Snorkeling without a snorkel!

As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day like most of the entire cruise!
Now, I have reached the end of my patience, and will have to postpone getting caught up with the rest of March. Tomorrow is Aquaba.

OMAN I (MUSCAT)

The first time we landed in Oman, (March 5th) I signed up to go snorkeling, although I had never tried to do such a thing before! However, when the time came, I got into the water, O.K., but I never put the fins on, nor did I take the snorkel, so I landed in water with a fairly strong current, and all of a sudden was in a panic that I would NEVER get back to the ship, which kept twisting away from me! There were loads of dolphins all around, but they were too quick for me to get a decent picture. However, in my mind’s eye, I will never forget the dolphin that literally jumped up in the air as though it was leaping from a high diving board, did a full twist in the air, and then nosedived into the water. It was a spectacular sight.
The photo of the wooden boat is a typical one for the region, used for fishing, transportation, and living (I think it is called a Dhabi,or Dhaki, but the truth is, I have forgotten what it’s called). Also, I think we were told that this particular one belongs to the (Sultan, King, Sheik, or whatever they call the wealthy head of state in Oman). It should not be a surprise to anyone that with so many stops in the Persian Gulf in so short a time, that all the impressions begin to meld, especially since I took no notes, and let so much time pass before I finally found time to write. After all, we were in Oman, Iran, Kuwait, U.A.E., Bahrain, etc. The one major impression I have from all of these is that Oman and Kuwait were clean and richly modern, and Iran was poor and dirty, while Dubai is suffering financially, and Abu Dhabi is wealthy, and has already bailed them out for the first time. It might become necessary again.
In Dubai, I went with some ladies on a private tour to the Gold Souk, and afterwards, we had a nice lunch just over the waterway. It was fun to shop, and bargain, and interesting to find out when the limits were reached. We also roamed around in the spice market, but as you can imagine, I got quite tired with all the walking, and was glad to return to the ship by taxi.
Very often, the land tours start early in the morning, and I am careful never to take one that goes for more that 4 or 5 hours, because I get too exhausted. However, if I am back on the ship by 13:00h, I still have time to eat and play bridge in the afternoon. Sometimes, I go swimming instead, or even at 17:00h, after bridge.

Recapitulation:

On March 8th, I decided not to take an organized tour in Kuwait, but rather to take the shuttle into town, and I had thought to walk around and look at the sights. HOWEVER, it turned out to be a 4 hour free sightseeing trip, because the driver apparently was brand new to Kuwait (he appeared to be Indian, and a very pleasant fellow, but totally unprepared for the job he was given: namely to drive a shuttle bus to the local Souk). The result was that he drove and drove, and drove some more, but we NEVER got to the Souk, and in the end, he had great difficulty trying to find his way back to the port (and ship). Most of the passengers eventually started to panic; everyone tried to tell him what to do, and eventually mayn people got off the bus, so he couldn’t go anywhere because the passengers didn’t get back on. They had seen a street sign that said WC in big letters, and (incorrectly) assumed it would be a toilet. The poor driver apparently didn’t understand English, nor Kuwaiti, and so all the telephone directions he was getting were useless. Eventually, everyone got back into the bus, and in a final effort, he got to a sign that was marked for the port, and when the ship came in sight, everyone cheered….and then went to complain about the experience as soon as they got onto the ship. However, I viewed it entirely in a different fashion: we had a 4 hour free sightseeing trip, after all!
Kuewait is very clean, very modern, and shows very few remainders of the war with Iraq (viz. one such picture).

Cruising the Red Sea

Today is a sea day sandwiched in between land days. Yesterday, we were in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, and tomorrow we will be in Aqaba. Most cruisers will be going to Petra, but since I was already there some years back with a ZIWA group, I have opted to go on a desert safari to Wadi Rum, traveling by jeep across the dunes. Think of me and Lawrence of Arabia, which was filmed there.
I will finish this later, but first I have to go to the photro shop while it is still open!

Iran (Bandar Abbas)

This was a small town, and not very clean. The surprising thing was that the Iranian guide was quite open about her disapproval of the announced voting results. Apparently, there is a lot of resentment over the "fraud".
The women had to wear hair coverings, and conservative attire. The beggars on the street looked more Indian than Irani.

Parade Grounds at the Fort in Bahrain

There was a holiday that evening, and we were able to watch the police academy practice for their celebration on the grounds of the old Fort.
Now, we have left Dubei, and oMAN AND ARE EN ROUTE TO Jedda. All of us will have to learn how to wear the traditional garb!
All is well, and I do hope to catch up with my blog, eventually!

pictures

pictures from Abu Dhabi

Kuwait (delayed by one day!)

Today was a rather special day! We are in Kuwait City, a very modern, clean city with the most extraordinary buildings! It reminds me of Singapore in that there are so very many interesteng displays of architecture. No two seem to be alike, and since everything was constructed after the Iraqui invasion, all is new, clean, and interesting, although not necessarily very Arabic in feeling.
After the strict dress code of Iran, there were no restrictions here, at all, and one could see shorts, casual, and also full black gowns with head covering, etc.To each his own, seems to be the law. However, there are no alcoholic beverages available, and interestingly enough, the ship had to gather all the private wine collections of every passanger, and put it in safe storage. They promised we could have it back for tomorrow, and I surely hope so, because I am again hosting a pre-dinner cocktail here in my stateroom, this time for 10 people, and I count on serving white wine! One guest will bring his own vodka (disguised in a soda bottle).I have ordered caviar, shrimp, lobster, and crab, plus chicken wings, cheese and crackers, and vegetable sticks with a dip. My dinner mates have come to expect such an invitation once during every segment, and I guess I feel I shouldn't disappoint them. I have combined that with a farewell party for our bridge instructor, who is leaving due to another committment. She was only a "fill-in" FOR THE INSTRUCTOR WHO HAD TO LEAVE ON ACCOUNT OF (unexpected) CANCER SURGERY. Now, we wonder who will replace her. I have also included the other bridge pair of instructors, the Yoga teacher, two Ambassador hosts, and our table mates.

This is the very first time that a cruise ship has landed in Kuwait, and therefore, it seems no one was prepared for such an influx of people at one time. I haven't heard anything, yet, about the various tours, but I had not signed up for any of them, and figured, simply ,to take the shuttle bus that is offered to get from the ship's mooring to the Souk, figuring to see what is on display, etc., even though I am not looking to buy anything. However, the bus was full, and the driver had no idea how to get to where we were supposed to be going! What should have been a 20 to 30 minute bus ride, turned into three full hours, and then most everyone was up in arms, because the driver understood no English, and no one on the bus spoke Arabic. Everyone had his own idea of how to remedy the situation, so they rattled the poor driver with their various cell phones, etc. He, on the other hand, called various people to help him, but all that happened was that we went around in circles, and then people saw a sign that said WC, and incorrectly, they were sure it would ber a toilet, which it was not! (Probably it was for a World Center). In any case, they all clamored to get off the bus, and then some disappeared around the corner, looking for what was not there, but making it impossible for the rest of us to leave! By that time, lots of people only wanted to get back to the ship, but it appeared that the driver didn't know the way! Each cell phone had someone on the other end who wanted to give directions to the driver, who, in my mind was very calm and tried to accommodate everyone. However, some of the people couldn't wait to get back to the ship in order to report him! Fortunately, I had budiness at the reception desk, and when I heard the horrible condemnations that were being reported, I just waited until they walked away, and gave them my version, which was far less damaging to the poor driver. Obviously, he didn't know the way, and couldn't speak English, but it was the passengers who made the driver crazy, and I didn't think he should take all the blame! Anyway, the fellow from the Port Authority assured me that the driver would not be fired, etc.as some of the others were demanding.
From my point of view, we had a three hour sightseeing trip of the entire are in and around Kuwait City, and at no cost to us! Otherwise, we have to pay all outdoors for the land tours that are offered.
In the meantime, I have signed up for a tour of the cities of Arad and Muharraq for tomorrow, in Bahrain. It is supposed to give a glimpse of old Bahrain that existed before air-conditioned malls and modern houses. (That reminds me; I heard that there were only "squat" toilets in Kuwait.) Apparently, the shops and Souk are dilapidated, etc. but of interest historically. We'll see!
----- Original Message -----

All about Oman

Well, here I am, again, this time on the way to Iran (Bandar Abbas) from Oman, where I went on a Dolphin watch and snorkel (for the others!) adventure. There were hundreds (at least!) of dolphins swimming, cavorting, leaping, diving, and always avoiding my camera! However, Marcel always used to say that the most important pictures were the ones we carried in our memory, and the spectacular view of one of the dolphins leaping into the air, and twisting into a swan dive before reentering the water, is really etched on my brain! I did go into the water, but I hesitated to use the snorkel and fins, because I had never tried them before, and all the others seemed “at home” with them. It turned out that they didn’t see anything of interest under water, so I don’t think I missed very much. However, there was a strong current, and it was not easy for me to swim any distance; I was afraid of not being able to find my way back to the boat. We were only about 14 people altogether, and a very friendly crowd. It was a beautiful sunny day, and not overly hot, with a cool breeze.

When we returned to the ship, I went up on deck and fell asleep in the sun, waking up with enough time to go into the Jacuzzi, and then quickly into the pool, although by that time, there was a really cool breeze blowing. Because I still had to shower, etc. it was too late to go to the Friday night services which are always at 5 p.m., so I am back in my stateroom writing this. However, there is a special World Cruise Party in ½ hour, and I really should go to it, especially since I have skipped the last two in favor of answering emails.

Oman has really only been developed in the last 40 years; it’s a kingdom where the royal family is off limits to even mention! No one knows how many wives the king has, nor anything else about him, and one cannot question, either! However, it is a country with no taxes, no crime, no poverty, and free education for all. Visitors are discouraged from remaining, and can only get a work permit for two years, after which it is very difficult to get a renewal, if at all. Everyone I spoke to, who took a city tour, was really impressed with how clean the streets, etc. are.

It is typical desert land, with many very interesting hills and outcroppings formed from volcanic upheavals in ancient times. There is plenty of new building going on, and the only greenery one sees are some palm trees, usually surrounding the palacial hotels. Otherwise, everything is tan or brown, except for many of the houses, which are white.

Tomorrow, two fo us had planned to take a cab, and look around, but apparently, the ship has frowned on that, and instead, we will take a bus shuttle into town, and just see what we see before returning to the ship.

This segment is full of land days as opposed to all the sea days we have had until now. Actually, I prefer the sea days, especially since I am such a poor sightsee-er and get too tired walking any distance.

Now, it’s time to get ready for the party, and dinner thereafter. Fond regards to all.

pictures from Cochin boat trip