Sea Day on way to Italy

The sea gods have been kind to us. We have gone 8,000 miles with nary a ripple. There has been no rain, plenty of heat and humidity. We are looking forward to cooler temperatures at our next few ports of call.

Nothing much happens on sea days. We had a respectable turnout for bridge lessons and the afternoon game. I had to play today and I came in second east/west. Tonight was formal night and we were dressed in our finery. There was a French menu in the dining room. No way was my stomach going to handle that tonight, so my waiter, who gets frustrated with me because I don’t order very much to eat, just about dropped his eyeballs out when I ordered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He thought I was kidding, but I wasn’t. This is Crystal and they do whatever they can to make you happy. I don’t know if because he is from India, but he did not know what a P&J sandwich was. I explained to him that you put peanut butter on one piece of bread, jelly on the other, then slap the two pieces together. My sandwich arrived cut in two, crust removed, and fancy toothpicks sticking out of a sandwich that was short on P&J and long on bread. They even included potato chips. Meanwhile, my dinner companions were dining on lamb chops and Alaska king crab legs. It was a funny sight!

After dinner, we decided to go in the hot tub. We were the only people on the pool deck because the wind was blowing so hard, we had to lay a chaise lounge over our towels and robes to keep them from blowing away. We actually got in the water and waves were breaking over the side of the pool. My hair was wet from the spray that was whipped up by the wind. That was fun as we had the whole deck 11 to ourselves. What idiots! We could have been blown overboard.

We sailed through the Messina Straits, with mainland Italy on one side and Sicily on the other. We were told we would pass by an active volcano, Stomboli, at 10 pm. Well, let me tell you what a sight. Bright red rivers of molten lava flowing to the sea and red rockets firing into the air. The smell was acrid and you could hear the hissing as the hot lava hit the cold sea water. I think I just dreamed that, because we sat out on the deck and waited and waited and waited – I finally gave up and came in to write this. As of this writing, no volcano has been sighted. It’s out there in the dark somewhere, we just can’t see it. Drat.

Early night tonight as I have to escort a tour to Pompeii at 7:30am. Michael goes wine tasting in the afternoon.

Santorini, Greece

Before I start with the who, what and where, I thought I would explain what an escort does. No, I don’t do that. Crystal likes to have a crew person on each tour bus to make sure we don’t lose anyone and that we can take care of any problems that arise or answer questions about how and where to go. We carry an emergency water supply, first aid kit, and toilet paper. Yes, TP. Actually, it is a lot like herding cats. I walk at the back of the group and make sure we don’t lose anyone, or I urge the stragglers to get a move on. There is nothing more disconcerting than losing your guide in a crowd in a place you have never been, and you can’t ask for directions because you don’t speak the language. Today, I had to get a go cup for a 94-year old’s coffee so I could get him to the bus on time. I hold a paddle with the bus number on it and stand outside the bus directing people to the correct bus. You would be surprised at how many people do not pay attention to their surroundings and have no idea which bus to get on. We also have to fill out a report and evaluate the tour. Having said that, I get to develop a relationship with the passengers as they like to come on my bus once they have experienced my herding techniques. I tell them, ask a question and I’ll try to answer it; if I don’t know the answer, I will make it up.

Santorini is unlike any other place I have been to. The island was created from a volcano that erupted 2,000 years ago with such force that the center of the island literally exploded, leaving behind a submerged crater. The main towns are built on the edge of the rim of the caldera. Since all the buildings are white, it looks like snow on the mountain tops. This is the second largest caldera in the world and is 11 kilometers wide.


As the ship came to rest at anchor below the town of Fira, I could see the whitewashed buildings and church domes lining the top of the cliff. We tendered to shore, boarded our bus, and made a torturous journey up the side of the mountain with incredible switchbacks. My tour was basically a driving exploration of the island. We passed vineyards and windmills (which is a symbol of Santorini and are no longer in use today). We drove on winding, extremely narrow roads to the top of the highest point, Profit Elijah, which is 2,000 feet above sea level.  On top of this mountain was a monastery that was built in 1100. We hiked up the hill and saw the priests giving communion. Coming back down the mountain, we saw vineyards everywhere except they did not look like traditional grape vines. Instead of growing up and spreading out on support wires, the vines grew in the shape of a basket. This is due to the windy conditions.

We went to the Santorini Vineyard and sampled white wine and cheese, olives, tomatoes, and a bread that was as hard as a dog biscuit. I actually had a glass of wine – before 10:30 am! We next drove to Kamari village, which has a black sand beach (it is made of volcanic ash; that is why it is black). We saw churches and more churches; one small village had 49 of them.

Now this is where the day gets interesting. The bus was scheduled to drop us off in Fira, the main town. We were to walk the pedestrian street for 500 meters and then take a cable car (funicular) down to the pier to get the tender back to the ship (Fira is over 1,100 feet above the water on a sheer cliff). Or we could walk down the 564 stairs or ride a donkey down. Well, it was not quite what they advertised or what the guide said. It was closer to ¾ uphill. I was hauling this heavy backpack and soaking wet (it was quite warm). I was supposed to meet Michael and then we were going to have lunch in town (for falafels). I waited for his bus for 45 minutes and he never showed up, so I started walking up the street searching for shade as I went. I see Michael coming down the street wondering where the hell I had been as we were supposed to meet at the cable car. Oops, our wires got crossed – my fault. Poor Michael walked from the museum to the cable car back to me and then back to the cable car. We never did get lunch as there were no falafel places and everyone seemed to be selling pizza. By this time, I was so hot, grumpy and tired – and so was he – that we head to the cable car, walked down a million steps, rode down a VERY steep incline to the pier below to get the tender to get back to the ship to get some a/c and go for a dip in the pool. And lunch.

Here is Michael’s day: I have to say Santorini is my favorite Greek island, and the village of Oia (pronounced E-Ya) just took my breath away. We need to find a way to get back here for an extended stay. And wow, is everybody religious here. Oia, for example, has only 400 residents, but has 70 churches. Tourism is the biggest industry here, followed by (oddly enough) wine making. There are lots of vineyards, and like Beverly said, they don’t look at all like ours. I found out why all houses are painted white with blue trim.


 It’s actually whitewash (a mixture with lime) that is an excellent insulator and bug repellent. The only problem is that all houses have to be repainted two or three times each year. The blue is simply there as the Greek’s believe it wards off evil.

I also visited Santorini’s acclaimed Archaeological Museum, home to prehistoric artifacts. They had some really incredible pieces that were 4,000 years including old vases with the brilliant coloring still intact, bronze tools and wallpaper that dates back to 1,700 BC. These pieces were all found at Akrotire, a highly functioning society that virtually disappeared thousands of years ago. Could this be the lost city of Atlantis?

***
It’s me again. Tomorrow is a sea day and a work day. I have never been so glad to go to work so I can get some rest!

Rhodes, Greece

Today was another beautiful day, with bright blue skies and a stiff breeze off the Mediterranean Sea. The temperature was in the 80s. Rhodes island is the fourth largest island in the Dodecanese archipelago (Greece has over 200 islands that are inhabited, and too many others to count), and is dry, rocky and barren on the west side and agricultural on the east side. There are beautiful beaches everywhere, but the ones on the west are very windy with wild waves in the sea while the ones on the east are calm. Half the population of Rhodes lives in Rhodes city and 70% of the population works in the tourism industry. This is a tourist destination and resort town, and the season runs from May thru November. Everyone on the island speaks English. There are olive trees everywhere (they export a lot and eat a lot).

Greek mythology is fascinating. I cannot even begin to remember all the wonderful stories about who, what, where and when as it relates to all the Olympic Gods. The early Greeks sure could spin a good yarn. One story explains why there is nighttime -- the sun goes to Mt. Olympus to rest at night. They had a story for everything.

Did you know that the word acropolis means high city? Acro = high; polis = city

Did you know that the early Olympic athletes competed in the nude? Here’s why: women were forbidden to compete or even watch the games and were given the death penalty if they did. If a woman was caught doing so, she was thrown from the top of a hill and either died or was stoned. One woman wanted to watch her son compete, so she dressed as a man and claimed to be his trainer. Somehow her costume came undone and she was exposed. Because she was the daughter of a famous boxer and the mother of a famous athlete, she was given clemency and was not given the death penalty. Instead, the athletes and trainers had to go naked to prove they were men! So much for Greek history and miscellaneous information.

We began the day with a brief tour of the old, walled city of Rhodes. The old city is surrounded by a magnificent sandstone wall built in the 1400s by the Knights of St. Johns. The old city is home to 6,000 people but mostly has shopping, restaurants, foreign consulates and museums.The roads were very narrow and paved with oval stones about 3-4 inches long, in white, brown and black, to create patterns and designs.

Michael escorted a tour with two stops. The first was Mt. Filermos which afforded a wonderful view of Rhodes Town. He saw several churches and a monastery that dates from the 14th century. There was a huge cross here, which you could actually climb up from the inside, and then walk out on the wings. The view from the top of the cross was incredible. He was standing in one country in Europe (Greece) staring at another country in Asia (Turkey) only 11 miles away. The Stations of the Cross was recreated here, too.

He proceeded back to Rhodes Town for a tour of a medieval castle built in the 11th century. It has been restored and is in beautiful condition. It is surrounded by two huge moats and has four gates. He concluded his tour with a stop at the Archaeological museum.

I had escort duty on a scenic tour of the island, with stops at a traditional 19th century Rhodian house, a pottery factory, and a walking tour of a picturesque village. The highlight of the village tour was attending a refreshment break at a local home. This home was over 300 years old. The walls were at least one foot thick and the house contained only one room. Yep, one room for everything except for the potty. That was outside and was a little more than a hole in the floor. We were served ouzo and bread, olives, and cheese. There was a little church that had a mosaic stone floor, which was just amazing.

 I was tired and sweaty but ready for more as this is such an interesting place.  I wish we had more time here to explore, but alas we are on to Santorini and eagerly await new adventures.

The Day in Ruins

After today, I think we are getting ruined out. As much as we enjoyed it, I guess we have had enough of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Turkish ruins. Michael and I have covered so many ruins that they are starting to look alike, although my excursion today to Ephesus was pretty darn spectacular. Back-to-back port days can be very exhausting. On this 7-day segment, we only have one sea day. Sorry to be so long in the description of what we did today, but it was really a packed day. With no TV to watch, and having seen all the evening entertainment shows, we are both into the blog as something to do in the evenings. I still miss TV, but not as much as when we first started this trip.

The ship docked this morning in Kusadasi, Turkey, a very affluent seaside resort city on the Aegean Sea and is considered part of the Turkish Riviera. The ship terminal is right at the foot of several bazaars and chic bistros, not far from the city center. The city used to be a sleepy village with mud huts; now everything is new – office buildings, condos, apartments, shops, and is a destination frequented by European snowbirds or on vacation. Speaking of Europeans, did you know that Turkey is part of Europe and part of Asia Minor? They have applied to the European Union, but still have a long way to go before being accepted. Last interesting facts are that unleaded gasoline goes for $11 a gallon; 90% of the population is Muslim; and Kusadasi is the same latitude as Los Angeles, so the weather is very similar.

Kusadasi is the gateway city to Ephesus, the largest open air public archeological park in the world. I escorted a tour to Epheses III (there are four sections) and was amazed at the beautiful marble streets.


Much of Epheses is over 7,000 years old; they have only excavated 25% above ground, leaving 75% untouched underground. I had my trusty umbrella (which is starting to rot from the sun) because the temperature was around 90* at 10 am and the sun was hot. I am getting used to sweating and have my clothes stick to me (Janet, I feel for you). My hair is a mess, especially with sweat and wearing a hat all day; plus I really need that haircut. Looks like it’s time to do laundry again.

Lucky me, I got to come back to the boat and drop off the ship’s backback and my report, have a quick bite to eat, get a little a/c, and pick up the gear for the next excursion. I had a two-fer today. It was market day today, and my next excursion took us to the Pazar (the market is called Pazar, a word from which the word bazaar is derived). OMG, we walked and walked and walked, through the crowds and vendor stands and saw the most beautiful fruits and vegetables (some I had never seen before).

This was a real farmers market, with the peasants (that’s what the guide called them) coming to town to sell their crops. Spices, cheeses, teas, grape leaves, nuts, candies and some sundries were available as well. The market went on for about ½ to ¾ of a mile and there were two aisles. It was very hot, and we walked up one side and down the other.

We then drove into the countryside to visit the village of Kirazli. This is as rural as you can get. We walked through the entire village. The children were very friendly and loved having their picture taken.

I would then show them how they looked and they were so excited.

 

We stopped by an old woman’s house and sampled cherries right from her tree. Then we walked to a small restaurant and had a typical refreshment of gozleme (a crepe) and a yogurt drink called ayran. The drink was sour and the crepes were filled with cheese and I think spinach.

Michael headed off to escort a full-day tour of three notable cities from the Ionian period. The first was Priene, particularly notable as being the first city that was actually a planned community. That is, the architects (and we are talking 500 B.C. here) designed a community that could be copied and recreated all over the country. The theater/stadium, the governors’ chambers and the agora (market) were well preserved; the houses less so. Priene is located in the Meander valley, which is bisected by the Meandrous River which turns wildly, hence the English and French word Meander.

As he proceeded to the next location, Michael got to schmooze a bit with the tour guide who turned out to be (I could not make this up) a championship-level bridge player who made it through the quarter finals at the most recent ACBL International tournament held in Istanbul. He has played with and against some of the biggest names in the bridge world, and managed to give Michael a very valuable lesson on multiple squeezes. He plays online bridge in his spare time, as does Michael, and they made plans to meet online when we return home.

His tour only had four other people on it. He was the only person in the van who was neither Japanese nor Taiwanese. Someone asked the tour guide what the difference is between Greeks and Turks. Without missing a beat, he said “Turks are circumcised.” Could I make this stuff up?

His next stop was Miletus, another ancient city, but much larger – maybe 150,000. One high point was a remarkably well preserved theater which sat 15,000 and you could still walk through it and even see where they sold the refreshments. You could see the carvings in the marble seats that were owned by various team supporters, such as TROY. Miletus was home to some of the world’s greatest philosophers and mathematicians of the time. Equally impressive was the well preserved roman baths.

He proceeded next to Didyma for lunch and then the final tour. Lunch was at a very nice seafood restaurant. The food must have been good as the place was overrun with cats waiting for someone to drop something. Michael thought Didyma was actually the best of the three stops. They viewed a 2,500 year old temple dedicated to Apollo, and is considered to be one of the ancient world’s most sacred sites. Unbelievably, several of the marble columns, 62 feet high, were undisturbed by nature and still standing proudly.

Mykonos & Delos, Greece

This segment of the cruise is very port intensive, which means lots of excursions. Both Michael and I have escort duty on separate excursions for the next several ports. That way we can cover more territory and take twice as many pictures. Just wait until you get to sit through the slide show of the entire trip! OK, we won’t make you do that, but it is so hard to eliminate any of the pictures. It looks like we are going to be seeing lots of ruins.

On a picture perfect day, we anchored at Mykonos, Greece and were assigned to different excursions. First, a little information about Mykonos. The name Mykonos literally means a heap of stones or rocks. It is interesting, unique and charming, and it’s impossible to take a bad picture here.  Mykonos is famous for its windmills, architecture, and beautiful sandy beaches. The town is a labyrinth of crooked, narrow and winding streets (they were designed that way to confuse marauding invaders and pirates). Every building is painted bright white with blue doors and shutters. All buildings are cube shaped and have flat roofs in which to collect rain water that is collected in a cistern under the house.  There is no water on the island. The churches are white with red domed roofs (there are over 400 of them, most family owned). The law requires that all commercial structures be repainted twice each year. Only about 10,000 people live here and it is windy all the time, except for today! It is a very upscale city and the shopping street is in the top 20 most expensive in the world.

My excursion was the highlights of Mykonos. I got to ride a bus most of the day and saw churches, beaches and a really cool monastery. We stopped at a taverna and sampled ouzo and Greek appetizers. I did not finish my ouzo as I didn’t think it would be appropriate for the escort to stagger back to the bus, schnockered.

Michael boarded a tour boat to the historic island of Delos. Delos is about 30 minutes southwest of Mykonos, and according to Greek myth, it is the birthplace of Apollo, god of Light, and his twin sister Artemis, the Goddess of the moon (also known as Diana). Apollo and Artemis were the illegitimate offspring of Zeus. He got to walk in the footsteps of the ancient gods and goddesses, and upon his return I had to inform him that he was just a mere mortal and to knock off the g*d sh*t.

The ruins here are extensive and remarkably well preserved. At its peak, Delos was a city of 30,000 on an island only about 1 mile long and 1/3 mile wide, so it was very congested. Most of the stores, homes, temples, theatres, etc. are still here (all but the roofs) and were quite identifiable, and we are talking 2,500 years old! The homes of the most wealthy had mosaic floors, and they are intact; even the color is still rich. They didn’t have windows then and so the only light came in from the “atrium,” the roofless area in the middle of the home.

Delos was a place open to all people, regardless of their faith and so one can find temples, and even synagogues. Of course, they also had slaves here, so it wasn’t so great for everybody. After about 2 ½ hours of wondering around with an excellent tour guide, he re-boarded the boat for the trip back to Mykonos.

We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about the pool trying to rest up for tomorrow, which promises to be a long and taxing day.

Athens -- My Big Fat Greek Haircut

Hi everybody; it’s Michael again. I was the lucky one to get escort duty on a tour to the Acropolis and to the new Acropolis museum (opened just last June). We actually started in the Port of Piraeus, a beautiful and very upscale suburb of Athens. Piraeus is to Athens as Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles. At its center is the Marina Zea with hundreds of yachts, none less than 75 feet and some up to 250 feet. It is surrounded by cafes and beautiful homes and condos. Amazing how they can run these yachts, not to mention cars, as gas here is about $8.00 US per gallon.

As we motored into Athens we could begin to see the results of the economic downturn. Many shuttered shops, and (according to our guide) less traffic than normal as so many people are out of work, or at least cannot afford the gas for their cars. We drove by Athens stadium, home to the Olympics for hundreds of year; the Parliament where they have the changing of the guards (which we did not see); the Bank of Greece; Athens University; and the European Parliament building that was the site of last month’s deadly shootings by protestors against the current economic situation. I have a picture of a bullet riddled guard house.

The high point of this tour was, of course, the Acropolis, which is literally “the highest point” in Greece. After 35 years, It is still undergoing major restoration. We were last here about 16 years ago, and I think all they did was move some of the scaffolding. It is awesome though and truly the soul of Greece, or the “Ethos” as they call it. The original structures built here were begun in 800 BC, and of those virtually nothing remains. It was rebuilt in 600 BC and then promptly destroyed by the Persians (you know, our old friends the Iranians). The current structures, built almost entirely out of marble, date back to about 500 BC, and it looks it. Actually, the restoration is almost complete and you can now clearly imagine what had been here.

Many of the original antiquities have been moved to the Acropolis Museum. To protect these priceless artifacts, they have now moved them to a controlled environment, and this is one of the most beautiful museums I have ever seen. When they began excavating the land to lay the foundation for the museum, they found lots more antiquities, so the entire ground floor of the Museum is made out of glass so as you walk you can look down and see the excavation and all that they found. They decided to follow this theme and the second and third floor are also glass, and so I am told the local ladies all know better than to wear dresses in this place!

The tour concluded with the requisite and totally unnecessary and unwelcome (to most) shopping stop and then back to the ship, where we get to meet all new people today. I found Beverly, and after a quick lunch, we left the ship to explore Piraeus on foot. We had some errands to do, most important of which was to get me a haircut, and boy did I get one; probably the best haircut I ever had, and at 18 Euros it was a bargain. It included a shampoo with wonderful scalp massage, the haircut, the trim by the assistant and then another wash and scalp massage. I didn’t want to get up after that last massage. I think I may move here! Well, now back to Beverly …

Poor little ole’ me didn’t score an excursion. I had a rough morning trying to find something for breakfast as all the regular places were closed by the time I finished uploading photos and getting dressed. It was really weird being on the ship with so few people. Today is the transition day; last night we had to say goodbye to our friends and today welcome the new people.

My reading glasses have been giving me a fit. The right lens keeps falling out and we don’t have the correct tools to fix it. As luck would have it, we found an optical shop by accident as all the store signage was in Greek. I have to say it – it was all Greek to me! The owner did not speak English, but her young daughter spoke a little bit. Between the daughter translating and the obvious broken glasses, she fixed the problem and refused to take any money. She is the one who recommended the salon where Michael got his haircut.

I tried to get a pedicure at the same shop where Michael got his haircut, but most businesses close at 3pm on Wednesdays and we arrived at 2:55pm. After seeing the great cut Michael received, I really wish I had the time to get a haircut, too. I found another open beauty shop and asked to get a pedicure. Sure, no problem. Just wait 20 minutes. After 45 minutes and nothing happening, I got fed up and left. It seems the Greeks have a different concept of time than I do.

We are off to Mykonos.

Pyramids and Cairo

Today was another long day – 13 hours, six of them riding in the bus. We had a very good guide and again travelled with an armed guard and in a convoy.

We docked at the port of Alexandria (on the Mediterranean Sea). This port is HUGE. I believe it took 45 minutes just to exit the port. The port and adjacent wetlands is a huge delta formed by the two branches of the Nile River.

There wasn’t much to see on our journey to Cairo and the pyramids, just lots of desert. There were small settlements and business along the main road but nothing substantial. There seemed to be a mosque every 10 feet. Upon entering the outskirts of Cairo and Giza (where the pyramids are located), there is a massive effort to reclaim the desert and build suburbs. They seem to be running out of places for the population of 85 million to live. So much sand…

Our first stop took us to the pyramids. The day was perfect, bright blue sky and pleasant temperatures. We saw the two main pyramids although there are 118 total (not all are located here). There were also some baby size pyramids for the children. They are made from limestone and sandstone, and the Giza pyramids comprise an area of 13 acres. It is an enormous pile of rocks that has been there for 4,000 years. Pollution and erosion have taken their toll, but the government has been restoring and preserving them. I wandered around taking pictures and Michael decided to enter the largest of the pyramids that was open to the public. He climbed down stairs and had to walk hunched over as the ceiling height was only about four feet. He was thrilled to experience the pyramids. Me, I was duly impressed but not overwhelmed.

Next stop was the giant Sphinx, half man half lion. Poor thing had its nose shot off by some pissed off Frenchies playing target practice using a cannon almost 200 years ago (so the rumor goes; if it is not true, I like this explanation anyway). This is also being restored. Now, this I liked. If you line up just right, the Sphinx becomes super imposed on one of the big pyramids, and that is a cool sight. I will try and get some pictures of this posted.

We had lunch at the very fine Mena Hotel that is located at the base of the pyramids. It was very elegant and we had a nice buffet lunch. We stopped at a papyrus store and were treated to a demonstration on how the first paper was, and still is, made. It is made from the papyrus plant, which is a cousin to the sugar cane. After peeling the outer bark off (which was used to make sandals and baskets), the core is sliced and soaked in water until the sugar leaches out and causes it to become gluey. The strips are then laid out and left to dry. Voila, you have paper. After the paper is made, an artist then paints on it. We saw some very beautiful works of art. We then had the obligatory jewelry store stop and I did buy a very beautiful cartouche (pendant with my name spelled out in hieroglyphic).

Our guide gave us so much information and history that my eyeballs were swimming back into my head. I took notes, but there was just too much to process. So here is what I found interesting. An Egyptian tour guide is professional, full-time occupation and requires a college degree in Egyptology. Egyptians do not consider themselves Arabs as they are a separate race descended from the pharaohs, and even though Egypt is part of Africa, they don’t consider themselves African either. A little elitist maybe? Both men and women live at home with their parents until they marry. There is a lot of western influence such as fast food chains, the media, clothing and electronics. There is a lot of unemployment so the government has created “make work” jobs such as ticket punchers at the entrance to the tourist sites. The Arabic word for desert is Sahara.

Cairo was like New York City – densely populated, crowded, and noisy – but was definitely second world. People had laundry hanging from windows and balconies, and the buildings were very old and looked like they were covered with a few inches of grime.  Horns honked continuously as there is so much traffic and no traffic lanes to speak of. Each driver for him/herself. It doesn’t pay to have a new car here as accidents happen quite frequently. Our bus driver was a real cowboy, weaving in and out of traffic and passing on the right or the left. It didn’t matter as long as he could go fast. I was glad to be riding in a big bus.

There were these decrepit white mini vans driving around with the side doors open and it took me a few minutes to figure out that they were taxis. People were packed like sardines and would jump on and off from the middle of the street while the vehicle was still moving. I even saw people standing on the back bumper of the taxi. The public buses weren’t much better with people hanging out of the door.

Our final stop was at the Egyptian Museum.  Again, we were not allowed to take cameras in.  It housed all of King Tut’s riches from his burial tomb, and for a nobody, he sure did have a lot of wonderful stuff. Gold and jeweled everything, pots and vessels (used to hold his organs after he was mummified), chariots, jewelry, and of course the sarcophagus. I could write a whole paper on the mummification and burial process, but that would take too long. Suffice to say, it was quite an interesting process and in modern times, scientists have not been able to duplicate the results. The museum also held statues and goodies from other tombs. The best part of the museum was the mummy room, which mercifully was air conditioned, and contained about 15 mummies. These corpses were 4,000 years old! Ramses II actually had hair on his head. We saw King Tut’s mummy in Luxor.

One final note: OSHA would never allow visitors to the sites we have been to. There are no handrails, stairs are not marked and difficult to see, no railings to protect you from falling over the side of the cliff, potholes, ankle twisting ruts … it sure was a fascinating day.

Suez Canal

Today we transited a big 140 mile long, 75 foot deep water filled ditch called the Suez Canal. On the west side of the canal there are many villages and cities along the bank. Beyond civilization, there is 2,000 miles of the Sahara Desert ending at the Atlantic Ocean. To the east, is 100 miles of the Sinai Desert. The history of the canal is long and involved, and suffice to say there were many cooks stirring the pot -- the French, British, Turks and Israelis.

The Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, proposed the canal, and in 1859 work was started. He is the same guy who started the Panama Canal project. Egypt now runs and maintains the canal and charges a lot of money for transit; our ship cost $450,000 for a one way trip. There are two lakes within the canal and ships hold up waiting their turn to go as traffic can only go one direction at a time. THERE ARE NO LOCKS. The land is flat as a pancake. The canal claims the world’s longest trundle bridge and the world’s highest suspension bridge. There are guard towers running the length of the canal on both sides.

I don’t have too much to say about the canal itself or of the transit (which was at slow speed and took most of the day). I will, however, mention the Egyptian guide who gave us a slanted and fabricated history in politics in regard to Israel. What she said was so far fetched, but with incredible audacity began to antagonize the audience with outright lies and wishful scenarios about how Egypt defeated Israel in the 1967 and 1973 wars. Many people got up and left, others were angry. It made the whole experience less enjoyable because we were there to experience the canal, not listen to political BS. Her anti-Israel bias was so evident; Moshe was such a gentleman about the whole thing and after she left, people came over to him and asked about the real story behind the Egypt/Israel relationship.

Otherwise, an unremarkable day at sea. I did have to play bridge with Michael, and oops, forgot a few basics. Bad me.

Today is Isabelle’s fourth birthday party and I am terribly sad about missing it. I hope she still remembers who we are.

Luxor, Egypt and Valley of the Kings

Today was a looooong day. We had a grueling 13 hour tour from the port of Sefaga, Egypt to the city of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

I cannot tell you how amazed I am to actually be travelling to all these foreign places. I am actually in Egypt! We started out very early in the morning and spent 3.5 hours riding in a nice bus to Luxor, where we had lunch at the Hilton Hotel and then on to the Valley of the Kings and back to Luxor to see the temple. Then another long bus ride back to the ship. We had an excellent guide and everything ran smoothly. In addition to the guide, we had a gun toting security guard on board. We had a total of ten buses and we had to convoy as a security precaution. There was a tremendous amount of security everywhere. On the main road to Luxor, there were speed bumps in the middle of the road at various points and the traffic had to run the gauntlet at the checkpoints (there must have been at least 30 or 40 of them). It seemed like everyone carried a rifle.

We left the port at 8:15am and almost immediately we were out of civilization and into the barren desert. This area was rocky hills with wadis and interesting rock formations that were slightly red tinted. In fact, the name of the Red Sea comes from the color of the mountains lining the shores of the sea that are composed of red granite, and thus the reddish color is reflected in the water. The desert then became more flat, with rolling mounds of course sand and gravel type rock and plenty of sand dunes. The color here was tan and beige. We passed an oasis with trees and bushes, camels, goats, and a few buildings. It seemed so out of sorts to see this in the middle of nothing. Bedouins live here and comprise about 2% of the population.

We finally made it to the Nile Valley, which was lush and green with agriculture. The cities and villages here, as well as the people, looked like something out of the 1400s. Farming was done by hand. We could see people down on their knees cutting the crops and then either loading them onto donkey carts or tied together in a bundle and carried on the back. There were water buffalo and donkeys in the fields to help with the harvest and care of the crops. Date palms were everywhere. Everything was so primitive. Stables for the animals were nothing more than a few poles with a straw roof. Irrigation for the crops came from canals filled by the Nile River. Many homes were made from sun dried mud bricks and a thatched roof. Other buildings were made with concrete and brick and had concrete pillars with rebar extending out of it. We were told that as long as the building or house was unfinished, then people did not have to pay taxes. All the buildings had these rebar antennas, and they looked plenty old and decrepit. People rode donkeys for transportation. We saw kids play in the irrigation canals and play soccer on a dirt field with no shoes.

We finally saw the Nile River! What a thrill. It runs to the north and through 10 countries. It is quite wide at the spot we crossed and there were many large tour boats sitting idle along the shore. Just image Cleopatra riding on a river barge with her servants fanning her in the heat, feeding her grapes. Speaking of heat, it was hot, Hot, HOT. Dry heat they say. Well, it was better than the heat AND humidity in Mumbai. So what – hot is hot.

The Valley of the Kings was magnificent. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take our cameras along.  The pyramids were first used to bury pharaohs along with riches so they would have supplies for the journey to the next world. But looters were able to get into the pyramids and remove the riches and destroy the mummified remains. The pharaohs then decided to hide their bodies where no one could find them, thus the Valley of the Kings. It is located on the west side of the Nile and in ancient times, the regular folks were not allowed on this side of the river. There have been 63 tombs discovered so far. I toured the tombs of King Tut and Ramses 6 and I have got to say WOW! King Tut was a minor ruler and so his tomb was not as grand as some of the others. His mummified remains were on display as well as his sarcophagus. Ramses 6 tomb was FABULOUS. The etchings, carvings, drawings, paintings, hieroglyphics were pretty much still intact and the colors were just as rich as when they were originally done. We were not allowed to take pictures; we had to leave the camera in the bus. Michael had more energy and toured a few other tombs and I tried to keep from dying of the heat. My umbrella is wearing out from excessive sun use!
We then returned to the bus but first had to run through the annoying group of pesky vendors. There was security to chase them, but they ran from one place to another and still managed to bug the crap out of everyone. Next, we visited a palace for a queen who masqueraded as a man so she could be ruler. Intrigue, murder, incest. These folks made for some really good stories and gossip.

Our final stop was to see the Luxor Temple. The ruins were wonderful. The Luxor Temple was for the wife (forgot which one) and the Karnak Temple was for the husband. The avenue of the sphinx (1.8 miles long) connected the two temples. Sphinx statues lined both side of the boulevard; what a beautiful sight. Buildings were demolished so this site could be excavated. There is excavation everywhere in the city of Luxor and we saw many statutes and sphinx that have recently been uncovered.

As I reflect, what an experience we are having. This entire trip has been so wonderful and enriching. I may bitch about the heat and fatigue, and I am somewhat sarcastic and hopefully funny, but I am in awe of what I have seen and feel very privileged to be able to see a small part of the world we live in. I have met people from all over the world and I have seen people who can barely walk brave the conditions to see these wonders and I admire their strength and courage. I am truly blessed and thank Michael for making this all possible. Who woulda thunk that all my bitching about his bridge would have given us the world.

Aqaba, Jordan and Petra

Mr. Toads wild ride and one of the Seven Wonders of the World -- that was our adventure for the day in Aqaba Jordan.

Along with two other couples, we rented a private tour company car with a driver; remember, sometimes you get what you pay for. After waiting for 20 minutes for the car, we found out the he couldn’t get into the port area and had to wait outside the gate. We had to take a taxi to get to our waiting car. This was not a very good way to start our tour. After much discussion, we finally got on our way in a car that was less than we ordered and a driver who spoke poor English. It was a tight squeeze, but we managed. On a positive note, the weather was excellent; beautiful blue sky with the temperature in the 80s.

Our destination was Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was a good two hour ride and did we see sights! We saw camels, goats, donkeys and sheep, all grazing by the road, near the road, on the road and anywhere else they felt like it. There were Bedouin camps dotting the barren desert landscaping. These people are nomads who live in one huge tent and tend the animals.

The desert landscape was breathtaking. Parts of it looked like Arizona, parts like Utah. There were all shades of tans, browns, reds with a few green plants scattered among the rocks. There were mesas, wadis (gullies), hills and mountains, rock formations, valleys and great vistas -- and did I say lots of rocks. There wasn’t much civilization between Aqaba and the nearest city to Petra (Atybat).

Due to a landslide on the main highway, we had to detour and this is where the ride gets interesting. We had no idea that there was a detour and all of a sudden, we were turning off the main highway onto a two lane, winding, curving road up the mountain side. The driver either road on the right shoulder, straddling the center line or in the oncoming traffic lane. For some reason, he did not believe in staying on his side of the road. He would go fast, then go slow. He would stop to chat with friends along the way. We couldn’t say anything about this behavior because we didn’t want to piss him off -- we had no clue where we were. All the road signs were in Arabic. We didn’t even know if we were on the way to Petra. We finally arrived in a town (Atybat) that was quite interesting. The streets were steeper and curvier and the buildings were built into the hillsides. The driver turned off the air conditioning because of the steep roads and would not turn it back on. Actually, it was a very scenic town and one of the other gals started to panic about where we were. We were 3km away from Petra and our driver actually got us there A-OK.

We had heard all kinds of descriptions about Petra, but you never really know what to expect until you actually do it. Petra was a city built by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago and served as a very important cross road in commerce between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. It is also known as the Rose-Red City, a name it gets from the wonderful color of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved.

After purchasing entrance tickets for $50 a piece, we entered and saw the horse yard. The walk down from the visitor center to the Siq (the gorge to Petra) is about ¾ of a mile so we decided to ride a horse. Woo hoo, haven’t done that in a million years. The horse walked at a slow pace with a guide holding the reins. Drat, I didn’t get to go giddy up. Walking through the Siq (about one mile long), the color and shape of the rock walls was amazing. The walls looked like polished marble, so smooth and intricately carved by both man and nature, and stood at least 30 stories high. At the very end of the Siq, the narrow opening reveals Petra’s most magnificent façade, the Treasury, which is over 140 feet high. This façade has been carved into the rock and is incredible. There is another two miles of more caves, facades, columns and monuments. There is so much history and symbolism in this place that one could write a thesis on it. It is truly grand.

One of the other ladies and I decided to ride a carriage out of the Siq, but there was so much chaos and not enough carriages that we decided to walk back -- up hill -- three miles. Needless to say, it was quite exhausting. I sure did look cute wearing my floppy white cotton pants, a bright bright raspberry pink shirt, a hat, and carrying a green umbrella. I also carried bottles of water in the side pockets of my pants -- oh did I look cute.

On the ride back to Aqaba, our driver drove his crazy way and we had him drop us off at a restaurant in town in order to get the shuttle bus back to the ship.

We ended the evening up on the top deck of the ship and viewed four countries at one time: Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Incredible!

Red Sea

We made it through the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, which isn't red. Remember the little story I told about the pirates? Well, it seems as though it really wasn’t a story after all.
Rumor has it that a small boat with three people on board were spotted off the bow of the ship at dusk (dinner time) and the captain called the helicopter and warships in. We haven’t confirmed it, but we did indeed see and hear the helicopter and warships.

The distance from Oman to Aqaba is approximately 2,700 statute miles and will take us five days to make the journey. It is still hot and muggy outside, and the a/c is still not cool enough, but at least it is comfortable.

Bridge is going well. The knitting group has fizzled because there are so many activities going on at the same time. We have heard some really outstanding speakers such as Peter Bergen from CNN and General Hugh Shelton. We continue to have fun with our dinner companions We met the vice captain and discussed all things nautical. Not much gossip -- it’s been a regular day at sea. It is nice to be in such an insulated environment (for a short time) and not have to deal with everyday worries and the world situation. No bills to pay (thank goodness for auto pay), no housework, no cooking, no yard work. Now if we could just get Skype to work.

A Day in the Gulf of Aden

If I was to describe my day at sea, you would yawn and stop reading right now. So I will tell you a little story just for fun (some of it is true, most is made up).

It was dusk and we were cruising in the Gulf of Aden, looking for pirates. We saw lots of ships, including warships. While sitting in the dining room having dinner, we heard a helicopter fly overhead. That signaled trouble. There was commotion on the port side and we could see three pirate skiffs pulling along side the Crystal Symphony. We could hear the crew rushing to deck 7 to man the fire hoses and flush the vermin into the sea. The seas were dead calm and apparently one of the skiffs escaped the watery onslaught of the fire hoses and managed to get a ladder up against the side of the ship. My group of dinner mates and I rushed out to see what we could do to help. We each grabbed a bottle of champagne and shook it while we ran up to deck 7. We then started to fire the corks and managed to hit a few of them -- splat, right into the sea. But one little bugger managed to get on the deck and that is where I surprised him with a round house punch to the chin. Boy did that feel good! I have never hit anyone before. He was heaved overboard. We were saved from the pirates!

OK, so no pirates but we did have a helicopter escort and did see warships. The crew has been maintaining a 24-hour watch and we are cruising at 20 knots. It is hot and humid and the air conditioning on the ship is having a hard time cooling the place down. The cabin air feels heavy, warm and moist. I just had the engineer in to look at the a/c unit and he said there were a whole host of complaints from other cabins and there was nothing they could do since the air outside is at 95% humidity. We are comfortable, but I wish it was a little cooler for sleeping.

Had a knitting group today with five ladies, and I managed to get back on track with my shawl. Tinking lace is a big pain.

I am a little homesick and really miss talking to my kids, family and of course, Isabelle. Skype service does not work on my phone outside the US and we can’t download it to the new computer until we get to wifi service on land. I can’t upload photos either because it takes too long (if I use the ship’s wifi) and in order to use my BlackBerry to send photos, I need to download the software to the computer too.

All in all, we are having quite an adventure. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are making the most of it!

Five Days at Sea Avoiding Pirates

Today we are on our way to Aquaba, Jordan. There was a mandatory briefing for all passengers regarding our transit through the Gulf of Aden where on the south are the Somalia pirates and on the north the Yemen terrorists. The ship has taken extraordinary measures to ensure our safety. All outside decks are closed and guests are asked to stay off their verandahs. There are guards posted 24 hours all around the ship and barriers have been placed in areas that could be accessed (like on the stern). There are no guns and the only weapons the ship will use are the fire hoses and evasive action. We were told that the best defense for our ship is her speed and high freeboard, and if for some reason there is an attack, the captain will steer the ship in a zigzag fashion and we better hold on. That would be something to experience, although I really don’t want to. There are war ships from many different countries stationed at 50 mile intervals. If needed, a helicopter will fly over the ship during the transit. This will be in effect for approximately 36 hours.

During the presentation, the cruise director and captain explained all the safety procedures for the ship and answered questions from the passengers. One person asked how the pirates board a ship, and we were told they use ladders. We were told not to worry because the Mogadishu Home Depot was fresh out of them! LOL

We had 6 tables today for the bridge game. Lots of good lectures today and just regular life at sea. My knitting is going nowhere as I have had to knit and rip the same two lines four times. I guess I need to concentrate on the knitting instead of listening to the lectures and trying to do lace work.

My phone has been a wonderful tool. We are receiving most emails and I can somewhat surf the net. We are husbanding our ship computer time as it is expensive even with our discount.

Muscat Oman

Muscat Oman was not what I was expecting to see. No, I didn't expect tents and camels, but I did expect something sandy and older, and I was definitely not expecting mountains. The old town of Muscat is nestled among volcanic mountains and rocky hills alongside many beautiful bays. The mountains (either short mountains or very high hills -- take your pick) are dry, barren and very rocky. There is very little greenery, except for the manicured landscaping in the city. There are many, many palm trees.

The new part of the city is more inland. The architecture is Arabic in style, new, low lying, modern, clean and by mandate, all buildings must be white (to reflect the sun and heat). There are no glass high rise buildings. Everywhere we looked, it was spotlessly clean. Our guide said over 2,000 people do nothing but keep the city clean. In fact, he says, their religion (Islam) tells them to be clean.

Oman has a population of approximately 2.3 million. The country is ruled by a Sultan. There are no taxes and there are many western fast food franchises. If you perform in the top 90% in secondary school, you get a free university education and a stipend. When you graduate you get a plot of land to build upon. Each man is allowed to have up to four wives, and they must pay a minimum of $15,000 for a bride. The men wear the dishdasha and msaar (white robe and scarf wrapped around the head). There is a tassel that hangs from the collar and is perfumed. Our guide spoke excellent English, but the a/c on the bus could have been better. The temperature at 10:30 am was 118*. Oy vey!

Our tour took us to the Grand Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world, which we could not enter because it is closed on Fridays. A senior government guy was on his way to the Mosque to pray, so we had to skedaddle.  There were two men's bathrooms, but none for the ladies. It contains the biggest chandelier in the world which is made of gold and Swarovski crystal. It also has the largest single piece of carpet in the world and weighs 21 tons. It took 16 years to make by 600 Indian women. I wish we could have seen it.

I am not crazy about museums, but this one was very nice (and had air conditioning). The silver scabbards were amazing. Lots and lots of silver items in Oman.

Oman, for the most part, has rebuilt most of its infrastructure. Nothing looked to be very old even though it is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It has only been open to tourists since the 1970s.

One of our stops was to the Mutrah Souk, the market which is partly open air and partly undercover. The walkways were actually crooked paths and we saw deliveries made using hand carts piled high with boxes. The vendors hawked incense and spices, plus pashmina shawls and silver. Women wearing full burquas with face veils were shopping. I did not see any local woman wearing western clothes. How they wear that in the heat is incomprehensible.

We stopped at other palaces, a hotel and Muscat Bay for photo opportunities. I did not like Dubai, but I found this city charming. Two totally different places, yet with the similar culture. We were told to dress modestly as women were not allowed to show shoulders and wear loose fitting clothes; neither sex was to show knees. This was a beautiful place in a desert-type of way.

We returned to the ship completely hot, tired and completely worn out.