Dubai, March 24 & 25, 2011

I really never thought that I would ever be in Dubai ! ! ! But here I was for 2 days. 

It was so refreshing after leaving the squalor of India, to arrive here to this beautiful, clean, modern, exciting city.  Everything here is the “ greatest, the longest, the highest the newest” etc. etc.  Twenty-five years ago this was just a desert and now it is this big modern city.  I took a tour on each day and then the last evening I went to the Dubai Mall on a shopping expedition.  I haven’t gone crazy buying stuff so far, so I splurged and bought 2 lovely dresses which I’ll be able to wear for formal nights.   One is blue grey, three quarter length and beaded – straight cut and flared skirt.  The other is silk, long and taupe in colour with a soft draped over skirt which makes it look quite elegant.

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf.  It is the most populous and second largest after Abu Dhabi.  The oil income only makes up 6% of Dubai’s wealth and they say that the oil will run out in about 6 years.  For this reason, the rulers decided to  diversify from a trade based economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented.  Construction on a large scale has turned Dubai into one of the fastest growing cities in the world.  The new buildings in the town centre are all very tall and of every imaginable shape and colour.  The tallest tower in the world is now located here.  Unfortunately,  I wasn’t able to get a picture showing this except from the bus window:

The building boom has come to a slow halt within the past few years, because of the economic conditions in the world.  In fact, Dubai was in dire straights financially and had to be  rescued by Abu Dhabi.  At one point,

Its population is comprised mainly of expatriates, who come mainly from Asia.  They do most of the work.  The United Emirate Nationals (Emiratis) constitute the minority.  They are the rich people.  They do not pay taxes and health care and education etc. are free.  The expatriates are not allowed to become citizens, no matter how long they are in the country, nor are their children born here considered citizens.  They are however. permitted to own property. 

As is the rule everywhere, the rich live in luxury and the workers are less comfortable.  From listening to the tour guide, I thought the workers would be well looked after, but this is not the case.  I had a conversation with the young lady who gave me a manicure.  She is from the Philippines.  I asked her how she liked living here and her reply wasn’t too positive.  When I inquired about her living conditions, she told me that she and 6 other people live in one room – 3 are males.  They only have room for their bed.  The rent is so high that this is the only way they can make ends meet.  So – the rich get richer by taking advantage of the less fortunate.  This young woman works in a shop in the Dubai Mall from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.  Not a very exciting life ! ! !

March 31, 2011 Somewhere in the Red Sea

We have been in Pirate country for the past few days and the captain and crew are taking every precaution to keep the ship and its passengers safe.  We are travelling at a high speed, even though that is more costly.  The other option would have been to travel around to the south of Africa and this would have added 2000 miles to the trip and a lot to the cost of fuel.  There are many ships from other countries travelling here, as well as warships to protect us.  I guess there is safety in numbers.  So far, so good.

The seas have been wonderfully calm and we rarely see any rain.  I can’t imagine anything more perfect.

Last evening we had our 14th formal night and this gave me the opportunity to wear my beautiful new gown. I received many compliments and I felt very elegant.

What a change over the past 24 hours – last evening I was dancing the light fantastic and tonight I am plagued with a sore throat,   sneezing and congestion in my chest.   After my bout with pneumonia last year, I thought it best to visit the doctor whose office  is just down the hall from me.  She gave me some  antibiotics.    No dancing for me tonight.  I had my supper sent to my room and I’m going to rest and recuperate.  I have a ten hour tour to visit “Petra, the Rose City” which is in Jordan, 2 days from now and I would hate to miss that.

Tuesday January 25, 2011

 

I THINK I DID NOT SEND THIS AT THE TIME, SO HERE IT IS BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Woke up very early this morning, so I took the opportunity to go to one of the laundry rooms and do my first big load of washing – actually it was 2 loads.   Now I’m all set for another month I think.  There are several laundry rooms available and if one chooses the right time, it’s not busy.  Ironing boards and irons are also available there.  People  who have cruised over 200 days on  Holland America Line ships get their laundry and cleaning done for free.   Since many people on this ship are in that category they are the lucky ones.  I’ve met very few people who are on their first cruise.  It seems to be a life style with most of the people on the ship.

This afternoon, at the duty free store aboard ship, I bought a lovely black and silver top to wear on a formal night.

Am going to Mary and Jim’s stateroom for champagne before diner. 

Tomorrow I have the morning free to stroll through Papeete, Tahiti and in the afternoon I have a tour booked there.

Agra, Delhi & Mumbai March 20,2011

We were up before the crack of dawn, in order to return to the Taj Mahal when the sun rays first reach it in the morning, and what a beautiful sight it was ! !

Because we checked out of the hotel so early, the breakfast facilities we not yet open, so the hotel packed breakfast lunches for us to have on the train which we were supposed to catch at 8:30 a.m.  for our return to Delhi.

It is quite a walk from the place where the cars and busses must park  when you go to the Taj.  One either walks,  takes a rickshaw, an open air sightseeing vehicle or a three wheeler which here they call a motorized rickshaw.  We took the latter pictured below.

After spending about an hour bidding our adieus to the Taj Mahal, we returned to our vehicle only to be informed by our tour guide  that the train had been delayed by a couple of hours.   He was continually checking the train schedule using his hand held computer and every time he did, the delay became longer and longer.   We began to wonder if we would ever leave Agra today – and we had a plane to catch at 7:05 p.m. which would bring us to Mumbai (AKA Bombay) where the ship was docked.  Luckily the ship was not due to sail until the afternoon of the following day, so we had a time cushion.

Today was the Feast of the Holies ( the feast of colours) and everyone was out merry making – especially the young men and boys.  They had their faces painted in all kinds of colours, mainly red and apparently during this time young people buy toy water guns filled with coloured water and they have a lot of fun spraying each other, so their clothing gets pretty colourful.  We had been told to expect delays because of this feast – in fact we were taking the train back to Delhi instead of a car, because of all the people who would be out on the streets and blocking the traffic.. 

Our guide advised us against waiting for the train in the station, because of the lack of comfort and the beggars who would plaque us, so we returned to the hotel.  There are beautiful gardens there, so we opted to find a restful shady spot near a pond with a water fountain and there we enjoyed our breakfast packages.  Later I browsed in the hotel shops and bought a cotton blouse.  Finally our guide informed us that we could go to the station and at 12;30, four hours late we were on the train and on our way back to Delhi.

Our compartment on the train was a sleeper and it was air conditioned, thank goodness.  Not all the cars on the train were that comfortable.  Mary and I were sitting together and Jim was at the other end of the car.  When the person came around to check our tickets, he kicked a couple of men out of a sixer compartment and put us together.  Nice for us ! ! !   Not so nice for the 2 guys, although since they were travelling alone it shouldn’t have been difficult for them to get another good seat.  The train was not full.

When one travels by train, one doesn’t go through the nicer parts of town, so what we saw out of the window, was more garbage and squalor.  It is hard to imagine people living in the ram shackled huts we saw.   We saw a lot of cows and water buffalo too.

It was late afternoon when we finally arrived back in Delhi.  Our guide and driver were at the station waiting  for us.  First we went to have a late lunch and then our guide took us to various points of interest in New Delhi, (including the beautiful government buildings which are in a park-like setting), until it was time to drop us off at the airport. 

Our plane took off around 7:00 p.m. and we arrived in Mumbai shortly after 10.  We had to go to a government building to get a yellow card which allows us to return aboard the ship.  It’s a good thing we had a driver  because we would have had a difficult time finding it --  it was a non-descript little place in the middle of a labyrinth of back streets.

The next day, we had our 13th formal night and the theme was “Bollywood”  -- the Indian Hollywood.  Many ladies came dressed in saris and they looked gorgeous.  I didn’t splurge and purchase a sari because,  the beautiful ones are very expensive and where would I ever get to wear it again? I wore some harem pants I had purchased, a top I brought with me and a scarf to give it contrast.

 

The handsome young man in the picture with me is one of the jewellery salesmen from India.

Delhi & Agra Saturday, March 19, 2011

After an early plentiful buffet breakfast, our driver and guide took us on a tour of old Delhi.

India – Multitudes of people, wall to wall cars honking horns, beggars, garbage and stench everywhere except where the rich live.  Even in the large cities, there is garbage everywhere.  I didn’t see as many “holy cows” wandering around as I thought I would, but there were some.  Actually, there were more stray dogs than cows.

Our first stop was at a park where is found a monument honouring Mahatma Gandhi at the location where he was cremated.

Our next adventure was a ride in a rickshaw around the open market.  Unfortunately it was very early in the morning and most of the shops were still closed.  Some of the vendors were spreading their wares out on display on the ground.  It is difficult to show the real picture with a photograph.  The people are so desperate and poor.  I really felt awkward photographing this, so I don’t have any good pictures.

After this adventure, off we went to visit the largest mosque in Delhi.   In order to enter we had to remove our shoes and walk in stocking feet.  The women were given a robe to wear which covers them from neck to toe.  Since we had to cross a courtyard where there were a lot of pigeons, you can imagine what the bottom of our socks looked like when we left there.   However, what beautiful buildings these mosques are !  The carvings in the stone and marble is exquisite.   There are always a lot of people there chanting and praying.

Around 9:30 a.m. after driving to a few other points of interest our guide left us and the driver drove us to Agra.  What a drive that was!  It’s a good thing he is an excellent driver.   The roads are quite good and it is a 4 lane highway, but it’s wall to wall cars and any time there is a tiny space where they can pass the others, they honk their horn and go for it.  The drive took us about four and a half hours.  In Agra we met our new tour guide who took us to a  very nice Indian restaurant for lunch.  The food was typical Indian – spicy, plentiful and good.  We then went to the Red Fort, an ancient building which is huge and very ornate.  Some people consider it more imposing than the Taj Mahal. 

Here is the entrance way:

Here are some inside shots:

It is difficult to get a picture of something so huge.   Here we were walking through a double moat.  On the outside, there was a moat for water, then inside there was this moat type walkway between two thick walls.  The guide gave us a lot of details and a lot of dates and names of rulers who lived there, but after seeing and hearing so many details, I really don’t remember a lot about it, and you perhaps don’t want to hear it ! ! !   From the windows of this building, we got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.  And that is where we headed for when we left there.

The Taj Mahal – What can I say?  It was spectacular and well worth the trip.  As I was standing there looking at that beautiful building I thought to myself, “Imagine, two months ago this was just a dream, and now I’m actually here.”   Here is the picture to prove it:

Lovely hair do n’est pas?

The Taj Mahal was built by a ruler in memory of his much beloved wife who died giving birth to their 14th child.  It is made of white marble and is ornately carved and inlaid with precious jewels.  It is one of the seven wonders of the world as well as a World Heritage Site.

We stayed there almost until closing time and then were driven to our hotel where another delicious Indian buffet awaited us.  We retired early, because we were scheduled to get up before the crack of dawn to return to the Taj Mahal to see the first rays of the sun shine upon it.   More about that in my next blog report.

Kochi, India Friday, March 18, 2011

Kochi, formerly known as Cochin, is located in southwest India on the Arabian Sea.  It has the finest sea port south of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and is known for its ship building industry as well as its naval base which is the training centre for the Indian navy. The Portuguese, the first Europeans to come to India, built their settlement here  in 1502.  It was captured by the Dutch in 1613 and then by the British in 1795.  Now of course, India is an independent nation and the queen is no longer their sovereign leader.  India is the 7th largest country in the world and one of the most heavily populated.

Shortly after docking here, some local dancers and drummers appeared on the dock to entertain us.  This happens in almost every port when we dock.

As soon as we were cleared to go ashore, Mary and Jim and I were off on our tour which would eventually bring us to Agra where the Taj Mahal is located.  The agent with whom they booked had arranged for guides and drivers to accompany us everywhere we visited, so we didn’t have to worry about any of the many details such a trip involves. 

We were met on the dock by a guide with a car and driver.  Off we went for a tour of Kochi, which first of all, took us to the oldest church in the city.  It was built by the Portuguese and originally was a place of worship for the Catholics.   Now it is used by one of the Protestant religions.  Then we were off to the Ficherman’s  Village.   Here we saw first hand their method of fishing with huge nets which are raised and lowered using pulleys with rocks as weight.

Here we also got our taste of the street vendors who swarm you trying to entice you to see and buy their wares – everything from post cards to magnets,carvings, pottery etc.etc.   Our guide’s advice was, “If you don’t want to buy, look straight ahead, don’t make eye contact and don’t speak to them”  It works.

Then off we went to a Spice Market where we had the opportunity to shop for spices and hand woven cotton cloth.  The prices were super high, so no one spent any money there.

The next stop, for me was very moving – here we saw 6 large, beautiful elephants which are kept specifically to be used in the various celebrations.   It was so sad to see these huge, magnificent creatures with their four legs tethered so that they could not even take a step – and this is how they spend their lives.  Poor creatures ! ! ! !

A quick walk through one of the temple courtyards took us back to our taxi, which then drove us to the airport where we boarded our plane to go to Delhi.

We arrived in Delhi sometime between 8 and 9 p.m.  A driver and guide met us and delivered us to the Taj Palace Hotel, where we were informed that our rooms had been upgraded and believe me, they were FIRST class.  After a tasty Indian buffet meal, I allowed myself the luxury of my first bath since the trip began.  (Onboard ship, I only have a shower, although some people do have bathtubs in their cabins).  I then had a wonderful night’s sleep and got up early in great anticipation of the sights we would see the following day.

Singapore, March 13 & 14, 2011

Double “WOW”

What a beautiful, clean city – flower gardens all along the roadsides leading from the ship to the centre of the city -- interesting high rises – no litter, no graffiti.  There are severe fines for littering and chewing gum ! ! ! ! The penalty for having drugs is DEATH.  They are really serious here about their laws ! !  Needless to say, for the most part they are obeyed.  The crime rate is only about 1%.  More about that later.

My plan for Singapore had been to tag around with Mary and Jim, but they know the city having visited it before and they were heading for the bird sanctuary.  I joined my friend Shirley and planned to go and see the sights of the city using the hop on, hop off bus.  As we were going ashore we were joined by 2 other ladies, Claire and Carmen and Paul one of the dance hosts.  A lot of cab drivers were in the departure area trying to attract  customers.  We found one who had a van, who was willing to take us on a 2 hour tour for 100 Singapore dollars – approximately$80. U.S.  so off we went  The driver spoke perfect English and he was an excellent tour guide.  He took us to all the places that the “Highlights of Singapore” tour from the ship would have brought us (and we would have had to spend at least $50. U.S. each – so we really got a bargain.)  He stopped at all the places of interest so that we could get out and take pictures. 

First we stopped at the Merlion,the symbol of Singapore – “singa” means lion and “pore” means city.  The statue has a lion’s head but a mermaid’s body.  It was difficult to get a good picture because of all the people milling about and wanting their picture taken with the statue.

We made stops at China Town, Little India and the Arab Quarter,  to visit the mosque and temple and of course for the usual souvenir hunting.   We also stopped to take a picture of the largest ferris wheel in the world.  I had a really good picture of it, but I inadvertently deleted it.  Here is a picture of an interesting building:

The part of the building above the 3 towers is in the shape of a ship.  It houses a casino and has a huge infinity pool.  The three towers are not rectangular – they are concave- larger at the top and bottom.  This city is full of interesting   modern architecture. 

We drove by the Raffles Hotel, a huge, beautiful old structure where the drink “Singapore Sling” was invented.  We didn’t stop for one, but those who did, said it cost them close to $30.  for one drink.  I chose to try one at the bar aboard our ship for $7.50.   Not a bad drink ! ! ! !

Our guide has promised us a two hour tour, but he made it last about two and a half, so we gave him a nice tip.  We were back aboard ship in time for lunch.  Shirley and I went out to the  adjacent mall to do some shopping afterwards.   Any mall close to where the ships dock is bound to be expensive, so we didn’t splurge.  I had to have a refill done on my finger nails and that was the extent of my expenditures.

Some of the passengers went ashore to experience Singapore by night, but Shirley and I opted to stay aboard and dance the evening away instead. 

Now for a bit more about crime in this city.  Our cab driver had told us that the only crime prevalent here is the theft of credit cards.  One woman from the ship had a bad experience.  It was a woman who was using a walker.  She had her purse stolen.  It contained  money, her passport containing the visas she needs to enter certain countries and other identification as well as her credit cards.  I think she had the purse in a basket attached to the walker.  She must have been busy looking at something when it was taken and she  never noticed when it happened.  What a terrible experience ! ! !  The only bright side to this story is that she was not injured in the incident.

Now back to my own adventures:  I finally was able to find and purchase a pair of dancing shoes.  When I left home, I said that I was going to dance the soles off the pair I brought with me.  I was beginning to believe that this was going to come true.  One of the other ladies who loves to dance, found a department store in Chinatown which sells them and she gave us the address, so on day 2 of our stay here, three of us took a cab and went on a shopping expedition.  There were a lot of shoes to choose from, but I was only able to find one pair that I liked that fit well.   They only cost $40.  U.S. a pair.  At that price I would have purchased at least 2 pairs – they cost over $100. at home.   The department store was large and had good prices.  I was wishing that I had known about it the day before when I would have had time to brows and shop.  As it was, we were a bit  pressed for time.  The store only opened at 11 a.m. and we had to be back aboard ship at 1 p.m.

Needless to say, I danced the night away in my new shoes which are really comfortable.

Today is March 15th.  Tomorrow, all the Canadians aboard have been invited by the captain to attend an “O Canada Party” in the Crow’s Nest, Sports Deck 9,  between 7 and 8 p.m.   I suppose there will be hors d’oeuvres galore and the champagne will flow freely.   There are quite a few Canadians on board.  Five of us at our dinner table come from Ontario.  After the Captain’s party, the 5 of us and the 2 American women who eat with us will go to the Pinnacle Restaurant for dinner.  The Pinnacle is the most elegant place to eat aboard the ship.  It also costs extra to go there but we all decided that for once we should try it together.  One thing is for sure, it won’t be as noisy there as it is in the main dining room, because the Pinnacle only seats 60 people, while the regular dining room is huge and covers 2 levels.  If all the tables are filled, the noise level sometimes makes it difficult to hear people with a soft voice speak, and the 2 American ladies do not speak very loudly.

On March 17th, we will have our 12th Formal Dinner.  The theme for the evening is “St. Patrick’s Day”.  I plan to wear my sleeveless, empire style black dress with the green and zircon Fifth Avenue Jewellery I brought with me.

Here are a couple of pictures from other formal dinners taken by the ship photographer:

On Friday, March 18th we will arrive at Kochi, in India.  I will be going with Mary and Jim on a trip to the Taj Mahal.  We will leave the ship that morning, do some  sight seeing in Kochi, then fly to Delhi, where  we will spend the night at the Taj Palace Hotel.  On the 19th, after a sight seeing tour of Delhi, we will be driven to Agra where we will be staying at the  ITC Mughal Sheraton.  Our tour includes a visit to the Taj Mahal at sunset on the 19th and an early morning visit to the site at sunrise on the 20th.   That same day, we will return by plane and train to get aboard the ship late in the evening at Bombay, India.   Ill have a lot to tell you after my return.  Bye for now.