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World Cruise
a travel blog by
edoyle
I'm starting a blog so I won't be inundating your inboxes with e-mails.You can follow my travels,if you like,at will.
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Sri Lanka
Colombo
,
Sri Lanka
We did not stop in
Galle
.We were to anchor and tender in but it was raining and the sea was rough so the lifeboats could not be lowered.Even had they been able to be lowered,we
could not have boarded them as they would have been bobbing up and down in the sea.
The lifeboats carry 100 people when used as tenders and 150 when used as lifeboats.
We arrived in Colombo late afternoon but could only dock at a freight terminal.Some people went ashore that evening.The ship moved to the passenger terminal at 6am the next morning.
It is Easter Sunday.Happy Easter everyone.I had a panoramic tour of Colombo.We got out of the bus only once to see Independence Hall,the other pictures were taken from inside the bus.
Independence Hall
Guarding Independence Hall
Taj Hotel
Gov't bldg.
Several of us wanted to go to Mass so we left the tour a little early and got tuk tuks to the church, which was packed,mostly with Tamils,I think.We then got tuk tuks back to the pier,where we had a long walk to the ship.I think taxis are allowed to drive in through security but apparently not other vehicles.
Street market
Meditating Buddha in park
Outside Chinese Embassy
The pier was lined with little shops but I didn't buy anything.As soon as I was onboard it began to rain heavily.I had lunch and washed all my clothes in the laundromat;they were soaked from the heat and humidity.
It is 6:30pm here and we have already set sail for
Cochin
,India.
Shops on pier from my cabin
written by
edoyle
on April 24, 2011
from
Colombo
,
Sri Lanka
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Cochin
Cochin
,
India
Mon.Apr.25,arrived in
Cochin
at noon.After all the formalities I did not go ashore.
Tue.26 Tour "Highlights of
Cochin
and Harbour Cruise"
Cochin
is built on interconnected
islands and peninsulas.It is in the state of Kerala,a communist state that is democratic.It is one third the size of Canada with four times the population.It has the highest literacy rate of India,more than 96% and the lowest infant mortality.
The Portuguese were in
Cochin
for over 150 years.They built a palace as a gift for the King in exchange for trading rights.St Francis Church was built in 1503 by Franciscan friars.
Vasco Da Gama
was buried there but his remains were later returned to Portugal.
Vasco da Gama crypt in St Francis church
Ceiling in St Francis Church
Detail of ceiling painted by friars in St Francis Church
There were many Catholic churches,and there is still a large Catholic population,but when the Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1666 the church became Dutch Reform.Then when the
British
ousted the Dutch in 1802 the church became Anglican.
This pattern was followed in most of the recent places we visited:first the Portuguese,
then the Dutch,then the
British
,each leaving behind remnants of their architecture and culture.
Dutch style house
Engliah style house,now a restaurant
The Chinese fishing nets are a tourist attraction,introduced by the Chinese centuries ago.
They use counter weights and are still in use,though not very efficient.
Chinese fishing nets from our harbour tour
Chinese fishing net
We went on a rice boat around the harbour
Small river boat
and saw our ship docked on one of the islands.
Our ship from the river boat
Santa Cruz Cathedral
Santa Cruz cathedral is the largest church in
Cochin
,I went there one Sunday on my last visit.
An interesting feature are the gaily decorated trucks.many with saints names or names of
Hindu
gods.
Decorated trucks
written by
edoyle
on April 27, 2011
from
Cochin
,
India
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Incredible !ndia.This is their slogan
Mumbai
,
India
We docked at Indira Dock at 8am Thurs.28.I was on the tour "Highlights of Mumbai"We had to have face to face contact with Immigration first.All this security as a result of the bombing of the Taj Hotel in 2008.
Mumbai is made up of 7 islands and has a population of 18 million.It is the financial capital and is home to Bollywood,the largest film industry in the world.The city never sleeps and teems with people.Traffic is a nightmare but there are very few accidents because everyone knows how to negociate the traffic.240,000 people come in by train every day.
People leaving railway station coming to work
Street scene
The trains are so crowded that commuters cannot bring their lunch so a system has evolved whereby the hot lunch is picked up from the person's home,brought to the railway station,put on a special train,picked up at the other end and delivered to the person in his office.It takes 4 people for one lunch.The lunch boxes have 3 compartments for the curry,rice and vegetables and are identified by a letter,a number and a colour.
The men who do this are usually illiterate and never make a mistake.They can be seen riding their bicycles with trays of lunch boxes all over the city at noon.They have a union and are known by their Nehru caps.
Lunch boxes ready to be delivered
One can be fined for honking without cause.One sees the occasional cow on a grassy plot but it must be accompanied by its owner.A cow alone is taken by police and the owner must pay a fine to get it back.
We visited the Gandhi Museum.It was the home of a good friend and Gandhi used to stay there when in Mumbai.
Where Gandhi lived when in Mumbai
Letter by Einstein on Gandhi's death
Part of Gandhi's library
The gateway of India was erected hurriedly to welcome King George V and Queen Mary in
1911.Artisans later added decorative carvings finishing in 1923.
Gateway of India
Taj Mahal Hotel
Opposite is the famous Taj Mahal Hotel.Construction was present for an upcoming event.
We saw a Jain temple with a lovely decorated ceiling.
Ceiling of Jain temple
The Jain are strict vegetarians,have no priests and when praying cover their mouths with a cloth tied behind the head to prevent any drops of saliva from touching the statue or any bug from entering their mouth.They believe every creature has the right to live and they wont kill anything.
Another group are the Parsi who worship the elements.Tata,the wealthy industrialist is a Parsi.They do not bury or cremate their dead but leave the body on top of a special tower
(there are two)surrounded by trees and greenery.The vultures pick the bones clean which fall into the pit below where lime disintegrates them.
Our next stop was to the Dhobi Ghat.This is the open air laundry for those who don't have a washing machine.The laundry is picked up,sorted,washed in stone troughs,rinsed dried and ironed and returned to the owner the next day.
Dhobi Ghat
Dhobi Ghat,open air laundry
We went to the Prince of Wales Museum,named for King George V who laid the cornerstone in 1903.One section had miniature paintings,really beautiful.
We then went to the Hanging Gardens,so called because they are irrigated from a reservoir underneath the ground.
Hanging gardens
Home of wealthiest man in India.built according to Feng Shui
While walking through the gardens we were pointed out the home of the richest man in India who built the home according to Feng Shui principles.
It has a glass top and a strange looking base difficult to see from a distance.It looked like an odd apt building.
I took a picture of Bombay University from the coach.
Prince of Wales Museum
The architecture in Mumbai is most interesting.The large buildings were built by the British with Muslim overtones,a style called Indo-Saracenic.The main railway terminus,called Victoria terminus,or VT by everyone has been renamed but noone uses the new name,which is hard to pronounce.It is Victorian with a dome and minarets,very ornamental,technically an architectural nightmare but very endearing.
Marine Drive winds around and is called the Queen's necklace because of its resemblance to a string of pearls when lit at night.
Marine Drive
Getting back on the coach I took a picture of this bright sari.
Bright yellow sari at Gateway of India
The heat and humidity were getting to all of us by this time,I had already drunk 3 bottles of water,so we were all glad to return to the ship where I threw all my clothes into the washing machine (after lunch,of course)
A film of the Royal wedding will be shown this afternoon,so I'll probably watch it.
written by
edoyle
on April 28, 2011
from
Mumbai
,
India
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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U.A.E.
Al Fujayrah
,
United Arab Emirates
Mon.May 2.Docked in Fujairah,one of the 7 Emirates that comprise the
United Arab Emirates
.Population about 2 million,75% of whom are foreigners working here.They get no benefits and living is expensive so they are unable to bring their families.The locals get almost everything free,housing,electricity and education.When a foreigner retires or loses his job he has to leave and receives no pension.Most of the workers are Indian.
I went on a desert safari.We were 4 in each of 25
Toyota
Land Cruisers.When we arrived at the dunes our drivers deflated the tyres and off we went! It was exhilarating and somewhat hair raising.
Throwing up sand
Camel compound
Some of the ascents and descents were very steep and a few times I thought we'd go head over heels.I also felt sideways tip overs were imminent.A few women wore sandals and almost burned their feet on the hot sand.It was also windy as well as hot.One car was stuck on top of a dune and had to be pushed back by another car going up.It then had to find a less steep slope to come down.
Land Cruiser stuck on top of dune
On sand dune
The city has some tall buildings and flat arab houses.
Fujairah City through the Land cruiser
Houses being built on way to dunes
I drank 2 ltrs of water on this trip.
Tomorrow
Dubai
.
written by
edoyle
on May 4, 2011
from
Al Fujayrah
,
United Arab Emirates
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Dubai
Dubai
,
United Arab Emirates
Tue.May 3.Docked in Port Rashid in DP World (Dubai Port World)There are many docks here.As in Fujairah,the population is about 2 million,15% of whom are citizens who get all the benefits.Dubai is the second largest of the Emirates,Abu Dhabi being the largest.
Dubai has been ruled by the Maktoum family for decades.Sheikh Rashid had a vision of turning this fishing village into a commercial and tourist attraction in the 1930s.He had the creek dredged to allow ships in, which brought commerce and then oil was discovered and the building frenzy began,only to grind to a halt with the recent recession.Rashid's son now rules and seems to be as visionary as his father.
The city has many tall buildings with interesting shapes.
Interesting high rises
Bank
The streets are wide,3 lanes on each side divided by a median usually with flowers.
Flowers on median
On one side are sandstone apt.buildings and on the other are steel and glass high rises.There is quite a bit of greenery,incongruous in this desert setting.I believe they desalinate most of their water.
Shops
The Burj al Arab is the iconic landmark of Dubai.It is a hotel,321m high and costs $3,000
a night and it is said that they will never recover the cost of building it.It is in the shape of the sail of a dhow,an Arab boat that is still occasionally seen.It has a helipad on top on a projection and a bar and seafood restaurant in a tube-like protrusion from the top.There is also a tennis court on top without any protection.
Burj al Arab
We visited the Dubai Museum which used to be a fort to repel invaders.There is a constantly rotating slide show of Dubai from the 1930s to the 2000s and models of Arab life with figures in different settings.Included were pearl fishers.It is a small museum but
really lovely.
We next visited the spice souk,which sold not only spices but everything else one could imagine.
Spices in spice souk
Largest gold ring in the world
The smell was enticing.We then visited the gold souk.I priced a thin 18" gold chain but felt it was still too much even after the price was lowered $60; it was made in Italy.
We saw a sign for no unloading beside a pile of unloaded stuff.Doesn't anyone read?
Noone obeys signs
The world's tallest tower is here.
Burj Khalifa,worlds tallest building
The heat was getting to us by now and we were glad to get back to the ship,although a few people stayed to shop.
Dubai is a fascinating city, all magnificent buildings but no personality.perhaps this will develop in the future.
The QE2 is docked in Dubai.It was supposed to be converted to a floating hotel but this was put on hold when the Emirate became bankrupt.
QE2 docked in Dubai to be a hotel
written by
edoyle
on May 4, 2011
from
Dubai
,
United Arab Emirates
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Muscat
Muscat
,
Oman
Thurs.May 5. Arrived in
Muscat
.I took the tour "Splendors of
Muscat
"We saw the glitzy palace of the Sultan which is used for State occasions only.
Main walkway to palace
Walkway to Sultan's palace
The Sultan,Qaboos bin Said,is visionary but wants to preserve the culture,language and architecture of his ancestors.
He was born in
Salalah
and lives in
Muscat
but has a palace in every city.
We visited a private museum where I took a picture of a letter written to Pres.Andrew Jackson by the then Sultan.I am unable to reduce it to add it to the blog.
Private museum
Oman
is the size of Kansas with a population of 2.7 million.Our guides all wore the long white robe,the dishdashi and on their heads wore the embroidered cotton cap.For official functions they have to wear a turban,the shade and design of which is left to the wearer.
The women wear a long black robe called an abayah and wear a veil,a hijab,covering their heads and most of their faces.
Our last stop was to the Souk where a friend and I bought spices,500gm, for a dollar each.
Entrance to souk
written by
edoyle
on May 6, 2011
from
Muscat
,
Oman
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Jordan
Al 'Aqabah
,
Jordan
Fri May 13. Docked late yesterday evening because the ship had to slow to 16 knots,one of four generators malfunctioned.The part was supposed to arrive in Aqaba but I don't think it did.Noone saw any activity and the part was large,so I'm told.All excursions for
yesterday were transferred to today.I took "Lawrence of Arabia's Wadi Rum"and enjoyed it very much.
Jordan has 6 million people and they love their king,Abdullah,the son of King Faisal and an Englishwoman,Toni Gardner,who became Queen Mouna.She still lives here.
The desert has deep valleys and mountains and it was here that T.E.Lawrence united the Arab tribes to fight the Turks and the film "Lawrence of Arabia" was made in Wadi Rum.
We got into jeeps,4 to a jeep,and were driven across the desert.
Our jeeps
Our jeep drivers doing a song and dance
This was different from
Fujairah which had soft sand dunes.Here the sand was stony with high cliffs all around.It was very romantic.We stopped at a Bedouin camp and several of us rode camels.
Riding a camel
You have to hold on to the front and back of the saddle as the camel stands up otherwise you are pitched forward.It is not the most comfortable ride as the camel moves both legs on the same side together and you have to keep a good grip on the pommel horn.We drove over some dunes and I put some reddish sand in a ziplock bag.
Sand dune in Wadi Rum
Our camel ride was a mile,about 20 mins.We had tea and coffee at a large Bedouin camp where people can stay.The entrance to the tents with the toilets was interesting.
Entrance to women's toilet at Bedouin camp
Entrance to men's room at Bedouin camp
Inside bedouin camp
The face of T.E.Lawrence was carved into a rock and there was some ancient rock painting
Face of Lawrence carved into rock
Ancient rock art
This area was under water millenia ago and there is a water table that the Bedouins know how to tap close to the surface.A project is underway to pipe the water to Amman,which apparently has no access to water.
Before we got back in our jeeps the drivers did a song and dance and invited people to join them.
We saw camels with babies and were able to pet the babies who were curious about us.
Camel and baby
written by
edoyle
on May 13, 2011
from
Al 'Aqabah
,
Jordan
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Safaga
Bur Safajah
,
Egypt
Sat.may 14. Docked in Safaga.Took excursion to the Sheraton Soma Beach Resort.It is in the middle of nowhere,a huge hotel,marble
Interior
and lovely beach but nothing around.
The road was excellent but hardly any traffic.The hotel looked new but we were told that it is 13 years old.
Entrance to Sheraton Soma Bay
Sphinxes guarding entrance to Sheraton
There was a large infinity pool
Infinity pool at Sheraton
and plenty of space for sunbathing
Place to sunbathe
Beach at Sheraton
Several of us returned on the early bus,while others stayed the whole day.
On the way back there was a mermaid with 2 fish in a roundabout
Mermaid in roundabout
Sun 15th. Took the shuttle to Hurghada,a resort town almost an hour away.It is bigger than Safaga,looked at some shops and got the next shuttle back.
There is so much unfinished building around,hotels,apts.etc.The recession hit hard here.
Tomorrow we arrive in Sharm-el Sheikh.I am not going on any excursion.Mubarak is in hospital here,so I'm sure there will be a lot of security.
written by
edoyle
on May 15, 2011
from
Bur Safajah
,
Egypt
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
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Sharm-el-Sheikh
Nabq
,
Egypt
Mon.May 16.Arrived at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.Some went snorkling,some went on a glass bottom boat and some just took the shuttle into town.I did the latter.This is a big resort area but not much to see.Quite hot in the sun.Saw the hospital where Mubarak and his wife are,though she has been released now.When she was arrested for using her position to enrich herself she developed heart symptoms.
Tue.May 17 At 6am we entered the Suez Canal.It is now 2:30 here and we will reach
Port Said
in about half an hour.We will stay until evening to pick up the people who flew to Cairo from
Luxor
.They will be exhausted.This was an expensive trip but these were people who had never been to Egypt and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see the Pyramids.Some just went on a long day trip to
Luxor
,3hrs there and 3hrs back and then visiting all the temples.They couldn't see everything and even that was expensive.
We arrive in Ashdod,
Israel
tomorrow and the next day those of us on the world cruise have our complimentary overnight in Jerusalem.We will have 2 full days and will rejoin the ship in
Haifa
on the 20th
We have had
Israel
i soldiers on board for some days now.They are not in uniform and are inconspicuous.They walk the deck with binoculars.They don't show any weapons but I know they have them.I feel really safe with them on board.
Security was strict in Egypt and I expect it will be more so in
Israel
.
written by
edoyle
on May 17, 2011
from
Nabq
,
Egypt
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
tagged
Sharm
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Sharm-el-Sheikh
Nabq
,
Egypt
Mon.May 16.Arrived at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.Some went snorkling,some went on a glass bottom boat and some just took the shuttle into town.I did the latter.This is a big resort area but not much to see.Quite hot in the sun.Saw the hospital where Mubarak and his wife are,though she has been released now.When she was arrested for using her position to enrich herself she developed heart symptoms.
Tue.May 17 At 6am we entered the Suez Canal.It is now 2:30 here and we will reach
Port Said
in about half an hour.We will stay until evening to pick up the people who flew to Cairo from
Luxor
.They will be exhausted.This was an expensive trip but these were people who had never been to Egypt and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see the Pyramids.Some just went on a long day trip to
Luxor
,3hrs there and 3hrs back and then visiting all the temples.They couldn't see everything and even that was expensive.
We arrive in Ashdod,
Israel
tomorrow and the next day those of us on the world cruise have our complimentary overnight in Jerusalem.We will have 2 full days and will rejoin the ship in
Haifa
on the 20th
We have had
Israel
i soldiers on board for some days now.They are not in uniform and are inconspicuous.They walk the deck with binoculars.They don't show any weapons but I know they have them.I feel really safe with them on board.
Security was strict in Egypt and I expect it will be more so in
Israel
.
written by
edoyle
on May 17, 2011
from
Nabq
,
Egypt
from the travel blog:
World Cruise
tagged
Sharm
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
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