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.

Dubai -- Day 2

What to do today, What to do? That was the big question. We wanted to visit the Burj Al Arab, the sail-shaped hotel built in the water but found out that unless you have reservations for dinner, tea or the hotel you cannot get in (very expensive). Security is very tight, so scrub that plan. Then we decided to go to the mall again via shuttle and let the adventures begin. While we were waiting for the bus to fill, the driver told the ship’s crew to get off the bus in order to give their seats to the passengers and that they could take the next bus. After waiting a few minutes, the driver started to pull away and there were plenty of empty seats. We asked the driver to let the crew back on, but he said no. All the passengers on the bus started chanting, “we want the crew.” The driver finally relented and let the crew on and away we went.

It was another hot day and the air conditioned mall was a good place to go. We really didn’t get to see much of it yesterday. This immense structure, with 1,200 stores, is the largest mall in the world. Even after two days we have seen maybe 20% of it. We found ourselves in a section of the mall that the locals patronize, where the women buy their burquas and the men their robes. The shoe stores mostly carried sandals for both men and women. There were separate hair salons for men and women. We found the grocery store and I found it to be extremely clean and well stocked with lots of brands we are used to.  Muslims do not eat pork; however, there was a section in the grocery store (in the back in a separate room) that sold pork products for non-Muslims. Unfortunately, we made our purchase at the beginning of the visit and had to tote all of our stuff around. Very poor planning on our part, but hey, we were there and the mall is so huge that to backtrack would not have been a good idea.


Moshe and Lennie ate yesterday in this terrific Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed it enough to suggest a repeat, and a good decision it was. I can’t spell the things we tried, or even pronounce half of them, but it was all wonderful. The guys decided to ride to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa (204 floors). According to Michael, the trip to the top of began with a little faux pas. There were two lines to go through security, and so they selected the shortest one, only to be told by the authorities that they were standing in the female line and could not proceed. Oops!! The rest of the visit was memorable beginning with a one minute ride up to the 164th floor to see, well forever. From the pictures, it is just amazing! Will post them shortly. They had a little delay getting down as a group of sheikhs (the investors) commandeered the elevator.

While the guys were riding the elevator and getting altitude sickness, Lennie and I walked one entire floor of the mall and decided that was enough – we were dragging and my foot still hurts. We decided to wait for the guys. While sitting, I checked my email and found that a purchase had been made on the Visa card. Michael comes up and I asked him what he bought for $12.59. He was stunned that I knew he bought something (hehehe, I get email alerts from Visa when a purchase is made from out of the country). He stopped in a bookstore and found a copy of the “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” in English, a book I have wanted to read. I was so happy that I literally reached over and kissed him on the cheek, momentarily forgetting that a British couple spent a month in jail recently for committing the exact same transgression. I guess we dodged a bullet on this one.

Riding back to the ship, I noticed that there were Minarets everywhere, some plain, some fancy. Dubai is a strange city; on the surface, you could be in any cosmopolitan city. Most signage was in English and all retail workers spoke English. With the modern and new construction, I felt like I was in Las Vegas minus the neon. But then you see the burqua clad women and men in robes and realize this is not a place I really want to be. The younger women didn’t seem to be bothered by white foreigners, but I felt some hostile stares from older women and men. I am ready to leave this place as it feels so phony. Surface glitz, but underneath I sense we are not welcome and would never be able to understand their culture. This is a desert and a very hostile environment both weather wise and culturally. They are trying to make something that shouldn’t be.

New group of passengers has arrived, and tomorrow we go to work.

Dubai - Day 1

Hi guys – I know you all anxiously await Beverly’s blog, but this morning you get me (Michael)! Turns out I went out solo on an early excursion today, and so I have the most to report.

What an exciting day in Dubai! This morning, I led an excursion to the city of Sharjah, about 10 miles north of Dubai. Dubai is such a completely remade city in that its original culture is virtually gone, and they are working very hard to recapture it in Sharjah. On the way, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by this most amazing place. For example, only 20% of the population are citizens, or can ever become citizens; there is almost complete segregation between the sexes; 93% of the potable water is produced through desalination; everything is lush and green and manicured here in this desert environment; there is a (gorgeous) mosque about every ½ mile; and the wealth here is just mind boggling.

We stopped first at the Al-Hisn museum. This was originally a fort built in 1820, and eventually served as the residence for Sharjah’s ruling family. They had lifesize dioramas depicting every facet of life at that time, including where people were stoned to death, you know when they misbehaved. We went next to Bait Al Naboodah, which was a conventional family home converted into a museum. Here you could see how everyone lived in traditional Islamic style. We went next door to a local Souq (market) for a little shopping, but it was mostly junk.

Everything is segregated by sex. Boys and girls don’t play together or go to school together. There are separate parks and country clubs for males and females. Women have to ride in taxi cabs driven only by women; these taxis are identified by their pink color.

Our next stop, the Gold Souk, was most definitely not junk. It was 300 stores all selling gold. There is purported to be 500 tons of the stuff on the premises, but you are hard put to find any security. It’s amazing. I guess in a culture where any crime is so severely punished you don’t have much crime. Our guide took us along the sea shore on the way back and it was most striking. I got back to the ship about 1:30PM to pick up Beverly. We then headed out to the new city, and so I can let here take over from here.

We were on a mission – to get a new computer. The IT people called this morning to remind us to return the loaner computer today. We took the shuttle to the Dubai Mall. Were we in the desert? Were we in an Arab country? It was hard to tell because I thought I was in Las Vegas. Everything is NEW and tall and sleek and modern. There is building going on everywhere. The city is extremely clean and I did not see any clunkers on the road. The buildings are tall and skinny with lots of glass and are crowded together. There is oodles of traffic. I did see a few camels in a vacant lot (one of the very few). It was hot, but thankfully not humid. We went from air conditioning to air conditioning and didn’t even break a sweat.

The mall was unlike anything I have ever seen with more than 1,200 stores. HUGE and upscale upscale. Fountains and flowers decorated the multiple entrances. Included in the mall is an aquarium, zoo, gold souk, cinemas, restaurants and an ice skating rink. Women were dressed in all sorts of garb from casual to full burquas. Many men wore the traditional Arab robes and hat thingies. Most of the sales people were either Indian or Asian. We headed right to the electronic section of the mall and after perusing the different products, we decided to buy an HP netbook computer. It is cute, so tiny and compact. It is easy to type on and has a bright screen. But you don’t really care about that; what is interesting is we now have a computer that has Arabic characters on the keys! It’s OK, there are English characters, too with Windows 7 in English. It feels really good to have a computer again. I hopefully will be able to upload some pictures in the next few days. We still have some programs we have to download from the internet before I can do this.

Another Day at Sea

Humidity is an interesting phenomenon. My hair goes flat, I perspire heavily, and I have discovered a new effect of its destructive properties: my vitamins are disintegrating! I usually sort and fill my pill containers for two weeks. I am now into the second week’s container and the tablets are literally dissolving. When the bottle says to store item in a cool, dry place take it seriously!

I had two paintings in the watercolor student art show. I was surprised at the quality of work exhibited by the “passenger” artists. I hope to continue to attend the watercolor classes on the next segment of the cruise, if bridge doesn’t get in the way.

Today we enter the Persian Gulf, going through the Strait of Hormuzh (sp), where the Iranian navy is playing war games. Whoopee! We also passed Pakistan and Iran. Are we in a dangerous part of the world or what!

Being the good assistant bridge director, I was needed to play in the club championship game and I didn’t even complain about it. There were prizes to be won! I played with a lady who had never come to either a lesson or a game before. We played east/west and really thought we were doomed to last place as we had absolutely no cards and only played three boards the entire game. And here’s the drum roll …… we WON first place (east/west) with a 72% game! For you non-bridge folks, that is awesome. Michael was so proud of me and even wrote an email to Audrey Grant (our booking agent) singing my praises.

We were invited to dine with one of the bridge couples in their suite on the 10th floor. We get to leave the confines of the low rent district and are stepping up in the world, getting to see how the other half live. Ohhhh, nice. There were fresh flowers, caviar, shrimp, lobster claws and enough food to feed an army. Champagne and wine was poured by a butler. Every time I put a dirty plate down, the plate was immediately removed and I was given a fresh one. It wasn’t the food or the room or the butler, but the people. I felt like Cinderella, dressed up but totally out of place. We repaired to the dining room to a private table, and were served an outstanding Dover sole, champagne and wine, and a dessert made especially for our hosts. What service. This cruise line accommodates the culinary, dietary and religious needs of its passengers with such grace and elegance. I am blown away by this.

Our hosts were an elegant couple from Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Russia, raised in Poland, and emigrated to Australia in 1936. She is such a classy lady, very nice and sweet. Two other couples joined the group: an elegant couple from Brisbane (who were both concentration camp survivors) and the history lecturer and his wife. What a wonderful night with such interesting people. We surely were able to solve the world’s problems with this group.

I must say I have met some fascinating people from all around the world. What an enriching experience this has been.

Tomorrow is Dubai.

Sea Day

After a 3-hour rip roaring morning of grab the washer and dryer, I have learned that mornings are not the time to do your laundry. Dinner time is when you have it all to yourself.

I Didn't have to play bridge today and no one showed up for knitting, so here I am chillin' in my cabin reading a book. There is no good TV (which I really miss). We get the news and ship information channels, period. Would someone please let me know what is happening on Survivor.

Mumbai, India

We just returned from our excursion to Mumbai. I am sitting at the computer and I am trying to stay awake. We both woke up around 4 am to some god awful smell in our cabin (Michael thinks is was coal from outside). By 6 am we gave up trying to sleep; just as well, we were scheduled to report to Indian immigration at 6:50 am. Everyone on the entire ship had to go before Indian officials and get a yellow card stamped. Uhhh, we already did this in Cochin. Since Mumbai is in a different state, I guess they have different rules. Since the bombing at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, security has been tightened. Military personnel are on the pier and on top of the buildings surrounding the ship with guns/rifles/AK47s.

Again, the weather was a factor. Hot, humid and slightly overcast. At least the air conditioning worked on the bus. I was the escort for this tour. Our guide spoke excellent English (lessons are taught in English in private schools and most educated people attend private schools and speak English). Mumbai is a crowded, dirty and interesting city. The architecture is gothic, colonial and believe it or not, has the second largest collection of art deco buildings in the world (after Miami). Again, buildings are not maintained and look like slums or were falling apart. Our guide said this is due to the fact that apartment buildings have rent controls and apartments are passed from generation to generation, and therefore, the landlord cannot increase the rents so there is no money for outside building maintenance. She said the interiors were very nicely fixed up. Fact, fiction, propaganda – who knows.

The sights were interesting, but the facts about Indian life and Mumbai that our guide told to us were more fascinating. One of the things I do when on a tour is take notes about things I find interesting. So I will present these facts (as told to us by our guide and not verified) in no particular order.

There is still a four caste system in place. Discrimination is based upon which caste you belong to and the color of your skin. For women, this is especially important. Light skin women have better matrimonial options (95% of all marriages are still arranged). In fact, they go so far as to avoid the sun so as not to tan and even bleach their skin. People avoid the beach during daylight hours. The water at the beaches in Mumbai is polluted.

Mumbai lives by trains, buses and taxis. It is common for people to commute three hours each way by train from the suburbs to the city for work. The trains are built for 2,000 people, but usually carry 5,000. You cannot carry a lunchbox or bulky bag because there is literally no room to move. People are packed like sardines. Women wear scarves that wrap around the throat. They have to remove them before getting on the train otherwise they could be strangled! A certain percentage of cars on a train are dedicated for women only. Being packed so tightly, it is for safety reasons they do this.

Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India, yet there are cows roaming the streets! Beggars are everywhere; mothers with babes in arms, barefooted children, cripples. The street vendors are very aggressive. Our guide said 64% of the population of 18 million people lives on the streets or in hovels or shacks with no services of any kind. We did see several McDonald’s restaurants, but didn’t see any other western chains.

The places we visited were the Gateway of India, Prince of Wales Museum, Marine Drive, and the Victoria Terminus (train station – very beautiful architecture and huge). We also stopped at the Mahatma Gandhi Museum and Memorial, which was his residence between 1917 and 1934. There is a famous letter housed there in which Gandhi asked Hitler to refrain from war.

The most interesting stop was the dhobi ghats or the laundry. Maybe you have seen this on TV on the travel channel, but it is hard to believe this is the 21st century. Each morning, laundry from all Mumbai is brought here to be soaped, boiled, beaten and thrashed. After being aired, pressed, folded and wrapped, the clean bundles are returned from where they came. There are over 4,000 workers (uneducated and poor) and 700 concrete tubs laid out like a maze. The water is manually pumped in and out, and the water is used over and over again. We even saw people bathing in the water used to wash your linens. It stretched as far are the eye could see. People do not have a washing machine in their homes because they are prohibitive expensive, electricity is expensive, there is water shortages, and labor is cheap -- so it is more cost efficient to send it out.

Birthday on the Arabian Sea

Today is my birthday! Michael remembered it with a beautiful card this morning. I miss my family and wish they could sing happy birthday to me. I received “singing” emails from my family and that made me very happy.

Today, I had to play bridge -- with Michael as my partner. We actually did OK and he didn’t even yell at me. I took a few risks in my bidding and was actually pleased with the results. We came in second and even earned master points. I have to give them back because Michael decided to disqualify himself as he only played to fill out a table.

While sitting at the bridge table, a very nice woman said to me that she heard about what happened in the laundry room the other day. I looked at her and she smiled and said she knew she would like me when she heard about it. Puzzled, I asked her what the hell she was talking about. It seems that this ship is like a little Peyton Place. She heard about my “pink” laundry. Yeah, ok, I did it. I turned my two white blouses and underwear PINK. I washed the skirt that I wore to the Shwedagon pagoda with everything I wore that night plus the accumulated laundry and I forgot that the underskirt was a raspberry colored cotton fabric – and it did bleed badly. I washed the white blouses again and got some of the pink dye out, but there was no bleach in the laundry room, so they are still slightly pink.

We attended Friday night Shabbat services, which was conducted by our very own Moshie. The ship provided the torah, candles, prayer books and yarmulkes. The service lasted about ½ hour. Afterward, we feasted on fresh challah bread, herring and gefilte (sp) fish and washed it down with wine. What a huge spread – and this was just before dinner. There were approximately 15 people that attended the services. Several people wished me a happy birthday and one of the other ladies announced it was her birthday, too. Same day, same year! She is from Sydney and everyone had a great time wishing us both a happy birthday.

Lennie ordered a Shabbat feast for our table of six for dinner. We had matzo ball soup and lamb chops as well as more fresh, hot from the oven challah bread. My dining companions had given me a beautiful flower arrangement for my birthday. The roving musicians came to our table and everyone sang happy birthday. It was a very nice evening.

There is a webcam in the computer lab and at the agreed upon time, we stood in front of it so Kelly could see us. Unfortunately, she was not able to get a connection. I was very disappointed as I had made up a sign to hold up in front of the camera.

All in all, it was a very pleasant birthday on the Arabian Sea.

Cochin, India

This area of India, the peninsula state of Kerala, is called the “Queen of the Arabian Sea.” It is a major seaport and exporter of teak wood and spices. And it is f***ing hot and muggy. Thankfully, the air conditioning on the bus worked very well.

My tour took us to the old city called Fort Cochin. It is dirty, crowded and nothing has been maintained. The sidewalk’s concrete panels were raised, askew or missing leaving large holes for people to disappear in. People got around on tuk-tuks (3-wheeled motorized carts), motor scooters, or public bus that was standing room only and had no windows.

Our first stop took us to St. Francis Church, the oldest European church in India. Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, was buried here in 1524. There is a heavy Portuguese influence in the art, architecture and culture.

Next, we stopped at the Chinese dipping nets, the system used to fish from shore. Large nets with weights are lowered into the water; when it is time for the fishermen to raise the nets filled with fish, they use huge poles and levers to raise the nets. This was brought to India by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. For $1 you can have your picture taken pulling the nets up. What an ingenious idea to get paid while others do the work for you. This is also the area that has the fish vendors. There is no ice or refrigeration and it did smell pretty ripe in the heat. There were many small vendor booths selling all kinds of souvenirs (i.e. crap). There were men and children hawking wares, following you and wouldn’t take no for an answer. They were like gnats that were swarming. I almost think they were worse than the ones on the beaches in Mexico.

On a street corner, we had an impromptu show from a snake charmer!! For real. For $1 you could take his picture with the cobras. Now remember my Russian friend, Issac. He is an extremely smart person and is very curious. He offered to sit right next to the snake charmer so we all got our cameras out and were treated to such a sight. There were three cobras; the snake charmer would play the music and open the first basket, then the second, then the third so all of the snakes were dancing at the same time. Issac was very brave and even tried to touch the snakes, but was told it was too dangerous for him to do so. This was the highlight of our tour.

India has no solid waste disposal system so they burn much of their trash. There are small fires smoldering everywhere. We drove by the crematorium and the central laundry facility where there were acres of sheets and towels flapping in the breeze. All the hotels and B&Bs send their linens out to be washed here. The final stop was in Jew Town and included the Dutch Palace (originally built by the Portuguese in 1555 and remodeled by the Dutch in 1663) where we saw some mythological murals in a stifling hot and crowded room; I had to leave because I couldn’t breathe – the air was so oppressive. This “palace” was located right next to a Hindu temple, which was located right next to a Jewish synagogue. Our guide said the major religions of Christianity, Islam and Hindu all got along very well. The synagogue was built in 1568 and is the oldest in the Commonwealth. India had at one time a very large Jewish population, but there are only a few left as most Jews have immigrated to Israel.

Unfortunately, I did not go inside the synagogue or shop at the little shops as I headed back to the air conditioned bus before I died from heat exhaustion. Everyone was dragging fanny as the heat and humidity was so draining. This is the summer season after all, and it lasts for eight months!

While the above was happening, Michael was off escorting a very different tour. He went to the “new” part of town while I was in the “old” part. His first stop was at a Hindu temple, this one dedicated to Shiva, the “Destroyer of Evil.” It was old, filthy, smelly and LOUD! Part of the prayer ritual is to purchase, and then set off huge firecrackers where people congregate. He said it sounded like a war zone. They are always burning something in one of many vessels, and that something is always smelly and dirty. Only the most righteous of the Hindus can enter the most inner most rooms so those will have to remain a mystery.

He then went to two churches – St. Mary’s and St. Francis of Assisi. Both were relatively contemporary, and completely unremarkable, with the exception of both having been visited by Pope John Paul II in 1986. He did witness an engagement ceremony, which was interesting. From here his tour proceeded to the Hotel Taj for refreshments and a visit to a thoroughly forgettable open air (make that open hot air) market. One wasted hour later he gratefully returned to the cool ship for lunch. He was very disappointed with the tour as were many of the other passengers.

Tomorrow is a sea day

Three Days at Sea

We have been cruising the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The seas have been calm and the weather has been partly sunny, not as hot but still muggy. In fact, I even sat out at the pool and had a wonderful nap. The chaise lounge was so comfortable and there was a gentle breeze blowing across the pool deck….

The bridge lectures and games have been well attended considering how few passengers are on board. When we get to Dubai, we will pick up the full complement of passengers so we expect to have more than the four tables we are now getting. I have only had to play once, and I am very proud that I did not come in last! Everyone loves Michael and they tell me how much they have learned from him.

I have started a knitting group and unfortunately, only one other person showed up. Just as well as I cannot knit lace and visit at the same time. The lecturers on board have been outstanding. I also took a watercolor class; I got to play around with the stuff and realized what fun it was. Maybe when I get home, I’ll get my stuff out and seriously try it again.

The staff is very friendly and the food is outstanding (and way toooooo much). Michael is going to escort a tour in Cochin and I got one for Mumbai. So much for the rough life at sea 

Myanmar -- Days 2 & 3

Myanmar – Day 2

On Saturday, we did laundry, spent a lazy couple of hours at the pool, watched movies, and visited with our new friends. The air conditioning was what we needed as the weather continues to be miserable. I am still waking up at 4 am and having a tough time getting enough sleep.

One interesting note: we have had several time changes since we left Singapore. It is usually one hour back EXCEPT in Myanmar, it was 30 MINUTES back. In all the travelling we have done around the world, this is a first.

Myanmar – Day 3

Someone please tell me why we are spending three days in Myanmar. I will never again, I promise, to complain about the heat in the desert when it reaches 90 degrees.

We decided to face the lumpy bumpy ride into Yangon once again to see the market. We left on the shuttle at 9am, arrived at the Traders Hotel, and walked to the market. I looked just like a local, with an umbrella to shade me from the sun. Crossing the street to the market is a game of chicken – see how many cars you can dodge to get across the street without getting hit.

The market was huge. It was mostly indoors and we kept to the shade. Little booths mixed in with little stores. The silks – I was in sensory overload. Every color imaginable, with designs and jewels embedded in the fabric. It was sold by the bolt, piece or finished item.



Deep inside the market, there were young girls sewing custom fitted blouses and longyi (the skirts), and others hand beading fabrics. This is the original sweat shop. There were many other items for sale, especially pearls and gold chains and bracelets. It was so hot inside, that I bought a sandlewood fan for the outrageous price of $3.

It was just too hot to shop; we were soaking wet and decided to catch the 11am shuttle back to the ship. The air conditioning was a joke, but at least it was tolerable. Boy, I can’t wait to get to India and see what their heat and humidity is like. Us Northwesterners are just not used to this.

After lunch and a refreshing dip in the pool, we showered and enjoyed the rest of the day in air conditioned bliss. We went to afternoon Tea, and then on to a round of Kamakazi’s (exotic drink) in our friends’ cabin.