Panama Canal has all the engineering details, the locks, donkeys, and standby folks along the way in case a lock problem develops. We met one older couple this morning at breakfast who chose this cruise solely because the ship goes through both canals on this itinerary.
So, in a little while J and I will go off to Jerusalem and other points with the crew. I told Brendy, my cabin steward, not to bother cleaning my room today. He'll be on the same crew tour, and he should have the day for fun too. There will be five buses to get into trouble! Hopefully we won't be on one of them. The other difference between a passenger excursion and a crew excursion is, well...the crew excursion is more like a high school field trip! All directions have to be repeated about ten times because some folks don't listen or don't understand because of language differences. Each bus is. Like a mini-UN. The difference in price this time was $200 vs $20. Our temperature today should hold right around 80' with clear skies. 'Nuff said.
So, more about the tour when we return!
Well, it was a fast tour of the Old City, the via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher ,and the Western Wall (formerly known as the Wailing Wall), Followed by a fast, late lunch stop, followed by an allotted seven minutes of shopping! Our guide was on a really fast speed, something that seems to be a common trait among guides! We had about 20 minutes to work our way to the Wall and leave our prayer wishes in the wall cracks, and find our way back to the meeting place for Bus 35...except she forgot to tell us where to meet! Other guides had big numbered signs which they held up from time to time, but our young lady forgot hers. It was hit or miss from then on. Oh, we each had a headset with one earplug so we could hear her...talking to other people, saying which way to go...trouble was, she didn't tell us where she was! This made for a pretty stressful time. Managing a camera, a headset, cobblestone streets, and very crowded pushy people all headed in different directions, was hard.
In the end, though, and after Jeff and I talked about it, we agreed that although we wanted it to feel holy, it just didn't for various reasons. The crowds, the extreme photo taking, the heat and rushed pace, along with not being able to slowly absorb the crowds and the atmosphere without wondering where we were going and would we lose sight of her. We agreed that the bazaar along the via Dolorosa and that walk felt most like it was a long time ago. But I think it would be very helpful if these very special holy places put requirements in place to preserve the antiquity and atmosphere of these places. Perhaps limiting the numbers allowed in at a time, or specific times for groups, as is done in Rome, would help people more fully experience them. I have to say that the Ethiopian priests looked totally discouraged, maybe disgusted with the crowds and their lack of reflection and prayerful appreciation and humility.
Somehow we were all able to meet in the Church's courtyard and even picked up a few people who went missing much earlier. We found the bus and made a quick run to a nearby monastery for lunch...($9.00 salads)...we had drinks instead, then were granted a seven minute shopping spree on the way to the ship. Seven minutes isn't much time, but we managed to spend a few shekels.
We were rewarded by a most glorious sunset at the end of another very special outing! Tomorrow we have another sea day in preparation for Athens on Saturday, June 22.
PS Say a special prayer for Jeff as he has a telephone interview tonight for a teaching job. Thank you!
Up at 6:00 AM, an uncharacteristic time for me to be moving, much less awake! And out the gangway at 7:00 to meet with Israeli Immigration officials. Sounds scary. Reality...a nuisance.
All passengers, going ashore or not are REQUIRED to meet and present passport and landing card, already signed by immigration officials. AND, we have to take our passport and card with us
when we go ashore later this morning for our Crew Tour. Nevertheless, it took about an hour of standing in a queue, the deed is done and J and I had a nice breakfast with a few surprises. We must have received some new food when we were in Egypt because FRESH peaches, apricots and cherries appeared this morning! And two nights ago we had a fresh persimmon!! It was yummy...a cross between a sweet tomato, apple and peach. We missed lobster last night due to laundry...ate at the buffet that was poor at best. Some nights are better than others, and although the choices might look good, the taste seldom matches. Often, by 8:00, most entrees are dried out or lukewarm. Still, I didn't have to cook, so no complaints from me...I can always find fruit or veggies, cooked or raw.
I wanted to mention the differences between the Suez and Panama Canals...the Suez looks like a canal dug by hand. It's very wide and there are no locks. It's pastoral with a few nice bridges to pass under and the largest swing bridge in the world...like the Figure Eight Island Bridge only much much larger. One side, East, I think, is primarily desert while the other side has small villages and green, irrigated farmland along the way with small docks and fishing boats here and there. From time to time there are lovely homes with large picture windows facing the canal with built in entertainment! Both sides have guarded highways along the water's edge. The Panama Canal has all the engineering details, the locks, donkeys, and standby folks along the way in case a lock problem develops. We met one older couple this morning at breakfast who chose this cruise solely because the ship goes through both canals on this itinerary.
So, in a little while J and I will go off to Jerusalem and other points with the crew. I told Brendy, my cabin steward, not to bother cleaning my room today. He'll be on the same crew tour, and he should have the day for fun too. There will be five buses to get into trouble! Hopefully we won't be on one of them. The other difference between a passenger excursion and a crew excursion is, well...the crew excursion is more like a high school field trip! All directions have to be repeated about ten times because some folks don't listen or don't understand because of language differences. Each bus is. Like a mini-UN. The difference in price this time was $200 vs $20. Our temperature today should hold right around 80' with clear skies. 'Nuff said.
So, more about the tour when we return!
Well, it was a fast tour of the Old City, the via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher ,and the Western Wall (formerly known as the Wailing Wall), Followed by a fast, late lunch stop, followed by an allotted seven minutes of shopping! Our guide was on a really fast speed, something that seems to be a common trait among guides! We had about 20 minutes to work our way to the Wall and leave our prayer wishes in the wall cracks, and find our way back to the meeting place for Bus 35...except she forgot to tell us where to meet! Other guides had big numbered signs which they held up from time to time, but our young lady forgot hers. It was hit or miss from then on. Oh, we each had a headset with one earplug so we could hear her...talking to other people, saying which way to go...trouble was, she didn't tell us where she was! This made for a pretty stressful time. Managing a camera, a headset, cobblestone streets, and very crowded pushy people all headed in different directions, was hard.
In the end, though, and after Jeff and I talked about it, we agreed that although we wanted it to feel holy, it just didn't for various reasons. The crowds, the extreme photo taking, the heat and rushed pace, along with not being able to slowly absorb the crowds and the atmosphere without wondering where we were going and would we lose sight of her. We agreed that the bazaar along the via Dolorosa and that walk felt most like it was a long time ago. But I think it would be very helpful if these very special holy places put requirements in place to preserve the antiquity and atmosphere of these places. Perhaps limiting the numbers allowed in at a time, or specific times for groups, as is done in Rome, would help people more fully experience them. I have to say that the Ethiopian priests looked totally discouraged, maybe disgusted with the crowds and their lack of reflection and prayerful appreciation and humility.
Somehow we were all able to meet in the Church's courtyard and even picked up a few people who went missing much earlier. We found the bus and made a quick run to a nearby monastery for lunch...($9.00 salads)...we had drinks instead, then were granted a seven minute shopping spree on the way to the ship. Seven minutes isn't much time, but we managed to spend a few shekels.
We were rewarded by a most glorious sunset at the end of another very special outing! Tomorrow we have another sea day in preparation for Athens on Saturday, June 22.
PS Say a special prayer for Jeff as he has a telephone interview tonight for a teaching job. Thank you!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2013. AT SEA...
Early this morning we entered the Red Sea, headed for the Gulf of Suez...then north toward the Suez Canal during the rest of the day. Surprisingly nice weather...High 90's but low humidity and a nice breeze.
Pop Choir met at the same time that Jeff's Improv Class met, so I skipped the class and went for the choir. The rest of the day I had planned for laundry, however, it seems that all...well, this is what our newsletter said tonight:
"Due to water restrictions during the Suez Canal transit, laundry services, including self-service laundries are closed from today through 6:00 tomorrow night." So much for clean anything! I will do some undies in the sink, and hope that indeed, I can get into the laundry at six sharp tomorrow so I have something to wear to Jerusalem, everything is in my hamper!
Quote from the Princess Patter: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."... Henry Miller
Pop Choir met at the same time that Jeff's Improv Class met, so I skipped the class and went for the choir. The rest of the day I had planned for laundry, however, it seems that all...well, this is what our newsletter said tonight:
"Due to water restrictions during the Suez Canal transit, laundry services, including self-service laundries are closed from today through 6:00 tomorrow night." So much for clean anything! I will do some undies in the sink, and hope that indeed, I can get into the laundry at six sharp tomorrow so I have something to wear to Jerusalem, everything is in my hamper!
Quote from the Princess Patter: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."... Henry Miller
MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2013. AQABA, JORDAN
Aqaba is a resort area on the Gulf of Aqaba and the area generally was made popular by riders thundering out of the desert to capture a Turkish port in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. When the port was actually captured by Colonel Lawrence in 1917 it marked the end of the Turkish empire in Arabia, at least I think that's how it went.
As far as we on the Sea Princess were concerned, Aqaba marked the long awaited trip to The Lost City of Petra, about two hours north, or to put it another way...another long bus ride starting earlier in the morning than we like. A couple of differences on this tour. We're going second class, meaning we signed on for a Crew Tour. What's the difference? About $200 and a meal. So, about 80 crew folks met in the crew bar, picked one thing from each bin...one apple, one banana, one cheese sandwich, one ham sandwich, one large bottle of water and one slice of pound cake...stuffed it all into one plastic bag...and we were ready to go. Cost? $50. Per person.
Here are the specific directions to Petra from Aqaba: take the main highway north out of Aqaba. Drive for exactly one hour and turn left at the lonely goatherd and his flock. Drive up, up, up through the hills past the Bedouins. Stop for toilets at the only building that looks like it might have one...yeah...the one on the scary edge of the canyon! Drive one half hour more and follow the signs down, down, down to the town of Petra.
THEN... Discharge all passengers and race them down, down, down, through the very narrow slot canyons for about three hours in the heat of the day. Scare the hell out of them by having horses, donkeys, camels and horse carts racing with them or heading up the other way at the same time! Once we made it down to the area where the actual town was in ancient times, we were allowed 30 minutes to explore further...that is everyone but me. The guide told me I had only ten minutes because I would need more than an hour to walk back to the entry and another 15 minutes to walk to where the buses were parked! I elected to take a few pictures, sent Jeff on to explore to his hearts content, and then I headed right up again, using the same exquisite philosophy that worked for me early in the cruise at the orchid botanical gardens on one of the islands....that is, slow and steady with prayer and water and benches will get you there eventually, Toots.
Petra was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie. The rock walls are between 500 and more than 600 feet tall. This fascinating city was rediscovered in 1812. It is hot, being on the desert floor. Unfortunately the pathway is very rustic with some large smoother rocks and gravel, making for slow, careful walking to avoid trips and falls. As a result most of what I saw was my feet! If and when I stopped to take a photo, I risked being knocked over by other people or animals. The trip back and up was awful because it was so hot and after the first few miles my legs were screaming and I must have looked pretty ragged because every now and then someone from a passenger tour would stop me and ask, "Are you OK?", or "Do you need help?" And every donkey/camel/horse/cart driver headed down the path would ask if I needed help going up! Several angel people offered water(I had my own), an umbrella to make shade (I accepted), a cold wet rag for my neck (I accepted), and company, which I accepted from time to time. The distance between rest stops shortened dramatically as the walk up became steeper and rougher terrain. Even though I was determined to make it on my own, the time was limited and I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to make it...but I did. Jeff caught up with me and encouraged me enough so I was able to finish! Even more amazing, I was NOT the last person on the bus.
I guess I can sum up this trip by saying, I'm glad I was able to do it once, but I would not encourage any older person to attempt it unless they do a lot of regular aerobic activity and have really good knees and feet! And, I wouldn't do it again with a tour. Independently, perhaps. In cool weather, perhaps. In all likelihood, no, once was enough. In the end I tweaked something in my weakest knee that is making life a little more painful and trickier now and threatening my Jerusalem walking tomorrow (June 20).
Jeff was able to do photography for both of us and as we reviewed his pictures last night, he did get some beautiful, artistic shots. When we stopped at the toilet stop, we were very surprised at what a clean, nice place the little shop was. And at my encouragement J bought himself a ...well, check out the pictures. And understand that this place was miles out in the desolate high hills...like 3000 feet up in the Bedouin country, and there weren't even that many of them around....maybe one tent every five miles or so.
I was SO happy to be back on the nice, cool bus headed for the ship. J gave me one earphone and we listened to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which seemed somehow appropriate, all the way back to Aqaba.
Quote for today: "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."... Ralph Waldo Emerson
As far as we on the Sea Princess were concerned, Aqaba marked the long awaited trip to The Lost City of Petra, about two hours north, or to put it another way...another long bus ride starting earlier in the morning than we like. A couple of differences on this tour. We're going second class, meaning we signed on for a Crew Tour. What's the difference? About $200 and a meal. So, about 80 crew folks met in the crew bar, picked one thing from each bin...one apple, one banana, one cheese sandwich, one ham sandwich, one large bottle of water and one slice of pound cake...stuffed it all into one plastic bag...and we were ready to go. Cost? $50. Per person.
Here are the specific directions to Petra from Aqaba: take the main highway north out of Aqaba. Drive for exactly one hour and turn left at the lonely goatherd and his flock. Drive up, up, up through the hills past the Bedouins. Stop for toilets at the only building that looks like it might have one...yeah...the one on the scary edge of the canyon! Drive one half hour more and follow the signs down, down, down to the town of Petra.
THEN... Discharge all passengers and race them down, down, down, through the very narrow slot canyons for about three hours in the heat of the day. Scare the hell out of them by having horses, donkeys, camels and horse carts racing with them or heading up the other way at the same time! Once we made it down to the area where the actual town was in ancient times, we were allowed 30 minutes to explore further...that is everyone but me. The guide told me I had only ten minutes because I would need more than an hour to walk back to the entry and another 15 minutes to walk to where the buses were parked! I elected to take a few pictures, sent Jeff on to explore to his hearts content, and then I headed right up again, using the same exquisite philosophy that worked for me early in the cruise at the orchid botanical gardens on one of the islands....that is, slow and steady with prayer and water and benches will get you there eventually, Toots.
Petra was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie. The rock walls are between 500 and more than 600 feet tall. This fascinating city was rediscovered in 1812. It is hot, being on the desert floor. Unfortunately the pathway is very rustic with some large smoother rocks and gravel, making for slow, careful walking to avoid trips and falls. As a result most of what I saw was my feet! If and when I stopped to take a photo, I risked being knocked over by other people or animals. The trip back and up was awful because it was so hot and after the first few miles my legs were screaming and I must have looked pretty ragged because every now and then someone from a passenger tour would stop me and ask, "Are you OK?", or "Do you need help?" And every donkey/camel/horse/cart driver headed down the path would ask if I needed help going up! Several angel people offered water(I had my own), an umbrella to make shade (I accepted), a cold wet rag for my neck (I accepted), and company, which I accepted from time to time. The distance between rest stops shortened dramatically as the walk up became steeper and rougher terrain. Even though I was determined to make it on my own, the time was limited and I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to make it...but I did. Jeff caught up with me and encouraged me enough so I was able to finish! Even more amazing, I was NOT the last person on the bus.
I guess I can sum up this trip by saying, I'm glad I was able to do it once, but I would not encourage any older person to attempt it unless they do a lot of regular aerobic activity and have really good knees and feet! And, I wouldn't do it again with a tour. Independently, perhaps. In cool weather, perhaps. In all likelihood, no, once was enough. In the end I tweaked something in my weakest knee that is making life a little more painful and trickier now and threatening my Jerusalem walking tomorrow (June 20).
Jeff was able to do photography for both of us and as we reviewed his pictures last night, he did get some beautiful, artistic shots. When we stopped at the toilet stop, we were very surprised at what a clean, nice place the little shop was. And at my encouragement J bought himself a ...well, check out the pictures. And understand that this place was miles out in the desolate high hills...like 3000 feet up in the Bedouin country, and there weren't even that many of them around....maybe one tent every five miles or so.
I was SO happy to be back on the nice, cool bus headed for the ship. J gave me one earphone and we listened to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which seemed somehow appropriate, all the way back to Aqaba.
Quote for today: "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."... Ralph Waldo Emerson
SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2013. SAFAGA, EGYPT
OK. We were up at 4:45 AM to be sure to get our acts together, meet for breakfast and catch our groups for the 3 1/2 hour bus ride to the Valley of the Kings. Now, Jeff gets his tour paid for when he acts as an escort for the tour and that includes early morning crowd control in the theatre where all the tour goers congregate according to their tour times and numbers. So, although our specific tour wasn't leaving until 6:45, he needed to report to the theatre by 6:00. We met for breakfast at 5:30.
JMB was at the theatre on time and ready for whatever. It seems that this particular morning whatever took the form of two elderly gents getting into a fistfight because one of them coughed. This is true. Jeff got between them and said, in his sternest escort voice, "Really?" And he moved them to different seats apart from one another and thanked the Egyptian gods that they were scheduled for different tours. That was the start of our day with testy, argumentative passengers.
Originally we had asked to be put on the felucca trip on the Nile, but we don't have a choice, really...they put us where they need Jeff to be. But everyone on this day had to suffer through the 3 1/2 hour plus bus ride (each way). Safaga is just a very small port town and the Valley of the Kings, must be at least 200-250 miles away. So we headed out away from our ship eagerly looking ahead of the convoy for sight of our so called police escort. We were bus 7 of about 17...660 passengers made this tour. It became apparent quickly that our bus driver would rather be bus 1, not 7. Our guide was a charming fast-talker named Rehab. Can you see where I'm going with this? The stars, to say nothing of the buses, were NOT aligning. The road was an unmarked generous two-lane highway. We passed in no particular order...most of the other buses and were poised to pass the last one and take the commanding lead when our driver failed to notice, although well marked and anticipated, the upcoming set of speedbumps. They are at regular intervals, but for no clear reason, every five or ten miles. There had also been some shoulder work prep being done and the gents who dropped large piles of sand missed the shoulder and dumped these loads partially on the roadway. And here we come barreling down the highway having passed every vehicle thus far...we hit the speedbumps at perhaps 60 or 70 miles per hour, the bus reared up in the front, then fell down with a crash trying to fly over the mini sand dune! There was a loud THUNK, a fast application of the brakes and we were at a dead stop. There followed a very loud exchange in Arabic between our guide and the driver. And then both exited the vehicle to survey the damage. And their exit was soon followed by the exit of certain old gent passengers who were compelled to take photos and offer assistance and when denied, proceeded to wander off across the road, presumably for a smoke or more discussions. What followed was Jeff declaring, "With the power invested in me as an escort I will do my duty to God and country and bring these wayfarers back to the ship!" And away he went, too. He knew for sure that soon he would be looking at everyone with a Bus 7 sticker wandering about the Egyptian countryside! And sure enough, he did his duty and rounded up all the miscreants and ushered them back onboard. Along with him came two other new faces, though we know not from whence or where they came...another driver/guide person and a young man who seemed to be either a hitchhiker or a guide. There was more loud Arabic discussion after which Rehab announced that we would continue on this bus, and, since the motor was in the back it was not damaged, but at some point in the day the replacement bus would appear...she insisted it was just seconds behind us. She said, "When we have this many buses we always have an extra bus with us"! Jeff said our bus looked like Mark's teeth after his football accident (that would be sticking out at a right angle.) So, it was an ugly looking bumper. And, we were now about 15 minutes behind ALL the other buses. And just another note...there was a restroom on this bus, no rest stops were needed so we could proceed full speed ahead!
We continued. After Rehab assessed the bored looking passengers staring at the very sandy, dead barren landscape, she decided to play HSN on the bus and sell her wares. We were offered the wonderful opportunity to purchase custom made cartouches ...gold, silver, or gold and silver...which she showed pictures of with listed prices. And tee shirts monogrammed with your own custom embroidered cartouches. And, she promised, they would be delivered within a few hours when we stopped at our five star hotel for lunch. I KNOW! Hard to believe. But Jeff and I bit. I ordered two necklaces and two tee shirts...Jeff ordered himself a golf shirt. We didn't have to pay anything until the goods were delivered, AND she would take credit cards!!!
We continued. Our driver continued to pass vehicles and the drivers and guides/hitchhiker carried on lively discussions as we passed more dusty nothing. Finally, after hours and hours we could see some greenish scrubby bushes and the land became more interesting with a few houses along the way, electric wires here and there and off in the distance we could see greener areas. And, finally what our elementary school geography books told us was true: the population of Egypt is clearly clustered along the sea and the Nile River! It's true! The landscape changed to one of pastoral marked areas of farmland with various irrigation ditches and verdant green things growing. We saw many canals and finally the huge Nile River. Within half an hour we were in Luxor, a bustling city once called Thebes, where a skinny smallish Coke is $4.00..."Why?" asked Jeff. "Because it's Luxor", he was told.
Our ticket into the Valley of the Kings allowed us to visit 3 of the 62 tombs. So we were advised to see Ramses III, Ramses IV and Ramses IX. (And we stopped and took a peek into King Tut's...which was hastily constructed with very little ornamentation and finesse...but costs an additional hefty fee to visit...our ship expert advised to skip it, so we did.) It was very, very hot and very slow going because so many people were in the area, but it was fascinating and totally amazing that after so many thousands of years the hieroglyphics were so colorful and clear. And, that the chambers were so tall and spacious inside. I expected to be in very confined areas, but not so. The brightly decorated ceilings were at least 12-13 ft tall and many of the rooms were very large, larger than our main living areas. The stories and pictures are so interesting, but the cost in human lives to make these places must have been enormous and it is so apparent that many more places are still to be discovered. There were many digs we noticed along the way.
Our group was transported to lunch at a large hotel in Luxor where we also paid for and picked up our bus purchases...what a cool way to shop!
We stopped briefly at the Colossi of Memnon where an aggressive sales guy attached himself to Jeff. It's so hard to be nice, but effective in warding these people off. They don't get the fact that you are more likely to stop, look, and buy, if you are left alone. YIKES!
Our last stop was the Temple at Luxor which is almost as exquisite as the tombs. But by this time my knees and legs had had their limit, so I took a slower approach and paid the price...I missed all the guide explanations. I'll need to do some reading when I get home to better understand what I saw. It was around three o'clock and the heat of the day finished me off. I found an old Pharaoh to keep me company and sat by his feet for a while in the shade of a huge temple column and had a good bit of wondering time before it was time to head back to the bus. Meanwhile Jeff was able to photograph every nook and cranny of this immense temple stuck right in the middle of Luxor surrounded by modern shops and traffic and hotels. Quite amazing! He took many many wonderful pics...I took a few. Good thing we are combining them when all is said and done!
After another four hours, we bid Rehab "mesa el kheir" (Good Evening) and we arrived back at our mother ship, exhausted and weary, dusty and sweaty...and we were hungry puppies! But we conquered Egypt, had adventures, and souvenirs to boot! Our bus number 7 was famous for its misstep and everyone was buzzing about that!
When I got in the elevator to head up to my room a man really wanted to get on it as the door was closing and he kicked the door to get it to open, as I was hitting the "open" button. Then as the elevator filled, people weren't listening to allow one lady space to get off. She got angry, the men got angry when she yelled at them and for a minute it felt like the day would end like it began. Finally, I said in my sweetest USA voice, "Really? Can't we just be nice to each other...everyone is tired...but we can still be nice." Everyone was quiet for the rest of our elevator ride...no comments at all, sweet music to my ears.
Tomorrow...The Lost City of Petra, Jordan.
JMB was at the theatre on time and ready for whatever. It seems that this particular morning whatever took the form of two elderly gents getting into a fistfight because one of them coughed. This is true. Jeff got between them and said, in his sternest escort voice, "Really?" And he moved them to different seats apart from one another and thanked the Egyptian gods that they were scheduled for different tours. That was the start of our day with testy, argumentative passengers.
Originally we had asked to be put on the felucca trip on the Nile, but we don't have a choice, really...they put us where they need Jeff to be. But everyone on this day had to suffer through the 3 1/2 hour plus bus ride (each way). Safaga is just a very small port town and the Valley of the Kings, must be at least 200-250 miles away. So we headed out away from our ship eagerly looking ahead of the convoy for sight of our so called police escort. We were bus 7 of about 17...660 passengers made this tour. It became apparent quickly that our bus driver would rather be bus 1, not 7. Our guide was a charming fast-talker named Rehab. Can you see where I'm going with this? The stars, to say nothing of the buses, were NOT aligning. The road was an unmarked generous two-lane highway. We passed in no particular order...most of the other buses and were poised to pass the last one and take the commanding lead when our driver failed to notice, although well marked and anticipated, the upcoming set of speedbumps. They are at regular intervals, but for no clear reason, every five or ten miles. There had also been some shoulder work prep being done and the gents who dropped large piles of sand missed the shoulder and dumped these loads partially on the roadway. And here we come barreling down the highway having passed every vehicle thus far...we hit the speedbumps at perhaps 60 or 70 miles per hour, the bus reared up in the front, then fell down with a crash trying to fly over the mini sand dune! There was a loud THUNK, a fast application of the brakes and we were at a dead stop. There followed a very loud exchange in Arabic between our guide and the driver. And then both exited the vehicle to survey the damage. And their exit was soon followed by the exit of certain old gent passengers who were compelled to take photos and offer assistance and when denied, proceeded to wander off across the road, presumably for a smoke or more discussions. What followed was Jeff declaring, "With the power invested in me as an escort I will do my duty to God and country and bring these wayfarers back to the ship!" And away he went, too. He knew for sure that soon he would be looking at everyone with a Bus 7 sticker wandering about the Egyptian countryside! And sure enough, he did his duty and rounded up all the miscreants and ushered them back onboard. Along with him came two other new faces, though we know not from whence or where they came...another driver/guide person and a young man who seemed to be either a hitchhiker or a guide. There was more loud Arabic discussion after which Rehab announced that we would continue on this bus, and, since the motor was in the back it was not damaged, but at some point in the day the replacement bus would appear...she insisted it was just seconds behind us. She said, "When we have this many buses we always have an extra bus with us"! Jeff said our bus looked like Mark's teeth after his football accident (that would be sticking out at a right angle.) So, it was an ugly looking bumper. And, we were now about 15 minutes behind ALL the other buses. And just another note...there was a restroom on this bus, no rest stops were needed so we could proceed full speed ahead!
We continued. After Rehab assessed the bored looking passengers staring at the very sandy, dead barren landscape, she decided to play HSN on the bus and sell her wares. We were offered the wonderful opportunity to purchase custom made cartouches ...gold, silver, or gold and silver...which she showed pictures of with listed prices. And tee shirts monogrammed with your own custom embroidered cartouches. And, she promised, they would be delivered within a few hours when we stopped at our five star hotel for lunch. I KNOW! Hard to believe. But Jeff and I bit. I ordered two necklaces and two tee shirts...Jeff ordered himself a golf shirt. We didn't have to pay anything until the goods were delivered, AND she would take credit cards!!!
We continued. Our driver continued to pass vehicles and the drivers and guides/hitchhiker carried on lively discussions as we passed more dusty nothing. Finally, after hours and hours we could see some greenish scrubby bushes and the land became more interesting with a few houses along the way, electric wires here and there and off in the distance we could see greener areas. And, finally what our elementary school geography books told us was true: the population of Egypt is clearly clustered along the sea and the Nile River! It's true! The landscape changed to one of pastoral marked areas of farmland with various irrigation ditches and verdant green things growing. We saw many canals and finally the huge Nile River. Within half an hour we were in Luxor, a bustling city once called Thebes, where a skinny smallish Coke is $4.00..."Why?" asked Jeff. "Because it's Luxor", he was told.
Our ticket into the Valley of the Kings allowed us to visit 3 of the 62 tombs. So we were advised to see Ramses III, Ramses IV and Ramses IX. (And we stopped and took a peek into King Tut's...which was hastily constructed with very little ornamentation and finesse...but costs an additional hefty fee to visit...our ship expert advised to skip it, so we did.) It was very, very hot and very slow going because so many people were in the area, but it was fascinating and totally amazing that after so many thousands of years the hieroglyphics were so colorful and clear. And, that the chambers were so tall and spacious inside. I expected to be in very confined areas, but not so. The brightly decorated ceilings were at least 12-13 ft tall and many of the rooms were very large, larger than our main living areas. The stories and pictures are so interesting, but the cost in human lives to make these places must have been enormous and it is so apparent that many more places are still to be discovered. There were many digs we noticed along the way.
Our group was transported to lunch at a large hotel in Luxor where we also paid for and picked up our bus purchases...what a cool way to shop!
We stopped briefly at the Colossi of Memnon where an aggressive sales guy attached himself to Jeff. It's so hard to be nice, but effective in warding these people off. They don't get the fact that you are more likely to stop, look, and buy, if you are left alone. YIKES!
Our last stop was the Temple at Luxor which is almost as exquisite as the tombs. But by this time my knees and legs had had their limit, so I took a slower approach and paid the price...I missed all the guide explanations. I'll need to do some reading when I get home to better understand what I saw. It was around three o'clock and the heat of the day finished me off. I found an old Pharaoh to keep me company and sat by his feet for a while in the shade of a huge temple column and had a good bit of wondering time before it was time to head back to the bus. Meanwhile Jeff was able to photograph every nook and cranny of this immense temple stuck right in the middle of Luxor surrounded by modern shops and traffic and hotels. Quite amazing! He took many many wonderful pics...I took a few. Good thing we are combining them when all is said and done!
After another four hours, we bid Rehab "mesa el kheir" (Good Evening) and we arrived back at our mother ship, exhausted and weary, dusty and sweaty...and we were hungry puppies! But we conquered Egypt, had adventures, and souvenirs to boot! Our bus number 7 was famous for its misstep and everyone was buzzing about that!
When I got in the elevator to head up to my room a man really wanted to get on it as the door was closing and he kicked the door to get it to open, as I was hitting the "open" button. Then as the elevator filled, people weren't listening to allow one lady space to get off. She got angry, the men got angry when she yelled at them and for a minute it felt like the day would end like it began. Finally, I said in my sweetest USA voice, "Really? Can't we just be nice to each other...everyone is tired...but we can still be nice." Everyone was quiet for the rest of our elevator ride...no comments at all, sweet music to my ears.
Tomorrow...The Lost City of Petra, Jordan.
Friday, June 14th and Saturday, June 15th, 2013. TWO SEA DAYS
Not too much to blog about for these two days...
FRIDAY
The Captain gave an interview and disclosed that if he wasn't running ships he would likely be a military man...no surprises there. He lives in England with his wife and two daughters and only takes charge to 'drive' the ship "when it becomes exciting or expensive". I liked that response. He is also the only officer who drives standing up, the way he learned...the other officers sit.
See, I said it wasn't very exciting. We won at trivia, tying with another team, but deferred our gifts to them or prosperity. To be out on deck today is to suffer as the very high temperatures along with the high humidity makes it miserable.
SATURDAY
Another very hot and humid day...I think it was still ninety plus last night around midnight. Almost no one is out. We did learn that there is a group of women who have coffee together during the days and "rate" the bodies of other women who are swimming in the pool! I was horrified at that and disappointed, too. The only good thing? I don't swim in the pools!
There's a very good entertainer onboard and his third show was tonight. His name is Paul Baker and he's a UK chap who has a very powerful tenor voice. He has sung in many West End productions and gave an outstanding show for the passengers...the entertainer from Ohio gave his last show last night but it was unremarkable. We've shared meals with both of these men and have enjoyed their company and stories.
We tried to get to bed early because we have a long day of touring in Safaga and Luxor tomorrow with Valley of the Kings topping our list and the Temple at Luxor next.
Quote from our ship's daily PRINCESS PATTER: "There is no remedy for love but to love more."...
Henry David Thoreau
FRIDAY
The Captain gave an interview and disclosed that if he wasn't running ships he would likely be a military man...no surprises there. He lives in England with his wife and two daughters and only takes charge to 'drive' the ship "when it becomes exciting or expensive". I liked that response. He is also the only officer who drives standing up, the way he learned...the other officers sit.
See, I said it wasn't very exciting. We won at trivia, tying with another team, but deferred our gifts to them or prosperity. To be out on deck today is to suffer as the very high temperatures along with the high humidity makes it miserable.
SATURDAY
Another very hot and humid day...I think it was still ninety plus last night around midnight. Almost no one is out. We did learn that there is a group of women who have coffee together during the days and "rate" the bodies of other women who are swimming in the pool! I was horrified at that and disappointed, too. The only good thing? I don't swim in the pools!
There's a very good entertainer onboard and his third show was tonight. His name is Paul Baker and he's a UK chap who has a very powerful tenor voice. He has sung in many West End productions and gave an outstanding show for the passengers...the entertainer from Ohio gave his last show last night but it was unremarkable. We've shared meals with both of these men and have enjoyed their company and stories.
We tried to get to bed early because we have a long day of touring in Safaga and Luxor tomorrow with Valley of the Kings topping our list and the Temple at Luxor next.
Quote from our ship's daily PRINCESS PATTER: "There is no remedy for love but to love more."...
Henry David Thoreau
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013. SUEZ CANAL
We anchored in the middle of someplace during the middle of the night and started our transit of the canal around 7:00 AM this morning. The Suez Canal is 120 miles long, 79 feet deep and 673 feet wide. It is controlled by Egypt. More than 17,000 ships pass through the canal each year.
We actually took on a few folks ...electricians, stamp and card sellers, wallet and papyrus sellers, but some of us were with the choir when they came aboard and by the time word of shopping reached us, most nicer things were gone. Still, I managed to find something for my Turkey Creek Readers! Yay!
I am anxiously awaiting six o'clock to run to the laundry and beat any competition. Laundries onboard are becoming the places of the devil! People just become mean and nasty there and have no patience whatsoever. It's terrible.
If you go to princess.com and look for the princess webcams...find the sea princess live webcam, you can see where we are and what exciting things are transpiring.
Hey! I got two loads in the washer when Ann, or Mrs. Captain, asked if the washer was now working. Seems she has the same problem of clothes to wash as I do...so we are working it out. Hope to enjoy lobster in the dining room tonight...but only if I get clothes to wear done...same story for Jeff!
Cheers!
We actually took on a few folks ...electricians, stamp and card sellers, wallet and papyrus sellers, but some of us were with the choir when they came aboard and by the time word of shopping reached us, most nicer things were gone. Still, I managed to find something for my Turkey Creek Readers! Yay!
I am anxiously awaiting six o'clock to run to the laundry and beat any competition. Laundries onboard are becoming the places of the devil! People just become mean and nasty there and have no patience whatsoever. It's terrible.
If you go to princess.com and look for the princess webcams...find the sea princess live webcam, you can see where we are and what exciting things are transpiring.
Hey! I got two loads in the washer when Ann, or Mrs. Captain, asked if the washer was now working. Seems she has the same problem of clothes to wash as I do...so we are working it out. Hope to enjoy lobster in the dining room tonight...but only if I get clothes to wear done...same story for Jeff!
Cheers!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013...The Lost Day. And Thursday, June 13, 2013.
Yep. Lost. Gone. Missed.
The seas were so roly-poly I couldn't sleep and finally dozed off about four in the morning. Woke up about 9, but the drawers in the desk in my room were opening and closing with every tilt of the ship and we were still tilting radically. So, I put the pillows over my head, tucked myself back in and woke again after noon, missing Pop Choir practice. I called Jeff around one to let him know I was alive, but barely, and crawled back into my nest. Formal night and seeing his shows seemed impossible for most of the day. A wonder that I was never really sick, just a headache and general malaise. Thankfully, the seas moderated a little and I pulled myself together and wobbled to the theatre about 7:30 in time to visit with new friends, who were still recovering from their trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal, and watch "Stardust".
I stayed to watch show number two and afterward dragged myself up to meet Jeff and find something to eat as I hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. The buffet was cleaned up, totally. There was nothing left, honestly, but a few desserts. I munched a few French fries from Jeff's plate and moved on to chocolate pie. After a glass or two of water we worked our way down to the deck where we often meet others for a nightcap glass of wine. We did that, then said our good nights around 1:00. It was good to learn that the clocks went back yet another hour and will go back one more tonight (June 13) before we get to Egypt.
Today dawned with very little rolling and that was a nice change. Jeff sings at 4:00 for a special Captain's event and then we will meet at 'half seven' for cocktails before joining UK friends for dinner in the dining room. Entertainment tonight is the oft-postponed Tropical Deck Party which is another opportunity for the ship to sell alcohol in huge amounts, especially since it is so hot. None of us...in our little group...particularly enjoy these sorts of noisy, crowded events, so we'll probably find a quiet corner to chat and tell funny stories of life at sea. Of those, there are plenty!
It's very hard to believe that two weeks from tomorrow Jeff and I will disembark in Italy. There has been some more speculation about Istanbul, but no firm decision yet. Same with Athens, which at the moment is having a strike of some sort. Both places, along with Egypt and Israel...Jordan might be added to the list...can go volatile in a moment. We will see.
PS. The featured movie on TV today? THE HELP!
Quote: "The Sun himself cannot forget His fellow traveller." ...Anonymous
The seas were so roly-poly I couldn't sleep and finally dozed off about four in the morning. Woke up about 9, but the drawers in the desk in my room were opening and closing with every tilt of the ship and we were still tilting radically. So, I put the pillows over my head, tucked myself back in and woke again after noon, missing Pop Choir practice. I called Jeff around one to let him know I was alive, but barely, and crawled back into my nest. Formal night and seeing his shows seemed impossible for most of the day. A wonder that I was never really sick, just a headache and general malaise. Thankfully, the seas moderated a little and I pulled myself together and wobbled to the theatre about 7:30 in time to visit with new friends, who were still recovering from their trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal, and watch "Stardust".
I stayed to watch show number two and afterward dragged myself up to meet Jeff and find something to eat as I hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. The buffet was cleaned up, totally. There was nothing left, honestly, but a few desserts. I munched a few French fries from Jeff's plate and moved on to chocolate pie. After a glass or two of water we worked our way down to the deck where we often meet others for a nightcap glass of wine. We did that, then said our good nights around 1:00. It was good to learn that the clocks went back yet another hour and will go back one more tonight (June 13) before we get to Egypt.
Today dawned with very little rolling and that was a nice change. Jeff sings at 4:00 for a special Captain's event and then we will meet at 'half seven' for cocktails before joining UK friends for dinner in the dining room. Entertainment tonight is the oft-postponed Tropical Deck Party which is another opportunity for the ship to sell alcohol in huge amounts, especially since it is so hot. None of us...in our little group...particularly enjoy these sorts of noisy, crowded events, so we'll probably find a quiet corner to chat and tell funny stories of life at sea. Of those, there are plenty!
It's very hard to believe that two weeks from tomorrow Jeff and I will disembark in Italy. There has been some more speculation about Istanbul, but no firm decision yet. Same with Athens, which at the moment is having a strike of some sort. Both places, along with Egypt and Israel...Jordan might be added to the list...can go volatile in a moment. We will see.
PS. The featured movie on TV today? THE HELP!
Quote: "The Sun himself cannot forget His fellow traveller." ...Anonymous
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013. DUBAI...plus a few days before & Tuesday, June 11, 2013.
We had a couple of uneventful sea days with not much to report at all. The most exciting, I guess, was that seas were unfriendly and I spent much of the time fighting a background headache, which is the first sign of seasickness...after all this time...I just felt icky and lethargic. Spent some time reading, but generally didn't do much at all since anything seemed like way too much effort.
Overnight Sunday the seas moderated and we came into the channel, past the breakwater and into the Dubai harbour and our berth around 8 AM. The forecast for the day was a high of 91 with about 70% humidity...pretty awful. And it was, awful, weather wise. That's why the catamaran cruise was such a brilliant idea. It was lovely, peaceful, and very scenic winding our way around one of the palm islands off the Dubai coast. It was marred only, and yet again, by very rude people who bumped into you, or moved right in front as you were taking a photo. Just very inconsiderate. Other than that, the cruise part was nice and well worth the money.
As a side note, we had very specific guidelines, no, rules to follow for this port because of the cultural differences...no drugs along, no alcohol, no shoulders or knees uncovered for women, and no overt displays of affection. We were to wear loose fitting clothes covering most of our bodies. These rules were distributed twice, printed and delivered to us, without exception. Yet, of course, one of the dancers...female...showed up in a strapless long dress with a lacy cutout midriff! And, she was on our bus, boat, and sat next to me during our high tea at the Burj Al Arab...where the Sultans hang out. Oi! She did have a scarf with her as a coverup, but for her a bed sheet would have worked better. It was hot and, of course, as soon as she got on the catamaran, the scarf disappeared. Yikes. (I'm adding a photo of part of our group onboard the catamaran .)
After our two hour boat ride, we bused on over to the Burj Al Arab where amazement took over. And after our collective initial confusion over which side bread and butter plate to use, and who serves what (we used the plates to the left and allowed the cute young guys to serve us everything) we settled in and enjoyed High Tea. High Tea varies from country to country and often within countries as well...for some it's a full meal with many very separate courses and for others it's more like a light luncheon. Sometimes it's more self serve once the course has arrived, but in this particular case, the servers were supposed to serve each and every item, first and second helpings as well as sauces. Some folks at our table never really grasped that concept while others of us were happy to do the when in Rome thing early. (Here's photos of our table setting.)
We took many pictures of the opulent rooms and settings...real gold pillars, beautiful mosaics, lush fabrics and finishings, fanciful fountains, rich tiles and carpets, and deep saturated colors all around...reds, golds, gorgeous blues, and purples. Just an awesome place. We thought of Mark when we saw the cars...Rolls Royce's, too many Lexus's and Mercedes to count, Aston Martins, and a few we didn't know the names of...here are two photos...of a hotel space and one of the golden elevators...really! And one car pic...
Dubai itself is booming. Buildings are sprouting everywhere and every block has its own mosque, cell tower, and speakers so as not to miss the call to prayer. Cell towers can be plain or poorly disguised. There was one in an open sandy area trying to look like a pine tree! Someone made a poor design choice there.
All in all a nice day with exposure to places very different from our norm...although we did spot a water park...named..."Wild Wadi Water Park".
Back at the ship on Tuesday night we bombed at trivia and came in second with many other teams. Called it a night early because of heavy seas again and the recurring headache.
PS. Had to cancel a couple photos as they wouldn't publish...sorry...will try those later...
Overnight Sunday the seas moderated and we came into the channel, past the breakwater and into the Dubai harbour and our berth around 8 AM. The forecast for the day was a high of 91 with about 70% humidity...pretty awful. And it was, awful, weather wise. That's why the catamaran cruise was such a brilliant idea. It was lovely, peaceful, and very scenic winding our way around one of the palm islands off the Dubai coast. It was marred only, and yet again, by very rude people who bumped into you, or moved right in front as you were taking a photo. Just very inconsiderate. Other than that, the cruise part was nice and well worth the money.
As a side note, we had very specific guidelines, no, rules to follow for this port because of the cultural differences...no drugs along, no alcohol, no shoulders or knees uncovered for women, and no overt displays of affection. We were to wear loose fitting clothes covering most of our bodies. These rules were distributed twice, printed and delivered to us, without exception. Yet, of course, one of the dancers...female...showed up in a strapless long dress with a lacy cutout midriff! And, she was on our bus, boat, and sat next to me during our high tea at the Burj Al Arab...where the Sultans hang out. Oi! She did have a scarf with her as a coverup, but for her a bed sheet would have worked better. It was hot and, of course, as soon as she got on the catamaran, the scarf disappeared. Yikes. (I'm adding a photo of part of our group onboard the catamaran .)
After our two hour boat ride, we bused on over to the Burj Al Arab where amazement took over. And after our collective initial confusion over which side bread and butter plate to use, and who serves what (we used the plates to the left and allowed the cute young guys to serve us everything) we settled in and enjoyed High Tea. High Tea varies from country to country and often within countries as well...for some it's a full meal with many very separate courses and for others it's more like a light luncheon. Sometimes it's more self serve once the course has arrived, but in this particular case, the servers were supposed to serve each and every item, first and second helpings as well as sauces. Some folks at our table never really grasped that concept while others of us were happy to do the when in Rome thing early. (Here's photos of our table setting.)
We took many pictures of the opulent rooms and settings...real gold pillars, beautiful mosaics, lush fabrics and finishings, fanciful fountains, rich tiles and carpets, and deep saturated colors all around...reds, golds, gorgeous blues, and purples. Just an awesome place. We thought of Mark when we saw the cars...Rolls Royce's, too many Lexus's and Mercedes to count, Aston Martins, and a few we didn't know the names of...here are two photos...of a hotel space and one of the golden elevators...really! And one car pic...
Dubai itself is booming. Buildings are sprouting everywhere and every block has its own mosque, cell tower, and speakers so as not to miss the call to prayer. Cell towers can be plain or poorly disguised. There was one in an open sandy area trying to look like a pine tree! Someone made a poor design choice there.
All in all a nice day with exposure to places very different from our norm...although we did spot a water park...named..."Wild Wadi Water Park".
Back at the ship on Tuesday night we bombed at trivia and came in second with many other teams. Called it a night early because of heavy seas again and the recurring headache.
PS. Had to cancel a couple photos as they wouldn't publish...sorry...will try those later...
Sunday, June 9, 2013
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013. MUMBAI, INDIA
After cruising for quite a few days ever so slightly above the equator, we cut north and traveled for days staying about 12 miles off the coast of India finally arriving in Mumbai's harbour this morning around 10 am. I wanted to give a few more details about the whole pirate thing. We will be in prime pirate territory for the next two weeks and had our pirate drill the other day. Essentially we can now recognize the ship's signal for "PIRATES" and we know what to do..."proceed to your cabin, close the drapes, portholes, balconies, but keep your cabin hall door open to hear announcements of what to do next." In the meantime, 24 hours a day, we have one officer on each side of the ship with binoculars scanning for strange boats and scoping them out. The officers rotate around the ship with others who keep us safe. I think I heard the Captain say that incidents have dramatically decreased and there were only four last month...that seems like four too many to me! We've already had some small fishing boats approach but they were turned away, apparently.
A party of 75 folks left the ship around noon today for a three day trip to New Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal and more than 1000 other passengers left the ship for excursions. The Taj Mahal people will rejoin us in Dubai in a few days. Not too many of us are left onboard right now.
Speaking of Dubai...in the desert. Hot. Very hot. Expensive. Very. We scored a coup in the excursion department! Again, because of Jeff's connections. There was an advertised Dubai tour, priced at $299.00 per person for a limited number of folks to ride a catamaran to Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Beach Residence development, then be served proper tea at the uber exclusive Burj Al Arab Hotel at the Dubai Marina. You cannot even walk into this hotel to look...at anything...without reservations of some sort. And, having tea starts at $80.00 per person! We were invited as part of a very small group to book this tour at $50. per person and signed up right away before any minds changed. I can't think of a better way to see a desert than from a boat on cool water! This will happen on June 10th, Monday. Our only dilemma is what to wear that will work for both catamaran and exclusive Arab hotel tea....
We also booked crew tours for Aqaba and Ashdod, then put in our requests to escort in the rest of the upcoming ports. We are hopeful for the best tours with discounts for me. I think one that I am most excited about is a ride on the Nile River in a wooden felucca, lunch, then a tour of Valley of the Kings. Whew...that should shock my bucket list! Can you imagine?
Istanbul? As far as we know, it's still a "go" for us, but if the US State Dept. issues any statement about restricting travel there, it will not happen...and the same goes for Egypt and any other port. We are reminded though that we sail as Australians, who are pretty much accepted anywhere.
Off to do laundry in my little local laundry room...small, stacked machines, free, and user-friendly. :-)
Later...found laundry dryer to be in use, but a huge pile of whites set on ironing board making ironing somewhat difficult...why people don't finish the task and think of the next person in situations like this is beyond me. I'll take some old bags down and bag the stuff and hang it on the doorknob ...and hope it's not the Captain's whites! Went back and took out the colored things dried in the dryer so I could move my stuff around...then met the Captain's right hand man on the way back...who greeted me then asked what I was doing...I said, "laundry" and smiled and walked into my room...I hope that ends that! I'm the only passenger in this area and that's why I get the inquisition so often.
Topic change...we have Anzac Cruising coming up on June 25th. The choir will participate in a memorial celebration at dawn. I haven't seen many of those, mostly because I generally sleep through dawns. Anyway, we are learning a hymn and will brush up on some national anthems and other hymns to sing too. And then it's only three days until Civitavecchia and time for us to disembark and begin our Italian Adventure. The days continue to fly by!
Quote: "In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children."...Robert Benchley
A party of 75 folks left the ship around noon today for a three day trip to New Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal and more than 1000 other passengers left the ship for excursions. The Taj Mahal people will rejoin us in Dubai in a few days. Not too many of us are left onboard right now.
Speaking of Dubai...in the desert. Hot. Very hot. Expensive. Very. We scored a coup in the excursion department! Again, because of Jeff's connections. There was an advertised Dubai tour, priced at $299.00 per person for a limited number of folks to ride a catamaran to Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Beach Residence development, then be served proper tea at the uber exclusive Burj Al Arab Hotel at the Dubai Marina. You cannot even walk into this hotel to look...at anything...without reservations of some sort. And, having tea starts at $80.00 per person! We were invited as part of a very small group to book this tour at $50. per person and signed up right away before any minds changed. I can't think of a better way to see a desert than from a boat on cool water! This will happen on June 10th, Monday. Our only dilemma is what to wear that will work for both catamaran and exclusive Arab hotel tea....
We also booked crew tours for Aqaba and Ashdod, then put in our requests to escort in the rest of the upcoming ports. We are hopeful for the best tours with discounts for me. I think one that I am most excited about is a ride on the Nile River in a wooden felucca, lunch, then a tour of Valley of the Kings. Whew...that should shock my bucket list! Can you imagine?
Istanbul? As far as we know, it's still a "go" for us, but if the US State Dept. issues any statement about restricting travel there, it will not happen...and the same goes for Egypt and any other port. We are reminded though that we sail as Australians, who are pretty much accepted anywhere.
Off to do laundry in my little local laundry room...small, stacked machines, free, and user-friendly. :-)
Later...found laundry dryer to be in use, but a huge pile of whites set on ironing board making ironing somewhat difficult...why people don't finish the task and think of the next person in situations like this is beyond me. I'll take some old bags down and bag the stuff and hang it on the doorknob ...and hope it's not the Captain's whites! Went back and took out the colored things dried in the dryer so I could move my stuff around...then met the Captain's right hand man on the way back...who greeted me then asked what I was doing...I said, "laundry" and smiled and walked into my room...I hope that ends that! I'm the only passenger in this area and that's why I get the inquisition so often.
Topic change...we have Anzac Cruising coming up on June 25th. The choir will participate in a memorial celebration at dawn. I haven't seen many of those, mostly because I generally sleep through dawns. Anyway, we are learning a hymn and will brush up on some national anthems and other hymns to sing too. And then it's only three days until Civitavecchia and time for us to disembark and begin our Italian Adventure. The days continue to fly by!
Quote: "In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children."...Robert Benchley
SEA DAYS...FIVE OF THEM...Sunday June 2 - Thursday June 6
Today is Thursday, June the Sixth...D Day anniversary.
We've had some rougher seas these last few days and everyone walking looks like they are under the influence of something. With full gale winds some decks have been closed from time to time. Last night was to be a Deck Party and all morning the waiters moved chairs and tables out around the pools, but around mid afternoon the monsoon was upon us and all had to be moved in or under. The Deck Party was cancelled and all the evening entertainment was changed. Today wasn't any better with rain off and on all day...I imagine the laundries were very busy and those grumpy ladies had their way with any unsuspecting innocent who happened by looking for a vacant washer. I've taken advantage of the crew laundry service which is very inexpensive and has kept my blood pressure in the safe zone.
Today was our last Pop Choir rehearsal and our "Concert" was this afternoon. With the challenge of getting about 140 people onstage while the ship was rolling along, Jeff said the entertainment started with getting the most elderly, infirm singers up the stairs and seated aided by quite a few helpers. It took a while. We did three encores, had fun, and received a standing ovation. I understand that a two part YOUTUBE video of our performance might be posted, so when I get the link, I promise to post it here so you all can watch us sing for a fast 30 minutes.
Jeff and I were set to do a trivia tonight when we were met by two couples who asked to join us because they wanted to win! And, we did. It was a difficult quiz, but we managed to surprise ourselves and everyone else too! I tell the truth when I say that Jeff is absolutely brilliant at trivia. I swear he has a photographic memory...he just knows about everything. So we have accumulated a few trinkets for Tate and Eden. They used to give away hats and tee shirts, mugs and visors...no more. Now it's key chains, tiny carabiners, magnets,and very small flashlights. But it's not about the prizes...it's just fun to participate and see if you can figure out the answers. There's no way I would know that a certain song was written for the first Star Wars movie and specifically for Princess Leia! Would you be able to hum a few bars???
Now, Jeff and I have figured out a system to encourage us to be more adventuresome while feeding our competitiveness at the same time. We give "Adventure Points" to each other based on several quantitative and qualitative activities while off the ship...either on a tour or on our own. Here's our method, with a goal of ten points being very adventuresome...warning...it's not scientific!
2 points for using any local transportation, 2 points for eating local foods, no food chains allowed, 2 points for successful haggling, 2 points for getting lost and finding your way again, 1 point for wandering through a real neighborhood, and 1 point for having a real conversation with a 'native' or 'local'. If you end up in a hospital or with law enforcement of any kind an automatic 10 points! Ten points also if you should happen to be invited to someone's home for a meal or conversation.
Any comments or suggestions from our readers to add to our list?
I think in Langkawi I got 3 or 4 disputed points and Jeff got 8...it's much harder to get points while on tour. We'll see what he gets tomorrow on tour while I will get 0 staying behind onboard the ship...probably doing laundry.
Not much more to report about the sea days...reading, chatting, snoozing, eating, gym,...ordinary things...
We've had some rougher seas these last few days and everyone walking looks like they are under the influence of something. With full gale winds some decks have been closed from time to time. Last night was to be a Deck Party and all morning the waiters moved chairs and tables out around the pools, but around mid afternoon the monsoon was upon us and all had to be moved in or under. The Deck Party was cancelled and all the evening entertainment was changed. Today wasn't any better with rain off and on all day...I imagine the laundries were very busy and those grumpy ladies had their way with any unsuspecting innocent who happened by looking for a vacant washer. I've taken advantage of the crew laundry service which is very inexpensive and has kept my blood pressure in the safe zone.
Today was our last Pop Choir rehearsal and our "Concert" was this afternoon. With the challenge of getting about 140 people onstage while the ship was rolling along, Jeff said the entertainment started with getting the most elderly, infirm singers up the stairs and seated aided by quite a few helpers. It took a while. We did three encores, had fun, and received a standing ovation. I understand that a two part YOUTUBE video of our performance might be posted, so when I get the link, I promise to post it here so you all can watch us sing for a fast 30 minutes.
Jeff and I were set to do a trivia tonight when we were met by two couples who asked to join us because they wanted to win! And, we did. It was a difficult quiz, but we managed to surprise ourselves and everyone else too! I tell the truth when I say that Jeff is absolutely brilliant at trivia. I swear he has a photographic memory...he just knows about everything. So we have accumulated a few trinkets for Tate and Eden. They used to give away hats and tee shirts, mugs and visors...no more. Now it's key chains, tiny carabiners, magnets,and very small flashlights. But it's not about the prizes...it's just fun to participate and see if you can figure out the answers. There's no way I would know that a certain song was written for the first Star Wars movie and specifically for Princess Leia! Would you be able to hum a few bars???
Now, Jeff and I have figured out a system to encourage us to be more adventuresome while feeding our competitiveness at the same time. We give "Adventure Points" to each other based on several quantitative and qualitative activities while off the ship...either on a tour or on our own. Here's our method, with a goal of ten points being very adventuresome...warning...it's not scientific!
2 points for using any local transportation, 2 points for eating local foods, no food chains allowed, 2 points for successful haggling, 2 points for getting lost and finding your way again, 1 point for wandering through a real neighborhood, and 1 point for having a real conversation with a 'native' or 'local'. If you end up in a hospital or with law enforcement of any kind an automatic 10 points! Ten points also if you should happen to be invited to someone's home for a meal or conversation.
Any comments or suggestions from our readers to add to our list?
I think in Langkawi I got 3 or 4 disputed points and Jeff got 8...it's much harder to get points while on tour. We'll see what he gets tomorrow on tour while I will get 0 staying behind onboard the ship...probably doing laundry.
Not much more to report about the sea days...reading, chatting, snoozing, eating, gym,...ordinary things...
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2013. LANGKAWI, Malaysia and CORRECTIONS
Umm...I got my days a little mixed...Friday, May 31 we were in Singapore and on Saturday, June 1 we were visiting Kuala Lumpur. On Sunday, June 2, Langkawi, Malaysia was the place to be and we were there!
On Sunday, both Jeff and I took an unusual tour...sometimes I think people dig a little to find some of these places and this tour seemed to exemplify that thought. The tour was labeled
"Underwater World, Mahsuri Tomb, and Lagenda Park".
Langkawi is an island very close to Thailand...about "20 minutes by speedboat" we were told. It was also mentioned that Langkawi has no typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, or cyclones, only monsoon-like rains which cause flooding, mudslides, and sinkholes. And, of course it rained excessively as we boarded our bus. Again we were reminded that the King has a celebration about his official birthday happening so things might be a little crowded. Like we needed reminding!
Our first stop was the tomb....well, it was in a neighborhood...sort of...and jammed with cars, vans, buses, motorbikes parked every which way but orderly. The "tour" and I use the term very loosely, wandered from room to room trying to tell the story of a beautiful young mother whose husband traveled in his job. She had a jealous sister in law who accused her of adultery and for this she was sentenced to death. No one seemed able to kill her and half dead she revealed that someone in her family using a family sword would have to do it. When they tried that, she wailed that she was innocent and a curse would be on the island for seven generations. She then died and Mahsuri bled white fluid...a sign of her innocence...and the curse was on. Up to this point we didn't have a clue when all this happened...the pictures looked very recent, but Jeff guessed 1957...it was actually 1819...we think. Accordingly, the curse was recently lifted and the island is becoming prosperous thanks to rice and palm oil. This location was definitely a family business and led you right into a general store kind of enterprise that featured candy, but also had household items and souvenirs...even bottles of "Essence of Mahsuri". We couldn't begin to think what that might be!
Traffic jams were the continuing challenge along with our guide, who seemed to take a special liking to Jeff. Interesting and unexpected and slightly creepy because the guide initially looked like he had only one eye...but later the other appeared, but the second eye didn't communicate we'll with the first one and we could never tell if he was looking at us, or out the window...or both places at once which was often the case. And although at times, his English was pretty good and we understood just about every word, at times he would lapse into something else entirely and we were left wondering if it was a problem with our ears! Oh, boy!
We made two more stops...Underwater World...an aquarium in a shopping center strip mall kind of place, and then a park featuring a huge eagle, the island symbol. The aquarium was basic and although built in 2003, was much too small for their exhibits. But still we managed to get a few pictures. It was very crowded too, with families who insisted on taking pictures of their children in front of each of the 100 little fish tanks making for very slow going for the rest of us.
The last stop tested the driver's ability to get through a very narrow alley with cars parked on both sides. He made it but made the rest of us very nervous. The park was a quick picture stop, but bathrooms were the bigger challenge for the women! Our first choice featured no toilets, but the ceramic holes in the ground with a hose and faucet included. I couldn't figure that out and elected to wait a bit longer to see if a more Western facility would be offered. And actually Jeff found one for me at the other end of the park...but worth the trip since I'm still trying to think through how I could manage the first one while wearing shorts and regulation USA underwear!
Although that day was rainy and very cloudy and overly humid, I think we were lucky the sun was hiding...it would have been nearly unbearable otherwise. At 89 degrees we managed, but I couldn't wait to shower after that tour.
We had a late and light dinner and lost our trivia...came in about third out of 25 teams or so.
I learned that I won't get off the ship in Mumbai because I have no Indian visa...Jeff can get off because he has a "Seaman's Book" which is kind if like a passport and gives privileges for shore leaves. I'm not fretting about it but I am looking forward to Dubai. One of Jeff's ship friends is head of excursions and because he helps with dispatch so often on port days, she has invited us on a special one off tour of Dubai ending with high tea at the "7 star" hotel there. Wow!
Quote: I may repeat, but hope I don't..."Long voyages, great lies." - Italian proverb
On Sunday, both Jeff and I took an unusual tour...sometimes I think people dig a little to find some of these places and this tour seemed to exemplify that thought. The tour was labeled
"Underwater World, Mahsuri Tomb, and Lagenda Park".
Langkawi is an island very close to Thailand...about "20 minutes by speedboat" we were told. It was also mentioned that Langkawi has no typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, or cyclones, only monsoon-like rains which cause flooding, mudslides, and sinkholes. And, of course it rained excessively as we boarded our bus. Again we were reminded that the King has a celebration about his official birthday happening so things might be a little crowded. Like we needed reminding!
Our first stop was the tomb....well, it was in a neighborhood...sort of...and jammed with cars, vans, buses, motorbikes parked every which way but orderly. The "tour" and I use the term very loosely, wandered from room to room trying to tell the story of a beautiful young mother whose husband traveled in his job. She had a jealous sister in law who accused her of adultery and for this she was sentenced to death. No one seemed able to kill her and half dead she revealed that someone in her family using a family sword would have to do it. When they tried that, she wailed that she was innocent and a curse would be on the island for seven generations. She then died and Mahsuri bled white fluid...a sign of her innocence...and the curse was on. Up to this point we didn't have a clue when all this happened...the pictures looked very recent, but Jeff guessed 1957...it was actually 1819...we think. Accordingly, the curse was recently lifted and the island is becoming prosperous thanks to rice and palm oil. This location was definitely a family business and led you right into a general store kind of enterprise that featured candy, but also had household items and souvenirs...even bottles of "Essence of Mahsuri". We couldn't begin to think what that might be!
Traffic jams were the continuing challenge along with our guide, who seemed to take a special liking to Jeff. Interesting and unexpected and slightly creepy because the guide initially looked like he had only one eye...but later the other appeared, but the second eye didn't communicate we'll with the first one and we could never tell if he was looking at us, or out the window...or both places at once which was often the case. And although at times, his English was pretty good and we understood just about every word, at times he would lapse into something else entirely and we were left wondering if it was a problem with our ears! Oh, boy!
We made two more stops...Underwater World...an aquarium in a shopping center strip mall kind of place, and then a park featuring a huge eagle, the island symbol. The aquarium was basic and although built in 2003, was much too small for their exhibits. But still we managed to get a few pictures. It was very crowded too, with families who insisted on taking pictures of their children in front of each of the 100 little fish tanks making for very slow going for the rest of us.
The last stop tested the driver's ability to get through a very narrow alley with cars parked on both sides. He made it but made the rest of us very nervous. The park was a quick picture stop, but bathrooms were the bigger challenge for the women! Our first choice featured no toilets, but the ceramic holes in the ground with a hose and faucet included. I couldn't figure that out and elected to wait a bit longer to see if a more Western facility would be offered. And actually Jeff found one for me at the other end of the park...but worth the trip since I'm still trying to think through how I could manage the first one while wearing shorts and regulation USA underwear!
Although that day was rainy and very cloudy and overly humid, I think we were lucky the sun was hiding...it would have been nearly unbearable otherwise. At 89 degrees we managed, but I couldn't wait to shower after that tour.
We had a late and light dinner and lost our trivia...came in about third out of 25 teams or so.
I learned that I won't get off the ship in Mumbai because I have no Indian visa...Jeff can get off because he has a "Seaman's Book" which is kind if like a passport and gives privileges for shore leaves. I'm not fretting about it but I am looking forward to Dubai. One of Jeff's ship friends is head of excursions and because he helps with dispatch so often on port days, she has invited us on a special one off tour of Dubai ending with high tea at the "7 star" hotel there. Wow!
Quote: I may repeat, but hope I don't..."Long voyages, great lies." - Italian proverb
Some photos!!!!
Kuala Lumpur
The Blue Mosque
The lovely British Colonial Train Station
The city view from the Kuala Lumpur Tower...
The Blue Mosque
The lovely British Colonial Train Station
The city view from the Kuala Lumpur Tower...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013. KUALA LUMPUR (Port Kelang), Malaysia
I forgot to mention that back on Thursday night, JMB and I went to see an entertainer named Maggie Scott, an Aussie, who is one if the most unusual performers I've ever seen. She has an amazing voice but sings quirky, off-beat selections and when we saw her earlier in the cruise she peppered her presentation with racy X rated stories and comments. Her show on Thursday was totally G rated and tame by comparison but filled with gorgeous renditions of well known showstoppers. And she managed to get people from the audience onto the stage with her, one of which was...me. Yikes. What a disaster...my fifteen seconds of fame! My comment to one of the real dancers who saw the show..."That's why I am not a professional dancer, but give me a mother in labor and I can do whatever it takes!"
And, I also wanted to note that the 30th of May marked about the halfway point in my total journey. Every day just flies by and so much happens in one day that the days are merging and becoming very hard to sort out if I don't write every day...Jeff has started blogging again, so, hopefully, he will fill in the blanks that my blog has. You can follow him on www.downunderjmichael.blogspot.com and he has also posted many photos of our journey.
When we have three ports and three excursions in three days I would need to take notes to keep it all in order and I'm not going to do that! So, I'm just doing the best I can. And I'm trying to give a sense of the things I bump into during an average day...if there is such a thing on this trip...that lead my mind to ponder.
So, Kuala Lumpur...ahh, yes. I had a morning tour due to leave around 8 am, however a stunning downpour slowed everything and I know we left later than nine. Our tour was to take us to the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the National Museum and the Karyaneka Handicraft Center. I was able to take this tour because "Mrs Green" couldn't and gave up her ticket. Jeff, meanwhile kept to our original schedule and took the "Kuala Lumpur On Your Own" tour...basically a drop off.
Did I mention that the temperature was between 95 and 100 with humidity in the 80% range?
Now, the city of KL is an hour and twenty minutes away from Port Kelang, where our ship was docked. We made many stops during that drive: the massive Blue Mosque, the beautiful British Colonial Railway Station, Merdeka Square, and an enormous war memorial. We had a lovely lunch at 1:00 and proceeded to the Tower. Arriving at the KL Tower shortly after 2:00 we were reminded that it was a holiday, the 86 year old King's observed Birthday, and all schools were closed and many businesses as well. Translated it meant that we should expect long queues and crowds. Hah! A gross understatement.
Mrs Green was the lucky one in this case. We waited and waited and endured more waiting in an overcrowded narrow space with no AC and a sadly overworked fan. Our Group 6 became separated but managed to arrive at the top observation floor after about 45 minutes, leaving us less than 10 minutes to navigate the viewing space AND to return to the bus. I took photos as quickly as I could...but noticed that the queue heading down was growing by the minute and this area was badly overcrowded too. There were no crowd controls in place at all. The elevators, 4 of them, were in the middle of this limited area and to add to the confusion, again, no signs of control people or officials helping guide the queue. Add screaming babies, large families, at least four large tour groups and, well, you get the idea. Misery.
In the floor above was a revolving restaurant and one elevator was designated to take and retrieve from that floor. Of the other three, two became inoperable leaving one to shuttle people down, a maximum of 17 at a time! I got in the queue and was toward the center of the mass. With the slightest indication of forward movement the large men on either side of me and those behind me started to push forward. With the heat, crowd, and small area of course I was more worried about my personal safety than anything else, and my claustrophobic anxiety kicked in so after waiting in the queue for almost 45 minutes at that point, I desperately wiggled my way back out for more space and air. The time to meet the bus was long past and when I caught my breath and found the courage to get back in the queue I focused on just getting down, figuring I'd deal with the gone bus later. I worked my way to the side edge of the queue which gave me a cool wall to lean on and a little more personal space. There were also people from another Princess tour around me and they allowed more space and were more patient.
I finally found my way down and much to my shock, our guide was waiting and I wasn't the only one missing...there was another couple he lost, too. I don't know where they were, but in a few minutes they showed up and we all made the trek back to the bus. I apologized profusely to the driver and the guide but found myself shaking as I got on the bus, swearing to myself not to get off again until we were back at the dock! Mrs Green was the lucky duck of the day. Our time to get on the bus was 3:15; in reality it was 4:30 and our time to be back onboard was 5:00 to sail at 5:30. We got back at 5:50 and fortunately the Captain waited for now infamous Group 6! We had to skip the handcraft market stop as a result of the delay in returning...
In the end I was happy to escape and a Long Island Ice Tea helped calm a frazzled me.
And, I also wanted to note that the 30th of May marked about the halfway point in my total journey. Every day just flies by and so much happens in one day that the days are merging and becoming very hard to sort out if I don't write every day...Jeff has started blogging again, so, hopefully, he will fill in the blanks that my blog has. You can follow him on www.downunderjmichael.blogspot.com and he has also posted many photos of our journey.
When we have three ports and three excursions in three days I would need to take notes to keep it all in order and I'm not going to do that! So, I'm just doing the best I can. And I'm trying to give a sense of the things I bump into during an average day...if there is such a thing on this trip...that lead my mind to ponder.
So, Kuala Lumpur...ahh, yes. I had a morning tour due to leave around 8 am, however a stunning downpour slowed everything and I know we left later than nine. Our tour was to take us to the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the National Museum and the Karyaneka Handicraft Center. I was able to take this tour because "Mrs Green" couldn't and gave up her ticket. Jeff, meanwhile kept to our original schedule and took the "Kuala Lumpur On Your Own" tour...basically a drop off.
Did I mention that the temperature was between 95 and 100 with humidity in the 80% range?
Now, the city of KL is an hour and twenty minutes away from Port Kelang, where our ship was docked. We made many stops during that drive: the massive Blue Mosque, the beautiful British Colonial Railway Station, Merdeka Square, and an enormous war memorial. We had a lovely lunch at 1:00 and proceeded to the Tower. Arriving at the KL Tower shortly after 2:00 we were reminded that it was a holiday, the 86 year old King's observed Birthday, and all schools were closed and many businesses as well. Translated it meant that we should expect long queues and crowds. Hah! A gross understatement.
Mrs Green was the lucky one in this case. We waited and waited and endured more waiting in an overcrowded narrow space with no AC and a sadly overworked fan. Our Group 6 became separated but managed to arrive at the top observation floor after about 45 minutes, leaving us less than 10 minutes to navigate the viewing space AND to return to the bus. I took photos as quickly as I could...but noticed that the queue heading down was growing by the minute and this area was badly overcrowded too. There were no crowd controls in place at all. The elevators, 4 of them, were in the middle of this limited area and to add to the confusion, again, no signs of control people or officials helping guide the queue. Add screaming babies, large families, at least four large tour groups and, well, you get the idea. Misery.
In the floor above was a revolving restaurant and one elevator was designated to take and retrieve from that floor. Of the other three, two became inoperable leaving one to shuttle people down, a maximum of 17 at a time! I got in the queue and was toward the center of the mass. With the slightest indication of forward movement the large men on either side of me and those behind me started to push forward. With the heat, crowd, and small area of course I was more worried about my personal safety than anything else, and my claustrophobic anxiety kicked in so after waiting in the queue for almost 45 minutes at that point, I desperately wiggled my way back out for more space and air. The time to meet the bus was long past and when I caught my breath and found the courage to get back in the queue I focused on just getting down, figuring I'd deal with the gone bus later. I worked my way to the side edge of the queue which gave me a cool wall to lean on and a little more personal space. There were also people from another Princess tour around me and they allowed more space and were more patient.
I finally found my way down and much to my shock, our guide was waiting and I wasn't the only one missing...there was another couple he lost, too. I don't know where they were, but in a few minutes they showed up and we all made the trek back to the bus. I apologized profusely to the driver and the guide but found myself shaking as I got on the bus, swearing to myself not to get off again until we were back at the dock! Mrs Green was the lucky duck of the day. Our time to get on the bus was 3:15; in reality it was 4:30 and our time to be back onboard was 5:00 to sail at 5:30. We got back at 5:50 and fortunately the Captain waited for now infamous Group 6! We had to skip the handcraft market stop as a result of the delay in returning...
In the end I was happy to escape and a Long Island Ice Tea helped calm a frazzled me.
Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1, 2013...SINGAPORE!
Suffice to say Friday as our last of eight sea days was welcomed.
Our excursion in Singapore to the Botanical Gardens and Shopping! But that's not exactly what happened. Our tour guide (Jeff and I managed to get this same tour) was a woman who must have been on something that made her move like a rocket! But first she handed us off to a Dutch naturalist for a One Hour Nature Walk which moved at a snail's pace and was quite uninspiring. He was certainly of a scientific mind, but lacked communication skills which translated into very boring. We did learn that our walk was through a small rain forest, it rains every afternoon in Singapore, Kapok trees produce a fluffy substance which is used in pillows, and there are more termites than anything else in the rain forest. Oh, and we could have walked the nature walk in 15 minutes easily, but it took us a very long hour, was about 95 degrees with very high humidity. It was beastly uncomfortable. Our supplied 'picnic lunch' was a tired chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of orange or apple juice.
Then our guide got us together, paid our entry fee into the Orchid Gardens (5$) and defied us to keep up with her as she whizzed along the walkways pointing out various gorgeous orchids and told what orchid was named for which famous person. We lost her after the first one. We managed to take some photos but could have had a much better and useful time had we been given an outline of the interesting rain forest facts and free reign to wander the entire 129 acre area...we saw just a very small portion in the time allotted...and there was no charge into the gardens, just into the orchid area. The charge for this excursion was $99. Per person.
We then rode the bus to Orchard Road and the shopping area, but had little time. Again the guide told us where to go and after trying her suggestions, had no time left! We did manage to find our pins for our little collections and a few post cards. So far I've bought nothing of interest, just pins and postcards! Disappointing.
One little tidbit: there was a Champagne Sail-away Party scheduled for Brisbane, but it rained and was rescheduled for Singapore Sail-away. Remember I said it rains every afternoon in Singapore? It did! It POURED BUCKETS of rain just as the stewards began to pour and distribute the drinks! It was more like a monsoon rain and was relentless, with streams of water coursing over the main decks and obliterating any views of land as we left. It did cool things off, which is the good bit!
The best thing? It was good to get off the ship and on land for a little while. We found a gallery of Dr. Seuss paintings - many originals - and had a very nice chat with the gentleman in charge who showed us some of his favorites which were not mounted and displayed. And one comment on shopping so far...we haven't found ourselves in a place where authentic art and handcrafts have been enticing or interesting enough to tempt us to dig out credit cards...I'm sure Jack is smiling as he reads this part!
One more note...our seas so far have been incredibly calm and even the Tasman Sea part wasn't really rough. There have been long periods of time...days... when we've forgotten we were on water because the ship was so steady.
Quote for today: "How shall I know, unless I go to China or Cathay, whether or not this blessed spot is blest in every way?" - Edna St. Vincent Millay
Our excursion in Singapore to the Botanical Gardens and Shopping! But that's not exactly what happened. Our tour guide (Jeff and I managed to get this same tour) was a woman who must have been on something that made her move like a rocket! But first she handed us off to a Dutch naturalist for a One Hour Nature Walk which moved at a snail's pace and was quite uninspiring. He was certainly of a scientific mind, but lacked communication skills which translated into very boring. We did learn that our walk was through a small rain forest, it rains every afternoon in Singapore, Kapok trees produce a fluffy substance which is used in pillows, and there are more termites than anything else in the rain forest. Oh, and we could have walked the nature walk in 15 minutes easily, but it took us a very long hour, was about 95 degrees with very high humidity. It was beastly uncomfortable. Our supplied 'picnic lunch' was a tired chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of orange or apple juice.
Then our guide got us together, paid our entry fee into the Orchid Gardens (5$) and defied us to keep up with her as she whizzed along the walkways pointing out various gorgeous orchids and told what orchid was named for which famous person. We lost her after the first one. We managed to take some photos but could have had a much better and useful time had we been given an outline of the interesting rain forest facts and free reign to wander the entire 129 acre area...we saw just a very small portion in the time allotted...and there was no charge into the gardens, just into the orchid area. The charge for this excursion was $99. Per person.
We then rode the bus to Orchard Road and the shopping area, but had little time. Again the guide told us where to go and after trying her suggestions, had no time left! We did manage to find our pins for our little collections and a few post cards. So far I've bought nothing of interest, just pins and postcards! Disappointing.
One little tidbit: there was a Champagne Sail-away Party scheduled for Brisbane, but it rained and was rescheduled for Singapore Sail-away. Remember I said it rains every afternoon in Singapore? It did! It POURED BUCKETS of rain just as the stewards began to pour and distribute the drinks! It was more like a monsoon rain and was relentless, with streams of water coursing over the main decks and obliterating any views of land as we left. It did cool things off, which is the good bit!
The best thing? It was good to get off the ship and on land for a little while. We found a gallery of Dr. Seuss paintings - many originals - and had a very nice chat with the gentleman in charge who showed us some of his favorites which were not mounted and displayed. And one comment on shopping so far...we haven't found ourselves in a place where authentic art and handcrafts have been enticing or interesting enough to tempt us to dig out credit cards...I'm sure Jack is smiling as he reads this part!
One more note...our seas so far have been incredibly calm and even the Tasman Sea part wasn't really rough. There have been long periods of time...days... when we've forgotten we were on water because the ship was so steady.
Quote for today: "How shall I know, unless I go to China or Cathay, whether or not this blessed spot is blest in every way?" - Edna St. Vincent Millay
Thursday, May 30, 2013. Approaching the equator...Sea Day Eight of Eight!
Finally, our last sea day for a little while. And a hot and humid day.
Last evening, Jeff's troupe performed their last two performances of Country Jam. All went fairly well with just a few minor lyric stumbles. Between the two shows I stepped outside on the promenade deck where a gentle breeze was blowing. There were fishing boats with bright lights shining from them; the boats were strung out along the large island we were passing. There was no moon and their lights were used to attract squid and shrimp I learned from another passenger. When it was time to go into the show all was well. Forty five minutes later after the show, I went to see them again and was nearly blown off the deck by heavy winds followed by a rainstorm! It came on very suddenly.
Today was the infamous "crossing the equator" ceremony, steeped in tradition, so they say. We avoided it and are trying to think of a better way to celebrate the event before we complain about the waste of food and water for tradition sake.
A brother-sister team we've become acquainted with entertain each night in the main atrium lounge and tonight we spent time with them and a bottle of wine after their show...late. They are from the English Midlands. Alan plays for the pop choir and arranges all the music, and Alana directs the choir and also sings. We love hearing their travel stories and their suggestions about what to see and what to skip as we consider excursions. They've been around the world quite a few times and have had so many interesting experiences as entertainers and as travelers.
Last evening, Jeff's troupe performed their last two performances of Country Jam. All went fairly well with just a few minor lyric stumbles. Between the two shows I stepped outside on the promenade deck where a gentle breeze was blowing. There were fishing boats with bright lights shining from them; the boats were strung out along the large island we were passing. There was no moon and their lights were used to attract squid and shrimp I learned from another passenger. When it was time to go into the show all was well. Forty five minutes later after the show, I went to see them again and was nearly blown off the deck by heavy winds followed by a rainstorm! It came on very suddenly.
Today was the infamous "crossing the equator" ceremony, steeped in tradition, so they say. We avoided it and are trying to think of a better way to celebrate the event before we complain about the waste of food and water for tradition sake.
A brother-sister team we've become acquainted with entertain each night in the main atrium lounge and tonight we spent time with them and a bottle of wine after their show...late. They are from the English Midlands. Alan plays for the pop choir and arranges all the music, and Alana directs the choir and also sings. We love hearing their travel stories and their suggestions about what to see and what to skip as we consider excursions. They've been around the world quite a few times and have had so many interesting experiences as entertainers and as travelers.
Tuesday, May 28 & Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Sea Days
I managed to foil the alarm system again by tying my blue bandanna over the alarm! So, I've had two peaceful morning showers. That's an accomplishment.
Clocks went back another hour last night, so we are now a full 12 hours ahead...plus a day I think.
Jeff's Country Jam show debuted last night and will be performed twice tonight. It was well received and a few folks even stood up at the very end. A rare happening for an ensemble performance. Aussies reserve standing ovations for single performers. I don't understand the thinking behind that but it is what it is.
We received our passports along with visa passes from Singapore Customs officers who are onboard so we can go onshore when we arrive in a few days. And today, Wednesday, looks like another beautiful day.
I don't think I will have to pay the daily gratuity charge since I am in a crew cabin...I will tip my steward on a private basis. I finally met him yesterday...name is Brendy and he is from Phillippines. And I don't think he does vacuuming, but he pretty much does everything else.
The spigot for extra escorts on tours (that extra would be me) has been turned off, so I'll be going on crew tours, which typically are very nice but much cheaper, or I will be paying a discounted price for the standard tours that Jeff will be escorting. It will depend a lot on where and when and how many seats are available. I have to say that Jeff made a lot of good friends in the short time before I boarded. Everyone on staff has been very, very nice to me and I have had some freebies and discounts!
So, the excitement brewing today is that the real crew and staff heard their Introduction to Pirates talk and as a passenger I will get mine soon. But from what little I've already heard, we will be in pirate territory for TWO WEEKS!!!! Now, exactly what that means to me, I'll have to wait and learn.
I had my first Captain sighting this morning and unfortunately I rather bumbled the meeting. I was trying to find the small laundry room in our little crew area in the maze somewhere...and the Captain poked his nose out of his office and asked rather sternly who I was and what was I looking for? I stammered that I was looking for the laundry and he asked if I wanted the passenger laundry? I said that I was really looking for the small laundry area in our neighborhood...and he must have been frustrated by that. So he asked if I was a passenger. I said that I was part passenger and part crew. Good thing he didn't ask which part was which!! He finally pointed where I should head. And, of course, I was headed in the right direction, just didn't go far enough. Yikes! So, next time we meet I'll have to have something to say that makes better sense so he doesn't think his entire ship is a ship of fools!
Back to excursions...Jeff and I signed up for two crew trips, one in Israel and one in Jordan. Jerusalem and Petra essentially. There is a rumor that Egypt has been cancelled, but I don't know that for certain...I may have mentioned that previously. Please forgive me if I repeat myself along the way. I don't go back and read what I've already posted each time I write a new post, I just keep going.
This morning there was a meeting of iPad users, so I went. What a mess. Take fifty or sixty people, average age 80, with widely varying abilities and stick them in one room with no leader. For the first fifteen minutes they tried to figure out how to move all the chairs into a huge circle...in an odd Y-shaped room, and no one could hear from one side to another! And, once in the circle they wouldn't leave a way out! So, if you wanted to leave you'd have to awkwardly push your chair backwards and climb over the perimeter couches which already lined the room! Oi! I sneaked out once I heard that some folks just got their machines before embarking and others had no clue what WiFi is. No one seemed to know the word blog either...but they all seemed to want to sound like experts. I had two questions and managed to have one answered before my escape.
I talked to Jack this morning and was reminded that Gaby graduates from eighth grade this week Friday and that her big dance is this week, too. He promised to have Amy post some photos of the events. My photos will hopefully be posted on my Facebook page soon since we just haven't figured out how to go camera to iPad to blog. I know it can be done but I think I'm missing a part! Brain part, no doubt.
Quote of the day: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller
Clocks went back another hour last night, so we are now a full 12 hours ahead...plus a day I think.
Jeff's Country Jam show debuted last night and will be performed twice tonight. It was well received and a few folks even stood up at the very end. A rare happening for an ensemble performance. Aussies reserve standing ovations for single performers. I don't understand the thinking behind that but it is what it is.
We received our passports along with visa passes from Singapore Customs officers who are onboard so we can go onshore when we arrive in a few days. And today, Wednesday, looks like another beautiful day.
I don't think I will have to pay the daily gratuity charge since I am in a crew cabin...I will tip my steward on a private basis. I finally met him yesterday...name is Brendy and he is from Phillippines. And I don't think he does vacuuming, but he pretty much does everything else.
The spigot for extra escorts on tours (that extra would be me) has been turned off, so I'll be going on crew tours, which typically are very nice but much cheaper, or I will be paying a discounted price for the standard tours that Jeff will be escorting. It will depend a lot on where and when and how many seats are available. I have to say that Jeff made a lot of good friends in the short time before I boarded. Everyone on staff has been very, very nice to me and I have had some freebies and discounts!
So, the excitement brewing today is that the real crew and staff heard their Introduction to Pirates talk and as a passenger I will get mine soon. But from what little I've already heard, we will be in pirate territory for TWO WEEKS!!!! Now, exactly what that means to me, I'll have to wait and learn.
I had my first Captain sighting this morning and unfortunately I rather bumbled the meeting. I was trying to find the small laundry room in our little crew area in the maze somewhere...and the Captain poked his nose out of his office and asked rather sternly who I was and what was I looking for? I stammered that I was looking for the laundry and he asked if I wanted the passenger laundry? I said that I was really looking for the small laundry area in our neighborhood...and he must have been frustrated by that. So he asked if I was a passenger. I said that I was part passenger and part crew. Good thing he didn't ask which part was which!! He finally pointed where I should head. And, of course, I was headed in the right direction, just didn't go far enough. Yikes! So, next time we meet I'll have to have something to say that makes better sense so he doesn't think his entire ship is a ship of fools!
Back to excursions...Jeff and I signed up for two crew trips, one in Israel and one in Jordan. Jerusalem and Petra essentially. There is a rumor that Egypt has been cancelled, but I don't know that for certain...I may have mentioned that previously. Please forgive me if I repeat myself along the way. I don't go back and read what I've already posted each time I write a new post, I just keep going.
This morning there was a meeting of iPad users, so I went. What a mess. Take fifty or sixty people, average age 80, with widely varying abilities and stick them in one room with no leader. For the first fifteen minutes they tried to figure out how to move all the chairs into a huge circle...in an odd Y-shaped room, and no one could hear from one side to another! And, once in the circle they wouldn't leave a way out! So, if you wanted to leave you'd have to awkwardly push your chair backwards and climb over the perimeter couches which already lined the room! Oi! I sneaked out once I heard that some folks just got their machines before embarking and others had no clue what WiFi is. No one seemed to know the word blog either...but they all seemed to want to sound like experts. I had two questions and managed to have one answered before my escape.
I talked to Jack this morning and was reminded that Gaby graduates from eighth grade this week Friday and that her big dance is this week, too. He promised to have Amy post some photos of the events. My photos will hopefully be posted on my Facebook page soon since we just haven't figured out how to go camera to iPad to blog. I know it can be done but I think I'm missing a part! Brain part, no doubt.
Quote of the day: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller
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