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edoyle

59 Blog Entries
2 Trips
371 Photos

Trips:

World Cruise
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.

permalink written by  edoyle on May 15, 2011 from Bur Safajah, Egypt
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

permalink written by  edoyle on May 13, 2011 from Al 'Aqabah, Jordan
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

permalink written by  edoyle on May 6, 2011 from Muscat, Oman
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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.

permalink written by  edoyle on May 4, 2011 from Al Fujayrah, United Arab Emirates
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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



permalink written by  edoyle on May 4, 2011 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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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.




permalink written by  edoyle on April 28, 2011 from Mumbai, India
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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

permalink written by  edoyle on April 27, 2011 from Cochin, India
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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

permalink written by  edoyle on April 24, 2011 from Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Incredible India

Chennai, India

Docked in Chennai (Madras) yesterday,late morning.Had to meet with Immigration officials in the theatre and have our passports stamped.Then we could go ashore.I went on the shortest excursion,a shopping tour.Our bus was stopped outside the port by more officials who checked our passports,comparing either our names or passport numbers to a list.This took some time,beaurocracy being one of the incredible things about India.
We were taken to a shop that sold jewels and pashminas.Most of us wanted to see tops so our guide brought us to a "mall".It had many little shops,not air conditioned.I bought some tops and pants and tops that come with a scarf,good for lounging.We met at the designated place and had to cross a huge intersection to where the bus was parked.I would have hesitated to do this on my own,without the guide.I saw the shuttle parked in front of our bus,so those who took the shuttle in would have to fight the traffic on their own.Our guide never explained any landmarks to us.I took a few pictures,a statue of a man,Indian?English? a large building and the only one with a name,the Acad.of Music.
So many people signed up for the spice dinner that it was held at two hotels,both 5 star,
the Sheraton and the Taj and will be held tonight also.Those who went last night loved it.I am going tonight.
Tomorrow we leave for Sri Lanka where we will have 3 stops.I am not going on a tour tomorrow but doing highlights of Galle(prounced Gaul) the next day and then we dock in Columbo before going back to India,Cochin and then Bombay (Mumbai)
I'll be so glad when we get away from this crushing heat and humidity.
Our bus let us off close to the gangplank but we had to go into the terminal and be screened.This may be the result of the bombing of the hotel in Mumbai.

permalink written by  edoyle on April 20, 2011 from Chennai, India
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Penang

George Town, Malaysia

Fri.Apr.15 Drove through george Town,lovely city with Chinese and Indian temples and high rises.We went to where Batik is made and saw how the special wax is applied with a very fine brush in various designs.

Applying wax to make batik

Various dyes are then applied within different parts of the design by brushes and then water is added by another brush to spread the dye which runs rapidly along the fabric,being prevented by the wax from bleeding into other areas.We each got to choose a pattern with the wax outline on cotton.I took a picture of my choice,only partially completed

My half finished batik
I did have a lot of drips which were covered up by the dark blue background.This will be dried,boiled to remove the wax,which will lighten the colours,and it will be mailed to me.I'll be anxious to see how it turns out.The partially done piece took me over an hour in horrible heat and humidity.I cant tell you how I longed for Holland!

Sat.Apr.16 Phuket,Thailand.The ship was to dock on the eastern side of the island,where there is a cruise terminal,but the taxi drivers were blocking the pier so the tour buses couldn't get in,(not sure what their argument was about) The ship anchored on the west side in Patong Bay and we were tendered in to shore.


Resort beach

The west is the resort side with miles of white sandy beaches and calm blue water.Hotels and shops lined the street and our tour buses had some difficulty picking us up.I was on bus number 15(there were 17 in all)and we got little purple fish to pin on our shirts so our guide would recognize who belonged on his bus.We went directly to an elephant camp where two at a time rode an elephant,very rocky,rather like riding a camel.
One mahout fell off his elephant and the elephant just raised a leg and the mahout stepped on it and climbed up.

Elephant ride

We saw a baby elephent and a slightly bigger one perform some tricks and the bigger elephant gave a "massage"A person lay down on a mat,was covered by a small blanket and the elephant moved her foot(they are all female)up and down the back and then put her trunk at the person's neck. this was a kiss.I couldn't believe how many people lined up for this "massage".

Elephant massage
The elephants did not look very healthy,they had areas of depigmentation on their ears and trunks.I felt sad that these magnificent animals were treated like this.

Monkey in elephant camp

We saw how rubber is made.The latex is treated with formic acid to render it malleable.
Formic acid is from bees,unless there is another form,and I wonder if people who are allergic to bee stings are also allergic to latex.
We visited a very ornate Buddhist temple and I climbed to the top and took a picture of a
statue of Buddha on a mountain top.

Buddhist temple

Buddha on mountain

Our last stop was to a cashew factory.We saw the cashew trees with their bright fruit which contains the nut in a hard casing which has to be boiled,dried then cracked open to
extract the nut.

Cashew tree

Cashews,before and after shelling

We sampled every flavour of cashew imaginable.
I couldn't wait to get back to the ship to take off my clothes and put them in the laundry.
We now have two days at sea before we reach Sri Lanka.

permalink written by  edoyle on April 18, 2011 from George Town, Malaysia
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