Our World Cruise on Odyssey

2010-04-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Friday, 23rd April – Crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Our last day of the Odyssey World Cruise – Day 108.

It was a busy morning sorting through all the things we still had to pack and finding somewhere to put them. We didn’t buy an extra suitcase in the end because we thought we could manage to squeeze everything in – well we did!
Packing stopped while we played our last game of trivia in this final segment – we led all the way and came out with the most points, but on the bonus question where we gambled our points, although no-one had the correct answer, the award was given to the team with the nearest answer. We were pleased that our rival team of ‘world cruisers’ won as they had played well all the way through.
It was a special Chef’s Galley Lunch so that lasted quite some time and we were able to applaud our crew from the galley and restaurants for their excellent service. Many of them will be getting off in Greece too.
Our afternoon involved the final locking of suitcases ready for collection – I had to shuffle things around to balance the weight but we got there in the end.
This evening we will be dining with some more of the friends we have made during the last four months, and it will be a final farewell for us all.
We have cruised 31,700 nautical miles around the world together and it has been a wonderful experience.

We disembark in Piraeus tomorrow morning and fly home to the UK to be with our family again.

Thank you also to everyone who has persevered in reading all 104 blogs – your loyalty is outstanding. I hope you have enjoyed sailing with us and enjoyed visiting places either again, or for the first time. I have found great pleasure in sharing our cruise with you all.

2010-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 22nd April – Haifa, Israel.

History
Early Times – The first mention of Jerusalem in ancient scriptures was made around 1850BC when ‘Urusalim’ or ‘Salem’ was ruled by King Melchizedek. (1400-1100BC) The tribes of Israel conquered the land of Canaan, leaving only the city of Jerusalem undefeated. David was anointed King, and captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites, turning it into his capital and a Holy City. His son, Solomon, built the First temple on Mount Moriah, which tradition regards as the site where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son, Isaac. In 701 BC Assyrians under Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem, but it escaped destruction.
6th – 2nd Centuries – David’s dynasty ended with the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar; King of Babylon (587BC). He destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon and forced its people into exile. The Persians conquered the kingdom of Babylon, and the Israelites were allowed to return (539BC). The second temple was completed in 515BC. Alexander the Great invaded in 32BC then after a short rule by the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids, the Jews, under Judas Maccabaeus (Judah the Maccabee) revolted against the latter and restored Jewish life in Jerusalem. The Temple was rebuilt in 164BC. The Maccabees established the Hasmonean dynasty and ruled until the Romans arrived.
1st Century BC to 1st Century – The Romans, under Pompey, invaded in 63BC. Herod the Great was made king of Judea (40BC) and rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple. Around AD30 Jesus was crucified. Jewish Zealots rebelled against the Romans and were defeated in AD70 by Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem and burned down the Temple, leaving its Western Wall as the only surviving remnant. The Jews were driven into exile, but the last Zealots held out for three more years at Masada.
2nd – 7th Centuries – Another Jewish revolt took place under leader Bar Kochba in 132-135. Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina. When the Roman Empire became Christian in the 4th century, Jerusalem acquired a new significance. Helena, the pious mother of Constantine the Great, commemorated many places that were important in the life of Jesus, and pilgrims came from throughout the Christian world. The Persians overrun Judea in 614 and Jerusalem was destroyed. In 638, Jerusalem was conquered by Muslim forces and Jews were permitted back into the city, which remained under Muslim rule for a further 400 years and protected the people and holy places. In 691 The Dome of the Rock was built on the Temple Mount – this structure enshrines a stone from which Mohammed is said to have ascended to heaven.
11th – 18th Centuries – In 1099, the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon captured Jerusalem and were later driven out by Saladin, but returned during the Sixth Crusade (1228-29). From 1250 to 1517 the Mamelukes of Egypt ruled and some of the best architecture in Jerusalem dates from that period. In 1517 Jerusalem fell to the Ottoman Turks and remained so for 400 years. Suleiman the Magnificent restored Jerusalem rebuilding the walls and gates in the form they retain today, but the city fell into decline.
19th Century – In the second half of the century many Christian pilgrims visited Jerusalem and Jews settled in Palestine. Theodor Herzl led the Zionist movement with the aim of forming a Jewish state.
20th Century – present – In 1917 Britain gained control from the Turks and the Balfour Declaration supported the idea of a ‘national home’ for Jews in Palestine with full rights for non-Jewish people. The League of Nations granted Britain a mandate to rule Palestine in 1922, then in 1947, the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state, with Jerusalem having the status of an international city belonging to neither. In 1948, the British left and the State of Israel, with Chaim Weizmann as president, was proclaimed. In its War of Independence against invading Arab neighbours, Israel lost the eastern portion of Jerusalem, including the Old City, to Jordan.
Further wars with Arab countries broke out in 1956, 1967 and 1973. During the Six-Day War of 1967, Jerusalem was reunited under Israeli control. In 1979, a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed at Camp David. In 1993, Prime Minister Yitzac Rabin and Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, shook hands. A year later Jordan made peace with Israel, and in 1995 Rabin was assassinated. After Palestinians were granted self rule over parts of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, disagreements caused a Palestinian uprising resulting in suicide bombings. Arafat’s death failed to resolve the issues and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took a dramatic unilateral decision and Israeli troops and civilians withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Sharon suffered a major stroke and was succeeded by Ehud Olmert who was forced to resign due to corruption charges before reaching a peace agreement. In 2009, the new Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu resisted American pressure to seek a ‘two-state’ solution with the increasingly recalcitrant – and divided –Palestinian leadership.

Haifa, Israel’s main port and third largest city in the country is situated on the slopes of Mount Carmel in a beautiful bay on the Mediterranean coast. It serves as a gateway to the biblical historical sites of the land. Although the origin of Haifa is obscure, its name appears for the first time in the 3rd century AD in Talmudic literature. Over the years, Crusaders, Arabs, Turks and the British occupied the city. European immigrants arrived in the mid-19th century and planned the new Haifa, which Theodor Herzl had predicted would be ‘the city of the future.’ It is the world centre of the Bahai faith symbolised by the gold dome on the Shrine of the Bab, the resting place of Mirza Ali Muhammad, the noted 19th century visionary.

We were abruptly awakened at 6.10am when the Israeli immigration officer called via our suite speaker system, requiring our immediate presence in the Grand Salon for a ‘face to face’ inspection. Bearing in mind we had put our clocks forward one hour last night - I was not best pleased! I jumped out of bed, quickly washed and cleaned my teeth and threw my dress on back to front, which I struggled to correct and then followed Alan to meet the immigration team. It took about ten minutes for the whole episode, after which I dived back into bed and slept until 8.15am!
Looking out over our balcony, Haifa appeared to be a very beautiful white city with high rise buildings climbing up the slopes of Mount Carmel. Most of the people live above the port because the lower area is taken up with industry and the main motorway to Tel Aviv, but there is a beautiful sandy beach well equipped for holidaymakers that stretches two kilometres along the coast.

We got on the coach with a guide at 9.30am, and went to the German Colony that was established in 1869 by the Templar Society, (not the Knights Templars) whose members arrived from Germany with the intention of settling the Holy Land and preparing residents for the arrival of the Messiah, according to Christian belief. Before WW2 they had founded seven colonies around the country and their impact was visible in architecture, agriculture, transport, hotels, trade and industry. During WW2 they were considered ‘the enemy’ and expelled from Israel by the British Mandate. In recent years the German Colony has been renovated and restored making it one of the most interesting areas in Haifa where actors revive a glimpse of local life as it was at the turn of the century.

The Bahai Gardens are central to the German Colony and normally instantly recognisable with the golden dome of the Bahai Shrine (although it had been removed for a two year renovation period.) The shrine is flanked on both sides by stunningly landscaped gardens and to see these at their best we went up Carmel Mount.

Looking down on the shrine and gardens is a magnificent sight and visitors can only walk through here with a tour guide. The gardens are built on 19 terraces with fountains and a promenade leading down from high on Carmel Mount to the base at the German Colony.

We boarded the coach again to climb further to the Stella Maris Church and Monastery. (Stella Maris meaning ‘sea star’ in Latin.) This point is the cable car terminal from the city below, so again another panoramic view over Haifa and the port. Opposite here is the impressive Carmelite church and monastery very popular with pilgrims.

This is the view from the cable car terminus out over Haifa port where you can see the Odyssey moored in her berth.

After a short stop we headed toward Louis Promenade, which runs along the top of the Carmel for about a mile and is a most attractive place to stroll and admire amazing views of the Galilee Mountains across Haifa Bay. It was much too far for Alan to walk so we remained on the coach and enjoyed it all from the window.
We left the coach at the next small town area where it was apparent that very few tourists ever visit, but we enjoyed looking at how the Israeli’s carry on their daily business. We found a small shopping mall where we wandered around for a short while and found everything quite expensive compared to the UK. We caught the next coach back to the yacht taking in much more of Haifa en route.

Lunch on the open deck was relaxing and we were also able to watch a naval submarine cruise into its berth just opposite ours. There were many naval warships in the harbour and it appeared to be their main port, hence a lot of activity in the harbour and we also seemed to be on a flight path. (We had just been informed that two Egyptian missiles aimed at Eilat had landed off target, one had hit Aqaba where we had been four days ago, and the other had gone into the Red Sea. Later we heard there had been a third missile fired.)

It was a very quiet afternoon with over half the yacht on the Jerusalem tours so we enjoyed the atmosphere and relaxed even more.
At 6.50pm we set sail for our final port of Piraeus, 672 n miles in a north westerly direction. We will have to travel at 19 knots to be there in time for all the flights booked from Athens on Saturday, 24th April.
We met Margaret and Brian, also Colin and Len, for drinks before dinner in the O Bar. Margaret had ordered paella for us but somehow it got overlooked. We were all quite disappointed but dined in the restaurant taking time over our last meal together before disembarkation. It was 10.30pm before we had finished and I wanted to catch the UK election debate on TV, Alan wanted to see the comedian and the others wanted to go to bed. Unfortunately, the debate was almost over so I went with Alan to the show, which wasn’t very good on this occasion.
After a quick dance and final drink we retired for a long night’s sleep!

2010-04-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 21st April – Transiting the Suez Canal.

History.
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It was opened in 1869 and allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern, Port Tawik at the city of Suez. The canal is 117 miles long and 507 feet wide.
It is single-lane with passing places in Ballah By-Pass and in the Great Bitter Lake. It contains no locks and sea water flows freely through the canal – in general the canal north of Bitter Lake flows north in winter and south in summer. The current south of the lakes changes with the tide at Suez.
The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Under international treaty, it may be used ‘in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction in flag.’
In 1798, France ordered General Bonaparte to invade Egypt and take control of the Red Sea. Although he failed in his mission, the engineer J.B. Lepere, who took part in it, revitalised the plan for a canal that had been envisaged during the reign of the Pharaohs. Several canals were built in ancient times from the Nile to the Red Sea along the line of the present Sweetwater Canal but no longer exist.
In 1869, when the Suez Canal was opened, the British, French and Italians shared the trading posts, but these were dismantled after WW1. After WW2 the Americans and Soviets exerted their influence whilst the volume of oil tanker traffic intensified. However, the Six-Day War culminated in the closure of the canal from 1967 to 1975.
The canal allows passage to ships up to 62 feet draft or 210,000 deadweight tons and up to a maximum height of 223 feet above water level and a maximum beam of 254 feet 3 inches (under certain conditions.) Some super-tankers are too large. Others can offload part of their cargo onto a canal-owned boat to reduce their draft-transit, and reload at the other end of the canal.

It was early morning when we entered the Suez Canal and Alan was out on the balcony watching our convoy begin its transit. Whilst we followed the Aida Diva, several commercial ships followed quite closely behind us. I was up about 10.00am at the stage where sand dunes extended some distance from each side of the canal, which had certainly been improved since our last transit in 2007. I was lucky that it was also when the pilot embarked via rope ladder from the tug that pulled along side as we progressed.
On a typical day three convoys transit the canal, two southbound and one north bound and there are passing areas where convoys await their turn. One is Bitter Lake and the others are Lake Timsah and Ismailia. The scenery changed as we progressed, but on the starboard side, the east bank, where there were still remnants of earlier wars, it remained very much a desert, the Sinai.

The military presence was still in evidence but with new brick buildings to replace the tented outposts we saw in 2007.

The port side, the west bank, developed into a very green and highly populated area, which is due to water being piped a hundred miles from the Nile, mainly for irrigation purposes.

There were several ferries across the Suez Canal linking Egypt’s east and west bank.

The first memorial we saw was the Gebel Mary Am World War I Memorial on port side.

Then around 11.00am we were able to see the Camp David Memorial on starboard side, this was erected to commemorate the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, which was brokered by America at Camp David. The memorial is bayonet shaped and there is a parade ground to one side where there appeared to be some sort of military gathering.

To Alan’s great delight we approached the El Ferdan railway bridge, which is the longest swing span bridge in the world. It was completed in 2001 with a span of 340 metres. The previous bridge was destroyed in 1967 during the Arab Israeli conflict.

Around 12.30pm we approached the Suez Canal Bridge, also called the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge. This is a high level fixed road bridge at El Quantara. It has a 68 metres clearance over the canal and was started in 1999, it was completed in 2003.

We were playing trivia at the time and this had to stop while we all went out to take photographs as we went under the bridge. Once we had passed beneath, trivia resumed and I am delighted to say that we remain in the lead on the penultimate day of our game – because we alone got the bonus question right!

We went for lunch at 1.30pm and then watched as a sand storm developed in the Sinai Desert, with what appeared to be a small tornado that crossed the horizon. We were leaving the canal about 4.00pm and entering familiar territory, the Mediterranean Sea, which was when our pilot disembarked.

After watching the TV news we were delighted to hear that the UK and most of Europe had opened their air space enabling flights to resume and get the back-log of passengers home. Hopefully, this will now enable us to fly home on Saturday as planned, providing the volcano does not create further mayhem.
I also went to jewellery class and made a pair of earrings to match my necklace so at least I have something to show for my efforts.
We had to put our clocks forward one hour this evening and we also have to be up at 7.00am for a ‘face to face’ immigration inspection before we are allowed to disembark in Haifa, Israel, so we decided to have a night in! I watched a film whilst enjoying my tea-time cocktails (this is getting to be a habit I may not be able to live up to!) Then I went on the internet and we researched where we wanted to go to in Haifa tomorrow and that looks to be interesting. Alan ordered our evening meal and we enjoyed that together before a quiet hour watching the news (again!!)

2010-04-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 20th April – Sokhna, Egypt.

Sokhna is an industrial port mainly used by cruise ships for access to Cairo and the pyramids. There were no shuttle buses due to a strong taxi union forbidding this, so as we had visited Cairo some years ago and did not want to partake of a ten hour tour we decided to stay on the yacht.

The Pyramids of Egypt.
There are 238 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country’s Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. The earliest known is the Pyramid of Djoser (constructed 2630 BCE-2611 BCE) which was built during the third dynasty. The pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are considered to be the oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry.
The best known Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, of which several are counted among the largest structures ever built. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.
The three pyramids of Giza are Khufu (also known as the ‘Great Pyramid’) the ‘Pyramid of Cheops,’ the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices known as ‘Queen’s Pyramids’, and of course the Great Sphinx.

Our day began very leisurely and we took advantage of there only being seventy five passengers remaining on the yacht. We did our laundry!
After a long lunch and chats with numerous friends we decided to go back to our suite and sort out some more packing – we had already made a start a few days earlier. A couple of hours later we ordered tea and biscuits and I had some Paracetamol – yes, it was quite a headache deciding what to pack and where, as we are not really sure whether we will have to spend more time in Europe than expected due to the volcanic ash situation grounding planes into the UK.
Quite a few passengers had made alternative arrangements to leave today from Cairo, but their flights had been cancelled because the airports they were flying to had been closed. One couple, as far as we know, have flown from Cairo to Madrid and are booked on an overnight train to Paris, hoping to get to the Channel Tunnel. Another American couple have booked an 18 day cruise from Athens to the USA on Holland America. Our friends, Peter and Lesley, have booked flights from Haifa to Tel Aviv and then to New York with help from Seabourn. It’s a busy ship!! Others are waiting to see what happens when we arrive in Piraeus. We are not unduly concerned because we are booked with Seabourn on a ‘door to door’ world cruise, and have been assured that they will see it through. Alan jokingly suggested that the yacht sail from Israel straight back to the UK because all the passengers due to embark at Piraeus are stuck in the UK! Anyway, as it doesn’t matter to us, we will pack with a further few day’s extension to our holiday in mind, just in case we are held up in Greece!
Tonight, we had cocktails with Brian and Margaret in their suite and were joined by their friends, and our neighbours, Colin and Len, who did the first segment from Fort Lauderdale and then rejoined for the last segment from Dubai. Then we all went to the Colonnades for a most enjoyable evening and meal together. Our evening ended with a game of ‘Guess That Tune’ in the O Bar, where we came second.
We set sail at 8.00pm for the Suez Canal. Our journey to Haifa in Israel, our next port of call, is 297n miles from Sokhna, and I am looking forward to going ashore there. Tours will take people to visit Jerusalem, but we are not going.

2010-04-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Monday, 19th April – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

History
Early Times – In the span of 31 dynasties, from 3100BC, Egypt developed from a confederation of states to an absolute monarchy, producing the greatest monuments and highest culture on earth. In 332BC the land was conquered by Alexander the Great.
4th – 1st Centuries BC – Under Greek leadership, Alexandria became the dazzling residence of the Ptolemy rulers in 332BC. The Egyptian gods were Hellenised. In 48BC Cleopatra, the wife of Ptolemy XII, witnessed the arrival of the Romans. She acted as linchpin of the new Roman-Egyptian Empire, but when the Romans crushed the Egyptian naval fleet at Actium, she committed suicide.
1st – 9th Centuries – With the Roman Empire Christianity spread, although Emperor Severus was against it. The Christians fled into the dessert and built monasteries on the Red Sea coast, in Wadi Natrum and in the Sinai. Later, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the state religion, and non-Christians were pursued. In 395 Egypt fell to the Byzantine Empire transforming temples into monasteries and churches. In 640 the Arabs conquered the country and Egypt became a province of the Caliphate. Then the Omayyads ousted Christianity in favour of Islam.
10th -16th Centuries – In 969 the Fatimids took power and founded the El Azhar Mosque and University in Cairo. Under the ensuing government of the Mamelukes the state was reorganised: in 1268 Antioch and Jaffa were conquered, and in 1291 Acre. In 1517 the Ottoman Suleiman the Magnificent took Cairo.
17th – 19th Centuries – As a Turkish province, Egypt became impoverished and only regained importance with Napoleon’s campaign. In 1798, Napoleon triumphed over the Turkish governors but was vanquished by the English. In 1807 Mohammed Ali forced them to depart and under his government Egypt pushed its borders out into the Sudan and Syria forging links with Europe. In 1869 the Suez Canal was opened.
20th Century to present – In 1914 Egypt became a protectorate of the British, who acknowledged Sultan Fuad I as king in 1922. The founding of Israel led to the first Arab-Israeli war. King Farouk was deposed by a military coup in 1952 and the monarchy was abolished in 1953. A year later General Abdel Nasser came into power and nationalised the Suez Canal. The first conflict over the Sinai broke out but was calmed by the UN, whose troops guarded strategic points such as Sharm el Sheikh. In 1960 construction of the Aswan Dam began. In 1967 disputes with Israel triggered off again culminating in the Six-Day War, Israeli occupation of the Sinai and Gaza Strip, and the closure of the Canal. In 1970, Anwar Saddat succeeded Nasser and under his rule the country turned toward the West. In the October war of 1973 the Egyptians wrest control of the Canal again and after mediation by the USA armistice is declared. In 1977 Sadat visited Israel and the USA fro peace negotiations, which eventually resulted in the Treaty of Camp David (on the Suez Canal.) The Israelis then evacuated the Sinai progressively and in 1980, both states established diplomatic relations. In 1981 Sadat and Begin met in Sharm el Sheikh. In the same year Sadat was assassinated by Muslim fundamentalists. His successor, Hosni Mubarak, continued Sadat’s programme.

Sharm el Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt’s South Sinai Government. It is also known as ‘The City of Peace’ referring to the large number of international peace conferences held here. It was known as ‘Sharm ush-sheikh’ (Beard of Sheikh, in Arabic) during the Ottoman rule, and ‘Ofira’ during the Israel occupation. Sharm el Sheikh was formerly a commercial port, but this has been reduced and tourism has taken over. The entire area is being developed into vast numbers of holiday resorts. In 2000 there were 91 resorts and guest nights increased to 5.1 million! It is not the sort of place we would holiday, but it would be good for families who like sun, sand and sea – also souvenir shops, karaoke restaurants and casinos (say no more!)

We were in port when I awoke, and Alan had already booked us on the 10.00am shuttle to a popular bay resort, so I quickly packed my bag for a morning in a nice place. As we approached the resort it didn’t appeal to us because it was far too touristy, but we decided there was no harm in having a walk round to see what was there. First of all we discovered that the shops did not open until 11’ish! We carried on and found a few smaller shops open, but it was all very ‘tacky’ and catered in a big way for swimmers, beach babes and collectors of bric-a-brac. One or two very nice jewellery shops were there, but none were open so that was perhaps fortunate. An hour later we caught the shuttle bus back to the yacht, although many passengers were delighted with the place because they wanted the beach etc. The crew who had time off loved it!

After lunch we boarded our tour bus for ‘Tea in the Bedouin Desert’. This venture took us out to a secluded valley in the desert surrounded by the stunning mountains of Sinai. We were greeted by a troupe of dancers and musicians who played us into their camp to experience Bedouin hospitality and the authentic life of nomads at an Arabian campsite.

The temperature of the day had been excessive and at this time in the afternoon if was very hot, somewhere in the high 30 degrees C and without humidity so it really burned. I went ahead of Alan to quickly find two seats on the carpet covered palm tree trunks inside the Bedouin tent; otherwise we would have had a cushion on the sand. There were many tables without protection from the sun and we couldn’t have coped with that, in fact not many did. Some had umbrellas from the ship to shade themselves and others were ‘sun seekers’ anyway. Everyone was very happy and many eager to begin their experience with a camel ride around camp. Lots of guests had taken the trouble to purchase traditional dress, including men, who also wore Arabian headdresses.

Our own crew served high tea to us and we were invited to help ourselves to dainty cakes or scones and jam, it was very English. No alcohol was served as Bedouins do not partake. Alan and I had copious cups of iced water to quench our thirst and didn’t bother with the delicacies on offer. Cold flannels were dispensed throughout!

During all of this we were entertained by Bedouin dancers and whirling dervish, which absolutely amazed me as I had never seen this performed before. I took a lot of movie film and still photos to remind us of this delightful afternoon in the desert.

Once back on board we bathed and then rested after our tiring day due to the heat. The captain announced that due to a particularly low tide we would not be able to leave port until 8.00pm instead of 6.00pm, but as this wouldn’t interfere with our evening we left it in his capable hands.
I think I had over indulged in this evening’s champagne and caviar because I wasn’t very hungry – (or it may have been the chocolate chip cookies earlier!) We dined in the Colonnades restaurant again and I had soup and then crab cakes from the starter menu. Alan also had soup and then went for the rib eye steak that he has said all along is the best he has ever tasted.
I was feeling very tired and although I wanted to go and see the comedian I decided to go to bed, while Alan went to do his own thing and socialise.
We have 207n miles to sail overnight to Sokhna, Egypt, where all tours will go to Cairo to visit the pyramids and museum. We have done all this before and therefore will have a relaxing day on board, I doubt we will take a taxi into town as we are told there is nothing to see as this is purely a port for Cairo. Perhaps I will pack!! There are only three more days of our 108 day cruise. My goodness, time does pass quickly.

2010-04-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 18th April – Aqaba, Jordan.

History
10th – 5th Centuries BC – Around 1000BC King Solomon mined copper in the valley of Timna and exported it to Africa and India. He built a fleet at Ezion Geber (possibly present day Aqaba) with the intention of sending an expedition to the mysterious land of Ophir (probably East Africa, rich in gold.)
4th Century BC – 1st century – The region north of the Red Sea comprised the powerful kingdom of the Nabataeans, whose capital was Petra, an important commercial centre for spice trade and caravan routes between Saudi Arabia and Syria, and linked Egypt, Arabia and Mesopotamia.
2nd – 6th Centuries – In the year 106, the Romans overpowered the Nabataean civilisation and annexed it to the Roman province of Arabia. Petra flourished whilst on the Damascus to Egypt route but as trade routes changed their commerce declined.
7th – 12th Centuries - In 639 Caliph Omar I conquered Aqaba (then called Ayla) in the name of Islam. In 1116 the Crusaders took Aqaba and erected small forts on an nearby islet and at Wadi Musa near Petra. In the late 12th century the entire region fell under the sway of Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria.
13th – 18th Centuries – In the 14th century Mameluke sultan Qamsah al-Ghouri built a citadel at Aqaba and Petra faded from memory.
19th Century – In 1812, Swiss explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt rode into the narrow gorge Bab es-Siq and discovered the intact monuments of the Petra civilisation (now one of the New Seven Wonders of the World) and became the first Westerner to visit the Holy Cities of Arabia.
20th Century – present – During WWI Emir Faisal I of Arabia established his headquarters at Aqaba during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turks. In 1925 the Pact of Hadda modified the small borders of Saudi Arabia. Aqaba was henceforth integrated into the newly created Transjordan. Fifty years later King Hussein of Jordan built a deep-water commercial port at this oasis-city. On 30th October, 1994, a peace treaty signed by Israel and Jordan put an end to years of tension. King Hussein died in February, 1999 and was succeeded by his son, Abdullah II. In 2003 women were admitted to the government.

Aqaba – In 1965, King Hussein traded the Saudis 400 miles of Jordanian desert for eight miles of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba. This land was the site of the sleepy fishing village called Aqaba with a long and historic past. Recent excavations have revealed a third-century church, one of the world’s oldest. In mediaeval times Aqaba was an important part of Palestine before being absorbed into the Ottoman Empire, at a time when Lawrence of Arabia figured in local history.

Petra – lost to the desert for centuries, Petra is one of the most spectacular sites of antiquity. A rose-hued city carved out of solid sandstone, Petra is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of The New Seven Wonders of the World. The area lay lost to all but nomadic Bedouins until 1812, and not until 1929 did excavations of the site begin.

Leaving Alan on the yacht I joined a tour to Petra at 8.00am. After enjoying a scenic two hour drive through the sand stone desert where we saw many Bedouin camps, to Wadi Musa, where the visitors centre was located and began our journey toward the hidden city. Proceeding on foot to the mile-long Siq (‘the shaft’) a narrow gorge with steeply rising sides that all but obliterated the sun - a long walk or a slow ride on a donkey, or by donkey cart? I chose to walk because it was down hill and our guide said that we would be stopping at certain points of interest. We wandered in the heat of the day through the impressive eastern entrance leading steeply down through a dark, narrow gauge (in places 3 to 4 metres wide) sheltered by the enormous rocks on either side of the Siq. (Harrison Ford rode through here in one of his films.)

The Siq was an amazing place, some crevices had been created by earthquakes where the rock had literally just separated and it was possible to see where the two sides had fit together. The rock had a rose hue and was marbled with colours that made us gasp at its beauty. This had been used to its advantage and enhanced the magnificent sculptures done by the Nabataeans all those centuries ago, and is why Petra is called the ‘pink city.’

Over thirty thousand had once inhabited this secret place and so being in the desert drinking water had to be stored. The area is visited by flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits (gutters carved out of the rock.) Petra not only possessed the advantage of a fortress but also controlled the main commercial camel routes. It is also in an area of the desert where there are many springs.

We walked for about a mile until we saw light at the end of the gorge revealing the most magnificent sight of ‘The Treasury’ (or El Khaznez) hewn into the sandstone cliff in a natural canyon called Wadi al Jarra. After drawing my breath I began taking photographs, one after the other for fear I had missed something!

For many years it was thought that this ‘treasury’ was where treasure or wealth was stored, but as recent as 2003, since finding bone fragments, it was proven to be a burial chamber for very high-ranking personages – a sovereign and his relatives.

We were not allowed inside but could view the empty chambers from the entrance, which was protected by an elegantly dressed guard carrying all forms of weapon.

This gorge bends right from the canyon and I progressed along the sand and stone route admiring all the amazing carved facades of the tombs and catacombs. Stepping inside I took a few photographs of the beautiful ceilings and walls that rippled with colour from layers of mineral deposits.
Further down we came across the theatre where seats were carved from another rock face and resembled a Roman amphitheatre, from which the design had been taken. This we were informed had been used for every event – acting, fighting, marriage, celebration, and even sacrifice (animal.) In the rock face above there were also more tombs to be seen.

Walking on, I looked up to my right and saw where the Royal Tombs had been carved into the rock face; these were magnificent, with pillars and columns as well as urns and ornate animal carvings. Numerous steps led toward the entrance but time was not on our side and we did not have enough of it to venture upwards, so all we could do was stand back and admire the creativity of the inhabitants of Petra all those centuries ago.

Our guide informed us that it would take about seventy-five minutes to walk back to the visitor’s centre, where we were to meet and go for lunch at 1.30pm. It was 12.15pm already! I had much to do before heading back up the Siq so I left the group and went on my own rove, taking photographs and peering into tombs as well as quick glances at the small tent like souvenir stalls. I walked briskly and met up with Peter and Lesley so we journeyed most of the last up hill mile together. Then I decided that I would ride the last half mile on one of the horses – so I paid my $6 and climbed on. The guide walked with the horse and I enjoyed the rest! We all arrived at the meeting point together, but I wasn’t tired!
Our lunch was at a very elegant five star hotel not too far away, so everyone from the yacht was there to enjoy the buffet. After which it was a short stroll back to the bus for our two hour drive back. I had bought a book about Petra – an archaeological guide and history of the civilisation, so I read most of it on our return journey.
When we arrived at the Odyssey all seven busses received a warm welcome from the crew and a glass of champagne before embarking. Alan was watching for my return and waved from the balcony of our suite.
After a long refreshing bath I showed him all 108 photos that I had transferred to my lap-top so that he could feel that he had been there too. I am sure I will be remembering more to tell him as the days pass.
We sailed from Aqaba at 6.00pm for our next port, Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt, only 100n miles away so we will be there before morning. Tonight we put our clocks back the hour we advanced for Jordan last evening.
I had enjoyed my day immensely and was really pleased that I had decided to go to Petra after all. What an amazing and magnificent place it is!
I was tired, but we went to the Colonnades for dinner, only to find that practically all the ship had take room service this evening, and so we dined almost alone. Alan then went to the Club to enjoy some music and a drink while I returned to unwind and catch up on the blog!!

2010-04-17T12:44:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 17th April – Safaga, Egypt - Day 2.

I slept until 10.30am so I must have been tired! Alan didn’t have his swim instead he did the laundry for us, so that was a great help.

He had watched the ferry arrive at 4.00am when about two hundred Egyptians disembarked and unloaded what appeared to be their worldly goods. There were mattresses, chairs, bikes, tyres, buckets, carpets and numerous other articles that were all in well worn condition, as well as lots of cardboard boxes and suitcases. These people had been to Saudi Arabia to celebrate Mecca at Harr and brought back what they had purchased whilst there. It took until 4.30pm for them all to get through customs on the pier before us so we had quite an amusing day watching the process.

Then, at 5.00pm another ferry arrived, and the whole thing happened again, but this time wives and children were with the men. Apparently, Muslims have to attend Harr at least once in their lifetime. I was so relieved that they were not our new passengers embarking!

We spent the whole day at leisure again and didn’t venture far at all. I went to see the documentary about Petra so I do know quite a bit about where I am going tomorrow, and its history, which is fascinating - more on this when I return.
We watched everyone return from their two days in Luxor and the Valley of the Kings before we sailed at 6.00pm. We have 184n miles to Aqaba, sailing through the Gulf of Suez into the Gulf of Aqaba and then along the Sinai Peninsula to arrive at 7.00am tomorrow. The temperatures in Jordan are likely to be in the high 30s so I must go prepared.

This evening we had cocktails in our suite and then met George and Ann for dinner because we were unable to accept their last invitation. We ate al fresco at Colonnades and enjoyed the warm air with a light breeze and no humidity for a change, it was delightful. Unlike Britain, we did not have the problem of flies around our food either!
Alan went for a drink and then to see the comedian, but as I had a early start and we also had to put our clocks forward by one hour, I decided it was best to retire early– so I did!

2010-04-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

Friday, 16th April – Safaga, Egypt.

The next six days takes us from the Red Sea Coast into Upper Egypt where we enjoyed a ten day Nile Cruise some years ago. Having visited all the amazing ancient Egyptian sites possible at that time we may not take any tours this time, but instead will enjoy our port visits.

There is a great deal of history for Egypt - and far too much to describe in detail but here is a brief outline.
3rd Millennium BC – The Old Kingdom started with the 1st and 2nd dynasties. First King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt about 3000BC with its capital at Memphis. Pyramid period with 3rd to 6th dynasties. In the 6th dynasty, a decline and division into small kingdoms.
3rd – 2nd Millennium BC – First Intermediate Period with 7th to 10th dynasties. Individual Kingdoms until Mentuhotep I reunited Egypt and made Thebes its capital. Middle Kingdom with 11th and 12th dynasties was the classical period when art and literature reached their highest point and the Nile’s irrigation system was expanded. Second Intermediate Period with 13th to 17th dynasties.
16th – 12th Centuries BC – New Kingdom with 18th to 20th dynasties. Egypt was again reunited and became an Imperial State, extending its borders and power (especially under Thutmose III) reaching the greatest period in history. Under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) a new religion was briefly introduced replacing Egyptian gods by a single god, Aton. Temples were built at Luxor, Karnak and Abu Simbel (mainly under Ramses II).
11th – 4th Centuries BC – Late Period with 21st – 31st dynasties. Invasion by Libyans, later by Nubians and Assyrians. During the so-called Renaissance period, during the 26th dynasty, Egypt became a united kingdom yet again from 664 until 525BC, when the Persians added it to their empire.
4th – 1st Centuries BC – Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 and the last Pharaoh was dethroned. Greek Period with dynasty of Ptolemy. Alexandria became the capital and a centre at Hellenism. Cleopatra was the last queen before the arrival of the Romans in 30BC.
1st – 7th Centuries – St Mark began spreading Christianity about 40AD. Egypt was first governed from Rome and later from Byzantium.
7th – 13th Centuries – In 639 the Arabs invaded and spread Islam. Fatimid conquered Egypt in 969 and established a new capital at Cairo. In 1169 the Fatimids were defeated by the armies of Saladin who established his own dynasty, the Ayyubids.
13th – 16th Centuries – The Ayyubids were ousted by Mamelukes (Turkish soldiers and freed slaves) who took over.
16th – 19th Centuries – The Turks conquered Egypt in 1517. As an Ottoman province it declined and Napoleon occupied Egypt (1798-1801). Mohammed Ali, an officer in the Ottoman Turkish army, seized power in 1811. Breaking away from Ottoman rule he modernised the army and agriculture, and made his family hereditary rulers. The Suez Canal opened in November, 1869. The British occupied Egypt in 1882.
20th Century – present – During WWI British governors declared Egypt’s independence from its Turkish sovereign. Prince Fuad I became king, but real power remained in British hands. Rommel’s German Afrika Corps., invaded Egypt but was turned back at El Alamein west of Alexandria in 1942. In 1952 King Farouk was overthrown by military officers. Egypt was declared a republic and General Abdel Nasser became Head of State in 1953. The Aswan high Dam was built. After wars with Israel in 1956, 67 and 73, a peace treaty was signed under Sadat in 1979. He was assassinated in 1981 and succeeded by Hosni Mubarak.

Safaga is a tourist port on the Red Sea well known for its coral reefs and deep sea diving so the whole area, although dessert, is being developed with hotels and apartments. I read that the sea was plentiful with tuna, manta, and sharks, so I doubted I would even paddle. Safaga has numerous phosphate mines and is regarded as the phosphates export centre, also well known for its mineral springs for relief of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. A road links it to Qena, 101 miles north in Upper Egypt.

We arrived in the Safaga Main Quay at 7.00am, but I was not aware of this because I was still fast asleep having decided last evening that we would not dash off early. Alan had been awake since 4.00am and already had his swim by 5.00am so he was able to watch our arrival into port. He said that from deck 5 he could see hundreds of pink, blue, and white jelly fish floating around the ship, but when we went to look after lunch only a few white ones remained. The sea was indeed a beautiful clear turquoise and we could understand the desire to snorkel here. We moored next to the Aluminium Works but could see many other industrial sites and much building work in progress. We were on the edge of a high mountain range with sand dunes that were being excavated to build new hotel resorts.
However, at 10.30am we caught the shuttle bus that took us on a short ride through a sandy dessert area being developed for tourism. There were many unfinished hotels and apartment blocks, the completed promenade was very beautiful, but it was not being used as there were no holiday makers. Seven very beautiful small yachts were moored on a long jetty, but I doubt their owners would want to walk to nowhere! The new dual carriageway headed directly to cities in the north, so this was very much in use for transportation of goods from the phosphate mines and aluminium works.
The Lotus Bay Resort had been completed. Our bus stopped to let some of the crew off because that was where they got good discount for using the facilities. When they get an hour they like to relax on the beach and swim so they can use our shuttles if not full. Sometimes we take their advice because they usually know from experience, where is best!
This time we stayed on the bus and went a little further to the Holiday Inn. At first the area looked inviting with lots of shops and nice shaded areas to stroll, but having spent an hour wandering around numerous bazaars filled with the same souvenirs we caught the 12.00pm bus back to port. We could have paid to use the pool etc at the Holiday Inn, but why, when we have all we wanted on the yacht?
It was quite fun in the bazaars because I tried on a few necklaces and looked at long kaftans. The young Arab shopkeeper asked me to marry him because he said I looked like I wasn’t being looked after!! I think it was because I had left Alan outside talking to another passenger. It took a while for me to remove myself from his firm embrace which really began to annoy me. I would have probably bought the necklace had he shown less interest in me. Well, I suppose I should be flattered at my age!
We enjoyed our lunch on a quiet yacht because so many of the passengers had taken the over-night trip to Luxor some 137 miles west (3½ hours) – I have to say, the sights will be worth it – tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor and Karnak Temples, and many others; we remember them well.
Today was really hot, around 38 degrees C and relatively little humidity, so we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and looked forward to our evening with Barry. We are in port two days so we may go somewhere else tomorrow.
Cocktails with Barry were at 7.30pm having already had our 6.00pm cocktails! Then we three went up to the Colonnades restaurant where we enjoyed an Asian buffet on the outer deck, which was really pleasant because there was a light breeze. We chatted until 10.30pm because Barry actually had a night off! The restaurant filled up after 8.30pm when the day trip from Luxor arrived back (this was as well as the overnight trip to Luxor) I bet some of these people were exhausted after their long and hectic day!
Tomorrow is another day in Safaga – I wonder what we will do (or not do!) I did take the opportunity today and book my tour to Petra from Aqaba, Jordan, on Sunday, but Alan will remain on the yacht as the walking could prove to be too extensive for him. I will bring back lots of film to show him.

2010-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 15th April – Cruising the Red Sea.

This morning we crossed the border from Sudan into Egyptian waters. By noon we had the Saudi Arabian coastline to port side with only 300 n miles to Safaga, where we are expected to arrive at 7.00am tomorrow.
Our day was almost a repeat of the previous three days as lectures, trivia, jewellery making and other activities followed routine. In trivia we held our position and in jewellery class I made a couple of ankle bracelets, whether I will ever wear them is another matter.
This evening we were dining with Jean, who wanted to celebrate her late husband’s birthday. We were joined by Barry Hopkins, also Louise and Craig, so it made a good lively table for conversation.
As cruise director, Barry had to leave to introduce the Liar’s Club at 10.00pm so we drew our evening to an end and joined him in the Grand Salon. It was a fun game but our team did not win – it was won by one man who arrived late and formed his own team!! He explained that he had studied Latin and Greek and therefore had an excellent knowledge of the words in the quiz – lucky chap!
Because it was the first debate of the UK General Election I was eager to catch it on TV, which was at 10.30pm, so as soon as the show ended I dashed off to our suite and watched the debate between our three party leaders. I have to say I wasn’t particularly impressed, but time will tell, it was only the first debate. Alan went for a nightcap in the bar!
We put our clocks back one hour this evening which now makes us only one hour ahead of the UK. We are catching up! We are not heading off on any early tours tomorrow so we will have yet another late start to our day.

2010-04-14T14:06:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, 14th April – Cruising the Red Sea.

The earliest known exploration of the Red Sea was conducted by Ancient Egyptians as they attempted to establish commercial routes to Punt. Two known expeditions took place around 2500BC and another around 1500BC and both were long voyages.
The Biblical Book of Exodus tells the story of the Israelites’ miraculous crossing of a body of water, which the Hebrew text calls Yam Suph, and is traditionally identified as the Red Sea. It can also be translated as Sea of Reeds, which draws doubt upon the claim that the crossing of the Red Sea actually occurred on the Red Sea!

I am not quite sure whether it is a good thing to have BBC and Sky news on our TV at this moment in time – our General Election in the UK looms! Every time we switch on there are politicians arguing and insulting each other, so it’s back to earth with a bump and not quite what we want to hear during breakfast! Perhaps there’s a film to watch instead!
Our noon report from the captain was entertaining because in his usual humorous manner he expressed his delight that we had not been attacked by pirates and we were now cruising at a leisurely pace through the Red Sea. I think we were pleased too!
Trivia was not our best game, but then again the questions seemed to fox a few others too, so in the end we were still in the lead! We had an observer, the comedian from last evening, who Barry informed us was looking for new material for his next show! I wonder what he will produce?
I had lunch with friends while Alan went to sort out our baggage labels that had arrived with the wrong address! It seems that everyone is preparing for our disembarkation now. Later I went to jewellery making class and threaded a wire with mixed beads that I am told was a magic wire necklace – well it was something, and it took about twenty minutes to make so I accepted it gratefully and returned to our suite for coffee and chocolate chip biscuits! I put on a film and relaxed while Alan prepared for our special world cruise evening.
At 6.30pm, and dressed in formal black and white as requested, we wandered along to the Grand Salon where we were greeted by Barry and all the cruise team. The waiters were on hand with champagne and caviar as well as steak tartar, of which Alan enjoyed several canapés.
Then the entertainment began and we were delighted by each member of the cruise team who sang the song of their choice. The captain gave a speech and then Barry presented a selection of photographs had been taken throughout our cruise by him and passengers, all of which were excellent. He then announced that we would all receive a computer card with them on, rather than a CD.
Then we went to join Captain Mark Dexter who had invited us to dine at his table on the rear deck at Colonnades restaurant. It was a beautiful warm evening with low humidity that made it most enjoyable to dine al fresco. There were nine of us at the table and we knew them all very well so that made for a good start to the evening. Our meal of six courses was excellent and the conversation stimulating.

The captain makes a very good host and after our meal he asked us to turn our chairs and look up, he then proceeded to explain what stars there were in the sky and how he would use them for navigation, this was most interesting indeed. Time passed very quickly and it was gone 11.00pm when we eventually left the table. Alan went for a nightcap and I returned to our suite where I found another gift had been left for us from Seabourn, a very elegant lacquer box with the world map on the lid. This will remind us of our 2010 world cruise every time we use it.

2010-04-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 13th April – Cruising the Gulf of Aden.

We travelled through the night knowing that our escort ship, HMS Chatham, was ensuring our safe passage through troubled waters. By noon when we had left the Gulf of Aden and entered the narrow passage into the Red Sea she turned to leave us and return through the Gulf as escort to other ships. It had been a very interesting experience, and fortunately, a safe journey without incident. We were not on our own as there were many ships heading toward the Red Sea and its many ports, as well as ultimately, the Suez Canal.

Our day began with Alan having his usual swim before I awoke and then returning to join me for breakfast. I was up quite early and tried to finish threading my pearls but I gave up because they were so unevenly placed!
The captain gave his noon report confirming our position and informed us that by 4.00pm we should be entering the Red Sea, where we would require two more days sailing before our arrival at Safaga for an overnight stay to enable visits to Luxor.
Then it was trivia, and we didn’t do very well at all, although neither did anyone else! We scored 140 points and then luckily got the hundred bonus points so that kept us in the lead – but only just!
We had a quiet lunch on our own before returning to the suite where Alan went for a snooze and I began watching a film, ‘New Moon,’ about vampires, but not scary. It hadn’t finished when it was time for my jewellery making class so I had to leave it on pause until I returned, and then I did watch it through to the open ending! (There will be a sequel!)
I finished the necklace that I had started yesterday and was quite pleased with it, so the pearls will remain loose until I find another use for them. Tomorrow, I understand we are going to use memory wire, whatever that is – we shall see?

Our evening started quite early with cocktails at 6.30pm by invitation of David and Mary, also their neighbours, Linda and John. There were about twenty guests and we all circulated between both suites enjoying chit-chat and canapés, many faces we knew but had not developed into close friendships, where others we had enjoyed dining and touring with them several times.

(Theresa, our purser, enjoyed the cocktail party too,)

Following this we met Henry and Susan who had invited us, along with Jean, to dine with them in the Colonnades. This went on right through to show time when we left them to go and see Dale Gonyea, a comedy pianist who was very amusing because he had written short songs that described ports we had visited since he joined the yacht – and how right he was! We laughed so much and agreed that he had been the best variety act since we joined in Fort Lauderdale.
Before retiring we went to the Club for drinks and sat with Marlene and Tim who are from Doncaster, it’s a small world because there is another couple also from Doncaster on this segment.

2010-04-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Monday, 12th April – Cruising the Arabian Sea.

The first of our four days at sea began very leisurely again because last night we put our clocks back by one hour – according to my lap top we are now two hours behind GMT (but than can be argued as I am totally lost now!)
I decided that I must catch up on my pearl threading so that this afternoon I would be at the same stage as everyone else because I had missed yesterdays class due to going to the movies! (When I did eventually get to class everyone was the same and we started threading beads!!) I wondered if we would ever finish our pearl necklaces.
Back to noon and the captain’s report – he said that if we looked out to stern we would be able to see the Royal Navy ship HMS Chatham that was escorting us because it was following behind along with some other ships. We felt safe – and our captain seemed quite confident so we accepted the situation and got on with our next game of trivia.
It was exciting and fun as usual because we welcomed yet another team to our midst – they keep popping up from nowhere! What was strange involved a lady who decided to sit with our team and eat all our popcorn whilst announcing that she was ‘only an observer.’ We worried what Henry might say when he arrived and found her sitting in his chair (rather like Daddy Bear!) However, before Henry arrived Alan saved the day – he suggested that she might like to sit at the next table and take our popcorn with her - so she replied ‘I guess you are telling me to get lost’ – and he said ‘Yes, but in a polite way, I hope you understand!’ The lady took our popcorn with her and left the room!! It was a really weird situation that to appreciate you had to witness.
Anyway, it was a good game and although we didn’t win the round we are still leading, but only just - must do better tomorrow.
Alan had had a big breakfast so he missed lunch and I went to eat with Henry, Susan and Jean. We arranged a couple of evenings when we would dine together before I returned to our suite and helped Alan with the packing. Too many things, cases still too heavy and not really interested yet, so we left it for another day! Have we really only twelve days left?
I had a bath and we got ready for our early evening cocktails with the captain at 6.45pm. It was recognition time and because we had achieved our 100 days of sailing with Seabourn we each received a Tiffany lapel pin. (Unfortunately, my pin had a faulty fastener so when I mentioned it to Jennifer Kok she said she would change it.) I suggested that Alan might like to make them into cuff links – but we will see!
We dashed up to the O Bar to meet Brian, Colin and Len, with whom we were dining this evening. Unfortunately, Margaret was not feeling too well so she couldn’t join us. We had a table booked in Restaurant 2, which was great, and the food was without doubt, excellent again, and we all enjoyed each others company during the meal.
I decided to return to our suite at 10.30pm to write the blog while Alan and others went to the bar for a night cap.
Another lazy day at sea tomorrow – but so much to do in so little time!!

2010-04-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 11th April – Salalah, Oman.

History
Early Times – The Persians established the ‘falaj’ irrigation system 2000 years BC. By the second century BC, Oman was already a trading and maritime centre for boats sailing to India, East Africa and even China.
7th Century – The Omanis were converted to Islam before the death of the Prophet Mohammed in 632. The Ibadhi sect took preference and the Imams were elected as religious and national rulers.
14th- 16th Centuries – Sohar on the north coast was a rich and major port through its imports from the East. In 1507 the Portuguese took over the coast to protect their own commercial shipping routes to the Indies.
17th Century – In 1622 Muscat was fortified by the Portuguese. Civil War between rival leaders ended when Nasir bin Murshid was elected Imam. He united the country between 1624 and 1649 and started evicting the Portuguese from Muscat. Sultan bin Saif succeeded his cousin in 1650 and the Portuguese were driven out, the irrigation system repaired, agriculture extended and the navy improved.
18th - 19th Centuries – In 1730, Oman took over the island of Zanzibar, off the east African coast. The election of Ahmed bin Said ended the Civil War and the first of a series of agreements with the British was made in 1798. The Omani empire thrived under Sultan Said bin Said, who ruled from 1804 – 1856. He added Dhofar to his realm and controlled part of the east African coast. Upon his death one of his sons became Sultan of Zanzibar, the other Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Britain persuaded the new Sultan to end trade in slaves and arms. The interior of the country rose up against the ruler and problems continued into the 20th Century.
20th Century – In 1920 the Treaty of Seeb restored peace but trouble started again. The British helped them achieve peace in 1959 but in 1963 the southern province of Dhofar rebelled and the war continued until 1975. In 1970, Sultan Qaboos bin Said deposed his father and changed the country’s name to the Sultanate of Oman and the country spent heavily (1970-1974) on much needed development, and oil exports began. With oil output diminishing prospecting continued, along with agricultural and industrial expansion and a limited development of tourism. In 2003 Universal Suffrage was established for both men and women.

Salalah is the provincial capital of Dhofar and the second city of Oman. Once a significant port trading in frankincense extracted from trees that have grown for centuries on the neighbouring hills, it is now very modern but has managed to maintain much of its Arab charm and character. The Al Husn Souk is well known with colourful isles where frankincense, spices, textiles, jewellery and artefacts can be found.

We heard that there was only going to be a free bus into Al Husn Souk from the ship between 9.00am and 12.00pm because the souk closed at 1.00pm on Sunday - so we were up early and on the 9.00am bus. This took twenty-five minutes from an industrial port along a very new dual carriageway to the souk. Because the taxi union does not approve of free shuttle buses we were all given a ‘tour’ ticket to Al Husn Souk! The guide on the bus gave us a very informative talk about tapping the trees to obtain frankincense and myrrh, which colour to purchase, for what purpose, and how to eat or burn it, for whatever purpose it was required. It was very interesting and I understand it now.

Upon our arrival at the souk and when we departed the bus our ‘tour’ guide told us to be back at 11.00am to return to the ship – so we told him that we would get a taxi back as we wanted to stay longer and see more of Salalah. He didn’t seem to understand that the people on the ‘tour’ to the souk wanted to see far more than that. Anyway, we managed to convince him that he should return to the ship to pick up the 10.00am ‘tour’ to the souk as they would be waiting for him. Seabourn did not organise this well at all!
On either side of the well lit dual carriageway en route to the souk were beautiful new limestone buildings, either homes, or hotels, but nothing else at all other than the limestone quarry. This is indeed a vast country with more space than we imagined.
When we arrived at the Al Husn Souk it was rows of shops forming a block, with a few small passages linking them together – very modern and purpose built.

Alan and I wandered straight across the road and onto the beautiful white beach, where the amazingly turquoise waves were crashing down and would have been a delight for any surfer. A large crab was hiding in a hole away from the strong sunshine. Other than this the beach was empty except for two red warning signs that stood to the right of us. These were in Arabic and English – warning us not to venture passed them as this was a private beach. It certainly was, the palace of Sultan Qaboos had been built to stand on the beach and we had an unrestricted view of its magnificence and enormity.

Back across the road we wandered round the first shop selling frankincense inhaling the fragrant aroma from the incense burners, very reminiscent of high church. The burners were on sale with varying grades of incense so we purchased a couple, as did Margaret and Brian who accompanied us. The lady in the shop who was wearing full Arab dress with only her eyes visible demonstrated how to wear sandalwood perfume. First she burned sandalwood for us and then placed the incense burner up her robe, which absorbed the aroma (and black smoke) then she asked us to smell her robe, which we duly leant forward and did. I would worry more about my clothing being scorched! (It did actually smell very pleasant, but I wondered how long it would last?) The packets on the counter are grains of frankincense in varying colours of quality.

Our tour of the small shops provided us with more opportunities to purchase incense, kaftans, pashminas or carpets. Margaret was tempted to four reasonably priced kaftans and I found some Arabic balloon leggings, of which I bought two pairs and had to have the elastic threaded whilst I waited.

It was only a small shopping area so we decided to get a taxi together and go to the city centre, so after the men had bartered a while we climbed in.
When we arrived at the ‘city centre’ it was yet another area of new limestone buildings with no hint of being a city centre, so we emphasised again that we wanted to go to where the shops and markets were. Our driver insisted this was the city centre, but we could look at the market first – so we all climbed out and followed him.

Inside it was very busy because it was a market where fruit and vegetables were being sold and these were very well displayed. As we progressed we met our chef and his followers who were doing a ‘shop’ for the ship! One passenger whispered to me, ‘chef won’t buy any meat here!’

Leaving them to haggle we wandered through into the fish market, which was an amazing sight to see, enormous yellow fin tuna was being cut into huge ‘joints’ for wholesale purpose. Heads had bright eyes staring at us and were posed by the fishermen for admiration. The fish didn’t smell at all because it was so fresh and looked very inviting. I have never seen so many big fish on sale in any one market before, it was fantastic to see.

Moving through we caught sight of the meat market and I hurried along to see if it was a bad as the one at Mumbai – but nothing could be that bad surely! No it wasn’t, it appeared to be reasonably clean where the meat was being cut, but it was what they were placing on display that interested us. No traditional joints anywhere, they were making very pretty designs with the innards, rather like circles of sausage meat with pieces of tripe! (I have no idea what it was but we wouldn’t eat it.) Hanging from above there were long thin pieces of ‘something’, and obviously very much in demand.
I turned the corner and came face to face with the head of a camel – he had a silly grin on his face and no body! On a sack on the floor beside him was another camel’s head and with it were the lower limbs of his four legs – perhaps they don’t eat these as they are probably all bone – or maybe they are like pigs trotters? I didn’t stop to ask but I did take a photo!

It was so very interesting to see everything in the market that we thanked our driver for taking us, but asked him to take us back to the ship now as we had seen enough of Salalah. After negotiation and taxi fares here are one of the highest we have ever encountered – we agreed a price and returned for lunch. We did have one short stop on the way through a shopping area where we priced suitcases, but far too expensive so we will wait until Egypt.
We were dropped off at the port gates about a mile from the ship – and although a port bus had been organised we met other passengers that had been waiting quite some time, so we stopped a couple of cars that were entering the port and asked for a lift (one was a private hire and the other a security guard.) When we got to where the bus was waiting at the ship we woke up the driver and sent him to the port gates to collect everyone else! Very bad organisation again – we will pass comment.

Most of the passengers had gone on tours that were some distance away and would take three hours each way, but we didn’t want to spend this long on a bus. The tours were to holy places like Job’s tomb and these didn’t interest us enough to make the journey.
Once back on board with an empty ship we put our washing on whilst we enjoyed lunch, and then ironed afterwards. Clean clothes to start again!
Alan rested in the afternoon and I blogged – as usual!
Our evening in port under the stars commenced with a market style buffet and then led into a deck party where we were entertained by Barry and his team until the Odyssey set sail for Safaga in Egypt at 11.00pm – 1,791n miles. We understand that we will be travelling in convoy as this is where we are potentially most at risk from the Somalian pirates – but never fear - we are prepared!! We will be at sea for four days until our arrival on 16th April.

2010-04-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 10th April – Cruising the Arabian Sea.

We both had a good night’s sleep and awoke refreshed. We had decided to pack one suitcase with extras etc. so that we could estimate whether or not we would require another suitcase to get everything home! I didn’t realise that we had bought so much!!
There was a lecture I wanted to hear at 11.00am – neither of us had attended any for weeks, but this interested me. Archaeologist, Al Leonard, was talking about ‘Common Scents in Southern Arabia’ so I thought that this would give me an insight into the frankincense and myrrh we expect to be able to purchase in Salalah. It wasn’t quite so much about the incense as the story behind the trade routes and Solomon and Sheba, plus biblical references, so it didn’t really inspire me that much.
I met Alan for trivia at noon, just after the captain’s report, and we were pleased to see that the small new team had managed to grow to twelve persons. It wasn’t a very good day for us, unfortunately, we didn’t get many questions right, but what we did get right was when everyone else didn’t so this gained us double points – and we came out in the lead, much to our surprise!
Whilst at lunch I chatted to Barry Hopkins who informed me that the film, Avatar, would be showing on the big screen in the Grand Salon at 2.00pm – I hadn’t read my Herald!!! Although two hours and forty minutes, I decided to have an afternoon at the cinema and went along armed with chocolates, water and a cardigan because it does get quite chilly in there. I found myself a comfortable settee with unobstructed vision and settled down to watch. I thought the cinema would be full, but I think there were perhaps only thirty in the audience.
What a good film! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the cinematography; it certainly is a new dimension in filmmaking.
Because of the film I missed the jewellery making class so I expect will be behind everyone else when I next go!

We had another calm sea day with temperatures around 30 degrees C but no dolphins today.
Alan had snoozed most of the afternoon but because we have a full day in port tomorrow we agreed to dine in our suite this evening and just relax. The show is the Seabourn Singers, so its music, music and more music again.

2010-04-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

Friday, 9th April – Sailing the Arabian Sea.

It was good to wake this morning to a mill pond of an ocean and watch the flying fish as they skimmed the water, only to be followed by a school of dolphins that enjoyed taking the wake of the yacht as they leaped the white topped waves. At last there is life in the ocean and waves!
Alan had been walking the deck in the early morning and had spoken with a member of security who confirmed that they were on ‘look out’ duty for pirates. On deck high pressure hose pipes were already connected and laid out should they be needed to repel potential borders? During the noon day report Captain Dexter kept us all informed of security measures being taken and this evening a letter followed.
It was our first day of the new and final segment of our world cruise, and a fresh trivia team – my how we engaged in conversation with the new faces that arrived. A full team of twelve was easily established and we renamed ourselves ‘The Dirty Dozen!’
It was a very fun start and almost every team managed high points, perhaps the questions were easy to start us off, or perhaps my three cups of coffee triggered something that had lain dormant in my brain. However, we drew as top team so that was a respectable start – we could have won but chose the wrong one of two answers put forward! Oops!
We made a table of six for lunch and invited Patricia, who is travelling alone to join us - and almost an hour later we went our separate ways. I went to the jewellery class – my first time. It had been such a busy class that I hadn’t gone previously, but on this segment I decided to give it a try. Interesting – my row of pearls began to grow after an hour of repeatedly threading both needles, but perseverance is my middle name and I will go again tomorrow.
Alan had been on the balcony trying to have a snooze but had been mesmerised by the flying fish and not slept at all, so he came inside and went to bed while I caught up on my internet activities.
Several hours later our champagne and caviar arrived (also my bottle of cassis to create my own kir royale) - almost immediately we noticed from the window that there was a school of dolphin leaping to starboard and having great fun catching the wake of our yacht. We dashed out to watch this spectacular display for over twenty minutes and it has to be said that this is the best and longest dolphin display we have ever witnessed – truly magnificent! Very hot and humid too!
Tonight was a black-tie event and as we had no previous engagements (sad people!) we strolled in style to the restaurant where we had a romantic meal for two. It was great because our waiter recognised us from the first segment but had taken his two months vacation and then returned at Dubai – whilst we had continued our cruise. He was a breath of fresh air, a familiar face, because there are so many new crew members training for Sojourn that we now know very few!
After dinner we went to see the show, Chris Hamilton played the piano and sang a selection of songs. Afterwards we were introduced to Len and Colin from London, who were on the first segment and had just embarked again at Dubai for the last three weeks. They had been following my blog and couldn’t wait to meet Alan and me. (What fun, we are famous!) We are having dinner with them in a couple of days.
Actually, earlier today Patricia told me that my blog had been copied and pasted onto a travel site, but I will have to check which one it is. I wish I knew how many people were reading it?
Alan went with the guys to the O Bar for a night cap and I came back to do this – for you!!!! Sweet dreams!

2010-04-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 8th April – Dubai, day 2.

It was an early start, especially for me because I had to be up in time to enjoy my usual leisurely breakfast before meeting Brian and Margaret on the pier. We did very well because Alan and I were there at 9.15am bright eyed and bushy tailed awaiting our friend’s arrival. We had been watching all the disembarking passengers leaving the yacht this morning, which was a bit sad because many of our good friends had left too – but life goes on!
We got a taxi and headed for the gold souk at Deira, my favourite place in Dubai. I was excited to watch Alan’s face when he saw how many magnificent jewellery shops there were! I know Margaret and Brian were pleasantly surprised because I think they thought I had been exaggerating. When their eyes lit up I knew they would enjoy themselves and we left them to wander on their own.
It was extremely hot, somewhere in the region of about 36 degrees C at 10.00am so the day would get even hotter, but most of the gold souk is under cover. We started at the first shop where we left the taxi and worked our way along the street looking in every window with ‘oohs’ and ‘wows’ coming from us both. The jewellery we liked the most were the black and white diamond settings, there were some amazing designs for rings and matching pieces – and we hovered!
The 22 kt gold that is used in this country is very yellow and not totally to our liking, but their traditional designs, which are enormous pieces and must weigh the earth to wear are something to behold!

(Here is Alan in front of one of the hundreds of shops – and he is smiling because it was just before we left the souk and I had finally decided that I didn’t want anything!!)

The small narrow passages that extend off the main souk area are filled with small shops selling clothes, bags and an assortment of things. These men pestered us to go into their shops to try and sell us anything so we had to be very firm with them when answering. We nearly bought another suitcase but will wait until Egypt, although we will need one to take everything home that we’ve bought (and so will everyone else.)

We bumped into Margaret and Brian again, who showed us the ring that he had just purchased, and then we came across quite a few passengers from the yacht that had just arrived in the souk. It’s a small world!
We had spent almost four hours wandering around and stopped only briefly for a sandwich! Most of the shops offered good discounts when we looked at some pieces, mainly because business is not particularly good for them at this moment in time - as they all kept telling us in the hope that we would buy!
It got very busy in the afternoon because when we left the pier this morning two more ships were sailing in – the Aida Diva and The World, both very big in size. Alan told me that The World is a ship where people can purchase their suite for a million dollars, and when we looked at it the balcony suites did appear to be like an apartment.
After our most enjoyable souk visit we got a taxi back to the Odyssey where we were welcomed by David Greene, who is the new assistant cruise director and will replace Handré. We then had a relaxing afternoon because we had been invited to a surprise birthday celebration for our friend, Peter Champion, at 7.15pm.

We knew we were on the right deck because the noise from the suite echoed along the passage, so we were not first to arrive! Everyone was there before Diana brought Peter into the suite - and his face was a picture of surprise! He greeted us all and then settled on the settee to gather him self before mingling with his guests – Captain Dexter arrived and brought with him the captain that will be taking over on 24th April when we leave. Theresa, the purser, arrived with Anthony, the hotel manager. Barry our cruise director came too and the excursion team with several others as well as a few new passenger friends like our selves. It was a most enjoyable hour before we started to depart for dinner.

Alan had tried to book Restaurant 2 before we left the suite but had not managed to get through so we went to see if there was a table for us. We were greeted by Gozo, the maitre d’, who had a table waiting for us in anticipation of our arrival so that was just perfect. He was delighted that we had gone because he had asked us almost every day when at lunch. The meal was wonderful as usual, and we managed to eat it all too! It was a delightful end to a wonderful two days in Dubai and I was ready for bed! Alan on the other hand was ready to wander down to the Club for a nightcap with – whoever was there!
Apparently, he had met two men that had rejoined the ship having already travelled the first segment with us. They had been following my blog since then and are looking forward to meeting me. (Fame, at last!)

We had set sail for Salalah in the Omen at 6.00pm leaving behind quite a few of the crew that were on change over – unfortunately, that is what happens on a long cruise and we will have to get used to some new crew again.
We have 959 n miles to Salalah through the Arabian Sea where there may be pirates from Somalia. I understand that we are cruising in a large convoy with other ships for our safety, but we have also taken many precautions and are well protected should there be any situation. (If I had a weapon I would use it because I can’t be doing with all this gently, gently, approach!) Enough of this – time for bed.

2010-04-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 7th April - Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

History
Early Times – The Arabian Gulf coast came under the influence of the civilisations of Mesopotamia and the Indus River and fishing settlements developed along the Gulf coast. Nomads roamed the desert interior with their camel herds. With East-West trade routes passing along the Gulf goods from India and China reached coastal communities and travelled on the interior by camel caravan. In the 7th century the region was converted to Islam.
18th – 19th Centuries – A small fishing village grew at Dubai Creek. Britain seeking to control sea routes to India signed truces in 1820 with the Gulf coast sheikhdoms, which became known as the Trucial States. In 1833 Dubai was taken without a fight by a force of 800 men of the Bani Yas tribe from the Liwa oasis in the south, led by the Ali-Maktoum family who have ruled Dubai ever since. Further treaties gave Britain control over the defence and foreign affairs of the Trucial States, including Dubai. Tax exemptions for foreign traders attracted merchants from all over.
20th Century – Dubai became a major port of call for British steamships. In the 1930s the loss of the pearl trade to Japan was offset by the growth of Dubai’s gold trade. The discovery of oil created new opportunities. In 1958 Sheikh Rashid succeeded as ruler and invested in dredging the Creek which was silting up, and also the construction of Port Rashid. Although oil was discovered off shore in 1966, it was not dependent on this as Dubai became the Gulf’s chief trading port. Britain announced its withdrawal from the Gulf by 1970 and Dubai joined its neighbour, Abu Dhabi, and several smaller states in founding the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In 1990 Sheikh Rashid was succeeded by his son, Sheikh Maktoum. In the 1991 Gulf War the UAE supported the UN coalition to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Sheikh Maktoum died in Australia in 2006 and was succeeded by his brother, Mohammed Bin Rashid Maktoum.

We arrived in Port Rashid at 9.00am and watched from our balcony as the man who was ill was transferred into an ambulance and hoped he would have a speedy recovery. We were berthed at a new port area that was still under construction and it appeared as though it will be the major cruise terminal of the future. About 500 yards away the old QEII was moored awaiting a full refurbishment to become a hotel once the economy has improved in Dubai.
We were advised that shuttle buses had been organised to transport us to the Bur Juman Centre from 10.00am, so we headed off to catch the 10.30am run. When we got to the port entrance it was so crowded with passengers that we decided to share a taxi with Liz and John and go there under our own steam.
Upon our arrival we soon realised that it was a huge modern shopping mall! We needed money exchange so we ventured along the beautiful marble walkways and took care of that. I had a map so I asked the cashier where the gold souk was on my map – he pointed to the Deira Side of Dubai, over the creek. As soon as he said the name I knew that it was where I been before and wanted to take Alan, so that solved that little riddle for me, but this was to be tomorrow’s trip.
After an hour of wandering in and out of very expensive designer shops I suggested we left the mall and went to see Dubai! As we neared the exit we met Henry and Susan who were going to a place near the museum, so we shared their taxi and we two went into the Dubai Museum.

It was built on the remains of Al Fahidi, an ancient fort, and had some very interesting information about the history of Dubai Creek, as well as having jewellery and many other things from the first, second and third millennium. There was also a ‘gallery’ area set out with life-size shops, streets and fishing villages depicting how they lived and worked, which was most impressive and we both enjoyed it immensely.

After leaving the museum we wandered across the road and into an old souk where the local people were busy with their own business, and watching ladies choose their next sari or tunic dress was quite interesting to me. I had a look at a few things but decided to wait until tomorrow to have a purpose shop. Naturally the prices in this area were considerably less than those in the shopping mall.
Our taxi back to Port Rashid was quite cheap, probably about £4 and it was some distance, but with petrol so cheap that was understandable.
We had ‘Moroccan lunch’ on the yacht and then Alan wanted a snooze to prepare him self for the late afternoon event, which was ‘Dinner in the Dessert’ with Seabourn passengers. Looking forward to this I had dressed in my new kaftan and leggings but took along a big shawl for if it dropped cooler during the evening.

When we went out at the appointed time we were ushered into a four-by-four, which was much better than a coach. Our journey took about an hour before we went off road and into the dessert and what followed was very exciting because we were driving up and down the sand dunes in convoy of about thirty-five vehicles.

Eventually, we arrived at our dessert camp that looked most inviting with long tables and cushions on either side ready to seat us for our evening meal. We had plenty of time before that to wander around the camp and take in all that was there. The sand was soft and not easy for walking on, but this was the dessert!

I had a Henna tattoo on my arm and most ladies had one on their leg, some of the men had bicep tattoos, but others like Alan declined the invitation. The free bar was serving throughout our visit and we both enjoyed our G&Ts and a chicken donnar-kebab.

There was a falcon for us to watch and also camels for us to ride, and I enjoyed that much more than my earlier camel experience in Tunisia because these were clean and tidy.

There were quite a few small open fronted bamboo huts set up to show us a selection of fruit and spices, but the most interesting was the ‘hubble-bubble’ pipe smoking area. Of course we both had to sit down and smoke the pipe – as well as cough a lot!

I watched the sun set over the sand dunes which was most impressive and it wasn’t long before lamps and flame torches were lit around our camp. Then the food was ready to be served buffet style but neither Alan nor I felt hungry so we just wandered around watching everyone else fill their plates with the most interesting selection of food ever seen. It was a pity we weren’t hungry!

Ever since we arrived four musicians had been playing traditional music and singing, with the occasional brave guest joining in to dance on the carpeted area before them. After the food we were entertained by a beautiful young lady who performed a traditional dance by balancing a sword on every part of her body – as well as moving in a most graceful manner. It was no surprise when she invited various guests to join in, which they did, and then she gave her final performance and her body gyrated most elegantly in rhythm to the music.

At 8.45pm it was time to leave and our four-by-fours arrived to take us back to the Odyssey, which was the return one hour journey into Dubai. Because it was dark all the lights of the new high-rise buildings illuminated the horizon, especially the newest and tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai. This building is over half a mile in height and some of our friends went to the top this morning to experience the amazing
views. They said the ascent by elevator took 90 seconds, and the cost to go to the top was $100. Dubai has certainly expanded since I was here in 2007.
It surprised us when we arrived back to see that in preparation for our crossing the Gulf of Aden where there is a threat of Somalian pirates, a ring of razor wire had been attached to the ship just below deck five. This made us very much aware of the reality of the situation.
We were both very tired so stayed in our suite for the rest of the evening and prepared ourselves for tomorrow, when we are meeting Brian and Margaret at 9.30am to get a taxi to the Deria gold souk.

2010-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 6th April – Cruising the Arabian Sea.

It was another fine morning and the temperature soon soared to the high 20s. Alan had been busy in the laundry before my breakfast was delivered, which was great for me!
We had breakfast listening to the BBC news about the UK election – again – so I guess this will be a daily ritual until after 6th May – yuk!
We were soon ready for trivia as it was the last one for this segment of the world cruise because many passengers will be leaving us tomorrow in Dubai. It was a really fun game and when it came to the final bonus question we had to decide whether we would gamble any or how many of our points on the final question! As normal, we proposed that we should gamble all 2,490 points, not knowing what the other teams would decide. Barry said that the winning team was already the Brain Teasers so they all received a set of coasters and were excluded from the final bonus question. It was to name all nine Nobel prizes – and we got them all. We doubled our points and won the game because no one else got them all right! Yippee!! We did it!
Lunch was the Chef’s Signature Event in the galley, so of course it was a wonderful selection of hot and cold food, from starters, right through to desserts. Jean, one of our trivia ladies, asked if she could join us so the three of us headed off to the restaurant. We must have been there over two hours because it was 3.00pm when we left – and we had been talking and eating all that time!
It was a quick dash to get a good place in the shade on deck nine for the 3.30pm ‘tug of war’ between all the crew. There were ten teams and the play off took almost an hour in blistering sunshine, and it was hot for the spectators, so it must have been doubly hot for the contestants. The winners were the Colonnade restaurant staff who did extremely well considering.
I was eager then to get back to our suite and soak in the bath as we had an evening dinner booked with Joan and John Bell who are disembarking at Dubai, and six of their friends.
At 6.00pm the captain announced that he had to increase our speed because he had a very sick passenger and must to get to Dubai as soon as possible, so there would be some movement of the ship as we raced to get there for 9.00am instead of 1.00pm tomorrow. He put out the stabilisers and hit top speed of almost 20 knots.
We met John and Joan and their friends in the Club for cocktails at 7.15pm and went into the restaurant for 8.00pm. Our meal was most enjoyable and as usual there was lots of laughter and conversation around the table. Then when we had finished dessert, Duffy started to play a game that had us in stitches and we were last out of the restaurant. (I must try to remember it for our grandchildren.)
The show had already started but we crept in quietly because we knew that it was our cruise director, Barry, and his team that were performing. It was a special show because Handré would also be disembarking at Dubai. We were all sorry to see him go but he has to organise the new yacht, Sojourn, for her maiden cruise in June.
What we saw of the show was great, Barry was performing when we arrived, and then Marla sang a few songs before Barry introduced Handré, who played his own composition on the piano. He then continued to introduce his next song but Barry stepped forward and surprised him with a film containing photographs taken of Handré with crew and passengers on this cruise. It was shown set to another piece of music that he had also composed and I felt very honoured to be on one of the photos with him in the film.
After that Handré was asked to sing his own composition of ‘Goodbye’, which was wonderful. Then a cake was brought in and everyone gathered around for hugs and photos, which was a suitable ending to a farewell performance.
After that Alan and I went to the Observation Bar for a drink, and then I returned to the suite whilst Alan went for a walk around – or should I say another drink with friends in the Club because he was a long time!
Apparently, now we are going to be able to disembark as soon as we arrive in Dubai because a shuttle bus has been set up to take us to the Bur Juman Centre, so that is a bonus for us. Then at 4.30pm as planned, we are being taken into the dessert for an evening at a Bedouin Feast. We stay overnight in Dubai so that gives us another full day to do whatever we choose.
We had to put our clocks back one hour this evening. Our last thoughts were for the sick passenger – to arrive in Dubai in time for (him/her?) to get the treatment so desperately needed.

2010-04-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, 5th April – Sailing the Arabian Sea

After our very exciting and hectic day yesterday we were both ready for another lazy morning in our suite so once again, no lectures were attended. Alan snoozed on the balcony whilst I watched the news to hear about the imminent general election upon our return to the UK.
There had been a crew drill from 10.15am so the captain delayed his noon report until 1.00pm.
Our trivia game was the best yet and we only missed answering one question, but everyone else did well too, however, our team, with thanks to Alan, were the only one to get the bonus question correct - so that was 100 points. We are still in third place but narrowing on second, although with only one day to go I doubt we will improve enough to gain that position.
We had lunch with David and Mary in the Colonnade restaurant and discussed where we were going to visit in Dubai, our next port. It is an overnight stop and on the first evening we have a Bedouin Feast to attend in the dessert, I am looking forward to that because the last one we went to was in 1975, in Tunisia, when Alan ended up riding a white stallion bare back around the arena!!
During the afternoon both Alan and me worked on the blog – Mumbai was indeed a day that needed two heads to remember, rather than one! It took three hours to write and another hour to upload the photos, but it will be worth it when we look back on our holiday in a few months time.
We had little time to enjoy our champagne and caviar, but I managed to eat it whilst getting ready for our evening with Brian and Margaret. They had invited us and two other couples, Ann-Mette and Odd, from Sweden, and Dieter and Marlene, from Canada, to join them for Peking duck. This has to be pre-ordered and we have watched it being served on many occasions, but felt that it was not quite the way we have Peking duck in the UK.
After taking more champagne with them in the Club where we had arranged to meet, we went to find our table in the restaurant.
Margaret had taken a great deal of trouble to ensure that assistant Maitre d’, Michael, knew exactly how she wanted it to be served, and when it arrived – exactly as we would expect at home, we were all delighted. Alan had to show Ann-Mette how to form the parcel by wrapping her duck in the pancake with cucumber, scallions and plum sauce, which neither of the other two couples, had ever done before.
We had a most enjoyable meal and the whole evening went with a swing until it was time to dash and catch the act in the Grand Salon. It was Marc Paul, a mind reader, a very talented man indeed. We all came away wondering how he did what he did!!
It was very late and everyone was ready for bed so that brought the evening to a close.

2010-04-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 4th April - Mumbai (Bombay)

History
16th Century – The Portuguese established themselves at Goa and Mumbai was ceded to them by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534, it was a collection of seven islands occupied by fishermen, called Bom Bahia, (beautiful bay.)
17th-18th Centuries – The British formed the East India Company and set up their first factory in Surat in Gujarat in 1612. They received Mumbadevi, one of seven islands from the Portuguese in 1661 as part of a dowry of the Portuguese Princess, Catherine of Braganza, on her marriage to Charles II. In 1665 the British took possession of all seven and in 1668 leased them to the East India Company. They anglicised the name, Bombay. The following year Gerald Aungier became the Company’s president, and seeing that Bombay was situated at the largest deepwater harbour on India’s west coast, developed it by offering Indian settlers complete religious freedom in order to entice them to what was then a swampy, malaria-ridden backwater. Among the first migrants were the Parsis (1670) who established spinning workshops and ship building yards. The presidency of the East India Company was transferred in 1687 from Surat to Bombay. By 1707 Bombay was the trading headquarters for India’s west coast.
19th Century –After a disastrous fire the city had to be rebuilt in 1803. The East India Company lost its trade monopoly but other commercial interests bloomed and the city flourished. India’s first railway line was built from Bombay to Thana in 1854. It played a crucial role in trade when, in the 1860s, the disruption to America’s cotton supplied during the Civil War gave Bombay’s textile industry a boost. Beginning in 1862, land was reclaimed from the sea and Bombay’s seven islands joined. When the Suez Canal was opened in 1870, Bombay became the commercial centre of the Arabian Sea, taking trade away from Calcutta. The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885, their first national political party.
20th Century - Bombay became the major commercial, industrial and financial centre of India. Offices were transferred to New Bombay some 25 miles south of the city and the government renamed it Mumbai in 1996.

We berthed at the Ballard Pier Passenger Terminal at 7.00am and awaited arrival of the customs and immigration officers who had insisted on a ‘face to face’ immigration check before anyone was allowed to disembark. However, at 7.50am when we were all lined up awaiting inspection we were informed that although they were onboard they had forgotten to bring their ‘stamps’ and we would have to wait until they had been delivered to the yacht!
Eventually, at 8.50am after we had been vetted (and we were fifth in line) we were allowed to leave, which was a good time for us because our guide was meeting us at 9.00am.
Our first stop was at the money exchange in the port building because we had to pay in rupees, Alan got that sorted quickly and we were greeted by Mukuna, our female guide, who was waiting at the entrance with her placard. The car was outside and it wasn’t five minutes before we were heading off discussing what we wanted to see of Mumbai.
We were lucky that it was Easter Sunday because the traffic was much less than would have been on a normal Sunday and definitely fewer than on a weekday so we travelled without delay.
We headed south on the peninsula passing through the area of the military ministry headquarters toward one of Mumbai’s washing ghats. On our way through the city we were more than impressed by the Victorian buildings left by the British, the tree lined avenues and many parks. Unfortunately, most of the residential villas of this period, now used as apartments, have fallen into disrepair due to the tenants having fixed rental and the owners not being able to fund repairs required.
The city roads are wide, some dual carriageway, with traffic travelling on the left, another legacy of the British regime. Our guide informed us that we must take care when crossing roads, even when using zebra crossings, as even the zebra’s weren’t safe! We later noted that when following her across roads, she would hit the bonnets of cars that did not stop when she walked across their path, which brought about the desired effect.

On arrival at the washing ghat we were advised to tread carefully as there was a great deal of mud and dirt underfoot. What we saw were numerous concrete bays, approx. four feet by six feet, each with their own running water supply, built almost like a maze of walls, where clothes were being soaked, scrubbed and pounded by men. These bays were rented and passed down through the family who had contracts with hotels and businesses as well as normal family groups.
The laundering would take about a week to undergo the full sequence of washing, drying, ironing and returning before collection of the next load. They used a mixture of washing soda and chemical to wash the clothes, which gave the water an almost dirty grey colour, but obviously achieved results because the whites were ‘Daz’ bright, although our guide did state that this was partly due to being dried in intense sunlight. Any available space contained washing lines from which the clothes were hung, and it was impressed on us that these people lived in the small buildings within this area that were used as a workplace for ironing and sorting etc.

From here we motored north toward a fishing village around a small bay. Many centuries ago the Portuguese settlers were granted ownership of the land where their descendents remain to this day. Their conditions are what we could call slum conditions, some living in old boats that had been pulled ashore with only a tarpaulin covering as a roof. They are a self contained community, and whilst their conditions to us seemed incredibly poor, both children and adults appeared to be extremely happy with their way of life and welcomed us with smiles and greetings. Unfortunately, the nights fishing catch had already been brought in, sold and despatched by the time we arrived. (This is the barber shop.)

Our next place of call further north was The Hanging Gardens. It was interesting to note that our journey took us through yet more high rise development, which our guide pointed out that this part of the peninsula, i.e. both sides of the fishing village, was the most desirable place to live in Mumbai, and the cost of apartments were the third most expensive in the world - a 150 square metre apartment would cost sixteen million US dollars!!

The Hanging Gardens was a very beautiful park noted for its topiary. The gardens had been built on top of a reinforced concrete reservoir built by the British, which fed the south of Mumbai. We saw an interesting tree with inedible fruit that because of its size and shape had been nicknamed ‘cannon ball’, which also had fragrant pink flowers.

The nearby Towers of Silence, set apart on a hill, are where the last rites are performed for members of the Parsi community. The descendants of Persians who migrated to India some 1,200 years ago, they follow the teachings of Zoroaster, a philosopher who lived in the 6th century B.C. Unlike the Hindus, who cremate their dead, Parsis are opposed to polluting earth, air, water or fire. Only believers enter the towers, and even they do not penetrate to the place where bodies are left bare for the vultures circling above. Of late, the vulture numbers have fallen and it has been necessary for the Parsis to help decomposition by adding solar panels to the towers.

Following on about the Parsis we went to their ornate marble Jain Temple, rich in carvings and wall paintings that took our breath away. We had to remove our shoes before entering this busy place of prayer, where whole families offered flowers to the many shrines. We were not allowed into the inner sanctum but able to view it from the balcony above.
These adherents of Jainism follow and austere religion developed by Guru Mahavira; they hold that all life is sacred, to the extent that the most orthodox veil their nose and mouth so as not to breathe in and kill insects. The men wear only white robes around their bodies and whilst walking bare foot in the street will avoid treading on any insect as they believe it to be a reincarnation. Their ultimate belief is that by being totally pure they will not return after death, but should they return the larger the creature the purer their previous life had been. Unfortunately, they only marry within the Parsis community and this creates bigger problems in the long term.

Our next stop was at Mani Bhavan, (Ghandi Memorial Museum) developed in his home. It was here that India’s great advocate of freedom and non-violence undertook one of his historic fasts, precipitated by the Prince of Wales’ visit to Bombay in 1921. We saw Ghandi’s living and working room that has been preserved in all its simplicity, then Mukunda talked us through each glass case that contained models of remarkably executed figurines depicting the major episodes in this great man’s life. Ghandi was called ‘Mahatma’ (great soul) by the Indian people.

Our drive back to the city centre along Marine Drive, the waterfront promenade running up the west side of the peninsula still clings to its English name - and on first appearance one could be at Coppa Cabana beach!! A far cry from the hustle and bustle and dust and dirt we found within the city itself. Not at all the Mumbai we had expected – or had been told about. It is a city that we would dearly love to return to and stay longer.
The city was built in Victorian times and has all the architecture to prove this. The Rajabai Clock Tower, this lacy tower rising some 260 feet was built by a 19th century Indian banker as a memorial to his mother, Rajabai, and is now part of the University Library.

We were stunned by the Gothic impact of Churchgate Station that resembles a cathedral. This terminus and administrative headquarters of the Western Railway is complete with turrets and arches, leaded windows and arcaded balconies. At lunch time the ‘dabba wallahs (food men) distribute lunch tins from here to the working population. Religious dietary laws explain this daily routine: many Indians prefer to eat food prepared at home according to strict precepts. Their lunches arrive by train and the dabba wallas sort them out from memory and deliver them to their rightful owners in routinely manner. (The ladies in the picture were trying to sell their scarves to us as we took photos.)

Not far away our next stop at Crawford Market where fruit and vegetables are sold both retail and wholesale, also pets: birds, fish, dogs and cats. Mukunda said to stay close and watch where we walked as there was much to avoid in our path! Indeed we only just avoided being soaked when water was thrown from a doorway after the floor had been swilled.

Our guide said that we could venture into the area called the meat market, but she would remain outside and wait. We soon understood why! This was a sight to see where everything took place and was definitely not for the feint hearted. Interesting as it was we did not waste time, and I took photos to reflect on.

Time was passing so quickly and the heat of the day was already at 40 degrees C with low humidity making it very, very hot when we were in the sun. We headed for the Gateway of India that stands opposite the Taj Mahal Hotel where we were to have lunch.

The Gateway, a big basalt arch in mixed Muslim Hindu style was unveiled in 1924 to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. On 8th February, 1948, the last British soldier on Indian soil passed through it, marking Britain’s domination of the subcontinent.

Mukunda left us at the Taj Mahal Hotel and gave us our driver, Patil’s mobile phone number to call when we had finished lunch.
We had a light snack in the restaurant on the first floor overlooking the bay and then wandered around the beautiful ornate hotel admiring the décor and many small shops in the arcade on the ground floor. Here I indulged myself and bought an Indian kaftan that was quite unique in design. Alan tried on a jacket but it didn’t suit him with a stand up collar!
After calling Patil to collect us we asked to be taken to a nice shopping place, so he delivered us outside DIA, an elegant shop with security guard on the door. We spent some time admiring and trying on Indian jewellery and then ventured to the fashion department as usual, where I purchased a pair of leggings that would complete my kaftan ensemble. It was always good to have the air conditioned car waiting outside so that we avoided being in the heat of the sun, which was almost unbearable.

By 4.30pm, after over seven hours sightseeing, we decided we had done enough and asked to be returned to the yacht, which only took about twenty minutes. There were several retailers with stock attracting us before we embarked, so another forty minutes of perusing and making two last minute purchases of rather exclusive jewellery completed what had been a most memorable day.
My first instinct was to drink a bottle of water whilst running a bath to clean the grime from my feet – after seeing the base of sleeping Indian’s feet I did not want to retain whatever I had stepped upon!
The Odyssey sailed at 6.00pm for Dubai, some 1,200n miles, and two and a half days away. We had to retard our clocks by the half hour to go back to being plus five hours ahead of GMT.
We were on such a high after a most exciting and informative day that we both dressed and went out to dine in the restaurant. It was very quiet because many passengers had taken to dining in their suites because of exhaustion, so after dinner I came to bed and Alan went to the bar where he sat alone for his nightcap before returning to our suite.

2010-04-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 3rd April – At Sea

We seem to be taking calm seas and hot weather in our stride now - the turmoil experienced between Los Angeles and Sydney when we followed three cyclones is almost forgotten. I do however, reflect with concern on the communities that must still be rebuilding and repairing their homes and my thoughts are with them.
After a strange night where both of us were waking at regular intervals we had a leisurely morning discussing where we would like to go in Mumbai tomorrow. Our car and guide is booked for 9.00am and we will discuss our route when we meet them on the dock.
It was then a quick dash to get to trivia before the captain’s noon report. He said all looked well for tomorrow with high temperatures and low humidity, so that will be a change! Our pilot should board about 6.30am – I won’t be there to watch!
Were we all very intelligent this afternoon or were the questions very easy? Every team scored high points, and we scored our highest ever, including getting the bonus 100 points – but so did all the other teams so we remained in third position with only two more trivia games before Dubai. There has to be a miracle!
Passengers were sunbathing in the 30 degrees C temperature this afternoon, but after a light lunch Alan and I decided to rest because we are still not ‘full of bounce’ and soon tire. The antibiotics are working well and we are improving, but tomorrow could be a very full day.
Alan slept while I spent a few hours on the computer answering emails and writing letters – ‘thank you’ - it is good to hear from our friends who are following this blog, I feel as though I am in conversation. I also sorted through all that we have bought en route and it looks as though we will have to throw something out or buy another suitcase – my don’t things accumulate?
It was soon cocktail time and here was me thinking I had time for a film!!
When Alan finally awoke from his much needed sleep we decided that tonight would be another TV night with dinner in our suite – what a relief – we have a hectic few days ahead with farewell dinners already planned. I am so pleased that we are staying on to Athens as I do not envy our friends who are packing for departure at Dubai – there is far more to do and see ahead and I am not ready for home just yet.
Roll on tomorrow!

2010-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, 2nd April - Cochin, India

History
15th – 17th Centuries. In 1408 Vasco de Gama opened a sea route to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope. India was brought into closer communication with the European maritime powers. In 1503 the Portuguese settled in the area, when Alfonso de Albuquerque built Fort Cochin. European rivalry for the spice trade began between Portuguese and the Dutch. In 1602 the Dutch East India Company was formed and by 1663 the Portuguese traders were forced out. The British East India Company was formed in 1684.
18th – 19th Centuries. The British edged out the Dutch to take over the spice trade. In 1857 the Indian Mutiny resulted from the emergence of India nationalism. By the following year, the British Crown stepped in to absorb India into its Empire.
20th Century. This was the era of Mahatma Ghandi and non violent protests. In 1947 Britain withdrew from India, which became a republic in 1950. The state of Kerala was established in 1956. In the 1970s, thousands of Kerala men worked in the Gulf States, earning millions of petro-dollars for their families back home. Kochi’s economy boomed after 2000 thanks to information technology.

Cochin – (Kochi) (Fort Kochi) Population 600,000 with lagoons and canals that separate the islands from the city.

We arrived in Cochin at 8.00am and after immigration were allowed to disembark from 9.00am. We had already decided that we wouldn’t hire a car and go on any sightseeing trips because we had seen all we wanted to see on our previous visit.

We were here in 2007 and spent the night at the Taj Malibar Hotel about one mile from where we docked on QM2 – we have many happy memories of our two days and the friends we made in Cochin so we decided to visit again.
When we berthed we knew that it wasn’t the same place so had doubts about whether or not we would get to the Taj. However, when Alan went on deck to survey the surroundings he came back quite pleased because we had moored at a newly built dock about five minutes walk from the hotel.
After packing our bags for a day around the swimming pool we disembarked and strolled the short distance to the hotel. On inquiring if Jose Maxwell (the concierge who showed us around Cochin in 2007) was still there, our reply was that he had been promoted to the Gateway, a bigger and new hotel about forty-five minutes drive away. That was it, we wouldn’t be able to see him again, but the concierge who we spoke to did ring and send him our greetings, so that was good.
We went to the wonderful infinity swimming pool and were shown to two sun loungers in the shade on the terrace, which was just perfect for us. Then we both went for a very refreshing and most welcome swim, and it was just like old times, nothing had changed it was still as wonderful as ever. There aren’t many places that a return visit can equal the first, but this one did.
The breeze was most welcome as we lazed away the hours before deciding on lunch. Initially, we went to the Rice Boat Bistro where we had a wonderful evening meal before, but this time it was quite full with passengers from our yacht, so we went to the a la carte restaurant and dined in more elegant surroundings with guests that we didn’t know – we’re not snobs but we do like a change of scenery!
Our afternoon seemed to fly by and so after wandering around the small shops in the hotel we strolled back to the yacht and that ever welcome air conditioning. The temperature today had been around 34 degrees C with about 75% humidity so it was a bit sticky on our return, but we hadn’t noticed this when we were around the pool lounging in the shade and light breeze.
The Odyssey sailed from Cochin at 5.00pm en route for Mumbai some 600n miles north, with the coast close on our starboard side all the way.
This evening we had made arrangements to dine with Handré, and three other friends, John and Joan, and Jackie Frame, because Handré will be disembarking at Dubai and we all have evening reservations through to that destination so this was the only available night. (Sad isn’t it!)
We ate at the Colonnades for the Asian Bistro, which was fun, and we chatted throughout our meal about meeting up again next year in South Africa – we will see!
The evening went so fast and the show had begun so Handré had to disappear quickly, which brought our evening to an end, although Alan and I popped in to see how the magician was doing - not very well – so we crept out quietly and I came to bed, whilst Alan went to the bar!
A relaxing day at sea tomorrow – whoopee!! (Ugh – trivia!)

2010-04-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 1st April - Cruising the Indian Ocean.

Update on how we are!
Both had a couple of days with head colds and stayed in our suite, but are now back in the swing again. (It's been going round the yacht for a while.)
Trivia this morning was fun because it was April Fool's Day and the questions were 'silly'.
Tomorrow we dock at Cochin so there will be lots to tell after our visit there. We may go to the Taj Malabar and see if our old friends are stilll there.
I will go on the internet and try to book a car with guide for Mumbai, our next port, so that we see what we want and not a Seabourn bus tour of the city. We don't feel like walking around I think it is too big for that.
Clocks went back half an hour last evening!
More tomorrow!

2010-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 30th March - Sailing the Bay of Bengal and cruising the Indian Ocean.

We had both benefited from the evening in and early night although Alan was still suffering from his cold.
I spent the morning trying to sort out uploading my photos to my lap top and understanding the new program – needs more work! Then I went to trivia leaving Alan to rest on the balcony in the fresh air.
The captain and crew, along with many passengers enjoyed champagne and caviar fully dressed in the swimming pool – apparently, this is a Seabourn tradition that normally takes place in the sea of a blue lagoon – but as we were nowhere near the required location, the swimming pool was next best site.
I did have lunch with Alan, but we isolated ourselves to a corner of the Colonnade rather than spread the bug!
During the afternoon he rested on the balcony whilst I spent ‘a long time’ on my computer trying to fathom out ‘directions’!
Champagne and caviar arrived at 6.00pm and I enjoyed them but we decided that we both needed another evening ‘at home’ so after watching one of my ‘thriller’ movies dinner was ordered for 8.00pm.
Following this we both watched ‘Julie and Julia’ a film about a cookery writer that we had been told was good; and it was. We had an early night because we had to put the clocks back one hour before retiring. Now we are only five hours ahead of the UK (according to my lap top on GMT)

2010-03-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, 29th March, Phuket, Thailand.

History
1st – 5th Century – The first inhabitants of Phuket were sea-going nomads, the ‘Sea Gypsies’.
6th - 12th Centuries – Southern Thailand formed part of the Indonesian Srivijaya Empire, ruled from Sumatra. Arab, Indian and Chinese trading vessels visited Phuket.
13th -14th Centuries – Ramkhamkhaeng the Great founded the kingdom of Sukhotai in what is now southern Thailand. His reign from 1280 to 1317 began a period of high culture in which influences from China, India and Cambodia played a part. The successor of Sukhotai, the kingdom of Ayuthays (later Siam) expanded into parts of present day Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) and Malaysia.
15th- 18th Centuries – Frequent wars between Siam and its neighbours ravaged the region for 400 years. Phukets rich deposits of tin were exploited by Dutch and British and Chinese immigrants were brought in.
19th Century - Burmese forces destroyed Thalang but were eventually defeated and expelled. Thai rule was established by King Rama 1 and Phuket was built to replace Thalang. The country developed due to tin mining and in 1932 Siam became a constitutional monarchy and was renamed Thailand in 1939. In WW2 the Japanese occupied the country. Tourism brought a new way of life until in 2004 when the tsunami hit killing many. Political conflict followed until in 2008 when the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship took over led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Phuket – the biggest island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea has an airport at the northern end near the Sarasin Bridge from the mainland. Most of Phuket town (with around 91,000 inhabitants) is modern concrete. Southwest of town is the Buddhist temple, Wat Chalang. Patong beach is one of the most popular places for night life, shopping and beach.

We berthed in Phuket Port at 7.00am and I was up by 8.00am watching the buses load with passengers booked on tours. I emailed Steve, a friend of ours from York now living in Phuket, but no reply. Perhaps we had left it a bit too late to catch him – we should have thought about it earlier. Never mind!
On the dockside a large market was stocking its stalls with all sorts of locally made clothing, ornaments and bags. Alan and I decided that instead of jumping into a car to see the island we would spend an hour or so wandering around there this morning because we had a ‘world cruiser event’ at 1.15pm and didn’t feel like racing about in the sweltering heat of the day.
When we did go out the temperature and humidity was extreme so we were pleased that we had made this decision, something like 38 degrees C with 90% humidity. It was a pleasant market to stroll around and we bought a couple of things.
Being back on the yacht for a shower before lunch and in air conditioning was a delight for the short time before we disembarked to go on our Thai cultural village tour.

This was very special because the whole complex had been designated to us. The haunting sounds of long drums and ladies adorned in beautiful Thai costumes gave a festive welcome as we strolled through the gates. Our cruise director, Barry, appeared dressed as a maharaja on one of the many decorated elephants, and gave an official welcome after which we were all presented with a Thai fan and commemorative parasol to shade us from the sun.

We wandered around the huge complex joining in all sorts of activities. I rode on an elephant with her guide, which was a great experience and I really enjoyed it, her name was Linda and we had to keep feeding her bananas as we progressed through the tropical forest.

Alan sampled the Thai beer and I sampled a drink made from leaves that was sweet and refreshing. We also tried an assortment of their food, which was delightful as we were able to watch it being prepared. There were stalls to throw darts at balloons and hoopla – very European for Thailand! (Alan won an elephant key ring.)

An unusual form of foot therapy was when, after washing my feet I was invited to sit with them in a tank of small hybrid fish. Hundreds of them immediately started to nibble at my skin exfoliating them and the sensation was that of a low electric current running through my feet. It tingled at first but was quite relaxing as time went on – I enjoyed fifteen minutes of the treatment and afterwards my feet felt softer and more refreshed. (I creamed them that evening and they were as soft as they have ever been.)

We walked around the small rice paddies that were being worked by water buffalo with people both planting and picking to show us the growing process from start to finish. A floating market demonstrated Thai life in the rice fields whilst ox carts circled the village giving rides, but we didn’t have time for this experience. The children of all those involved in the demonstrations mixed happily amongst us and also enjoyed sharing the treats, it was a very friendly family orientated atmosphere.

There were plenty of Thai dancing exhibitions throughout the afternoon and the costumes and elegance were outstanding.
We were very interested in the martial arts demonstration and watched the Thai boxing for some time before moving on to where monkeys were giving a show. I only managed to see the end, but it was pleasing to see where they lived because this was a most delightful and humane compound.

We were shown how rubber is extracted from rubber trees and reminded that this is Thailand’s second largest income after tourism.
I was able to use our new camera and with its GPS it also stated where we were along with date and time – Phuket, Thailand – how clever is that? (I will have to see how to download it to my lap top next!)
When the afternoon ended and we returned to the yacht we all noted that this had been the best ‘world cruiser event’ of the cruise. It was absolutely great.
Alan felt that he was starting with a cold so we stayed in our suite for dinner this evening so as not to spread any germs!! Hopefully, his immediate action on medication will speed up his recovery – and prevent me from getting it too!!
We set sail for Cochin across the Bay of Bengal on a journey of 1,488n miles at 5.00pm, with three days at sea to recharge our batteries, which is very much needed at the present.

2010-03-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 28th March – At Sea.

We had set our clocks back one hour last evening so it gave us longer in bed, but Alan still managed to get up for his swim at 6.00am instead of resting. It had been a very tiring day in Singapore and we both looked forward to a day at sea. Although, having bought a new camera, along with four other friends we had arranged a get together at 11.00am with Barry Hopkins so that he could give us some hints on its use as he is very good with cameras and computers.
At noon the captain said we were making good time toward Phuket and that he would only know when the pilot got on at 7.00am tomorrow, whether we would be docking or at anchor – we hoped it would be docking as tendering is so inconvenient. However, the weather forecast was good so we looked forward to our arrival at 9.00am having passed through the Malakka Strait in the early hours.
Our trivia game was a laugh again and thankfully we did quite well, although dropping to third position wasn’t such a joke.
We had lunch with a few others which took up longer than we had intended because I wanted to read up on the camera instructions, and when I did eventually get round to it I still didn’t understand most of the functions. Apparently, we have to switch off the GPS in some countries and also on planes, because even when the camera is switched off the GPS still functions every five minutes to find our position. Something else I will have to remember!!
Alan took the opportunity for a snooze and left me to it!
I wanted to go and listen to the talk about Phuket at 6.00pm and also see the early evening show – “Dear Winnie” –a musical biography of Sir Winston Churchill recounting his time in India and the women in his life (I didn’t know about them!) It was a rush to get ready for 6.00pm because I had spent so long on my PC loading the camera software but it was certainly worth the effort.
At 7.00pm we met Henry and Susan for drinks before dinner with them in the Colonnades, which was most enjoyable.
The show this evening was another vocalist, Paul Emmanuel, but I gave him a miss as there is only so much singing I can take, and returned to our suite whilst Alan went to watch.

2010-03-28T00:42:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 27th March – Singapore.

History
7th – 13th Centuries - Buddhists from Sumatra colonised the swampy island of Singapore and named it Temasek (Sea Town) and it became a centre for trade.
14th – 18th Centuries – Temasek flourished until the 1360s when it was invaded by Java and reverted back into obscurity for more than 400 years.
19th Century – The development of Singapore into a major port began in 1819 with the arrival of Thomas Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company when seeing the potential for a port he found a co-operative local ruler and obtained permission to set up a trading post on the island. Within four years the population jumped to nearly 10,000 and some 3,000 vessels docked there. Singapore began handling the export of rubber and tin from the Malay Peninsula and the population reached 200,000.
20th Century – Singapore was a key British naval and military base. At the outbreak of WW2 facing the threat of a Japanese attack, the garrison was reinforced by Commonwealth troops. In February 1942 the British general Percival surrendered to the Japanese, who occupied the island until 1945. After the war Singapore became a Crown Colony, separate from Malaya. In 1959 Singapore became self governing. In 1963 Singapore joined Malaya, but in 1965 became a fully independent republic. The port and city developed and the island became a major financial centre and high-tech communications hub. In 1990 Lee Kuan Yew handed over to Goh Chok Tong, though retaining an influential role as Senior Minister. In 2004 Goh Chok Tong was succeeded by Lees’ son, Lee Hsien Loong.

Singapore has English as its first language. Running through the city centre is the Singapore River, site of the city’s earliest trading settlement. A mere 3 km long it is revered as the ‘Soul of Singapore’, and no longer connects with the sea.

We had been asked to be on deck in our white dressing robes at 7.30am for a world cruiser’s photo call. I wasn’t inspired by the thought so I stayed in bed, but Alan made an appearance along with many others.
At 9.45am we left the yacht and headed for town – instead of taking the free shuttle we decided to go by underground train, (MRT). It was very interesting for Alan because this system is far superior to any we have in the UK. It cost only $2 to get a ticket to ‘anywhere’ but we chose Clarke’s Quay, and when we arrived ten minutes later we were able to claim a refund of $1 – this is a form of deposit! After finding our way out from the huge shopping and restaurant mall on this station we eventually found ourselves in a very up market area along the river bank – there was only one problem – everywhere was closed and we later established that it came to life about 5.00pm for the evening!
Following advice from a young man we went to the taxi stand and asked to be taken to Raffles Hotel. We knew there were plenty of shopping malls near the hotel and we also knew which shops we wanted to visit in Raffles. Our taxi driver was a bit confused and dropped us at the wrong mall. So after half an hour looking around we found another taxi rank and asked to be taken to Raffles Hotel! This time we actually arrived at the hotel and went inside to find my favourite silk shop. I tried on lots of jackets and tops and although very beautiful there really wasn’t anything that I wanted to buy. The other shop I had intended to visit had closed, so that was a disappointment.
In the bar the Singapore Sling’s price had risen to $29 – what a difference three years can make!
After wandering around the hotel a while longer and meeting several friends from the Odyssey, we went across the road to the other shopping mall – bearing in mind this was a day intended to satisfy my shopping habit! Lunch was a priority and we found a very good sushi bar where we enjoyed selecting authentic Japanese dishes from those that passed on the conveyor before us. It was fun trying something different.
Much more wandering around the many malls in and out of designer shoe, dress and bag shops until we decided to move on yet again. It was getting very hot outside and the humidity was extremely high and very uncomfortable. I thought Alan was looking a bit jaded so suggested he had a cup of tea while I dashed about a bit more – he was very patient.
Instead of getting the MRT back to the yacht we decided to go by taxi again to the other end of Orchard Street, the big shopping street, and find where the shuttle bus was at the Hyatt Hotel. It was so crowded in this area and we found ourselves feeling that we didn’t want to be there anymore, so we walked to the Hyatt to catch the shuttle, which was just leaving and didn’t stop for us when we waved. Alan suggested we get a taxi from the hotel, which we did, and were back at the yacht at the same time as the shuttle.

It was a relief to be in air conditioning again. Champagne and caviar arrived at 6.15pm and then at 6.30pm there was a special folklore dance group by the swimming pool, so I dashed up there to take photos and video to show Alan what he had missed. It was the first time I had seen the ‘face changing dance’ and it was very impressive, I was so pleased that I got it all on video to watch again later.

Then we did manage to sit down and rest for a while. Passengers were steadily returning to the ship from their day in Singapore, whether shopping or sightseeing it had been a long day for us all as we weren’t due to leave until 10.00pm.

We headed up to the Colonnade for dinner about 8.45pm because we wanted to be out on deck again at 10.00pm for the show. We had previously missed seeing Barry, Handré, Russ and Marla performing, so we definitely weren’t going to miss them this evening. Everyone was out on deck dancing to their singing as we sailed out of Singapore en route to our next port of call, Phuket, some 545 n miles north.

2010-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Friday, 26th March – At Sea.

When I woke up this morning I had slept the clock around eleven hours!! Alan had been up since dawn and busied himself with things that had to be done for our port arrival – documentation grows for every country!
At noon the captain informed us that the temperature was 34 degrees C and that when we get to Singapore it is likely to be about the same or higher. He said that we would be sailing through the Malacca Strait in the early hours of tomorrow morning, heading toward Singapore where our arrival was expected to be 9.00am.
Next was trivia and our team did quite well, although we are third now as there are two in joint first positions. We did have the correct answers but they were not put forward by our captain! ‘It’s only a game’- we cry in pain!!!
Lunch was a long discussion with friends about tomorrow and where we should go sightseeing, so that took up most of the afternoon before Alan and I returned to our suite. The weather is still wonderful and the sea calm so that makes sailing a very pleasant way to spend leisure time.
The evenings are drawing out again as we head toward the equator and by 6.00pm we were still enjoying the sunshine on our balcony when cocktails arrived. It was a black tie dinner this evening so we dressed up having missed the last two black tie’s for one reason or the other.
It was Chef’s Menus this evening so we enjoyed a nine course meal before going along to the Club. I spent an hour in the casino playing roulette for the first time on this cruise – which is amazing it took so long! I lost of course, but had a great time.
We sat chatting for a while with friends and I had a dance with Handré before retiring at midnight to prepare for our early start in the morning at Singapore.

2010-03-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 25th March – Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

History
7th – 12th Centuries - The Funan empire based in southern Vietnam fell and the empire came under the hegemony of Java. In 802 the historic Khmer peoples of a vassal state in Cambodia’s interior recuperated their traditional throne. Thy became the foremost regional power taking control of the Mekong Valley and central Vietnam then as far as Tonkin and throughout Thailand.
13th - 16th Centuries – The vassal Thais revolted starting the decline of the Khmer empire. In the mid-15th century, the Khmer were forced to relocate their capital to Phnom Penh, which also fell to the Thais. The Vietnamese seized the Mekong Delta.
17th - 19th Centuries - The creation of the protectorate of France over Indochina in 1863 halted the fall of the Khmer kingdom to the Thais and Vietnamese.
20th Century – King Norodom Sihanouk won independence for the country in 1953, however, the kingdom was progressively involved in the Vietnam War. In 1975 the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh and established a collective state. In 1979 the regime’s belligerence toward Vietnam prompted a military invasion that caused the Khmer Rouge leadership to flee to Thailand. King Siahnouk was restored to the throne in 1993 and abdicated in 2004. He was succeeded by one of his sons, Norodom Sihamoni. In recent years Cambodia has rediscovered pride in its cultural heritage but is a very poor country with optimism for the future.

Phnom Penh is the capital where the Royal Palace quarter remains the symbolic heart of the nation.

Sihanoukville, also known as Kampong Som, is a province in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing urban centre and where ships moor because it is within easy reach of beach resorts that are developing along the coast.

Our day began leisurely as we decided not to go ashore because I had wanted to visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, 9 miles south of Phnom Penh, but as it was over 100 miles north of where we were moored it was impossible in the day. This was where after the Pol Pot regime was defeated by the Vietnamese Army in 1979, the mass graves found contained the remains of 8,985 people. I still have vivid memories of all this from when it was actually happening. It is now a peaceful solemn place, and the glass memorial stupa filled with the skulls of those found nearby makes a powerful emotive place. Instead we used the morning to catch up on our laundry that had built up considerably of late!
However, during lunch we chatted with other passengers who had taken the shuttle bus to the market in Sihanoukville, some ten minutes ride away. Most advised that we didn’t go because it was very dirty and on seeing this they hadn’t even get off the bus, but returned on the same one. We were pleased we hadn’t made the effort.
Then we met David, who had been ashore and had left Mary having a three hour pampering session in the hotel at the beach resort. He suggested that we went into the market to have a look around as it was fascinating how they lived! He told us about seeing the bartering for chickens and the killing of same upon purchase, after which the blood was drained into bowls for some other use. The open air baking and the fruit and vegetables markets he said were very interesting. The beach resort he said was a further four miles and if we didn’t want to have ‘treatments’ or ‘swim’ then not to bother going that extra ride.

Alan said perhaps we should not miss the opportunity while available, so we boarded the 1.30pm shuttle bus and travelled through a very built up area of what can only be called wooden houses in need of attention.
The bus dropped us off at what we were told was the bus station! It was a dirty area of land where we stopped and the ‘tut-tut’ drivers waited in anticipation, crowding the door before it was even opened. This was enough to put off several passengers who seeing where we had arrived and watching the attack made by the ‘tut-tut’ drivers for passengers, decided to remain on the bus and go back. We were first off and having listened to what David had told us, Alan marched straight through the crowd of gibbering men who followed us, and then having seen the state of some, he demanded a ‘new tut-tut’ to take us to the market a mile further up the road. We asked how much and were told $5, so we immediately turned to walk away and then said, ‘No $2’ – and the man agreed, so we climbed aboard!

It was fun riding in a ‘tut-tut’ because we hadn’t experienced it before, and the main road was quite smooth compared to some we had travelled.
On arrival at the market, which was a massive area under the umbrella of a corrugated roof, we asked the driver to wait for us. In we went to see row after row of over-filled stalls. We were followed by beggars with their hands out, but ignored them. We were approached by women with children hoping for money, but following advice we ignored them too. It was difficult because the state of these people was dreadful to see.

There were stalls where hairdressing took place using plastic sinks filled by water from a plastic bottle, but looked very professional when performing. There were stalls where ladies and men sat behind sewing machines making clothes for the stalls and also tailoring that must have been for orders placed. Plenty of clothes and shoe stalls, but no-one buying! Lots of toy stalls, and more than enough selling plastic goods or crockery.

We wandered through to where vegetables were on display in huge piles on the floor, where fish was being kept alive in large baths and bowls aerated with a hosepipe. Plenty of crabs, shellfish and other creatures stacked in piles on the floor that slowly moved proving that life still remained.

Another isle was where food was being made – one lady was baking by placing cake mixture she had beaten into small moulds in an iron dish already on a charcoal fire, and then putting on the lid so that it formed an oven. Her daughter had a guttering shaped iron trough filled with hot charcoal on which she placed skewers filled with bananas to toast. We didn’t see anyone purchasing, but assumed these would be placed in bags and sold cold. All this was inside a hot sticky market sitting over a charcoal fire!

There were five small children playing with yo-yos and we stopped to have a joke with them, we said ‘yo-yo’ and they repeated the word thinking that they were very clever speaking to us – their laughter was a treat to hear having seen the poverty in which these people all live.
Behind the stalls there was always someone fast asleep on the floor that appeared to be a bundle of old rags until a closer look revealed a human being. One or two of them were actively involved in massage treatment that they obviously give each other, or perhaps teach each other so that they can offer it as a means of earning money.
Alan saw some shirts and bartered for one that he got for $8 instead of $10 – cheap at the price, but he wanted to make it worth the sale for the stall holder and didn’t barter further.
After forty minutes we had seen enough because it was quite upsetting to see what poverty these people live in, and these are the ones with businesses! What must the other be like?
Our ‘tut-tut’ man was waiting to take us back to the ‘bus station’ so we made a hasty retreat. Alan paid him $5 instead of $4.

Our shuttle bus guide said that a qualified teacher will only earn $50 a month and that she herself had a diploma from school and was working so that she could eventually leave Cambodia, but at the same time she was supporting her parents and siblings due to her part time tour guide occupation. Her mother wanted her to get married, but she said if I get married I will be stuck here as a wife, and the wives have to be in the home with children and there is no future for them. If she could get away she would marry and maybe come back, but not marry here. When we left her at the yacht we gave her a dollar, not much to us but a lot to her; I don’t think any one else did.
The first thing I did when I got back on board was jump into the bath!
The ship sailed at 6.00pm for Singapore, some 610n miles away so we have all day tomorrow at sea, which will be a pleasant break from all the dashing about.
We stayed in our suite for the evening and had dinner watching a film, then had to put our clocks forward one hour before retiring. We are now 7 hours ahead of the UK.

2010-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 24th March, Bangkok, Day 2 – Thailand.

Alan had bought swimwear in the hotel because he had forgotten his own, and he wanted to go for a swim in the inviting warm water of the open air pool at 6.00am!
We were all awake early and took breakfast on the terrace in the sun before deciding what we would do with ourselves this day. Henry and Susan had things organised and so did Roland and Gladys, so we teamed up with David and Mary again to hit Bangkok!
We hired a taxi for a few hours, which is very reasonable and they like to stay with you because that way they have custom all day. Our first stop was at the Jim Thompson shop where everyone just ‘has to go.’ There is also the Jim Thompson house, the cluttered home of a devoted collector, filled with oriental art, mostly Thai, and mostly priceless. Thompson put the Thai silk industry on the map then vanished on holiday in Malaysia in 1967, but sadly, we didn’t have time to go there too. I think we had seen enough of the sights and just wanted to shop around so that’s what we did. Mary found a few things to buy and so did we so we were all happy.
Our next stop was the flower market and to get there we had to go through Chinatown again, but this time we saw what it was like during the day. Yaowarat Road is the centre of Chinatown, a street of goldsmiths and upmarket grocers. At one end is the Nakhon Kasem district, also called Thieves Market. Sampheng Lane, south again, is a little sleazy; it was once famous for its opium dens and brothels, but today it was just the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The flower market is a long street with side streets where flowers of all descriptions can be bought for very little from the stalls set up on the sidewalk, and some of the exotic flowers like Bird of Paradise were only a few English pence, it was amazing. The ladies sat making garlands and small welcome bands like those we received upon arrival at the hotel, so I expect that’s an outlet they all use. We found some beautiful Lotus flowers that had been folded back to create something even more exotic and the fragrances were just wonderful.

These people are so clever with flower arranging and the threading of petals making unique shapes to adorn any table or home. If only we had been able to bring them home with us, and there were so many to choose from and unbelievably cheap! In the end we bought some for our suites and we got a little something for Barry and Handré.

Time was passing quickly and we had to leave the hotel and head for the yacht at 2.00pm so our taxi driver came in search of us and carried our bags to the car park.

Once back at the hotel we had time for a light lunch before freshening up, there was also time for Mary and me to nip around the corner to a couple more shopping arcades for a final look while the men wandered around the hotel.
We met up with our friends when we checked out and strolled to where our transport was waiting. It was too soon to leave as there was so much more to see and do in Bangkok, so I am sure we will all return one day for at least a week.
It took two hours to get back to the Odyssey on the excellent motorway system, and she sailed for Cambodia at 5.00pm. With only 250n miles to go we were due to arrive at Sihanoukville the next morning.
After dinner for two in the restaurant we went to hear internationally acclaimed pianist, Tian Jaing, who was absolutely fabulous, before retiring for an early night in preparation for a day in port tomorrow.

2010-03-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 23rd March – Bangkok, Thailand.

History.
11th -12th century – Thais migrated from southern China to the present Thailand.
13th Century – King Mengrai the Great founded a prosperous Buddhist society in northern Thailand. King Ramkamhaeng the Great established Sukhothau and expanded into what are now Laos, Myanmar (Burma) Cambodia and Malaysia.
17th Century – King Narai welcomed foreign diplomats, traders and missionaries who were astonished at the opulence of his capital, Ayutthaya.
18th Century – the Burmese captured Ayutthaya in 1767, and a new capital was founded at Thom Buri. King Rama I, first of the Chakri dynasty, established a new capital in 1782, Kring Threp (‘City of Angels’) and foreigners named it Bangkok.
19th Century - King Rama III reopened Siam to foreign influences. King Mongkut (Rama IV) – (fictionalised in The King & I) sent diplomats to England and France and offered Abraham Lincoln a pair of elephants to help fight the Civil War. Mongkut’s son, Rama V, abolished slavery and established schools, a museum, national library and Siam’s first post office.
20th Century – in 1917, Cambridge-educated Rama V sent Thai troops to join the Allies in France in WW1. He also decreed that all Thais take a surname. Rama VII had a summer palace built at Hua Hin in the 1920s. In 1932, a constitutional monarchy was imposed on the king, the last of the absolute rulers.
Hoping to regain lost territory, Thailand signed a friendship treaty with Japan in 1940 and entered WW2 on Axis side. Home front experiences aroused mixed emotions. After the war the Allies invited Thailand to join the UN. Thailand prospered and tourism took off in the 1980s.
Despite occasional military coups, democracy held firm thanks to a widely respected royal family and Civilian government was restored after elections in 2007, led by Samak Sundaravej, head of the People’s Power Party.

Thailand
Before 1939, this country where both rice and tolerance are cultivated with the same ardour was called Siam, but preferred the name Thailand, signifying ‘Land of Free Men’. The population numbers about 60 million, 90% of whom are Buddhists, a fact that permeates all facets of life. Even in Bangkok, women turn out in front of their houses soon after dawn to offer rice to saffron-robed monks. They are very proud of their past and their royalty, Bhumibol (Rama 1X) has reigned since 1946, skilfully presiding over the rapid transformation of his kingdom into one of Asia’s ‘Tiger’ economies, while endeavouring to retain its traditional values.

Bangkok has no real city centre, but several neighbourhoods, widely dispersed, calling for attention. The legendary Oriental Hotel in the colonial quarter is where we stayed, overlooking the Chao Phraya River that meanders around the city.

We left the yacht at 8.30am when transport from the Oriental Hotel arrived to collect us. We had arranged to travel with three other couples and that was fun because they were all friends we had made on this cruise. There had been troubles in Bangkok and because of this we were advised not to travel into the city and all tours from the ship were cancelled, but we didn’t think that was necessary and agreed to continue with our plans. Our journey into Bangkok was enjoyable with one stop during the two hours where the shop keeper allowed us to sample a local snack. It was sticky rice mixed with kidney beans and a sort of honey flavoured sauce; this mixture had been pushed into a section of thick hallow bamboo about a foot long. The idea was that when purchased the bamboo was hammered on an iron ‘stump’ so that it split open and made the contents easy to eat. It was quite nice actually.

When we arrived at the oldest hotel in Bangkok, the Mandarin Oriental was magnificent, as it should have been according to its history as the Oriental Palace Hotel. We were welcomed by elegantly dressed staff who bowed with their hands together as if in prayer, this welcome is called a ‘wai’ and commonly used by all instead of a handshake.
Our room was overlooking the swimming pool and the Chao Phraya River where boats of all shapes and sizes hurriedly went about their business. House shaped boats ferried people across the river from our hotel to the Peninsula Hotel, and similar shaped boats ferried people across on a regular route for their convenience.
After unpacking we met David and Mary for coffee in the garden and decided on a two hour river trip along the Chao Phraya River, Roland and Gladys joined us too.

We stopped to view some of the temples along the banks.

The architecture of Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) was amazing with sculpturing so intricate and colourful that it was breathtaking.

We also saw a huge gold Buddah and a cemetery with shrines magnificently embossed in gold. In fact there were so many temples I lost count but did take photographs.

The long narrow traditional pointed shaped boat we travelled in was propelled by a large old diesel engine mounted high on the rear end, which drove a shaft some ten foot long with a small propeller used for steering. It was noisy yet efficient for touring the narrow canal system extending off the river where we saw how local people lived. We passed children playing who, by their orange robes, were obviously trainee Buddhist monks living at a monastery.

Some houses were no more than shacks built from corrugated iron sheeting, where others were made from timber and almost all were built on stilts along the canal. There were a few stone houses with concrete walls surrounding them and the whole area was of very mixed affluence.
The river was full of very big fish that jumped out all around and it was understandable why the people who lived along the river were sitting fishing from their doors and windows. I dare say they lived on fish from the canals; I asked what the fish were and was told ‘Doh’, but they were possibly catfish.

Back at our hotel and we were pleased to be in air conditioning after the heat and humidity of the day. For lunch we enjoyed interesting sandwiches that more than satisfied our appetites and gave us renewed energy for a few hours shopping in close proximity to the hotel. There were plenty of tailors eager to make suits, shirts, dresses and anything else but we managed to resist temptation. The streets were very dusty and traffic came at us from every angle making it a challenge to cross the road, but their traffic light system is great because there is a ‘countdown’ above the road so you know exactly when the lights will change.

The hotel invited us to a cocktail reception at 6.30pm where we mingled with other guests and wandered around the beautiful shpping arcade admiring jewellery and elegant clothes.
Instead of dining in the hotel David and Alan booked a Thai restaurant recommended by the hotel, so we climbed into a taxi and headed through the streets of Bangkok at night. This was most enlightening and produced memorable scenes, and we could not believe that the whole of the city’s electric cable system was draped along the outside of the buildings, but that is how it appeared.
The food at the restaurant was traditional and we had red duck curry, green fish ball curry, garlic and ginger spare ribs, with rice and vegetables - enjoyable and different, but nothing special. Our taxi driver didn’t seem to know where he was taking us on our return journey, or rather he was taking us somewhere other than our hotel! After crossing the river twice, which we knew we shouldn’t have, we pressed him to take us to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel – he went back over the river and eventually found where we should be!
It had been a very exciting day and we thought the river/canal trip was indeed the best way to see the real people of Bangkok in their own surroundings.

2010-03-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

Monday, 22nd March – Cruising the Gulf of Thailand

When we had breakfast this morning we were still enthusing about last evening, it had been so enjoyable for us. Barry rang to let us know that he was in the process of producing a video that he had taken on his camera during dinner, so we look forward to receiving that. How kind of him to do this for us.
I had quite a few ‘thank you’ notes to write so that took time before we headed off to play trivia.
First the captain gave his noon report to inform us that we had sailed out of the Mekong Delta during the early hours of the morning at that we were now sailing in the Gulf of Thailand, which is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Gulf is relatively shallow, we had 30 metres beneath our hull and the maximum depth is 80 metres. This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers make the Gulf low in salinity (about 3.25%) and rich in sediments. Only at the greater depths does water with a high salinity (3.4%) flow into the gulf from the South China Sea. The main rivers that flow into the gulf are Chao Phraya, Mae Klong and Bang Pakong.
The captain informed us that we would be taking a pilot onboard around 7.00am tomorrow for the short run into the port of Laem Chabang, some 68 miles south of Bangkok, where we will spend two days, which is why Alan and I are staying overnight once we arrive in the city of Bangkok. He said to expect showers early morning and a sunny afternoon with high humidity – here we go again!
Our expertise at trivia is improving and we are in joint lead – we could have been ahead but two of Alan’s answers were overruled.
After a short lunch we returned to our suite to decide on what we needed to pack for our overnight stay, because this evening we had been invited to dine out with David, Mary, and the new purser who is a friend of theirs, which I am sure will be most enjoyable.
However, I think we will all need an early night for our 8.30am collection by the Oriental Palace Hotel car service in the morning so I will conclude today’s journal here.

My next will be in about three days time. If you are enjoying being with us and reading my blog, and are not a known ‘follower’ – all you have to do is hit the comment button and say ‘I’m ---?’ because I would love to know who you are!
Or even better, add yourself as a ‘follower.’
Thanks for sharing.

2010-03-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 21st March – Ho Chi Minh City, Day 2, Vietnam.

This was our second time of awakening to ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ and today was our 46th wedding anniversary – my how time flies when you are enjoying yourself!
Yesterday we thought that we would have a quiet day onboard, but it didn’t take long for Alan to decide that he wanted to pop back into Ho Chi Minh for some more bits and bobs! Off we went on the 10.30am shuttle and directly to where he had seen some trousers and ties that appealed. I spotted a little evening bag that was definitely a must and so we both made purchases before returning to the yacht for lunch.
It was even hotter than yesterday and the humidity went sky high, foolishly we ate al fresco so I was eager to get back into the air conditioning and flop once we had dined!
Our afternoon was definitely at leisure in the comfort of our suite where we soon had an array of anniversary cards arrive to display on our dresser.
We set sail at 4.00pm leaving Vietnam to travel 630 n miles to Thailand, where we will berth at Laem Chabang at 8.00am on Tuesday morning, 23rd March. The sea was calm as we progressed toward the Mekong Delta.

Our celebrations began early with cocktails in the Club at 7.00pm where all our guests arrived on time. There were fourteen in total including Barry Hopkins, our cruise director, and Handré Poteiger, assistant cruise director, both of whom we have taken to our hearts. We also received many warm wishes from other passengers who were aware of our anniversary and also in the club.
The restaurant Maitre ’D had magnificently arranged a big table to accommodate us all and the seating arrangements that Alan and I had given him were ideal for mixed conversation. Our guests chatted and laughed together throughout dinner and Alan thanked them for joining us before Barry made a toast to our forty-six years of marriage.

Lots of photos were taken and these will remind us of the many new friendships we have made on this world cruise. The chef made a delicious chocolate cake that was served as dessert!

Time passed and we all left the dining room to attend the show. It was a comedian from Wales, who used his audience to create laughter and I am pleased that we were not sitting at the front!
What a wonderful evening we had shared with people who had made our cruise even more enjoyable by their show of friendship.

2010-03-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 20th March – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam. It was once known as Prey Nokor, an important Khmer seaport prior to annexation by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name of Saigon it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1976 Saigon merged with the surrounding province of Gia Djnh and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City (although the name Sai Gon – formerly known as District 2 – is still commonly used.)
The city centre is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 37 miles from the South China Sea and 1,094 south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The population is more than 9 million people with 4 million motor cycles and mopeds registered, which makes it a very busy city in which to travel.

The captain picked up our pilot at 5.30am to guide us along the narrow waterways and into the Port of Saigon at Nha Rong Terminal, a busy industrial port. Alan was watching our arrival most of the time, but I was only on the balcony from about 9.00am to see the village life along the river bank. People still live in ‘shanty’ type homes but have their boats moored and vehicles parked close by. We followed a smaller yacht, the Seabourn Pride, into harbour. and had the opportunity to board and view her, but didn't, although quite a few of her passengers came to view our yacht.

We were able to get the first shuttle bus that took ten minutes getting to The Rex Hotel in the city centre that was to be our meeting place. It was certainly in the middle of town and made it easy for us to start our sightseeing and shopping there and then. The traffic was chaotic and it took some time for us to actually relax and let the vehicles go around us as we progressed across the wide roads without assistance. There were zebra crossings and little red/green men to tell us when to cross, but the traffic wasn’t interested in our right of way, it just continued in front, behind, and between us! We had been told not to look at the traffic and not to try and dodge it because ‘it’ would dodge us - and it did! By the end of the afternoon we were crossing the roads almost without looking just like everyone else!

It was extremely hot, about 38 degrees and no humidity, so it could really burn when in the sun for long, so we managed to find shady areas to walk. There were some very big malls along the main shopping street, but also many small shops selling very reasonably priced photographic equipment and more than enough watches. It was a tree lined avenue with dual carriageway that also had another single carriageway for two wheeled vehicles, which was like an army charging when they all headed toward us.

We headed for the market but it was not to our liking because it was huge with so many stalls carrying the same touristy trinkets that once seen, was more than enough. What was interesting was the way they buy their fish, it was all dried. We saw ladies sitting on their heels whilst choosing the fish from so many varieties that I stopped counting. There were also lots of plastic sacks filled with dried shellfish and amongst them were sea horses – I wonder do they eat them?
It was lunch time so the market was filled with people buying take away food, Vietnamese style, that looked and smelt wonderful, but we didn’t risk trying. We wandered out of the market to the Tan Hai Long Hotel and went to the tenth floor restaurant for our lunch.

It was a great view and we could see the whole of the city centre with old and new buildings merging together. For $6 including the tip, we had a plate of tuna and fried egg sandwiches with chips, a bowl of vegetable soup and two Sprites, not forgetting the use of a very clean loo and air conditioning!

These were the views from the restaurant window - old mixed with new.

After that we headed back to an elegant ladies tailors shop (where they also sold ready made clothes) and I bought a pair of trousers that I had seen earlier, also a pair of shoes. The blouse I tried was too tight so the tailor altered it whilst we waited – no charge- and we had fruit offered while we waited. Moving on we returned to the first store and retraced our footsteps so that Alan could buy the two silk ties he had also seen earlier – so in the end we did spend, but not much!
We had asked the shop assistant where the Palace was and she directed us to the post office, we also asked who the statue was on the traffic island, and no-one knew! It was getting late and we were getting hot so we decided to return to the yacht as we have tomorrow in port also.
Once back on board we took the opportunity to use the laundry while the ship was empty, and that was a good move because we got it all done in an hour. Alan went to see the Maitre d’ again and I had a bath before cocktails arrived, and by then we had decided to dine in our suite and watch a film, so that was it for today, a very restful evening by the tele – just like home!

2010-03-20T08:46:00.001-07:00

Friday, 19th March – Cruising the South China Sea.

Today was another sea day so we took our time getting up, although Alan did go for his usual swim at 5.30am before having breakfast. By the time we had sorted out what we were going to do it was almost noon and trivia was due to start. The captain informed us that the weather was going to be overcast during today, but tomorrow in Ho Chin Minh it would probably be very hot.
What a delight it was at the end of trivia to find that we were actually second from top instead of second from the bottom! We had fared very well today and were all pleased with our efforts.
Alan and I had arranged to have lunch with the assistant cruise directors, Russ and Marla, because both had been to Beijing before and asked to see the photographs I had taken. The conversation during lunch was quite stimulating, which could have been due to the wine consumed; and then I showed my photos, which amazed them on seeing the amount of snow on the Great China Wall.
It was surprising how quickly the afternoon passed and we had arranged to meet the Maitre d’ to organise our table arrangements for 21st March, when we would be entertaining fourteen guests in the restaurant to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. We also had to send out the invitations after finalising with him where we would be served pre-dinner cocktails, so it was quite a busy afternoon.
Alan asked me if I wanted to dine in our suite, but as we needed to speak to Brian and Margaret we decided to join them and dined together, which was a most enjoyable evening. The show we all went to see was Iris Williams, the Welsh Diva, whom we had seen before and didn’t want to miss – as expected, she was outstanding.
After that we went to bed so that we would be fresh for the early arrival in port in the morning.

2010-03-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 18th March – Danang, Vietnam.

History.
2nd Century BC – The Chinese dominated Vietnam and developed Agriculture and commerce.
1st Century - 5th Centuries – The Hindu kingdom established Funan in South Vietnam. The following century the kingdom of Champa defied China to run a sea trade from the central Vietnam coast. In the 5th Century Funan’s harbour and capital, Oc-eo, declined.
11th -18th Centuries – The first independent Vietnamese state was founded under the Ly dynasty (1010-1225) and won Chinese recognition. The Chinese defeated the invading armies of Kublai Khan in 1288. In 1471 the Cham invasion was crushed by the Chinese and Vietnamese. There was a peasant rebellion in the 1770s. In 1789 the Chinese were repulsed by a Vietnamese victory.
19th Century – In 1802, Emperor Gia Long founded the Nguyen, the last Vietnamese dynasty. Alarmed at the persecution of French missionaries and Vietnamese Catholics, France sent in military forces to capture Saigon in 1859.
20th Century – Resistance to French rule spread and the first nationalist party was founded in 1927, and then Moscow-trained activist, Ho Chi Min, established the Indochina Communist Party in 1930. In 1940 the Vichy France representatives collaborated with the Japanese to occupy Vietnam, and so the nationalists and communists formed the Viet Minh guerrilla movement to fight them. The first Indochina War between Viet Minh and the French began after WW2. In 1954 the French were defeated and the ceasefire agreement created two Vietnams, with Ho Chi Min’s communists in charge north of the 17th parallel and Ngo Dinh Diem in the south. Aided by the North Vietnamese, guerrillas in the south waged war against the Diem regime. The USA sent military advisors to support Diem, who was overthrown in a coup (1963). American commitment escalated until shock of the 1968 Tet offensive by Viet Cong. Opposition to the war in the US prompted American withdrawal by 1975 after the North Vietnamese army invaded the south and the Saigon regime surrendered. In 1976, North and South Vietnam reunified under Communist rule. In the late 1970s Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia to overthrow the infamous Pol Pot regime and the USA imposed an embargo on Vietnam, which was lifted in 1994 when diplomatic trading and relations resumed.

Danang – where the Han River meets the South China Seas, the port city of Danang went into history on 8th March 1965, when two US Marine battalions hit the beaches to inaugurate full scale American ground combat in Vietnam. When the Americans pulled out they left a tremendous airport but little else and the town is still rebuilding itself – as we saw. Marble Mountain is 6 miles south, where the five elements are represented by five hills pierced with grottoes where Buddhist shrines have replaced Hindu altars of the Cham. The area is famous for stone sculpture, but excavation has recently been banned and materials are brought in from quarries in the Quang Nam province.

Ho Chi Minh City – is the official name for old Saigon, and is now the richest, biggest, most dynamic city in Vietnam.

Hoi An – Once known as Faifo, is an old town full of winding lanes and Chinese style shop-houses along narrow streets. This was a Chinese trading post in the 15th century.
A covered bridge, Cau Nhat Ban, was built by the Japanese community in 1593 to link its quarter to that of the Chinese and is a tourist attraction. Later, Japanese, Dutch, English, French and Portuguese missionaries and merchants arrived.

After our arrival at Chan May Port at Tien Sa Sea Port, Vietnam, at 6.00am, our day began at 9.45am when we ventured out onto the pier to seek a car and driver for a private visit to Hoi An. We met up with Peter and Lesley (with whom I did Beijing) who were about to do the same, and decided upon a joint tour.
Our driver and ‘American idolising’ guide, gave commentary all the way through Danang about the Vietnamese war and what it meant to them. It was all very informative and interesting but we were soon tired of hearing “in 1975 when the Americans left.”

He took us to Marble Mountain at our request. Here we were encouraged to buy – although we resisted all temptation and just experienced the magnificence of the amazing marble sculptures. All very reasonably priced, but I don’t think we had room for a fourteen foot Buddha in our small garden. The mountain itself was very impressive as there was very little else that stood above ground level.

We got back in the car and headed toward the old town of Hoi An where cars were not allowed so we had to walk - paying great attention to where the motor bikes were coming from as they had little thought for pedestrians.

Our first stop was at the fashion house of Yala, where any item of clothing for either man or woman could be made within the day and delivered to the yacht before we sailed! I loved the materials but was a bit reticent about ordering in case it didn’t arrive. (However, many passengers did and they were delighted with the result.) I missed out on this!

After a while Alan and I decided to ride around the old town in our individual pedi-cabs leaving Peter and Lesley to wander. The pedi-cab had a canopy that shaded us from the sun, and the breeze on our face as we travelled was more than welcome on this very hot day, about 32 degrees C.

(We look a bit like two old codgers heading for the rest home!)

We arrived at the Japanese Bridge, which had quite an interesting room of artefacts; hence we had to pay in order to cross, leaving our pedi-cabs to await our return.

On the other side the little shops were unique in their style and I took numerous photographs, also the local inhabitants seemed not to have emerged from their past and still wandered around carrying their wares on yolks across their shoulder. Almost all wore koolie hats and these were on sale everywhere, also face masks were worn by most people – I am told this was to preserve their face from weathering by dust and grit in this climate.

However, as these are worn by most of the population in Beijing, I somehow feel it has developed into a modern day protector of health (or fashion, as some are of patterned fabric.)

We bought a couple of very pretty hand embroidered bags for four dollars, a good buy! Then we found our pedi-cab drivers approaching as I believe they wanted us to hurry along and visit the silk shop (we had a ticket included with the bridge pass.) This was the first time I had ever seen silk worms and I was amazed at their size, so tiny at four days old, and then at ten days old they were at least ten times the size because they had started to eat! We were shown how they formed a chrysalis, which when the moth left was boiled in water, and when an end was pulled it produced over a kilometre of silk thread, which was then used to weave silk fabric. Young ladies were busily embroidering magnificent pictures too.
Our continuing ride through the twisting narrow streets of Hoi An was most impressive and we would have liked to have stayed longer, but time was of the essence and we had to be back at the car for 1.00pm.

Leaving the old town we asked our guide to stop at a restaurant, and so he took us to China Beach, where we were told yet again “before the Americans left in 1975 they came here”. We kept reminding him that we were English but I think he didn’t care - he wanted to go and live in America, get rich, and come back to get married!
The restaurant was on the beach and a very pleasant place to eat, we waited some time for our meal, but at least it was freshly cooked and we enjoyed the cooling sea breeze. It was more expensive than we expected for a traditional beach restaurant – 2,545,000 in Vietnamese money, which converted was about US $25 each. We’re not sure who else we paid for – but the family loo we shared was clean!!
Moving on, we asked to stop at the beach because I hadn’t yet paddled in the South China Sea (I have to paddle in every sea I sail) so we all got out and had a walk on the beautiful soft sand for a short while before returning to the yacht about 3.30pm.

From here our guide pointed to a huge white statue of a female on Monkey Mountain, where he said the Americans had camped and fed the monkeys, but when they left and the North Vietnamese came, they ate the monkeys and none are left! (His bitterness showed.)

This day had been a very moving experience, because even though our guide was so obviously ‘pro-American’ (which is good) he did teach us a great deal about the Vietnam War and we were most appreciative of his opinions. We also saw for our selves the damage caused by the war to this country, and the ruined homes all along the route we travelled were still occupied by the poorer families who have nowhere else to go. This made us very much aware of the suffering they had had, and still endured. The government will re-house them if they do not attempt to rebuild their homes, but they do not want to leave their ‘broken’ homes and be deposited in a city apartment block, so they attempt to show signs of rebuilding – but without funds this is a never ending challenge and the area is beginning to look a bit like a corrugated city. What makes it worse is that just along the road are new hotel resorts, apartments, villas and golf courses being built on the coast of China Beach, which sort of rubs salt into open wounds I would have thought! --------It takes some understanding!

Once back on board we freshened up and I did some more writing! Eventually we managed to get out and have a drink at the bar before dinner for two, which was really enj oyable sitting on the open deck watching the coast of Vietnam disappear into the distance as the ship sailed. We then went to the theatre and watched a comdian pianist who was a really fun person.
I forgot to mention that a new executive chef boarded at Hong Kong, Bjoern Wassmuth, because there was quite a big changeover of crew, and sadly we had to say good-bye to a lot of our friendly stewards.
Our next port is for Ho Chi Minh City some 529n miles south, and still part of Vietnam, but tomorrow is a sea day so it will be restful.

2010-03-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 17th March – At Sea

After a great night’s sleep I awoke earlier than usual feeling revived and ready for another day. Over breakfast we continued our catch up with each others activities during the last four days, and then I had a long relaxing bath!
Anyway, it was our first day at trivia with new passengers and as we needed to replace eight that had disembarked in Hong Kong we were on the prowl as people walked into the club. It was good that I invited a couple to join because they were friends of Henry and Susan and had already agreed to join our team, and they brought along another lady. Another couple came across to us and asked if they could join and then along came three more, so that was it – and how easy too!
There were fewer teams than we had had previously, but eventually, all acquired their number of twelve. The two previously top teams merged so as to form an even better team – we will see!!! After getting to know the abilities of our new team mates during the game we were delighted to have some very knowledgeable people and did quite well with our score, and we even got the bonus question right so that put us in a good position to start this segments play.
Following a quick lunch with George and Ann in Colonnades Alan and I dashed off to meet Mary and David who had arranged to show us their photos of Vietnam – our next port of call. We spent all that remained of the afternoon looking at their pictures and listening to where they suggested we should go sightseeing once we arrived. Then as we progressed to discuss our two days in Bangkok and heard that they had already booked to stay overnight, we went online there and then and booked ourselves into the same hotel. There are eight of us staying in the Oriental Palace in Bangkok, so we are all going to share a minibus for the two hour journey from the port and back on 23rd and 24th March. That will ensure that we all get back together just in case there are delays. (The captain might wait for eight of us!)
I was racing like a mad woman because time was passing and I had a much needed hair appointment at 6.30pm. I had been advised that Ruddie was an excellent stylist and as I had been chipping away at mine it certainly needed some TLC. When he had finished it looked absolutely great and I was so relieved that he had recreated my a'cemetric shaping. I was chasing Alan who had already arrived at David and Mary’s suite where they had invited us for cocktails before dining with them. Once I arrived and slowed my pace down we all went to dinner and had a really enjoyable evening.

It was St Patrick's Day so I felt obliged to wear emerald green!!

Because it was a shore day they went to bed after dinner and we strolled along to the club for a last drink, but got chatting to Dorothy, (the lady who did the sky tower dive in Auckland) and two other guests, so our early night went on until after mid-night when we finally exited the bar!
I still had my blog photos to upload and because we had retarded our clocks by one hour this evening, I stayed up until I had finished the China trip journals so that I am gradually catching up.

2010-03-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 16th March – Hong Kong Day 2, China.

History
According to archaeological finds pre historic peoples lived in the region more than 30,000 years ago.
3rd Century BC – 15th Century – The territory was incorporated into China during the Qing Dynasty producing salt and later as a base for pearling.
16th – 17th Century – The Portuguese trader Fernao Pires de Andrade reached the southern Chinese coast in 1517. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty constructed forts to defend the coast.
19th Century - In 1839 the refusal of the Qing dynasty authorities to import opium resulted in the first Opium War between China and Britain. Britain then proclaimed Hong Kong Island a colony in 1841. The following year after the second Opium War, China opened five ports to foreign economic and political penetration and confirmed Hong Kong’s status as a British colony and free port under the Treaty of Nanking. An 1860 treaty gave Britain a beachhead on the Chinese mainland – the Kowloon peninsula. Under the convention of Peking in 1898, China leased the vital New Territories and 235 additional islands to Britain for 99 years, until the end June, 1997.
20th Century – The 1930s saw a new flood of refugees after Japan’s invasion of China. Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Japanese began an assault on Hong Kong and the colony surrendered on Christmas Day, 1941. In 1949, the Communist forces triumph in the Chinese Civil War and to stem the flood of more refugees Hong Kong closed its border in 1962. According to a 1984 agreement between the Chinese and the British, Hong Kong remained a capitalist enclave after its return to China on 1st July, 1997.

Hong Kong Island is one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China, the other is Macau. Under the principles of ‘one country, two systems,’ Hong Kong runs on economic and political systems different from those of mainland China. Its independent judiciary functions under the common law framework. Its political system is governed by the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its constitutional document. It has a burgeoning multi-party system, and its legislature is party elected through universal suffrage. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the head of government. Hong Kong Island is linked to mainland China by a vehicular tunnel under Victoria Harbour, the Mass Transit Railway and fleets of ferry boats.

We awoke quite early in anticipation of a full day in Hong Kong and as we had arranged to meet Jackie Frame and Fran, two American ladies who wanted to share a taxi to Ladies Market with us, we had to be off at 9.30am. Before we took the taxi we all wandered around Ocean Terminal shopping centre, which is where our yacht was berthed at Kowloon and where we had to exit the port. Then we strolled along the street with our handful of Hong Kong dollars looking for ‘bargains.’

Next, our taxi took us through the tunnel under the harbour on a fifteen minute ride to Hong Kong Island where he dropped us at the end of Ladies Market streets. It was late morning and as the market does not open until noon we decided to have an early lunch.

In this area we thought perhaps the safest place to eat would be either MacDonalds or KFC! In the end we went into KFC where three of us had chicken and chips and a rest until it was time to ‘hit the market’. (Here's Alan and Jackie.)

By then the stallholders were all busy setting up their wares and we all wandered around looking for more ‘bargains.’ Of course, here it was possible, and expected, that bartering would take place so once I had plucked up my courage to lower their prices I soon managed to pick up a few items. In fact I bought two pairs of beaded shoes, and so did Jackie.
After a few hours it got very busy and with at least five hundred stalls to peruse we lost contact with our two friends - although we had discussed what to do should this happen. Alan and I decided to head back to the yacht about 2.30pm, before the mid-afternoon rush, and we were lucky that a taxi came along at the right time.
We had both been looking forward so much to returning to Hong Kong because we have great memories of our first visit in 1981 - when we had to buy an extra suitcase to take home all the presents we bought for our teenage sons (and a few for us too.) It has changed so much since then!!

Once back onboard we realised how very tired we both were so it was agreed that this evening we would eat in our suite. I had a long soak in the bath and then caught up with writing my blog while Alan had a snooze. He then ordered a light meal and I just had a cheese plate to nibble at.
The Odyssey set sail at 6.00pm with 500 nautical miles to our next port, which was DaNang in Vietnam, and our first visit, but luckily we did have a full day at sea.
By 10.30pm we were in bed and tucked up for a good nights rest, and having discussed our individual last three days activities, we were both very pleased to be back together again. We had missed each other more than usual this time!

2010-03-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Monday, 15th March – Beijing – Hong Kong, China.

It had to be a very early morning, I was up at 6.30am and we were on the road at 8.15am. We were on our way to the mesmerising Temple of Heaven. This masterpiece of 15th century architecture was constructed according to the most advanced principles of mechanics and geometry available at the time. The complex includes two circular ceremonial buildings with brilliant blue tiled-roofs and a gold dome. The gold is symbolic of the sun, the blue is symbolic of the sky, and the white marble balconies are symbolic of the clouds.

To get to the Temple of Heaven we had to go through the garden entrance where we were met by the sound of music – and surprisingly, a large group of ordinary people dancing! We stood a while to watch them wearing their winter clothing with hats and gloves whilst waltzing, jiving, or just moving in rhythm to the music.
As we progressed our guide explained that anyone, but mostly those in retirement, came every day to exercise by dancing, or participating in any of the many activities in the garden. They were oblivious to us watching and just enjoyed every moment, happy in their activities. One group had swords they brandished for exercise, whilst others formed a circle and created a dance routine. Anyone could join in.

We continued and stepped onto a covered walkway leading to the temple where we passed groups of three and four kicking what appeared to be a shuttle cock. It was a game called ‘jai-tee’ and the rubber had four feathers attached so that it flew when kicked from one to another. It looked fun but was very difficult when I tried. Some people sat on the fence and played cards, whilst others carried their own microphones and serenaded any who would listen. It was quite a noisy and hectic place to pass through, but most fascinating to the onlooker.

Once inside the Temple of Heaven, it was arranged as in the Forbidden City, around a quadrangle. The snow was still on the ground but the sun was shining so it felt a little warmer, but not much – still below freezing! To enable us to climb the steps into the buildings Hessian had been laid to form a slip mat and security guards were sweeping snow into piles around the perimeter.

The Temple of Heaven was built from the fourth year of the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Yongle of Ming (from 1406 – 1420). It was initially built for offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth together; and also called the ‘Temple of Heaven and Earth.’ In 1530, the ninth year of the reign of Jiajing of Ming it was renamed the Temple of Heaven, while the Temple of Earth was built in the northern suburbs of Beijing. Since then the offering of sacrifices to Heaven has been separated from that to the Earth.
The Temple of Heaven occupies an area of 2.73 million square metres. The whole building complex embodies the loftiness and sanctity of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is round in shape in the north part and square shaped in the south, symbolising the ancient theory that ‘Heaven is round shaped and Earth is square shaped.’ The architectural pattern takes on the shape of ‘a small square within a large square,’ consisting of the inner and the outer parts, which are enclosed with two temple walls, and all the main building are in the inner area.

This was an incredible place to visit, and from here it was possible to view the new 20th century tower block buildings of Beijing in the distance.
Time was passing quickly on our last morning and our guide had arranged a lesson in Tai’chi for us – which lasted half an hour. It was bitterly cold and I don’t think we learnt very much, but we tried to follow his direction – if only to keep warm! However, we had a flight to catch at 1.35pm and so we had to leave the wonderful city of Beijing and take with us the memories of this amazing brief adventure.

We arrived in Hong Kong at 5.10pm and immediately picked up our luggage to return to the yacht – but I and two others had made arrangements to go directly to the Aberdeen Yacht Club on Hong Kong Island to meet up with Alan and the other ‘world cruisers at another event.’
Our arrival at 7.00pm was met with applause from all our friends who were awaiting our arrival and Alan gave me a big hug as I joined him at the table to continue a nine course meal (I had missed two courses) and enjoy the entertainment. It was, as expected, a great evening and I am pleased that I made the effort to get there. We were entertained as we dined and then able to enjoy the illuminations of Aberdeen Harbour and the Jumbo floating restaurant from the balcony of the dining room. (We visited here in 2007 and it was all that we remembered - and certainly a delightful end to a memorable four days in China for me.)
I was delighted to hear that in my absence Alan had been well looked after and entertained daily by all our new found friends, and had had a very enjoyable few days at sea. Also out trivia team had excelled without me – was that something I wanted to hear?!!! However, as eight of the team were leaving at Hong Kong we would have to recruit replacements from the new passengers.

2010-03-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 14th March, Beijing, China.

We had an early start at 8.30am because we had a full day of sightseeing. I opened my curtains and saw snow falling to freeze instantly on the streets below. I feared that our day on the Great Wall of China may have to be postponed – but no, I was assured that it would go ahead whatever! My layering of clothes took on an even greater effort and style went out of the window!

En route to our destination we asked if we could stop to see the 2008 Olympic village because I knew Alan would be interested in my photos. In the event, I also found it very interesting to see what had been created. It made me wonder what we would produce for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Our journey of 47 miles took one and a half hours in heavy blizzards and we travelled in convoy on a four lane carriageway all the way to the Badaling Section of the Great Wall of China. The snow had not slowed our journey but the traffic had formed two tyre tracks that we all followed. Beijing is 43 metres above sea level and we had to climb the hills to 400 metres to reach the wall, so in the severe temperature of -3 degrees the snow had been falling for a longer period and was deeper than in the city.
Originally Mongolia was China’s enemy so a Great Wall had to be built across the country from the Gobi Dessert in the west to the China Sea in the east, a distance of 6,700 kilometres. It was built in the 3rd century BC to protect China’s northern border from marauding nomads and ‘barbarians.’ One million worked on the wall and during its construction over 300,000 died, these bodies were all sealed inside the wall and entombed for eternity. The section of the wall that we were visiting, Badaling, was rebuilt in the 16th century so there are no bodies entombed there.
Regarded as the most magnificent military defence in the world, the Great Wall has earned a reputation as one of ‘the seven wonders of the world.’ Its construction lasted over 2,000 years and the most distinct and well preserved sections along the whole wall assume a half ring shape stretching 629 kilometres over loft ridges and towering mountains. The famous sections are Badaling, Joyong Pass, Simatai and Mutianyu.

Once we had arrived and left the coach we wrapped ourselves in plastic macs because it was still snowing heavily, then we walked along the road to the entrance. There were many Chinese people there because of the snow; it was perhaps something they had not seen on the wall before and made for a jolly experience!
Our party had a choice of two entrances, the easy slope or the steep slope, well most took the easy route because of the weather, but four of us decided that if we were going to climb at all we would go for the steep slope! Perhaps a bad choice under the circumstances, but in fact it made it a more interesting climb.

After fifteen minutes, two towers and about fifty yards further, two of our four called time and turned back, but Jennifer Kok, Seabourn’s tour manager, and I pushed on! (Jennifer in blue scarf seen here.) There were about fifteen other visitors attempting this accent of ‘the Wall’ and as we clawed and crawled to get a grip in the slippery wet snow numbers dropped to just the two of us! I was puffing and panting but quite determined to get to the third tower – it took about twenty minutes to climb another thirty feet by hanging on to the hand rail and pulling myself up. Then, when I turned to take photographs I was more concerned about how I would get down – and so was Jennifer because she had already fallen several times and got snow on her expensive camera.

By brushing the 8 inches of snow away from the last few steps before the third tower we were able to drag ourselves onto the level – it was a relief, but when we looked back it was a frighteningly steep climb that we knew we had to descend. Whilst there we surveyed what was ahead and decided that if the two people who appeared to be marooned on the next slope were in trouble we might just as well stop there! We did photographs, although it was very misty, and had a snow ball fight before retracing our footsteps; then it was a daring move to step off the top step! We managed four steps to the next slope and then considered where we could slide down whilst hanging on to the hand rail, but my gloves were freezing to the hand rail so I couldn’t move unless I let go. We were having fun and giggling like two school girls.
Fortunately, a man was also clinging on about three metres down on my side of the wall, so he beckoned me and I sat down with my plastic mac pulled under my bottom and let go – whoosh – my feet landed between his feet and I came to an abrupt halt as my legs buckled! He pulled me up and I clung to the rail to continue my descent whilst he caught Jennifer in the same way before turning to descend too. When we did eventually get to the bottom we were very proud and pleased with ourselves. It had been great fun and we would do it again, but perhaps in the summer when we could get right to the top!

All this had taken over an hour so there was only a little time for souvenir shopping before our coach arrived to take us back to the Long Di Restaurant for lunch in Beijing. This was in fact a restaurant in a jade factory so we had a short demonstration of how jade was cut and polished, and how to test for quality before going into the restaurant. We had two private tables and Louis joined us whilst dish after dish of assorted Chinese food was brought to the table. It was another banquet!

It had stopped snowing but it was still laying thickly on the ground so quite cold for sightseeing, but we continued on to visit the tranquil valley of the Ming Tombs, where 13 of 16 emperors of the Ming dynasty, and 23 empresses and one concubine were entombed.

The project had lasted over 200 years from 1409, the seventh year of Emperor Yongle’s reign, to 1644, the 17th year of Emperor Chongzhen’s reign, the time the Ming dynasty collapsed. Each tomb is located at the foot of separate hills. The Dingling tomb was opened in the 1960s and due to lack of knowledge great damage occurred to the artefacts, so it was decided that no more tombs would be opened. Each tomb is a seven story palace also containing many artefacts. In the museum on site amazing gold and jewelled crowns can be seen as well as jewellery that had been uncovered.

Linked by the Sacred Way, this four-and-a-half-mile road, once forbidden to all but the emperor’s funeral cortege, leads to Changeling, the grand tomb built for Emperor Yongle in 1427. All along the Sacred Way are statues of animals, first a pair standing and then the same pair sitting. These are exactly as they were when first positioned and create an amazing approach to the Changeling tomb.

This tomb is very impressive in its elegance and size and was a fitting end to our day.
It was good to return to our hotel for a quick bath to thaw us out before our evening dinner in the hotel, and then early to bed!

2010-03-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 13th March – Beijing, China.

History.
Beijing is geographically in the north of North China Plain. From the ‘Peking Man’ 500,000 years ago to Zhuannian Site of the Neolithic Age, Beijing has witnessed the whole progress of mankind from primitive hordes to tribes and clans; and from barbarian age to the era of civilisation. All this has made Beijing one of the cities to have the most historic relics of the world. Among them, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Ming Tombs. The largest city central square in the world - Tiananmen Square, the oldest classical royal garden – Beihai, with the Yongle bell, largest bell in the world, and the Yunju Temple – a library of Buddhism inscriptions on stone.
Beijing, the imperial capital, has gone through hardships and difficulties, successively suffering from the destruction and robberies committed by Anglo-French Allied Forces, the Eight Power Allied Forces, and Japanese Aggressor troops. On 1st October, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, Beijing became the capital of the newly-born republic, and a new chapter was opened in the history of the ancient city.

Our guide gave us an insight into modern times:
Beijing has become a world-famous international metropolis, highways extend in all directions, row upon row of modern buildings are towering, and green belts and gardens developing. There are six ring roads around the city and from the 6th it would take two hours to get to the city centre. Beijing is 17,000 square kilometres in size.
In 2008 the city hosted the Olympic Games when a new ‘inner city’ was purpose built – the athlete’s apartments have since been sold to the young Chinese who could afford luxury homes.
Currently there are 52 nationalities in China, Han being the majority with 93% of the entire population. A Communist country where the government rules and each family is allowed only one child, however, although Mongolia is now part of China this rule does not apply to them.
He said that Chinese status has been decided by ownership of three principle things: Pre 1950s – a watch, bike and sewing machine. 1960s – a TV, washer and fridge. 1990s – a PC, VCR and telephone. 21st century – a car, apartment and travel.
There are so many cars in Beijing that on one day each week every car with a particular ‘last number on its plate’ is not allowed on the road to lessen the congestion! They have a 70 year lease on their properties and then the government decide what happens! They do pay inheritance tax. Families always live together with three or more generations and the home remains in the family unless the government make changes. Compulsory purchase can be demanded at any time for a fair price where a home is owned. Land is too expensive to purchase by the people. Their heating is switched on 16th November and off 16th March every year by the government, regardless of weather. He said that the future between classes is widening, the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer (mostly young people), and the middle class are disappearing.

Our two flights were successful and we arrived in the Peninsula Palace Hotel at approx. 10.15pm on 12th March, so after settling into my room and unpacking I slept until my 7.30am wake-up call on Saturday, 13th March. The view from my window was quite exciting and the sun was shining, although the temperature was only at 1 degree C, so I dressed for winter!

After breakfast we boarded our coach at 9.00am with our tour guide, Nu Yui, whom we called Louis! We proceeded to the Forbidden City, constructed in the 4th year of Yongle’s reign (1406) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and finished 14 years later. It was the imperial palace that the 24 monarchs of the Ming and Qing dynasties had used for handling state affairs and living. Construction of this magnificent complex, with over 200 acres of gardens, pavilions and courtyards, was considered one of the greatest feats of human history. There are 999 rooms because 9 is a lucky number.
Inside the Forbidden City there are magnificent palaces, broad squares, ancient gardens and many cultural relics. The layout is divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court and the main buildings sit in turn in the central axis passing through from south to north.

The main buildings for the Outer Court were three palaces – Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Middle Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, which were the places where emperors held grand ceremonies, called in ministers, and exercised their
Powers. The Inner Court, centered on the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility was the place where the emperor and his family lived, amused and dedicated the Gods of different religions. Other principle structures include the Six Eastern and Western Palaces, Imperial Gardens, and so on.
I was in awe of this amazing ‘city’ and must watch ‘The Last Emperor’ again to see it as it was when brought to life on film; it will mean so much more to me now.
Lunch was taken at the Swiss Hotel where we had a traditional Chinese lunch with several courses!!

Next was a fascinating experience, when we travelled in pairs in a pedi-cab, a modern version of a rickshaw, but with bicycle instead of a little man in a coolie hat running (which is how I travelled in the 1980s.) the short ride was to take us to the hutongs, or narrow streets and alleys, first built by the Yuan Dynasty.

Hutongs are created by courtyard houses, which form a quadrangle and we stopped to visit one owned by Mr and Mrs Woo. They lived here with a living room, kitchen and bedroom, and across the quadrangle their son lived in his living room and bedroom with his wife and daughter. They all shared the kitchen and the bathroom and ate together either in the Woo’s living room or in the garden. (Here we are being invited in by Mr Woo.)

The streets of old Beijing were quite narrow and all had large double doors into the courtyards. The size of the door and exterior decoration declared the wealth of the owner, which was most interesting as it was mixed with rich living next to relatively poor. One was the home of a journalist on Le Monde, the French newspaper – he had bought it from the government and renovated it.
After our walk through the hutongs we returned to our pedi-cab for a ride back to the waiting coach. The street scenery was most enlightening to the way of life these people lead. There were free open air exercise areas with excellent equipment for anyone’s use, mainly the elderly who were actively engaged. Also several old people wearing red armbands patrolled the area as neighbourhood watch. It would appear that after retirement, ladies at 55 and men at 60, they take on an active roll in society.

Our next stop was at Tiananmen Square, sitting in the centre of the city and on the intersection where the longitudinal and latitudinal axes of Beijing cross over each other. Tiananmen Square is the largest urban square in the world today, with an area of up to 440,000 square metres, which can accommodate one million people. It was originally closed in the periods of Ming and Qing. After the revolution of 1911, the square was open to the public and since the founding of new China it has been rebuilt and expanded several times.
Of course it became well known in my life time for the student uprising when tanks confronted the students and many lives were lost. Because of this the square is now cordoned off with railings and to enter it is necessary to go through security scanners. Military patrol is strong and although photography is allowed it is not recommended to photograph the soldiers who are standing to attention in silence at regular intervals. Although I did happen to catch them after changing of the guard!

The four sides to the square are as follows:
The Gate Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace) was recognised by the world when Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 (seen here). More importantly, it once served as the main gate to the Forbidden City and was built in 1417, the 15th year of Emperor Yongle’s reign, with the initial name of Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate. In 1651, the 8th year of Emperor Shunzhi’s reign it was renamed Tian’an Men. The gate-tower is located on a huge rostrum of the Buddhist style facing into the square.

Facing opposite is the Memorial Hall that was built as a mausoleum for the body of Chairman Mao Zedong, which is visited daily by thousands of Chinese, and visitors who want to see his embalmed body inside the glass coffin. It was closed today!!
Standing in the middle of Tiananmen Square is a Monument to the Peoples Heroes, with an inscription in the hand of Chairman Mao.
On the one side The National Museum of China faces The Great Hall of the People, which is a government building and has two conference centres; one will hold 5,000 people and the other 10,000. This was built over a period of ten months in 1958 to celebrate the founding of the republic’s tenth anniversary.
It had been a sunny day but very cold and never above 1 degree C so by 5.00pm we were all ready for a hot bath before dinner and returned to our hotel.

At 7.30pm we were on our way to the hundred year old Quanjude Restaurant renowned for its Peking duck. Photographs of George Bush and Edward Heath along with many other politicians who have enjoyed dinner in this magnificent building were on display. The meal was enormous and magnificent, but after sampling every dish we still had so much food left that we encouraged our guide, Louis, to take home a doggy bag for his family!! Then we returned to our hotel to rest for our hectic day ahead.

2010-03-11T02:44:00.000-08:00

Friday, 12th March – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia / Flight to Beijing

Kota Kinabalu is situated 150n miles north of Muara Port in Brunei. It is still on the tropical island of Borneo but in the northern area of Sabah. It is similar to Brunei because it also has villages built on stilts in the water.

History
19th Century –Between 1844 and 1900, Mat Salleh, a legendary Muslim rebel, made war on the North Borneo authorities burning down the British settlement on Gaya Island. A new capital was established across the harbour and named Jesselton, after Sir Charles Jessel of the Chartered Company.
20th Century – During WW2 and Japanese occupation Jesselton was razed by the British, then renamed Api by the Japanese. What remained of the town was bombed again in 1945 and when the British North Borneo Company came back after the war they could not afford to rebuild Jesselton, so they gave control of North Borneo to the British Crown in 1946. The new British Government decided to rebuild Jesselton rather than Sandakan as capital. In 1963, now called Sabah, the former North British Borneo joined Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya to form the new Federation of Malaysia. The new capital city, Jesselton, was named Kota Kinabalu on 30th September, 1968, and received official status in 2000.

Today I will leave the yacht at 9.15am and fly out from Kota Kinabalu at 11.35am arriving in Hong Kong at 2.30pm. I will then fly from Hong Kong at 6.00pm and arrive in Beijing at 9.25pm to begin a four day sightseeing experience. There will be 12 passengers and one tour guide accompanying me, so 14 is a nice number to socialise.

Alan will remain on the yacht until I rejoin him in Hong Kong on 15th March at 6.00pm. He has had lots of offers from our new friends to keep him occupied in my absence so he will be very busy too. He may go to a cultural event this afternoon, but he will decide that later and tell me all about it when we meet up.

There will be no more blogs until my return - so probably 16th or 17th March will be the next update on our travels.

2010-03-11T00:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 11th March – Muara Port – Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

Brunei Darussalam is a small, peaceful, prosperous and progressive Kingdom located on the northern shore of the ecologically rich island of Borneo.

History
14th Century – Brunei was a dependency of the Javanese Kingdom of Majapahit, mainly trading with china.
15th Century - Sultan Awang Alak ber Tabar was converted to Islam when he married a Muslim princess from Malacca. Sultan Bolkiah developed an empire covering all Borneo and islands as far as the Philippines.
16th 17th 18th Centuries – After 1511 Brunei’s wealth increased when Muslim merchants fled from Malacca to escape the Portuguese. Historian Antonio Pigafetta visited with Magellan’s fleet and described it as ‘a magnificent city on stilts’ and after reporting the Sultan’s wealth, his power soon declined and Brunei sank into oblivion.
19th Century - In return for help against rebels and pirates, Brunei cedes territory in 1841 to English adventurer James Brooke, whose family thereafter rule as the ‘White Rajahs’ of Sarawak. Brunei became more restricted by demands from its neighbours and was divided into two small areas, and then in 1888 it became a British Protectorate.
20th Century - In 1929 oil was discovered in Seria, west of Bandar Seri Begawan. During WW2 the Japanese occupied Brunei and the oil business suffered, but after the war new oil fields were discovered and it became one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia. After being ruled by a hereditary sultan since 1959, Sultan Omar abdicated and handed over power to his son Hassanal Bolkiah. The British granted complete independence to Brunei on 1st January, 1984, and the country moved toward Islamic fundamentalism. The sale of alcohol was banned in 1991 and stricter dress code enforced, but in recent year’s economic growth has transformed Brunei into an industrial country.

Bandar Seri Begawan is 17 miles inland from the port of Muara and is the capital city of Brunei. The most impressive first sight is the golden cupola of the mosque shining above a city of broad streets, spacious parks and modern Moorish buildings decorated with pointed Islamic windows and fretted stonework. The town really began with the stilt houses of Kampong Ayer, the water village that encircles the mosque. Brunei does not promote tourism, but makes welcome all who visit.

Our day began at 8.30am when we boarded the coach for our tour of the Sultanate. We had been advised on the strict dress code in Brunei and covered arms and legs accordingly. Ruled by His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei Darussalam’s royal family is among the longest reigning of all Southeast Asian dynasties. He is the 29th Sultan of an unbroken ruling dynasty, dating from the 14th century.
Our first stop was the Royal Brunei Museum where we viewed the exquisite private collection of the Sultan, including examples of Islamic arts and crafts and heard stories about their ancient rituals. In the museum shoes must be removed so off they all came.

We then boarded a water taxi for a visit to Kampong Ayer, the water village built on stilts. Alan had to have help from two strong men when getting on and off the boat because we had steps to climb, rather like a ladder onto decking at the Tourism Gallery where called to watch a short film, then house and all landing stages. The village included homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, a school and hospital, all built on wooden piles over the river and connected by 14 miles of footbridges.

Whilst here, we were privileged to visit a boatman’s house where we had to remove our shoes before entering. We were offered local cakes and tea, mostly made from rice, but very tasty and a traditional form of welcome. The green tea was particularly good and when I asked what it was, I was told ‘Liptons!’ Here we are with Joan and John and I am sitting next to another John, Alan was allowed to leave his shoes on because he walked with sticks (or was it his feet?)

The tradition in this Kingdom is that up to four generations of the family all live together so the houses are very big, even the ones at the water village. They also have the wedding ceremony in their home, and a special room is prepared for this when a marriage takes place.
We were told that when anyone is employed by the government he is given a home, rent free for as long as he works, but pays his own electricity, water and gas bills. Also as both cars and petrol are so cheap anyone can own up to four cars, so there are a lot of them on the roads – and all new!!!

We passed the 'mini Taj Mahal' whilst on the river, another mosque so named because of its beauty.

The weather was very hot with 38 degrees C registering on the coach thermometer. It was a dry heat, which is much worse than a humid one in this climate.

Our coach stopped next at Istanta Nurul Iman, the largest residential palace in the world with 1,788 rooms and is the home of the Sultan and all his family. Photographs were only allowed from a distance so we have the domes!! Anyone employed at the palace has accommodation for the whole family in an area of apartment blocks.

Then we stopped for a photo call at the stunning Jame Asr’ Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, with its twenty-nine 24 karat gold doms (not all visible.). We were fortunate that we heard a prayer being chanted from the minaret whilst there. Today it was closed to visitors, but I can imagine how glittering with gold the interior is after seeing the outside.

Our last stop was the Royal Regalia Centre, considered half museum and half national shrine, housing the Sultan’s full royal regalia, including a jewel-encrusted crown, which is amazing. The royal chariot was on display with life size models in full regalia exactly as it would be in procession. The sacred kris of office and a vast collection of opulent treasures were equally displayed in these rich surroundings. Again we all had to remove our shoes and photographs were only allowed at the entrance, but I did manage to get one of his beautiful coaches.

It had been a five hour tour and we were all ready for our lunch when we arrived back at the yacht - as well as a rest.
We had an invitation to dine with Handré for our evening meal waiting for us, so we met him in the restaurant at 7.45pm.
I did not want to be late to bed because of my journey to Beijing tomorrow so we didn’t stay up after seeing the show with Sarah Jessica, the cellist.

2010-03-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 10th March – Sailing the South China Sea.

We continued our relaxation in preparation for tomorrows five and a half hour tour in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. I was also feeling a bit apprehensive about what I would need with me on my four day trip to China starting the next day, because the temperature looked likely to be around 10 degrees C and I didn’t want to take too much, but at the same time I would need warmth.
The captain gave his noon report with good news about tomorrow’s weather so it looked as though we could expect a good day for our sightseeing tour. Today it was around 30 degrees C with a calm sea and light breeze so the sunbathers were all on deck. During the night we had rounded the northern most tip of Brunei and were now sailing in a south easterly direction in the South China Sea where there were small islands dotted about. We slowed down to 16 knots because we were on schedule for tomorrow’s 7.00am meeting to pick up the pilot we need to guide us through a dredging channel on the mud flats and into Muara Port.
Our game of trivia was a bit better and we were quite pleased with ourselves as there are only a few more before most of the passengers, and some crew, disembark at Hong Kong, a major changeover port. Then we will have to recruit new members of our team from the joining passengers and start a new game.
Lunch was most enjoyable with Mary and David who suggested booking a hotel for their overnight stay in Bangkok and wondered if we were interested, so we will have to give it consideration. Alan had missed breakfast so he had a substantial meal and I settled for soup.
Our afternoon was spent sorting out and packing my case for the four days in China, I think we got every eventuality covered. Our friends have all offered to look after Alan in my absence so I think he will quite enjoy being on his own. At least I won’t worry about him.
I had a lot of writing to do too so while Alan tried to snooze I caught up with administration!
We had decided to dine in our suite this evening so that made everything so much more relaxed for us both before our hectic early morning departure. We don’t want to overdo it again! It is now 5.30pm so I will post this and go for a long soak in the bath.

2010-03-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 9th March – At Sea

Our morning was again leisurely and we caught up on a few reservations we needed to make for forthcoming port sightseeing trips.
We actually crossed the equator at just after 4.00am, but as we weren’t awake to witness it we had to accept what the captain told us – he said there was a slight ‘bump’! We were sailing up the east coast of Borneo at 18 knots and approx. half way to our destination of Muara, Brunei. Because we had crossed the equator we were experiencing 10 -15 knot Trade Winds, which was a mere breeze, and the temperature was only 29 degrees C with low humidity so it seemed to be a perfect day.
We each had a fillet of ‘blue nose’ for our lunch, which was similar to a sea bass and very tasty. Then we had to dash to catch the afternoon lecture by Robin Hanbury-Tenison because we enjoyed his last one so much. This time he spoke of his experiences living with the Penan tribe in Mulu, in the rain forest of Borneo during the 1970s. It was fascinating, and then he showed us a film of his return to the tribe in 1999, which revealed the amount of logging that had been done and how destruction of the rain forest had affected the Penan peoples lives since his last visit. He will be flying to visit them when we reach Muara and returning to the ship two days later, so it will be interesting to hear how his old friends are eleven years down the line after further intrusion from the outside world.
I was determined to get into the gym routine again so I dashed off there whilst Alan went for a rest. Our day in Bali really took it out of him and many others on the yacht. It was so hot I think it dehydrated everyone more than they thought even though we all carried bottles of water with us.
The rest of the ship went to watch the ‘crossing of the equator’ ceremony and be thrown into the pool – we think we have seen enough of this so gave it a miss.
We had arranged to meet Jerry and Donna for drinks in The Club early this evening so it was a bit of a dash for us, although we had decided to have a couple of nights where we retired before midnight in preparation for my flying out on the 12th.
It was the new chef’s dinner in the Restaurant but we all, including Marian, a friend of Donnas, decided to dine in the Colonnades because it was a Vietnamese Evening. The food was excellent and we really enjoyed, not only the food but also the conversation, and we were joined by our resident pianist in the O Bar, Bruce Tilden.
Afterwards we all went to the O Bar for drinks and the odd dance! We did manage to retire before the mid-night hour!!

2010-03-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

Monday, 8th March – At Sea

After the long day yesterday we both needed to take it easy so after breakfast all we did was watch the Oscars Award ceremony on TV. It was interesting because we had completed a quiz earlier to see if we could guess the winners! I know I got the Best Actor, Actress and Film correct (although not sure if I wrote the Director down right even though I knew her name), but as for all the others we will have to wait until the results come out.
Anyway, that took up our morning so when the captain gave his noon report he reminded us that we had a long way to go because we had to sail around the island of Borneo due to a coral atoll on the south coast, which prevented us from taking the short route. At this time we were sailing northward through the Macassar Strait with Borneo on our portside, he asked us to note that the sea in this area was very black because we were in a deep channel between shallow reefs.
When we leave the Strait we sail through the Celebes Sea until we get to the northern most point of Borneo and turn westward into the Sulu Sea, passing Sabah. From there we turn southwards into the South China Sea of Malaysia when Brunei will be on our portside, so we have a further two days sailing.
The temperature was still in the low 30s C range but expected to rise as we progressed toward the equator once again. Already the high pressure was rising and we should be crossing the equator about 7.00am tomorrow morning.
After all that information we went to play trivia again, which was fun and proved just how ‘thick’ we really are!!
Alan hadn’t had his usual cooked breakfast so he needed a substantial lunch, whereas I had decided to do some washing so a quick bowl of soup was all I had time for. The afternoon was taken up with laundry and Alan had gone back to bed because he was again feeling the strain of yesterday’s exertions; he really had walked too far and it had proved to be too much.
By evening we had decided to remain in our suite and have room service, so I watched a couple of good films and got my ‘cinema fix’ out of the way, while Alan slept most of the time – so that was our very leisurely day, short and relaxing.

2010-03-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 7th March – Bali, Indonesia.

History
300BC–AD 100 Prehistoric Balinese lived communally and buried their dead in stone sarcophagi with bronze and iron objects. They introduced Rice paddy cultivation.
8th-11th Centuries - Neighbouring Java was ruled by Hindu kingdoms and Hinduism spread to Bali. In the 11th century, Bali became part of the East Java kingdom and its art and architecture reflected this influence.
12th-14th Centuries – Bali was a semi-autonomous regency and at times independent. Then in 1343 the Hindu Majapahit Empire conquered Bali and united all of Java.
15th-16th Centuries – Muslin teachers and traders brought Islam to Java gradually converting royalty and the people. The Majapahit Empire broke up and many important people fled to Bali where a uniquely Balinese blend of Hinduism and the native animistic religion evolved. First contact with Europeans was when the Dutch arrived in 1597.
17th - 19th Centuries – Most colonisers ignored Bali as offering little in economic value until in 1846, when the Dutch launched their first series of military expeditions to bring it under control.
20th Century – The Balinese resisted this intrusion when the royal family in Denpasar lead a suicide attack against the Dutch in 1906, followed by a similar event in Klungkung in 1908. Shocked by the slaughter, the Netherlands government returned some power to the local princes to avoid further interference with local culture. During WW2 the Japanese occupied Indonesia and the Dutch were forced to withdraw after 4 years of conflict. In 1950 Bali became part of the Republic of Indonesia. Mount Agung erupted in 1963 devastating Bali. In 1965, the army led by General Suharto took power, and he became president in 1967. In 1998, following an uprising he was forced to quit after 32 years in power, and elections have taken place ever since then.

Bali’s capital and largest city is Denpasar with a population of 300,000, but as we berthed at Padangbai (Padang Bay) some distance away it was not possible to visit in the day. Bali has been called an island of temples, with more than 10,000 scattered across the landscape. It is an island where rice paddies carpet the lowlands, cling to hillsides, and climb steep slopes of Mount Agung. Considered the ‘Navel of the World’ and home to Bali’s gods, Mount Agung soars 10,000 feet and dominates the surrounding area.

We anchored off the island of Bali at 7.00am and had to wait for the tender service. We were greeted by elegant girls in traditional dress and music from the men. There was nothing at all at the port and our nearest town was Ubud so we decided to make our own way there.
We had arranged the previous night to share a car with David and Mary so we met at 8.30am and went ashore together. However, when we managed to hire a driver and car his advice was not to go on the tourist trail but for him to take us where it would be of most interest. We put our trust in ‘Yasser’ and set off toward Ubud.

There are only direct roads so everyone travelled on the same route, cars, millions of motorcycles ridden by girls, boys, and families of up to four (with and without helmets.) They have no fear and drive as if they are the only ones on the road, but amazingly there are very few accidents. It was interesting that they drive on the left.
The life in Bali is very ancient even today and the houses still remain as they were centuries ago, with their small shrines filled with gifts from the family. Each statue has a cloth wrapped around it because they believe that their gods are human and should wear clothes, some even have a parasol to keep the sun from their heads. These look really strange because it’s as if someone has draped material around for fun. They would be much nicer left as statues. These people are Hindu and pray three times every day. They celebrate the ‘light’ moon and the ‘dark’ moon twice a month and great celebrations take place.

Almost every home has its fighting cocks outside in cages, usually two, but sometimes three or four. These are taken out every day for training for at least a year before they are considered good enough to fight in combat. This is definitely the main sport of the Balinese. They were placing decorations on posts along the roads because in a few days time they would be celebrating their New Year and great festivities take place.

Yasser took us up a side road that was almost a dirt track to where we came across a group of villagers bathing themselves in irrigation canals they had built for their crop fields. The men, boys and male babes in arms, stripped naked and washed themselves at one side of the bridge while the women, girls and female babes in arms, did the same on the other side. There was no embarrassment at all and they merely turned to see who we were before carrying on with their ablutions. (What a giggle Mary and I had on seeing all this!) This is a daily ritual in this village and because the water flowed fast it is always clean. The clothes were being washed in a side stream and there was also a shallow part where a young man was washing his ‘old’ car!

We were in the area known as Klungkung and continued on our way passed the peanut pickers and up the high winding mountain track until Yasser informed us that we were at Pura Bukit Buluh (Bukit Buluh Temple,) which was being renovated by the villagers whilst still being used for daily prayers. It was indeed a sight to see so we wandered around whilst being told about their religion and practices. There were a few men carving panels of wood to adorn the temple, also piles of coconut hair that had been woven to make roof thatching. One of the higher towers had been totally rebuilt with a wooden frame. It was most interesting to watch the wood carvers using their ancient tools to create such intricate carvings on teak, ebony, mahogany and a local wood called kemenuh.

Back on the road we arrived at Gianyar where we stopped to view a palace. We took off our shoes and went inside to find that there was a hypnotherapy healing class going on. This would have been the main throne room but because the royal family had been deposed this was now used for other events. Interesting enough, and yet the family of King Airlanger still lived in one section of the palace, which to us was just a small house with a garden and three fighting cocks in cages by the porch.

Travelling further a field we stopped where there were about ten cave entrances along the roadside. David and I went inside to investigate but I soon dashed out when his camera flash disturbed the bats that then flew at us. Apparently, this tunnel ran parallel to the road and had several exits and was where the king’s soldiers hid when the Japanese came in WW2. When the Japanese drove down the road the king’s soldier’s charged out through the exits and killed all the invaders. Yasser was delighted to tell this story and when we replied ‘Good!’ he thought that great!
It was getting toward noon and feeling a bit hungry we suggested a lunch stop – but first we had to go to a wood carving shop, where Alan bought an ebony elephant, then we motored on to a silver shop where we felt the need to mention that we did not want any more shopping stops. Just lunch please!
Looking at our map and heading in a westerly direction was not where I wanted to be so we suggested that we retrace our steps and go east toward Tenganan. As we did this we came across a funeral that had caused us to divert earlier. Yasser explained that when anyone dies they are cremated the same day and this was such a procession. Being curious we stopped the car and got out to watch. Speaking to the local people who were standing around we discovered that it was a fifty year old man.
It was an elaborate funeral and the family had eaten their ‘celebration of life’ meal prior to the body being placed high in the top of the funeral carriage (for want of a better name.) We saw that his body was wrapped tightly in reeds, and then white silk that was removed after he was placed in the top section, so his feet protruded out in front! From these a length of yellow silk was draped down to the base. Then the family climbed up the tower and placed gifts, such as chicken, food and fruit alongside of his body.

The young man who then climbed into the canopy of the magnificent ornate tower some thirty foot high was his eldest son, who rode on his father’s body, along with another male family member clinging to the side carrying a cocks head on a stick to where the funeral pyre was to be lit. The tower was carried by family members and the community who by tradition had to turn the tower through 360 degrees no less than three times during the procession. Throughout the whole of this ceremony a band played traditional music and there was rejoicing. It was a celebration, but I have to say that I had a lump in my throat and we showed respect in our very British way. Yasser did mention that not everyone can afford this form of elaborate funeral.

They cremate their people on a spare piece of land that the government allocate to each area. We later passed a cremation ceremony and saw all the family sitting around the burning embers of their dear departed. The wood used for the funeral pyre gives off a strong aroma of incense to disguise the smell.
Back on the road and it was 1.30pm so we were in need of food – we travelled passed rice paddies, cocoanut and banana plantations and many other fruit growing areas. Yasser’s “ten minutes away” in reality was almost an hour before we arrived at Rama Candidasa Resort Hotel where we were relieved to see something truly modern!

Our leisurely lunch was taken in delightful surroundings overlooking the ocean as the waves were breaking on the beach beneath. Unfortunately, the only air conditioning was the open windows and the breeze! I ordered Balinese crispy chicken, Alan ordered traditional Oxtail, Mary ordered crispy duck and David ordered beef medallions. Our meal was delicious and we couldn’t have asked for anything better.

By 3.30pm we were on the road toward Tenganan some forty minutes drive away. This is an isolated community, socially and economically separate from the rest of Bali. The village is shut off from the world by a 700 year old wall that surrounds the entire village, broken by four gates facing each of the cardinal points. Claiming descent from the island original inhabitants, the lifestyles of the Bali Aga people have changed little since pre-Hindu times. Villagers are known for weaving the unique kamben grinsing (flaming cloth) believed to protect its wearer from evil.
Here is how Yasser explained their way of life to us: The only people who are allowed to live in the village must have been born there. If a man marries someone from another village he has to leave and his parents must pay a premium for his absence. If a woman marries outside the village, she too must leave, but no premium is necessary. When a man marries inside the village he is given a plot of land by the village to build his house. (It would seem that perhaps there is a lot of intermarriage.)

Most young people work outside the village now, but must return and live there. They also work their own rice paddies and have water buffalo to pull the ploughs. The water buffalo are also used during ceremonial occasions when everyone will eat at the ‘long house table’ that runs down the middle of the village. Almost every home breeds cocks for cock fighting and the blood drawn after a fight is used for ceremonial occasions. The white cocks are dyed pink, blue, yellow and red - for recognition.

We stood back in awe when first we entered the village through the gate; it was like stepping back into history. The houses were the same as they had been for centuries, except for the fact that each one had either fabric or basket ware for sale! We wandered in and the shop was their home. There were tables outside where young and old men were prepared to write our names on Balinese calendars and book marks for a few dollars. Goats and water buffalo roamed freely as did dogs and children, but it was such a sleepy quiet little place that nothing seemed disturbing. The dress everyone wore was ancient, the men and women in wrap around skirts/dresses going about their daily duties. The street was large stone cobbles and other than this it was dirt that was also swept clean daily. How very interesting it was, but time was passing and we were melting in the heat of the sun at 34 degrees C with high humidity, it was time to head back to the yacht.

When we did eventually get back on board Alan was absolutely shattered, so we showered and stayed in our suite all evening, except for an hour when I popped on deck to watch the Balinese dancers who had come to visit the ship before we left.
This had been a very long but wonderful day; thank goodness we have three days at sea to rest before Brunei.
We set sailed at 10.00pm with 1,418n miles to Maura Port, Brunei.

2010-03-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 6th Match – Cruising the Flores Sea.

After putting our clocks back an hour last evening we were both awake earlier than usual and by the time I was up Alan had washed and ironed – what a treasure! We decided to go to the morning lecture by Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE, DL, Explorer and Author. He is the President of Survival International. He spoke about the largest ‘unaculturated’ tribe in all the Americas, the Yanomami, with whom he lived for three months. It was a most informative talk with photographs and I look forward to his next about Borneo tribes in a few days time.
After that it was a dash for trivia, which was all to do with the cinema because we have a quiz about the Oscars on Monday. The Americans seem to get quite excited about them, so we will see how we do with our ‘best guesses’!
The captain informed us that we were now sailing in the Flores Sea and that the temperature was around 29 degrees C and 74% humidity with a low sea swell and the possibility of showers. As it happened we only got a few light showers and the sea stayed very calm so we cruised along at a steady 11 knots.
We had our lunch and then spotted a school of dolphins. We were sailing close to mountainous land all day so there were a few small fishing boats on the horizon too.
I went to find out more about my trip to China and after going through the itinerary with the tour manager I think I am all but sorted on that. Andrew and Mark have a copy so that if there are any problems they know where I am – just a precaution! Alan went on the Bridge trip to see what it was like up there.
By late afternoon I was still on the Internet and Alan was asleep in preparation for the long day ahead tomorrow. We decided to do our own thing so I had to research the area around Padang Bay so that we knew where to go to see Balinese culture; I made notes to take with us.
After cocktails in our suite we wandered off to see what was happening on the ship.
Our evening began in the Club with drinks and music and then our Dutch friends, Marja and Jerome arrived, so we chatted with them until almost 8.45pm by which time we all had to dash for dinner. After talking to David and Mary we arranged to meet in the morning to discuss sharing transport with them during our day in Bali.
Time passed quickly and we decided to go to see Sarah Jessica, the ‘cello diva,’ in the theatre. I must say she was very impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance. I seem to have acquired a love of the cello this last week!
After that Alan and I met Barry in the O Bar for last drinks before bed as we all had an early start in the morning.

2010-03-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Friday, 5th March – Sailing the Timor Sea.

I forgot to mention that last evening was the most magnificent sunset we have ever seen – they say Darwin is the place for sunsets and – it is!!
Anyway, this morning was a late morning for two reasons; I had a migraine because I think I got too much sun yesterday, and also because there was a crew drill that lasted an hour. Apparently, the sonic booms have been activated as a precaution for when we are in Somalian pirate waters. Better safe than sorry I suppose. Alan had of course had his early morning swim before all this!
The sea was like a millpond for a second day, what a pleasure after all the rough seas earlier in our cruise. The temperature was around 31 degrees C with humidity still at 74% so it was hot and humid as we would expect in this area.
I received my itinerary for the four day overland to China and it reads very hectic, but interesting so I am quite excited. It won’t be long now, March 12th – 15th!
Trivia was fun again and then we went to lunch, which was a very extended lunch because we were chatting for ages to four other passengers. Alan went for a snooze while I logged on and sent some emails and then due to an early start to the evening I didn’t do the gym.
This evening’s ‘world cruise event’ began with what was said to be ‘A very special cocktail reception followed by dinner in the Colonnade with our host, Assistant Cruise Director, Russell Grieve.’ The invitation stated ‘There is an element of secrecy attached to this event and we urge you to be in the Grand Salon no later than 7.00pm.’ We had heard from our fellow passengers that we were all invited by our personal table host so we looked forward to it with interest.
Upon the arrival of everyone the doors were sealed and Barry Hopkins announced that there would be a special performance by members of the crew. Well, it was a most enjoyable experience indeed, how many members of the crew had hidden talents? We watched two waiters, three chefs and an officer, sing and play their instruments and quite honestly it was one of the best shows we have seen since we boarded because it was so genuine, and we shared the nervousness of our fellow crew members as they performed in front of an audience for the first time. We gave them a standing ovation as they took their final bow. (Sadly, none were female!)
Then we went to dine with our hosts and that again was a good experience because our host, Russ Grieves, was a very interesting person. He had just finished a seven year contract in Las Vegas playing in Mama Mia. This was only his second cruise and third month with Seabourn, and he has the personality to make it a future career should he so decide. We were very impressed. A great evening was shared with our two other table guests and we were all most impressed with the ‘special event’ programme.
The show in the theatre was a magician called Mark Haslam and he was the very best! I don’t know how he did some of the tricks but I have never seen them done before, so again it was a good show and lots of fun because he involved passengers too.
To end our evening we went to the O Bar for drinks with other friends and Handré came to join us for a short time before retiring. Tonight we had to put back our clocks back by a further hour, so now we are 8 1/2 hours ahead of the UK (I think??) It gets confusing.
Tomorrow is another sea day so relaxation is the order of the day.

2010-03-04T21:31:00.001-08:00

Thursday, 4th March, Darwin, Australia.

History – In early times the Aboriginal tribes lived happily numbering 300,000 until the first white settlers arrived.
17th Century – European navigators discovered ‘Terra Australis Incognita.’
19th Century - Port Darwin was discovered by Captain John Clements Wickham, the surveyor aboard HMS Beagle in 1839 and named after the noted naturalist, Charles Darwin. The settlement was delayed until 1869 and in 1872 a cable service was inaugurated that linked Sydney to London via Darwin.
20th Century - The commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed in 1900. During WW2 Japanese bombers pounded Darwin more than 60 times killing hundreds. Darwin was flattened in 1974 by Cyclone Tracy and rebuilt as a ‘cyclone proof city.’ In 2004 the legendary Ghan Railway was extended from Alice Springs to Darwin.

Darwin is situated on the Timor Sea, is the capital and only real city of the Northern Territory, a region of Outback Australia covering about one-sixth of the entire continent. The city itself is built on a low bluff overlooking the harbour, its suburbs spread out over some area, beginning at Lee Point in the north and stretching to Berrimah in the east. Mostly desert, it conceals a treasure chest of minerals. The total population of the territory is around 200,000 of whom nearly half live in Darwin, all admit that it is a ‘trifle isolated’ being 1,900 miles from either Sydney or Perth. The Kakadu National Park, partly managed by Aborigines, is rich in flora and birdlife as well as ancient wall paintings brimming with mystery and meaning. Crocodiles in the park are protected by law.

Our morning was leisurely as usual so we were able to sit and watch our arrival at Darwin in comfort from the air conditioned lounge. We had time for lunch before we berthed at 1.00pm and by 1.30pm we were waiting for the shuttle bus that took us on a ten minute ride into town. There were some very big buildings but this was not a sky scraper city, merely a busy place in the more remote part of Australia.

The shuttle dropped us off at a shopping mall and the heat was very intense as there was no breeze. We both wore our lotion and hats in the 34 degree C temperature with 74% humidity. Fortunately, there were plenty of shaded areas to weave our way through in the open air and the shops did have air conditioning that eased our discomfort from time to time. We spent a couple of hours looking around and Alan tried to play a didgeridoo, which was quite impressive actually! We only bought a couple of items and it was noticeable how expensive things were due to the low value of our pound.

There were plenty of Aborignals playing their didgeridoos for a welcome donation along the sidewalks. Their music was quite entertaining as we strolled around.

On returning to the yacht we quickly showered because there was a Folklore performance at 5.45pm. It was a bit too early for Alan so I went alone, which was probably a good decision as it only lasted ten minutes – three dances that seemed to be the same but with a different song. It was interesting to see how the Aboriginals adorned their bodies in white mud to disguise themselves when hunting and to see the ruggedness shared in facial appearance.

We were an hour or so late in setting sail because the chef had something important missing and had to dash ashore to collect it – I have no idea what was so important that it would delay our departure! Anyway, eventually we did head off toward Indonesia. It is 954n miles to Padang Bay at Bali, where we hope to get a taxi and see the sights of our choice.
Our evening began with cocktails in the O Bar where we met Henry and Susan as we had arranged to dine with them. We ate very early for us but at the request of our friends because they like early nights.
At 10.00pm it was time for Liar’s Club again so Alan and I trotted off to join in the fun. I was disappointed that the captain did not participate on this occasion as he is so amusing, but we had the new social hostess, Marla, who equally shared his talent for humour. I was quite tired after our day ashore so went straight to bed when it was over, but Alan went for a night-cap.

2010-03-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 3rd March – Cruising the Arafura Sea.

We left the Torres Strait and entered the Arafura Sea heading in a westerly direction during the night. We slowed to 18 knots because there was a one metre swell and it was overcast most of the day, although it was still around 30 degrees C with 78% humidity. We had a light shower late afternoon but are expecting the weather to improve tomorrow with temperatures around 34/35 degrees C in Darwin for our mid-day arrival.
Today was a typical day at sea with the captain’s noon report followed by trivia, after which we went for lunch. The Pacific fish has been replaced by Australian fish on the menu so the meals have taken on a different theme, and I am missing the baby octopus, which I really enjoyed.
We watched the travel film about Darwin, Indonesia, Brunei and Honk Kong, our next ports, to decide what we might like to do and see, before making any definite bookings. Then I went to the gym while Alan snoozed. I actually cleared the Mah-jong solitaire level two for the first time!! Getting better!!

We had champagne and caviar at 6.00pm and then went to the O Bar for my Filby cocktail before making our way to Restaurant 2 for an intimate dinner. (Remember, these are very small portions and we eat from left to right of the plate.)
The Menu:
Chef’s cocktail: Shrimp tempura, green papaya & celery Margarita, orange Aioli.

Seared beef tataki, pickled vegetables, ponzu jelly, tahini puree;
Crispy curried Vidalia onion rings, bitter greens;
Navy bean fritter, yogurt raita. (Shown in photo)

Clear tomato presse, goat’s cheese pannacotta, tear drop comfit;
White tomato cappuccino, chicken & pesto, basil foam.

Grilled Dorado, pressed lemon sauce, ricotta gnocchi, parmesan gremolata;
Slow braised lamb shank, potato moussaka, red wine jus.

Bailey’s sabayon, crushed chocolate flakes.

Cocoanut and passion fruit gelano, almond foam, blackberry sorbet, red bet tuille.
Night Cap – After 2 (a crème liqueur.)

It was super! Afterwards we went to the theatre to see Spring Fever, the duo on violin and cello who were as good as the first time they appeared. When we left we met a couple that got on at Sydney and went to the O Bar for drinks with them so that was rather nice, but ended up that we didn’t leave until after midnight!

2010-03-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 2nd March – Cruising the Great Barrier Reef

After a good night’s sleep we awoke to brilliant sunshine and calm seas with temperatures already in the low thirties and high humidity again. Looking out from our balcony the sea was dotted with idyllic islands surrounded by white sands and turquoise lagoons (this continued all day.) We haven’t seen any fish for ages so I am not sure where they have all gone!
We relaxed over breakfast before the captain’s noon day report where he informed us that things were looking good for our day at sea and that we had increased our speed to 19 knots. At this point the sea had a large blanket of brown algae called ‘tricondomesium’ (if I spelt it right!)
We were then 100n miles south of Cape York, the northernmost extremity of Australia, at which point we will be leaving the Coral Sea and heading into the Torres Strait. The Torres Strait is a body of water that lies between Australia and the Melanesian islands of New Guinea and is approx. 93 miles wide at its narrowest extent. There are at least 274 small islands in the Strait and 17 have permanent settlements. At 6.30pm we were just beginning to round Cape York.
Our game of trivia was better than our last and we managed to raise one place in positioning, but still we are not doing as well as we should!
Before lunch we met up with John and Joan on the starboard deck whilst admiring the beautiful island scenery and arranged to have dinner with them this evening. It was a ‘black tie’ evening but we decided to eat al fresco at the Patio Bar and just have a light meal.
After lunch Alan went to inquire about my four day trip to China as we hadn’t received any details. Apparently, there are now 16 going but as yet the itinerary has not been finalised. I am hoping to return in time to attend the Hong Kong Aberdeen Yacht Club event with Alan, I will be disappointed if I can’t go.
I went to Seabourn Square to log on while Alan had a snooze then we prepared for the evening before our cocktails arrived.
We met John and Joan at 7.30pm and enjoyed a wonderful evening meal with them sitting out in high humidity and a light breeze, but we have got used to the humidity now and dress accordingly. We watched from aft as the full moon appeared to change its position several times as the yacht altered course from the north to a westerly direction, which was most impressive because the sky was quite black and the silvery moon disappeared and then reappeared from behind the clouds.
It was a most enjoyable evening and when we retired we had to retard our watched by thirty minutes – so now we are nine and a half hours ahead of GMT for our arrival in Darwin.

2010-03-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Monday, 1st March – Cairns, Australia.

Cairns, with a population of over 158,000 it is the unofficial capital of Queensland’s tropical north. It has extra wide streets set out in grid fashion and is perfectly flat with an esplanade 600m along the waterfront. A man made lagoon where water is filtered and safe from jellyfish and other marine creatures is patrolled by lifeguards.

(I took this photo from the Skyrail gondola.)

The city itself was named after William Wellington Cairns (the then Governor of Queensland.) It was formed to serve miners heading for Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold, metals, minerals and

agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region.

We awoke to brilliant sunshine so I went out onto the balcony to have a look at the wonderful tropical rainforest surrounding the bay, and my glasses steamed up with the high humidity! The temperature was way over 30 degrees C already and it lasted all day – with no clouds to shade us and definitely no rain as predicted - it was the hottest day we had had so far.
After leaving the yacht at 9.50am we had planned to walk into town or go to the museum, but we found a bus waiting on the port side that offered a very reasonable return trip to Kuranda in the tropical rainforest, so we decided to go. We had read all about the Skyrail and vintage train journeys and thought they might be too difficult for Alan, but the Aussie assured us that they were not. As much as we had wanted to take a catamaran out to the Barrier Reef it would have been a six hour trip and neither of us felt that we wanted to sit looking through the glass bottom for that amount of time so we passed on this.

Two other passengers joined us in the bus and we were taken on a fifteen minute ride from Cairns to Caravonica where we began our Skyrail journey in a small gondola cabin (seats six, but we went alone.) We covered a distance of 7.5km journey in just over an hour travelling just metres above the rainforest canopy and enjoying spectacular views of the coastal plain.

Looking down from the gondola we could see amazing plant life: Eucalypt woodlands with an understorey of primitive fern-like cyclads. Vines are numerous here and there lives a large colony of Metallic Starlings nesting in Variegated Fig. We could spot Caribbean Pines, Kauri Pines and Banyan trees between the towers as we glided higher and further across the rainforest. There are 33 towers before Kuranda village situated deep in the rainforest.

Next we stopped off at Red Peak Station to experience the tree walk through the tops of the tropical vegetation then back onto the gondola to our next stop at Barron Falls Station. Here we were in awe of Barron Gorge way below us with the mighty Barron Falls cascading down the mountain side into the river below.

Continuing our journey in the gondola we eventually arrived at Kuranda where we crossed the dirty brown Barron River looking out for the crocodiles that inhabit it. None to be seen today, but when we went into the Nocturnal Wildlife compound we saw plenty of them snoozing in the heat of the mid-day sun.

I fed the wallabies and kangaroos from my hand. We thought the Koala’s were cute and cuddly, but declined to have our photograph taken with them. The Wombats slept through our visit and the snakes slithered into the undergrowth, I think it was too hot for them too.

There is also a butterfly sanctuary but we gave this a miss and followed the road toward the shopping area. Kuranda is known for its colourful markets, its artists and nature orientated activities. There were plenty of small shops lining the road on both sides selling clothes, Aboriginal items, as well as lots of freshwater pearls and shell jewellery.

The whole town was in a turn of the century time warp and the original hotel remains busy today. The hotel was known as ‘Bottom Pub’ next door to Fanny O’Reilly’s, another historical landmark with stagecoach on the roof!

From 1880, hundreds of men spent four years hacking through the virgin forest of the Atherton Tablelands above Cairns, spanning gorges and boring through rock to build the Kuranda Railway that runs from Cairns. Each turn of the twenty one mile, three foot six gage flat bottomed track, opens on new vistas as it twists and turns along the mountain side. This journey includes fifteen tunnels, the longest being about 420 yards.

For our two hour return journey we boarded the vintage train (now pulled by diesel engine) at Kuranda Station with its hanging baskets of ferns and orchids and profusion of potted plants that made it a most welcome place to be. Travelling at a sensible speed we were able to absorb the beauty of the rainforest from a different level and watch the enormous blue butterflies and noisy brightly coloured parrot like birds play in their natural habitat.
Passing within a few yards of the magnificent waterfalls I felt their cool spray as I stood between carriages to take photographs, which was very refreshing because after almost six hours in this heat we were melting like wax.
It was a relief when we boarded the bus for the last fifteen minute ride back to the yacht, not because we had had enough, but because we were in dire need of air conditioning comfort! It had been a most memorable day in the rainforest and worth all the effort and discomfort necessary for this amazing encounter.

We had to have sandwiches upon our return as we hadn’t eaten all day, but we had been drinking water continuously so hunger was never a problem. The yacht set sail at 5.30pm for our next port in two days time, Darwin, some 1,221n miles away.
Our evening was very relaxed and we managed to dine in the Colonnades much later, but in time to see the show, two Australian concert violinists with a very unique and interesting act, which we both enjoyed.

2010-02-28T06:07:00.001-08:00

Sunday, 28th February – Cruising the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 k (1,600 miles) over an area of approx. 344,000 square k (133,000 sq. miles.) The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps and supports a wide diversity of life.

History
C. 35,000 BC the ancestors of today’s Australian Aborigines moved into Queensland from Southeast Asia and lived periodically on the reef islands.
17th Century – In 1606 Dutchman Willem Jansz sailed down the Queensland coast, followed in 1644 by Abel Tasman.
18th Century – In 1770 Captain Cook sailed through The Whitsunday Islands, which he named after the feast of Pentecost, and then ran aground on The Great Barrier Reef about 70 miles north of Cairns where he put in for repairs. He took possession of the entire east coast for Britain and renamed it New South Wales.
19th Century – Captain Matthew Flinders explored the Queensland coast circumnavigating the continent in 1803 and suggested it be called Australia. In 1824 Queensland’s first penal settlement was founded and in the 1840s Ludwig Leichhardt explored Queensland’s interior. On December 10th, 1859, Queensland was separated from New South Wales. Toward the end of the century pearl diving became an important activity.
20th Century – On January 1st, 1901, the colony of Queensland became a state of the Commonwealth of Australia. Bauxite, petroleum and gas were discovered in the reef islands during the 1960s. Today scientists are trying to find a means of saving the fragile reef from damages wreaked by global warming.

Alan went to listen to Alan Patching talk about Cairns – ‘The Tropical Jewel of the North,’ while I was having breakfast. The scenery from our balcony was wonderful and there were small islands dotted about all over the place. With calm seas and a temperature of 29 degrees C with 73% humidity it was another good day. We progressed steadily through ‘Whitsunday Passage’ where about 70 small islands surrounded us named ‘Whitsunday Islands’ by Captain James Cook.
The captain’s noon report was that we had just left the Whitsunday Passage and had slowed down to 14 knots as we were now in the Barrier Reef with only 40 metres of sea beneath us.
Our game of trivia was fun but we slipped back in position a bit too much for our liking, must do better the next time we play!
Most of the day had been overcast but very humid; we had lunch on deck with Odd and Anne-Mette, a very friendly couple from Norway also doing the world cruise.
The afternoon was spent relaxing again before our day in Cairns tomorrow, although the forecast is for about the same as today, overcast, hot and humid, but perhaps the occasional light shower so I guess that will be refreshing! Apparently this is due to low pressure over Alice Springs, 1011mls.
About 4.00pm the captain informed us that he had received a ‘May Day’ call from a small vessel that had lost its communication system – it was able to ‘send a May Day’ but unable to receive any replies. We slowed down to 4 knots and sounded our fog horn to make them aware of our presence, but we were about 6 miles away and it took almost an hour before contact was made. Our captain had notified the coast guard and a helicopter was searching the area too – eventually, the four men were lifted from their stranded vessel and into the helicopter, then we were relieved of our ‘search procedure’ and gained speed to get back on schedule for Cairns.
Handré, our assistant cruise director, had invited Alan and me to join him at dinner with another passenger, Jackie, who was travelling alone, so we met them for drinks in The Club at 7.00pm. We had so enjoyed Handré’s musical evening last week that we bought his CD, so he signed it for us with a very touching note that will remind us of his friendship. He writes music and lyrics that create very moving songs.
Dinner was taken al fresco on the rear deck in a very humid atmosphere but with a light breeze. The moons reflection on the ocean was like molten silver on blue velvet and a most memorable sight.
We didn’t go to the show to see the pianist, but understand that he was exceptional so perhaps we will manage his second performance before he disembarks. (When conversation and people are interesting who wants to dash away!) We did eventually end up in the O Bar with our usual friends and as there were less than normal we had a few ‘Name That Tune’ with Bruce Tilden, resident pianist, that passed away the time. Early to bed before mid-night – well almost!

2010-02-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 27th February – Cruising the Coral Sea.

This morning was brilliant sunshine, calm seas and temperatures in the high 20s so it couldn’t have been better. The humidity was high again at 78% because we were heading back towards the equator. It made it a great day for the sun seekers who occupied every space available on deck. I was more than happy to be able to see the beautiful sea from an air conditioned environment.
Alan had of course had his early morning swim before I was up for breakfast, and then he went to a cookery demonstration by Executive Chef, Udo Wischnieski, before we both headed off to our trivia game.
The captain’s noon announcement informed us that we had taken on board a Captain Will Gamble who was a ‘reef pilot’ and would guide us through the Great Barrier Reef. We were currently sailing just off the Continental Shelf in deep water at 500 metres. On our port side nearest to land the ocean bed shelves to just 10 metres where the southern most part of the Coral Reef begins to form. We were travelling comfortably at 17 knots but would have to slow down to 12 knots when we were within the Whitsunday Passage tomorrow and then the Great Barrier Reef for 24 hours before reaching Cairns.
After the announcement we were able to commence trivia – we didn’t do that well today!! I hadn’t slept very well so my brain was not functioning and the simplest of questions seemed difficult – for example, we should have known that Ringo Star’s real name was Richard Starkey!!! Better luck tomorrow.
We had lunch in the Colonnades and then Alan had a walk around the deck whilst I went to the gym. It had been a few days since my last visit so I was in need of some exercise. I enjoyed my mah-jong as I worked hard on the tread mill and then straight into the aromatherapy steam room for a real treat. Luckily the hydrotherapy pool had been cleaned and filled with fresh water at a temperature of 34 degrees C so that really made my afternoon and my body benefited from the water massage.
Then back to the suite for a well deserved rest when I put on the film that won all the Oscar Awards, The Hurt Locker. It was a great film, and when Alan returned he sat down and got interested so it was 6.30pm before either of us moved. He went to hear Captain Will Gamble talk about his life as a reef pilot while I got ready for the evening.
Later we enjoyed a Filby cocktail in the O Bar with Margaret and Brian and all decided to dine together in the Restaurant. I had an early night due to my tiredness creeping on and Alan went for a walk about to see who he could meet for a drink. It had been a pleasant and easy day for us all.

2010-02-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Friday, 26th February – At Sea.

Cruising the Coral Sea – The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the north-east coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands south of the Tasman Sea.
The Coral Sea Basin was formed between 48 million – 58 million years ago because the Queensland continental shelf was uplifted, forming the Great Dividing Range, and continental blocks subsided at the same time. The Coral Sea is ecologically an important source of coral for the Great Barrier Reef, both during its formation and after sea level lowering.
The outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef is the boundary between Queensland and the Coral Sea islands territory.

Today was definitely a chill out day and we were both late risers, although Alan did have his swim well before I opened my eyes! The weather was very good and temperatures were in the mid-twenties with reasonably calm seas.
We were able to get to our trivia in time to set out the twelve chairs in anticipation of any new members to our team, we needed six. Being the recruiter, I was on form and had built our team to full capacity within five minutes! Four Brits and two Aussies so that was a nice mix with our three Americans and three Brits! I even managed to get a captain from the new comers – and our team name was New Faces!
There were quite a few teams that did not manage the same numbers so we were at an advantage from that point – and it proved in our favour because we did very well and started the segment at only forty points behind the leaders. Can we keep this up????
We were introduced to our new assistant cruise directors, Marla and Russ, who will assist Barry and Handré, so that will ease their burden. It has been very difficult for them so far. Also it was apparent that there were quite a few new faces that had embarked at Sydney, I was told 150 passengers, and it was obvious that there were many new crew members too - we will soon get use to them.
Alan and I had a late al fresco lunch on the rear deck before returning to our suite to catch up on jobs that required our attention before this evening when we were dining with Hotel Manager, Vitor Alves.
We went for our usual pre-dinner drink in the Observation Bar and I had the Filby cocktail, which was very good, but quite intoxicating on an empty stomach! A few new faces sat around but it wasn’t crowded!
Dinner was very interesting because I was sitting next to Vitor and made one or two necessary observations known to him. Also two of the guests were a couple that I had asked to join our trivia team, Brian and Margaret Cormie, who later informed Alan that they lived in the next apartment building to our friends, Pamela and Gerald, in Sydney. Isn’t it a small world? (I do hope we don’t let the team down now!)
We didn’t feel like going to the show so we went up to the Observation Bar for drinks and met Donna, Jerry, Marian, Brian and Margaret, so it was ‘the usual crowd’ and great fun. A few new faces, so we introduced ourselves and will progress from there!
We put the clocks back one hour this evening so now we are ten hours behind the U.K. and I think I am back on track with the blog!!! Phew!

2010-02-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Thursday 25th February – Sydney, day 2.

We were up early this morning in preparation for our busy schedule with Pamela and Gerald; we were both looking forward to another day with them. It started when they met us with their car at the port entrance at 10.30am and we set off on a tour of Sydney. Gerald gave us a tour of all the places of historic interest and other places that interested Alan, like the railway station, Harbour Bridge and any other feat of engineering. We went for a slow ride around the Royal Botanic Gardens to see Mrs Macquarie’s chair carved out of rock, at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, there is even a street named after her too. The trees and plants in these gardens are very old and very rare so it is a place of great beauty. We saw St Mary’s Cathedral where Pamela and Gerald were married, also State Parliament House, the Art gallery and the Conservatorium of Music (not sure of the order.) Some of the housing reminded me of New Orleans because of the decorative wrought iron balconies. Gerald drove us around Miller’s Point and under the Harbour Bridge then through The Rocks area before heading up and onto the Harbour Bridge to go across to North Sydney. (This is another view he took of Odyssey pasing under the bridge.)

Our first viewing area was Castle Cove, which is a pretty place with big houses and where Grant, their son has a property. We stopped here at a row of shops where tables were outside the café, so we had coffees and chatted to Emma, who owns the café. She remembered Pamela and Gerald from a visit some time ago and it would appear never forgets anything!

Motoring on enjoying the rugged rock terrain shared with lush vegetation and amazing views over the harbour we arrived in Manly. This is a popular surfing beach so it has lots of very expensive properties along the promenade and many holiday homes and apartments. An area designed for the young who enjoy sand, sea and bistro dining.

The Manly Lifeguards were on duty and willing to spend a few minutes of their time with us taking photos for our pleasure! (He was definitely very 'manly'.)

Next we headed off to ‘The Spit’ (within spitting distance) is Mosman, a busy little place with lots to see and nice homes with harbour views (I think everywhere has harbour views because there are so many lovely bays.) It was 1.00pm and lunch was booked at The Tea Room at Gunner’s Barracks, End of Suskin Drive, Georges Heights, which actually is on camp and we had to gain permission to enter.

Again the view over the harbour was magnificent and when we were shown to our table on the veranda it was a place of our dreams. The building has been converted from the actual gunner’s barracks of about 1890 so the gun emplacements and slits are still in evidence in the wall. It was an elegant little restaurant and obviously very popular.
What did we order? After discussion we all decided on a two course lunch with wine: the choice was difficult as there were so many tasty dishes! Gerald and I started with quail saltimbocca with mozzarella, figs and 22 year old balsamic vinegar. Alan had scallops and aioli and Pamela had linguini. When I saw crispy grilled barramundi on the menu that was it – I had to have that because it is just so good! Gerald and Alan had this too; it was on a bed of shrimp risotto. Pamela chose a salmon dish.

Lunch took a couple of hours so then we headed in a homeward direction via Kirribilli where we viewed the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s official residence when in Sydney. Then we went back over the Harbour Bridge to return to Darling Harbour and their apartment. Here we enjoyed a pleasant glass of wine as we reminisced looking at photographs of the QM2 cruise where we all met in 2007.
Sadly, it was time for us to depart, and nothing is worse than having to say good-bye to dear friends when you are going to the other side of the world not knowing when you will meet again. (The Internet is an amazing thing for making this easier as you know contact is available whenever and wherever!) Even so, hugs and kisses and a few tears showed the true meaning of friendship and what a truly memorable time Pamela and Gerald had shared with us – and then we disappeared through port security as their car pulled away.
Our last evening in Sydney and I decided to relax and stay in our suite, while Alan found renewed vigour and went off to a cocktail party at 6.45pm with Pam Conover, the President of Seabourn – and I didn’t see him again until 12.30am!! I had a quiet evening blogging, which gave as much pleasure as the actual events, so I had a good time too!!
We left port at 10.00pm and set sail for Cairns some 1,251n miles north, and passing the Great Barrier Reef on our way.

2010-02-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 24th February – Sydney, Australia

History
Sydney was founded on 26th January 1788, when 11 convict bearing ships of the First Fleet arrived from England to establish the colony of New South Wales. The city was named after Thomas Townsend, the first Viscount Sydney, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies of Britain at the time of NSW’s founding.
Convicts were transported to Sydney and New South Wales from 1788 until 1840 and Sydney was officially created a city in 1842. The Rocks, Sydney’s first settlement and once the domain of drunken sailors and pickpockets has retained its old buildings and become a picturesque tourist attraction full of tiny shops, restaurants and laneways.
Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932 and the Opera House was created in 1957 by Jern Utzon of Denmark, and opened in 1973. In 1993 Sydney was named the host city for the 2000 Olympic Games.

There is no better way to approach Sydney than by sea through the picturesque Port Jackson (better known as Sydney Harbour) lined with sandy bays and unspoilt bush land. It was around 7.00am when first we sailed passed the magnificent Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point; here the Royal Botanical Gardens rise up from behind to form a wonderful backdrop. Then we cruised slowly beneath the famous Harbour Bridge before berthing at Wharf 8 in Darling Harbour.

We were meeting friends who live in Darling Harbour at 10.30am and Alan had been on deck looking out for them waving from their apartment overlooking the harbour; they too had been watching as our yacht sailed in and with telephoto lens had taken lots of photos for us.

Once berthed and much later, I appeared on our balcony (in white standing with Alan) and waved to the small figures high above on the balcony of their apartment.

We eventually disembarked and made our way to where Pamela and Gerald were waiting to greet us. We were going to their apartment for coffee so they had come by car because it was too far for Alan to walk. On arrival Gerald drove the car into the garage sized elevator and up we all went to the twentieth floor where they had two parking spaces. Then we entered their apartment via a small private elevator from the garage. (Absolutely amazing!)
The apartment consists of a whole floor and has one balcony overlooking Darling Harbour and on the opposite side of the room, another overlooking the Bridge, Opera House, Sydney Harbour and city. It was magnificent!

After reminiscing we went into town by taxi to the old and beautiful Queen Victoria Building (seen in this photo) where Pamela said there were shops I would enjoy – so we split up and the men went off one way and we went the other! Of course by the time we met them in the Queen Victoria Tea Rooms at 1.00pm I had made my purchase, another dress – because of course I have nothing to wear!! A delightful lunch was taken in very elegant surroundings before we embarked on another hour around the shopping centre – I think by 3.00pm I had had my retail therapy fix and it was great! (How many do I need? Frequent whole day fixes!)

Sydney is a very busy city with elegant shopping arcades and a monorail that goes through and around the city centre; there is a buzz of enthusiastic shoppers and tourists eager to see everything possible in a short space of time.

We had to be back on board early because at 5.30pm we were going on the Bella Vista Catamaran for our ‘Harbour Cruise and Buffet Dinner’ before the opera. All the ‘world cruisers’ were invited and arrived elegantly dressed for the occasion. The tables and chairs were decked in white satin with bows, and with eight guests at each table conversation was very pleasant. The food was excellent and the wine was plentiful. We cruised around for almost two hours, which was most enjoyable because as well as dining we were also able to take photographs of all the amazing sights surrounding the harbour.

At 7.15pm we moored at The Man O’ War steps and proceeded toward a place of spectacular architecture. There is no place in the world like the Sydney Opera House, a global icon and masterpiece of genius. We entered to view the interior that we had been told was not at all as glamorous as other theatre venues – but it was unique in that it reflected the exterior with its grey concrete boxes and inverted sail shaped roof. There were a lot of steps, few slopes and even fewer elevators so Alan found it inconvenient because the interior does have many levels. A great number of exits to the outside terraces made people circulation during the interval speedy and efficient.

The opera was Tosca and I had expected 18th or 19th century costume, but it was played out in modern dress, which I felt took away the magic. Tosca is a very brutal and dramatic love story that holds your attention throughout. This was helped by a short English translation being displayed above the stage, a bit like subtitled films – how ‘tailored’ opera has become since I last went!
The task of the performers in this production was not an easy one; they played their parts as real people caught up in a car-crash of events that left the final scene littered with corpses and the atmosphere somewhere between Beckett and Tarantino. All the time they were pumping out the hyped-up vocalism Puccini’s high octane music demands, which even with eyes closed was breathtaking. We both loved it!! I gave it 98% -2% for modern costume!
After the final act we all returned to our catamaran for the short cruise back to the Odyssey which had left its berth in Darling Harbour at 10.00pm, and moored up at Circular Quay in Sydney Cove where the overseas passenger terminal is located. When we got back to our suite we had a magnificent view of the illuminated Opera House on the opposite bank. We were fortunate to be having an overnight stop in Sydney so that made it possible for us to have arranged another day with Pamela and Gerald, whose company we had enjoyed so much earlier today.

2010-02-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 23rd February, At Sea.

Today was a strange day because more than half the passengers were packing in preparation for their disembarkation tomorrow. We thought it would be a good day to get our laundry done, but so did everyone else, even those who were leaving!
We had our last game of trivia with the existing teams and an exciting final round was played when we gambled all our points on a bonus question – and lost them! Hey Ho, we can’t win them all (any actually.) We will have to see what happens when new teams are established following our Sydney departure.
It was Chef’s Galley Lunch today and everyone was enjoying the vast selection of food. I settled for a couple of hot chicken dishes but Alan went for the cold smoked fish and sushi.
Anyway, eventually I did manage to get myself a washing machine and an ironing board after lunch so it passed away a couple of hours! I enjoyed chats with other ladies (and men) whilst there, and was invited to view the ‘owner’s suite’ (one of the pent houses) by its current resident. It looked very spacious, but who wants two toilets, four wash basins, a shower, plus one large bath and a ‘half bath’ in a suite with one double bed and a studio couch? The extra space would have been very nice!
It was just after 4.00pm by the time I returned to our suite where Alan was sleeping, so I had a long relaxing bath before answering emails etc. Then it was time to get ready for our last cocktails with our departing friends.
We met in the Observation Bar and I ordered my ‘Filby’ cocktail, which was prepared before my eyes and tasted by Susan, Donna and Ann who all agreed it was pretty good. I will now start to have that as my pre dinner cocktail at 7.15pm!!
It was time for fond farewells and a very emotional evening so there was lots of hugging and kissing before John and Ann managed to escape and join us for dinner in the Colonnades. It was a Vietnamese Bistro evening and the food was superb: We all had rice paper spring rolls and poached shrimp nem cuon dipping sauce, then Hanoi chicken noodle pot bok choy, followed by sweet onion duck breast and fried rice with spiced orange jus. Red wine of course – but no dessert!
The rest of the evening was spent in the Club listening to Barry and Handré singing, with the usual Timeless 6 group, who by the way are the best ever! Alan and I had a dance and then we had to say good bye to lots of our very dear friends, which was not easy at all. Ann and John stayed until the very last minute and then we just had to say good bye to them too, but hopefully we will meet again!
We arrive in Sydney tomorrow morning and will have sailed 5,445n miles since leaving Papeete in Tahiti on the third segment of our world cruise.
A new adventure begins for us as we head toward Asia and all its mysteries – I can’t wait – but first we have to conquer Australia! Tomorrow we will be meeting our dear friends, Gerald and Pamela at Darling Harbour. More to follow, watch this space!

2010-02-21T23:23:00.000-08:00

Monday, 22nd February – Melbourne, Australia.

History.
The ancestors of the Aborigines migrated via a land bridge from Asia and remained isolated, living a Stone Age existence around 42,000 years ago.
17th Century - In 1606 Dutchman, Willem Janszoon landed in Western Australia. In 1688 Englishman William Dampier stayed on the northwest coast (known as New Holland) for three months.
18th Century - In 1770 Captain James Cook arrived in H.M.S. Endeavour and explored the east coast; he discovered Botany Bay, claimed it for Britain and called it New South Wales. In 1788 the first British prisoners arrived and the fleet’s commander, Captain Arthur Phillips, became the colony’s first governor. Over the next 80 years, some 157,000 convicts were sent to Australia.
19th Century - After convicts and soldiers landed at Port Phillip Bay in 1803 the settlement was soon abandoned in preference to Tasmania. A representative of Tasmanian farmers, John Batman, bought the land across the water from Aborigines in 1835 and started a settlement called Bearbrass, which prospered greatly and changed its name to Melbourne after the British Prime Minister of the day. Melbourne grew into a busy port and on 1st July, 1851, Victoria became a state independent from New South Wales; soon after this gold was discovered near Melbourne, which brought about its growth.
20th century - In 1901 Australia became a federal Commonwealth under the British Crown. Melbourne was the capital until the 1950s when government departments were switched to Canberra. Australia comprises of six states, two mainland territories and other minor territories. Since Australia is divided by the Tropic of Capricorn much of it lies close to the equator. Cities in the north enjoy a tropical climate while cities in the southern part enjoy a temperate climate.

Melbourne is located on the mouth of the Yarra River and was founded by free settlers in 1835, 47 years after the first European settlement of Australia. By 1865 it was the second largest city in the British Empire. Today, Melbourne is a major centre of commerce, industry and cultural activity.

It was a surprise to find that we were moored in the next dock to the Queen Victoria when I opened our curtains and looked out this morning. Had we known sooner that we would be within touching distance of our friends, Helen and Andrew MacMaster, who were sailing on her perhaps we would have had the aforethought to make arrangements and meet them.
We took the 10.00am shuttle bus into town and our driver taught us many of his favourite Oz sayings; perhaps I had better not share these with you! He also took us on the scenic route so that we could admire some of the delightful housing areas between harbour and city. I must say that we were very impressed and would have been pleased to have lived in any. (Not that we are recommending anyone emigrate!)

Once in the city we were dropped off at Federation Square, close to the Yarra River and the cathedral. Also within walking distance of ‘bliss’ – shops to delight anyone with a desire for retail therapy. The temperature was way up high but a little overcast, which suited us, although the shop canopies extended way over the pavements and kept off the sun.
Our first impression was that this is indeed a city that looks after everyone: there are trams everywhere with some sharing pedestrian areas and others that have an hour and half sightseeing circuit. It certainly appeared a very convenient way to get about.
There were shops within shops and malls that extended from one street to the next so that all the time we were shopping we were never really outside! How well designed this city is. I stopped for a bowl of soup at a Japanese ‘bar’ where the sushi looked wonderful, but I resisted buying. Alan had eaten breakfast and didn’t need a pick-me-up en route. Our first challenge was to find him a cream shirt for his new jacket and that didn’t take too long so then it was my turn, which took most of the day, but I was very happy with my purchase.
By mid-afternoon we were back on the yacht eating hamburger and chips! Then we attended Pam Conover’s ‘open forum’ in the Observation Bar, which was very informative because there were a lot of dedicated Seabourne passengers asking questions. It lasted almost an hour so by then Alan was ready for a sleep and I was ready to unwind from our hectic day. “Oh, how I just love shopping and this is a great place to do it!”
We set sail at 6.30pm in an easterly direction to head north 500n miles to Sydney, where we will first berth in Darling Harbour on Wednesday morning, so we will have tomorrow at sea.
This evening we will be having our usual cocktails in the bar with friends and then probably eating al fresco to enjoy the wonderful warm weather that Australia has given us. Tonight’s show is a vocalist called Clint Holmes, he used to be Joan Rivers sidekick and announcer on the Late Show before he got his own talk show called New York at Night, so we will go and see what he is like after dinner.

2010-02-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 21st February – At Sea

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad a night although there was quite a swell but the wind must have been in the right direction for us.
The Tasman Sea is a large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approx. 2000 kilometres, (1,250 miles) across. It extends approx. 2800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand. Captain Cook navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration.

I was up at my usual breakfast time of 9.30am and Alan had already been to the laundry so we have clean clothes for our next ports. My aches and pains had disappeared and I felt very refreshed.
Alan hasn’t been to any lectures for quite some time because the speakers have not enthused him on this segment. We have Ambassador Edward Peck speaking about what ambassadors do; Ambassador Paul Cotton speaking on Revolution and Royalty; and Gillian Lynn and Peter Land talking about their lives in theatre. All very interesting if that is what you want, but not for Alan.
We sorted out few things before heading down to Seabourn Square where I placed one piece of the ‘communal jigsaw,’ Donna is there most mornings and has much more patience than me. Alan was chatting to Hoagie Carmichael’s son (our age) who has arranged a meeting between Pamela Conover, the President of Seabourn, and passengers for a question and answer session tomorrow afternoon. That should be quite informative as she has been jumping on and off the yacht during this maiden world cruise.
Trivia was quite fun again and we did better than usual, perhaps the questions were more in line with our interests today. It’s amazing how everyone dashes off to lunch immediately the last question has been asked.
We had arranged to go up to the Sky Bar and meet the head barman, Rick Leonard, because he had perfected the ‘Filby Cocktail’ to our liking – but he had to be elsewhere so we had our lunch first. Passengers were once again able to sunbathe on deck in 22 degrees C of sunshine and the strong breeze was very warm so that made for a pleasant seat at the bar for us.
When we did eventually meet up with Rick later, he made us two cocktails and we tasted them – very smooth – very tasty, and very drinkable.

Here’s the adapted recipe to suit our modern cocktail taste:
1¼ oz Gordons Gin; ½ oz. Red Vermouth (Martini Rosso); ½ oz Campari; ¾ oz Amaretto.
First he squashed together ½ lemon, 1 teasp. brown sugar, with peel from an orange and lemon. Then he added the liquid from these and the spirits to a glass of ice; put the shaker lid on and shook them together. Next he strained the content into two glasses and garnished with a little orange peel, having first slightly singed the peel with a flame. You may like to try it? We will definitely be asking him to make it for us again.

After all this excitement we returned to our suite for a rest because we were being entertained at Barry Hopkins and Handré Potgieter’s table for this evenings black tie dinner. Meanwhile, I watched ‘Angels and Demons’ while Alan had a sleep, and then I relaxed in a warm bath with tea and cookies.
We met Barry, Handré, John and Ann in The Club bar at 7.15pm for cocktails, and then went to our table in the restaurant for 7.45pm. It was arranged as a farewell dinner because John and Ann will disembark at Sydney. We had a super meal with stimulating conversation and laughter until 10.00pm when the entertainment began and our hosts had to leave us.
We went to the Observation Bar for drinks with friends. The Queen Victoria crossed our bow at 11.45pm on her way to Melbourne so no doubt we will see her when we arrive. Hopefully it will be a nice day for our visit.
Our clocks went back one hour so we are now 11 hours ahead of the U.K.

2010-02-20T03:54:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 20th February – At Sea.

The sea swell abated during the night mainly due to the fact that we were in the centre of ‘high pressure,’ (almost the eye of the storm.) Cyclone ‘Ray was moving east and Wellington was now feeling the effect. Tomorrow, when we are out of the high pressure area we will be back to Force 5 or 6 winds again en route for Melbourne. It was good to have the extra hour in bed and wake up to a calm sea and air temperature of 19 degrees C, although the breeze had a bit of a chill.
There was a cheerful buzz around the yacht as everyone went about their sea day in the usual manner, and thankfully, no injuries had happened during yesterday. We joined our team for trivia (I would have liked to have ‘phoned a friend’ – but we did okay.) There will be six getting off in Sydney, sadly Ann and John (the brains) will be leaving us, so we will have to find replacements if we are to continue playing.
The breeze was too chilly to drink at the Patio Bar even when offered an orange blanket (these are always available on deck) so we went for an early lunch that still extended through to mid-afternoon! It was my favourite, octopus casserole, and I added shrimps (these are actually what we call tiger prawns,) and almond and date rice – yummy! All the crew were recovered and back at their stations too.
By the way a bit of useless information again – did you know that in the southern hemisphere the winds go anticlockwise just like the water down the plughole?
This morning Alan reported that the route map on our interactive T.V. showing where we are heading, had Melbourne and Sydney reversed, so he rang the ‘desk’ and we watched as the error was corrected on our screen. I wondered if anyone else had even noticed?
We had a brief rest and then headed up to the Observation Bar for another game of Taboo. Two teams of seven but we lost miserably!
During the afternoon the Australian immigration officers, who embarked in Wellington, called us deck by deck to check our visa and passport to make disembarkation easier when we arrive in Melbourne. Then it was time for a long lazy bath before cocktail hour.
We met several friends up in the Observation Bar and whiled away an hour or so before heading off to the Colonnades for dinner with John and Ann again. It was a Polynesian theme this evening and Alan had swordfish while I had Hawaiian chicken with pineapple and sweet rice.
There was a special show on in The Club so we hurried to find a seat, but four of our friends, Jerry and Donna, Brian and Margaret, had saved them for us so that was really nice. Our cruise director, Barry Hopkins, was giving a Frank Sinatra evening and sang many of his songs. He has a great voice and the club was full to bursting with people dancing as well as those enjoying the music and a drink. We had a really good time and I had a dance with Handré because he and all the entertainers were mixing with passengers. Barry got a standing ovation from us all when he finished.
I left Alan having a last drink with a few others and returned to our suite as I needed to rest my aching back (not sure what I did but it was uncomfortable all evening.) Well it got this blog written before bed time so that’s it finished for today. The sea has increased in swell a little this evening so we may be heading out of the high pressure area and into rough seas again – we’ll cope!

2010-02-19T05:04:00.000-08:00

Friday, 19th February – At Sea.

Last evening the captain had warned us that the Tasman Sea was going to cause us some discomfort because the swell was quite severe due to cyclones ‘Pat’ or ‘Ray’ that were ahead of us still. He warned us to hang on to the handrails at all times and take great care as we moved about our bathrooms. We went to bed expecting a rough ride with me wearing my wristbands in anticipation! All pools had been emptied earlier and the decks and deck bars were closed for our safety.
At about 3.00am the whole ship was awakened by an almighty ‘crack’ and jolt as the yacht dropped from being on top of at least a five metre swell into the abyss before the next swell ahead. (This was explained later the following morning.) There was so much banging and clattering as we rocked and rolled in every direction possible that it was quite alarming - but not fearful, so we turned over and hung on rather than being tossed about. Prior to this event there had been many more erratic movements caused by the 51 mph gale (Force 8-9) that we were vaguely aware of.
Throughout the rest of the night we experienced irregular rocking action from bow to stern and from side to side even with the stabilisers out. I kept going back to sleep believing that Captain Dexter and Odyssey would keep us safe, but I was very much aware of the disruption to our smooth sailing; I had never experienced it so bad.
When morning arrived the swell was somewhere between four, and four and a half metres, and we were still experiencing considerable movement. We had some rain but mainly it was the wind force and swell that was the root cause. Walking about was not easy; one minute we were walking, the next trotting along with the pitch and roll. Out in the corridor I was following the red curved pattern on the carpet even though I was attempting to walk in a straight line. Alan had his sticks but still struggled to walk straight.
As we approached the Club for our mid-day game of trivia all passengers were weaving about and hanging on to either walls or each other whilst engaging a trot to keep with the rolling motion of the deck. It was also apparent that a few crew members were unwell and confined to their quarters, whilst the bar staff struggled to keep us all ‘watered’ while we played our game. Those of us who had been on since Fort Lauderdale had weathered to severe swells, but many who embarked later were suffering from the discomfort.
The captain informed us that he had changed course and was heading north toward Sydney and hopefully avoiding the worst of the weather with the intention of then turning south toward our next port, Melbourne, when in calmer waters. He expected the swell to lessen as the day progressed.
We were comfortable whilst seated, so lunch was most enjoyable but after this the ship went very quiet as most passengers went to catch up on lost sleep during the afternoon. The swell did ease off quite a bit by late afternoon so we were hopeful of better weather - however!
The Observation Bar was busy as usual at cocktail time but everyone was either perched or hanging on due to an increase in movement again even though the swell did not appear so dramatic as before. Dinner this evening was an Australian theme with baked oysters followed by orange roughy (fish). We ate in the Colonnade restaurant again because we have found it a more interesting and tasty menu than The Restaurant.
After dining with Ann and John again we headed for a good seat in the Observation Bar because our assistant cruise director, Handré, was going to play and sing some of his own songs at 11.00am. We knew he would be popular and didn’t want to miss seeing him so we decided not to go to the earlier show.
Eventually the bar was full to bursting with standing room only so we had made the right decision. Handré was amazing, what a magnificent song writer, singer and musician he is. His songs brought tears to many eyes because his lyrics were from the heart of this charming South African young man whom everyone grows to love and admire.
It was a shame the evening had to end, but we were all getting tired of the rolling motion again and bed is always the best place when there is this sort of discomfort. We will have to ride this one out for quite some time me thinks!!

Clocks went back one hour tonight so we are now 12 hours ahead of the U.K.