John and Diane's LAST Round the World Adventure

[cruise_rima]

Love, love, love your posts on here and John's on the Facebook page. Your descriptions are fantastic.

[Stratheden]

Thank you Dianne for your wonderful posts. I have never wanted to travel to India but you have changed my mind.

You seem to be such a confident, optimistic, happy lady.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Stratheden

[Johnny B]

March 17, 2015

Varanasi, India

 

This place is amazing! We were picked up at 5:45 this morning and headed back down to the Ganges for the morning ceremonies. We boarded our little rowboat again, and this time headed down to the less used cremation site, where they hadn’t begun yet. Our guide told us that most people die in the evening or at night and it takes several hours to assemble the family and get permission for the cremation.

 

As we continued down the river, we saw all of life occurring on the bank. There were young boys playing cricket, laundrymen doing the laundry of hotels and individuals on rocks in the river water, people bathing in the holy water of the Ganges, and Brahmans blessing passersby. In the middle of this, there were monkeys in the trees, goats eating garbage, and one of the cows standing in the middle of a stairway - I guess trying to figure out how to get up or down.

 

We continued down the river to the main cremation site, which was just beginning. One body was completing its two-hour period of cremation and we watched as another began its journey, since Hindus believe that if they die and are cremated and then scattered into the Ganges, they go straight to Nirvana (or at least that’s what I understood). Our guide also told us that forty kilos of wood are required for a cremation, and he was realistic enough to say that this was going to be a problem for the Indian forests in the future.

 

It was then time to disembark our sturdy craft and begin a walk through the oldest part of Varanasi. The “streets” are only about four feet wide, but there are shops on both sides, lots of pedestrian traffic, and you really have to watch for cow piles as you walk. This area of the city is over a thousand years old, and we could imagine people beginning their life next to the river. We stopped to visit the Golden Temple, one of the holiest temples in the Hindu world, and saw that it was guarded by lots and lots of armed soldiers. I thought that was because of terror threats, but was told that since there is an important Hindu temple next to a Muslim mosque, fights often break out and the police are there to prevent and/or stop them.

 

After a hike back to our van, we returned to the hotel at 8:00 for breakfast, and at 11:00 we’re being collected for a visit to a village where silk is woven and then on to the airport for our flight to Udaipur. The adventure continues!

[MMDown Under]

Loving reading of your land adventure, Diane and John, complemented by Jeff's beautiful photos.

 

Myanmar was always on my "Must Do" List, but now it has moved up the list.

 

In Australia, we have an enjoyable cooking/travel show called "Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong". Imagine my delight when Monday's edition was foods and flavours of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. Tonight he ventures to the Shan State and Inie Lake (SBS at 6.00 pm for Australians).

Edited March 17, 2015 by MMDown Under

[Traveling Dot]

Thanks for writing such wonderful descriptions of the places you are visiting. As I read I feel that I am right there with you. Also from watching the Amazing Race I can picture a lot of what you are describing especially the tuk-tuks. :eek:

[Johnny B]

We've had a computer problem which will be solved tomorrow in Mumbai. I'll explain it then. Thanks for your patience.

[Johnny B]

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Day 73

Udaipur to Mumbai, India

 

Well, when I wrote that the adventure continues, I had no idea how much of an adventure it would be! After our wonderful morning on the Ganges River, we returned to the hotel for breakfast, having agreed to be ready with our luggage to be collected at 11:15 for a visit to a silk factory and thence to the airport. After the “silk factory,” (which turned out to be an excuse to be shown silk products to buy), we headed out to the airport. As we drove, I thought to go through the electronics/miscellaneous purchases tote bag and realized that our MacBook Air was not there. We figured out that we had left it in the “Tea Lounge” of the hotel when we left at 11:15 - it was now about 1:00. A phone call to the hotel turned up nothing, and we were devastated. After about 30 minutes, another phone call said they had found it. Next phone call: sorry, haven’t found it. Finally, they called our agent in New Delhi, Ajay Sethi of Distant India Journeys, and when he got involved everything became wonderful.

 

We’ve used Ajay in the past and recommended him to friends, but this time he showed that he not only knows how to plan the perfect tour, but he provides service above and beyond anything that could be expected. Ajay somehow got the hotel to find the computer, and he sent someone out to collect it. He had them pack it quite carefully and send it as cargo via Air India non-stop to Mumbai. Yesterday, as we toured Udaipur, our guide received a call from Ajay reporting that the computer had arrived in Mumbai and was in that office, ready to be returned to us when we were collected at the airport upon arrival this morning, and that’s exactly what happened. As you can imagine, we were incredibly relieved, not to mention saving us about $1200. We will never book a tour to India with anyone but Ajay.

 

Udaipur was the polar opposite of Varanasi. It’s clean, has almost no cows in the streets (we only saw 2), has nicely paved roads with striping, and seems really quite prosperous for an Indian city. Of course there is poverty, but it’s nothing like Varanasi. We began our day’s tour with a drive out into the countryside to visit two temples, one which our guide had described as “a ruin” and another one as an active temple. The first was far more than a ruin; it was a beautiful collection of marble buildings with incredibly detailed carvings, many of which had been damaged by the Mughal invaders. One surprising find was the section of Kama Sutra illustrations carved in marble - oh my! The subsequent visit to the active temple was a view of a highly devout group of people who sing and pray as they are moved. Our group bought strings of flowers as a contribution, and our guide presented them to the temple priests. Yesterday was the last day of the two-week Festival of Colors, when Hindus take small bags of colored power and throw them over everything and everyone. Fortunately for our clothes, they weren’t going to do that until the afternoon, but it would have been great fun to watch.

 

After a visit to some lovely gardens, we began our walk through the city’s market, which takes over several streets in the middle of town. It turned out to be the calmest market we’ve visited, with vendors more than willing to sell us their wares but in no way insistent that we buy them. The fruit and vegetables were beautifully presented and the little shops along the way had a multitude of products for sale, including spices, tea, fabric, medicines, clothing, and probably every little thing a person could want. I used the opportunity to buy five yards of lovely embroidered turquoise fabric (for $3.00) to use as a sari for “Indian Night” on Sunday night.

 

The afternoon was taken up by a tour of the City Palace, the property and former home of the Marajana (not Marajah) of Udaipur, who is a very rich fellow. He actually still lives in part of the palace and owns not only the Palace but all the palaces in the adjoining lake, including the Summer Palace and the Pleasure Palace (home of his ancestors’ concubines). The incredibly ornate City Palace was really quite beautiful, and we followed up that visit with a boat ride on the lake, including a stop at the Pleasure Palace, which is now a small luxurious hotel and restaurant.

 

We loved our day of tours, but all five of us were exhausted, so dinner was off the small bites in the bar accompanied by various beverages. We also needed to get to bed early, because of our 4:00 wakeup call, 5:00 pickup, and 45-minute drive to the airport for our 7:00 flight to Mumbai. Before long we were in India’s largest city, and couldn’t have been happier to get our computer back - along with the ability to post these blogs. We had a bit of a glitch at the port gate, but finally got back “home,” where we were greeted like long-lost family members - which, in a way, we are. It’s great to come back to our cruise family, and now we’re headed to a proper dinner in the dining room.

[Folk Singer]

Thank you John and Diane.:):):)

[MMDown Under]

You have had an adventure, in more ways than one, John and Diane. So glad you got your MacBook Air back. Good news story with your TA, Ajay Sethi of Distant India Journeys, going well above the extra mile!

[windsor26]

You have had an adventure, in more ways than one, John and Diane. So glad you got your MacBook Air back. Good news story with your TA, Ajay Sethi of Distant India Journeys, going well above the extra mile!

 

I have put his web site in my favourites for when we get to India which is a bucket list item:):)

[Johnny B]

Friday, March 20, 2015 - Day 74

Mumbai, India

 

I guess while we were gone the captain got on the PA system and basically gave the passengers hell. As you may have read on other blogs, we’re currently on Code Red and have been for a few weeks because of a rather severe GI problem that’s running around the ship. At this time, the Lido must serve you, salt and pepper only come in little packets, the laundromats are closed as is the gym. You can’t even check out a book from the library. We’re curious as to whether the casino is also closed, because now that we’re in port it has to be. If they haven’t closed it, they’re just not trying hard enough. We had the same illness on board some time ago, but then it seemed to be almost gone - until we sailed from Singapore, when it reared its ugly head again.

 

The problem seems to be that, because it’s so darned contagious, passengers who have symptoms (you know, the usual) should stay in their cabins for 48 hours and for at least a day after all symptoms are gone. The excuses that are heard are usually in the category of, “I just ran up to the Lido for one little thing,” or thereabouts. The problem with such an excuse is all the things that get touched on the way up: the elevator buttons, the railings, other people, etc. If people can’t take this seriously, the captain has threatened a two-day period of completely clearing the ship while it is sanitized top to bottom and while the incubation period of the illness passes. That’s pretty darned extreme, but if that’s the only thing he can do, then that’s the way it will be. Gosh, we escaped GI illness in Myanmar and India, only to come back to the ship, which should be a safe haven, but apparently isn’t. I think the mindset of too many passengers is that “this rule is good for everyone else, but it doesn’t apply to me.” As a former junior high school teacher, I saw that mindset far more than I wanted to.

 

So . . . now that you are far more informed than you wanted to be on that particular subject, I guess I should talk about Mumbai. We do love this city and have seen so many changes from our first visit in 2008. Then, it wasn’t uncommon to see the occasional body in the gutter in the morning and cows roamed the streets. Now the number of beggars has decreased to almost none, cows are no longer in the city, and the place is so clean that it is almost unrecognizable. My favorite thing to do (besides getting a pedicure at the Taj Hotel and topping off my prescriptions at the Oberoi pharmacy) is to just walk the streets, looking into the innumerable storefront businesses - and I do mean storefront; there’s no door or windows, just store. The people are warm and pleasant and are happy to chat with you about what they do and where you’re from. A couple of years ago I went with our friend Sky to get his printer cartridges filled, and after walking and walking and getting closer and closer directions, we ended up on the steps in front of a store selling computer paper. The owner called two young boys over who took Sky’s cartridges and, while we watched, took out their tools and added ink. When they were done, they inserted them into a similar printer and they worked perfectly. The cost for this service: $2.00!

 

We’re hoping to go to lunch today at Khyber, our favorite restaurant in Mumbai, but that, of course, will have to take a back seat to getting that pedicure and heading to the pharmacy.

[shrimp56]

We’re hoping to go to lunch today at Khyber, our favorite restaurant in Mumbai, but that, of course, will have to take a back seat to getting that pedicure and heading to the pharmacy.

I like your priorities ;)

And a big PHEW on your computer.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, March 21, 2015 - Day 75

At Sea en route to Dubai

 

It’s all about the pirates now. Yesterday we received a letter from Captain Jonathan telling us all about the area we are now entering. I guess that since the film Captain Phillips got so much attention, everyone now wants to know if we’re going to be boarded and murdered in our beds. To allay these fears, the captain has told us exactly what steps the ship is taking to avoid such a grim future.

 

To begin with, he pointed out that most ships which are captured by pirates travel much more slowly than we do and have much lower “freeboards,” (the distance from the waterline to the deck - on our ship the Deck 3 promenade), so that our 20 knot speed and high freeboard make us a less likely target. Apparently there is a large number of Naval forces in the area, resulting in fewer incidents.

 

Our precautions include reporting to the United Kingdom organization which coordinates all tracking of ships in the area who will be monitoring us. In addition, the radar on the bridge will be watched carefully, we have extra security guards on 24-hour watches, and charged water hoses ready for use around the Promenade Deck. My two favorite anti-piracy devices, though, are the razor wire strung all around Deck 3 and the four LRAD’s (long range acoustic devices) which are set up and ready to use. The razor wire would really do some damage to someone trying to board the ship, and the LRAD’s send out such concentrated sound waves that anyone they’re aimed at won’t be hearing anything for a long time - if at all.

 

Today, as practice, there was a drill announced by the captain. Orders were given to various components of the officers and crew, and passengers were brought in from the back deck and required to leave their cabins if they had windows. In a real emergency, we are told to go into an inside corridor and sit down, because the ship would be taking sharp avoidance action at our maximum speed of 25 knots. For my part, I would sit down in the Neptune Lounge on Deck 7, since they have food and drinks. I think everyone’s pretty satisfied with the steps being taken and not so worried about the possibility of pirates now.

 

Our battle with the GI bug continues; I have heard that 3 new cases became apparent yesterday, and the goal is NO new cases and passengers who have had the problem getting better. We can hardly wait! I noticed after sailing last evening that the casino is still open, so when I saw Captain Jonathan this morning, I asked him why the casino is open when the gym and the laundromats are closed. He said something about fewer people in there and slot machines sanitized every 20 minutes, but when pressed for more details, he simply responded that a lot of these decisions are made by Seattle. I guess if we paid to go to the gym, it would be open too.

 

I think everyone is really loving these sea days. Even the folks who just spent two days in Mumbai (instead of 9 days in various exotic places) seemed to go full tilt, and they’re glad to have time to recover. Since we’ve never been to Dubai, we’re excited to see it, and are trying to figure out what to do there. Any suggestions?

 

P. S. Missed lunch at Khyber because John was so tired he slept almost all day, but a girlfriend and I headed to the Oberoi for the pharmacy and the spa. Nails are now attended to. I DO have my priorities straight!

[farawaygal]

Dubai..book lunch at Burj al Arab and/or sand dunes adventure. Lunch is expensive but an experience. Ask Barb H for details.

[arzz]

As long as you asked ...

 

One of the best excursions we have ever done we did during our post cruise days in Dubai following a cruise around the Arabian peninsula in November of 2012.

 

It was a dinner "safari" with

 

http://www.platinum-heritage.com

 

which was recommended and booked for us by the concierge at our Dubai hotel. Unlike the typical dune trips (which usually include a lot of white knuckle riding in dune buggies), this tour had none of that - it was organized by folks who were interested in communicating the history and culture of the Emerati people.

 

I do not know if they are still doing this, or if it is still the same product. What follows is my email blog that I sent home following our incredible day/evening.

 

Midnight at the Oasis -- Oh WOW! -- December 6, 2012

 

 

OK, Dubai is a great amusement park and an endless mall but we wanted to see more -- so we signed up for a Desert Safari for this afternoon/evening and all I can say is that our experience topped anything that we anticipated. I already sent on some photos because I am truly not sure that I will be able to finish this journal entry before I get too sleepy but I am driven to write before I forget all the details.

 

We took a slow morning today knowing that we had a seven hour adventure planned for later. We enjoyed the most international breakfast buffet at the hotel that we have ever experienced -- stations for American, Continental, Japanese, Arabian, Mongolian, Indian breakfasts and possibly more. They serve everything from sushi, noodle soup and fried rice to salads, deli meats, frozen yogurt .... in a very large and busy breakfast restaurant where the patrons are literally from all over the world -- Arabic robes of all sorts, women in full birkha, Indian families, as well as the western and Asian tourists that we commonly see on our trips. Even breakfast was a bit of a trip today.

 

Our friend from the ship, Lenora, met us at the hotel and we were picked up in a Mercedes mini-van and driven to a spot about an hour out of town, about half way between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

 

Along the way we were treated to the sight of a Camel Race as we passed the race track. You will notice that in the picture we sent the racing camel has a box instead of a jockey mounted on his back. That is what they call a "robo jockey" which is controlled by someone in a car who follows the camel around the track (I believe on the other side of a fence) and signals the robot when he feels it is necessary to use the "robo whip" to get the animal to speed up.

 

As you can also see in the pictures we passed some agricultural fields making use of scarecrows - wearing Arabian robes, of course.

 

The area is a Conservation Reserve owned by the Sheik, and it is empty and alone in the desert. At this point we transferred from our minivan to a Land Rovers (circa 1940's or 1950's) where the three of us sat on narrow (but padded) bench seats and held on as our driver took us into the Reserve. It was totally quiet. All we could see was soft, red sand.

 

Before we started our guide tied Arabic scarves on our heads to protect us from the sun. We have photos of that also, but it is possible that we may never share those. There was no road, only a couple of tracks in the sand for the driver to follow.

 

We were fortunate today as it rained heavily recently and the sand was still a bit damp so that it did not blow in our faces -- today it was in the 70's with a nice breeze.

 

As we drove through the reserve we stopped to observe and photograph groups of orecks (I know I spelled that like the vacuum cleaner but I am too tired to look up the spelling of the animal at the moment) and gazelles.

 

After a while we reached a spot in the desert where we stopped and there were two large silk Oriental Carpets set out in the sand with a low makeshift couch set up from couch cushions and large pillows. There was also a hooded falcon and his trainer. That is all there was. We were joined here by the only other group doing this tour today -- two Saudi Arabian gentlemen dressed in their long white robes and headcloths and one woman dressed in full, black birkha.

 

We were then treated to a demonstration of falconry which has a long proud tradition in Arabic culture. We found out that the hood worn by the falcon is also called a birkha. At the end of the demonstration after the bird captured its prey (quite impressive) and ate his meaty treat reward we were allowed to put on the protective sleeve and let the bird rest on our arm.

 

While the demonstration was going on the sun was setting over the desert so that we were also treated to the desert sunset. sigh ...

 

When the demonstration was over we were slightly delayed in leaving the site as the Saudi men (who had chosen to pay extra to ride in a luxury closed 4x4 vehicle) could not take their eyes off of the classic "antique" vehicle that we were riding in . The collection of these vehicles that are being used to operate this tour are on loan from the Sheik. And we watched while the two Saudi men took turns sitting in and pretending to drive the Land Rover, even turning on the motor and turning on the lights so that they could have their pictures taken.

 

Back in the vehicle, continuing on through the park it slowly got dark. By the time we arrived at our oasis the sun was entirely gone. The six of us were the only guests this evening though this operation is set up to handle 40. Apparently it is a brand new company and the Saudi gentlemen who were with us are investors and were there to see how the operation works. Though they ate separately from us, across the oasis shelter, we all gathered together after the meal and we got to talk. It is clear that they are trying, in this experience, to capture some of the old desert ways that were so prevalent in the '40's and '50's before oil money arrived and changed their world overnight. Of course, our experience was sort of like watching "Happy Days" as it glorified the good things and forgot the hardships.

As we walked into the Oasis we were greeted by someone who poured rosewater on our hands to wash them -- and, of course, clean towels to dry.

 

The next part of the greeting was Arabic Coffees and dates. We learned how to signal in the Arabic way that we do not want a refill of coffee.

 

While we waited for the meal preparations to finish we were led outside and offered a brief camel ride. The camels were lined up and tied together, with brightly colored crocheted muzzles on to protect us from spitting and bites. Lenora still got bonked by the head of Ed's camel as she mounted hers.

After the camel rides we went to really wash up and discovered a rustic stone building behind the oasis with modern plumbing and running water that drained into carved wooden sinks, scented soaps and fresh terrycloth hand towels. Yes, a sanitized version of the old ways.

 

Returning to the main compound we were shown a demonstration on how the local bread was made as well as the soups -- our first course. We were instructed to take the paper thin crisp bread and dip it into the lentil soup.

 

Between courses the women were offered the chance to have our hands painted with henna tatoos. I chickened out but both Lenora and the Saudi woman took advantage of the opportunity. The artist who painted the henna did a remarkable job. The material applied is thick, like chocolate and required a full thirty minutes to dry so that Lenora spent the time during our next course, the appetizers, holding her left hand up -- you may notice that in the picture I sent. The Saudi woman accidentally smooshed some of her henna and had to have a touch up.

The Saudi woman showed only her eyes above her veils and I would love to know how she did her very smokey black eye make up -- she looked gorgeous. Later, she did have to take her veil down to eat and left it down during our after dinner time. I always wondered what they had to do to eat.

 

For appetizers we had two types of "samboosas" -- a fried dumpling very much like Indian Samosas -- one vegetable, one beef. We also had hummus, and a second similar spread made with "oozee" (which is apparently the word for beef -- I do not know how to spell it), tabouleh, tomato and onion salad, and a green salad. In addition to the crisp bread we now also had triangles of a stretchy, soft pita like loaf in our bread basket. Even though I only sampled I was already full at the end of this course. The soup was just too good -- as well as the coffee and dates.

 

After a break between courses there was a demonstration of traditional cooking methods which were used (but in a modern, sanitary way) to cook our meal which consisted of a slow roasted lamb that was tender and delicious, two types of rice pilaf, chicken and more vegetables. Lenora is a vegetarian and her needs were totally accommodated.

 

To the aftermeal! We were led over to an area where low couches had been set up on more silk carpets and offered shisha pipes (water pipes or hookahs) along with our first dessert -- a huge bowl full of these crispy donut hole things that are soaked in date honey. We had them last night, also, with our dinner but these were so much better. More Arabian coffee was served as we sat and those who chose (not me) bubbled away at their shisha pipes, and we spoke some with the Saudi men. The woman did not speak English.

 

Then the dancer appeared -- wearing a billowing royal blue robe decorated with silver embroidery -- she was a young woman with shiny long black hair who danced most provocatively. I cannot even imagine how she got some of her body parts to do what they did so apparently under those robes. It was a treat -- and she was joined while dancing her last song by the two Saudi men -- but we were not allowed to photograph that.

 

Damn, we wonder who those men really were. Our guide was not about to divulge anything other than that they were investors.

 

After our second dessert, bowls of fresh fruit salad, it was finally time to go back to the hotel.

 

Our experience was so private and personal that it really wowed us. We are not sure what we would have thought of it if they had been at capacity, with forty people.

 

From the tired folks who are ready for bed the night before their last day in Dubai ...

[ScottishMaid]

Dubai suggestions: Get local money and take a taxi to Dubai Creek to the Bur Dubai abra station. Nearby is the Dubai museum in the fort. Take the abra (wooden local ferry) across the creek to the Deira souq stop for AED 1. You can visit the gold souq, etc. If you want to be more adventurous walk along the east side of the creek in a southerly direction. You will find old wooden dhows tied up and boxes of merchandise, including California almonds, being loaded and unloaded.

The dhows go to Somalia and Iran, amongst other places. We two felt safe (in 2013 from the Rotterdam) and talked with some of the sailors. We had mint tea in a local place overlooking the creek also. Since the Emirates women are totally covered up I felt more comfortable wearing long pants and a long sleeved loose top, plus I took a thin black wrap/stole (from formal nights) to wear loosely as a headscarf over my blond hair when in a non tourist area.

Enjoying your blog. It is going to be 78 in Cambria next weekend and 90 in LA. Jill (and Joe)

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 22, 2015 - Day 76

At Sea en route to Dubai

 

Thank you so much for the great ideas. We’ve really been looking forward to an evening desert “safari,” so we’ll check out your link. Lunch or tea sounds good too. Your blog really made us anxious to head out into the desert. Also, the ideas around the water sound wonderful. We get in about noon and then have the whole next day, so I think we’ll have time for most of your suggestions.

 

Around here, it’s just sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Ronald, one of our room stewards, told us that there were six new cases yesterday - SIX! It sounds like we just can’t keep our heads above water on this one. He also said that as soon as we dock, every room on the ship will be thoroughly sanitized between 1:00 and 4:00, and hopefully that will help some. I think the captain is probably tearing his hair out on this one. We’d really like to be able to help ourselves at the Lido sometime before Ft. Lauderdale. That sounds flippant, I know, but it is sooooo frustrating. Why can’t people wash their hands, sanitize their hands, and stay in the cabins if they’re sick? It’s like I’m teaching junior high again. Oh well, thanks for letting me vent.

 

We received two notices from the captain this morning, and one changed our departure time from Dubai. He had been concerned that our route from Dubai to Muscat, Oman was rather slow through a high piracy risk area. His solution, which HAL has approved, involves staying overnight an extra night in Dubai (for a total of two), and then sailing at 6:00 AM on the morning of the 25th. That way, we will arrive at 1:00 AM on the 26th in Muscat, and then sail for Salalah at 5:00 PM. It seems to be fairly straightforward, and I know that a lot of the crew is happy, because they often go off the ship at night, and this way they’ll have two nights rather than one.

 

The other notice involved the “super sanitation” of all staterooms on the ship. We are to vacate our rooms from 1:00 until 4:00, and there will be a big-screen movie in the Queen’s Lounge for those people not wishing to go ashore. Public areas are also available. Not having been in Dubai before, we can’t imagine wanting to stay onboard, but to each his own. In addition, there will be a complimentary shuttle to the Dubai Mall (the largest in the world) between 11:30 AM and midnight. That should get some takers! During this sanitation, we are to clear all surfaces in the cabin itself as well as the bathroom. All of our things will be jammed into closets or drawers, since we don’t want to inhibit the cleaning.

 

The captain’s noon-time nautical information informed us that the closest point of land is in Iran, which gave some people a bit of concern, but we don’t think it’s a problem. The sea is like a lake here, and John even saw some flying fish this morning (which he loves watching for). We’ll just relax and enjoy the rest of our sea day and look forward to Dubai tomorrow.

[wander]

The tour arzz describes sounds like a great fun and educational experience. However, if that does not work for you, we did do the Sand Dunes ride, dinner and show amongst the sand dunes. We LOVED it. We were in our late 60s and loved the somewhat scary wild (and I mean wild) ride up, down and long the top of the dunes. I would certainly do it again if the opportunity was right. However, I would also be interested in the tour arzz described.

 

The kids who were our drivers were without fear but also excellent dune drivers. The ride back to the ship was interesting I must say. Beautiful desert scenery with full moonlight. Then Dubai was magical at night with all the lights, beautiful structures, etc. However, just like young folks here might do, the driver had on a radio station that had all American Rap and Hip Hop music, with a amazing array of strong language, PC incorrect language, etc. Did I enjoy the music, not particularly, but the juxtaposition of the scenery we were driving through, our middle eastern young driver, four "older" passengers, the 4x 4 vehicle and the music was so unusual and fascinating to me that I would not have wanted it any other way.

[eyekos]

We are past cruisers of the World cruise, traveling in 2012 and 2013. Since yo

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[eyekos]

We are past cruisers of the of the world cruise, traveling in 2012 and 2013. Since you are on deck 7, can you tell us if Marge is onboard. She is a regular in the Neptune lounge. If so, please say hello to her from Alexandra, Wilma, and Al. Since we are not traveling with the Amsterdam this year, we are truly enjoying your blog.......it's like we are onboard with you all. Happy travels and thanks for posting the ongoings of your World cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Lynda S]

I have followed your world cruise blog for a few years and have so far been just a really happy 'lurker', but I would really like to second the post on the Platinum Heritage Desert Safari - it was indeed the highlight of our three days in Dubai in 2013. We opted to take the Mercedes G-Wagon to the dinner as a private transfer as I was worried about taking up too much room on the Land Rover seats. Being a plus-size I didn't want to inconvenience anyone else. We did get to sit in the Land Rover though before anyone else got to the meeting point where they are kept, it was comfortable and it looked like it would be a blast to ride in! But we did enjoy our 'stroll' through the desert landscape in the lovely roomy air-conditioned Mercedes G-Wagon. And I even climbed a dune. (harder than it looks....)

 

The ride, the desert, the falcon demo and the dinner were all first class and the food was delicious! I loved the falcon demo, those little guys are so cute. There was probably only 20-25 in our group, so it was quite intimate, and fun to socialize with others. The camel ride was a hoot, I figured for sure I would fall off but didn't! The dinner was amazing, the chicken was awesome, as well as the lamb cooked in the ground. Everyone was really friendly, you really felt like you were at a family meal.

 

We had originally looked at a couple of other desert tours, but when I found this one, we were sold. One of the other outfitters had a 'small group of 200' going which would really put me off. :-) It was really enjoyable and easily booked through the internet, we booked with Adam, who is one of the owners. He came out to meet us at the falcon demo & then joined us at supper along with his wife, they are a really lovely young couple.

 

I highly recommend this tour and hope that you guys do take it! It is first class all the way and worth every penny - surprisingly though it is not much more than the other outfitters that have way bigger groups.

 

And thank you to both of you, I love John's Facebook posts & pictures and your blogs - one day we will be on that World Cruise, but until then I live through your posts!

[blue whale]

Hello, Diane and John,

 

I have been following your blog. We met on a prior world cruise. I remember you well, Diane, for you helped me navigate the steep steps when we went to Angor Watt. I probably misspelled that.

 

You write about the stomach virus and fear of pirates. Is there any concern now about terrorism as you sail through the canal and up into the Med? Has the captain mentioned the events in Tunis at all? Are folks concerned about visits to museums and mosques? We have a cruise planned for the fall on Prinsendam that goes to Israel and Turkey. We are watching the political situation carefully to see whether we should reschedule.

 

Thank you!

 

Dorothy

[Johnny B]

Monday, March 23, 2015 - Day 78

Dubai, UAE

 

Dubai has the world’s largest shopping mall, the world’s tallest building, the world’s most expensive hotel, the world’s highest hotel - but something is lacking. This is our first trip to Dubai and we spent all day yesterday exploring it, but I can’t put my finger on it.

 

We began yesterday by taking the ship’s shuttle to the Dubai Mall (the one mentioned above), where we would have been continually lost without the map that they hand out - and even then, it was a near thing. The mall has an ice skating rink, a fountain about 300 feet long with statues of divers on it, an attached hotel named “The Address,” an aquarium with an outside window about 150 meters long where you can see sharks, rays, innumerable types of fish and scuba divers (who have paid for the experience).

 

Our main job before we began wandering the mall was to book tickets to go to (almost) the top of the Burj Khalifa (see “world’s tallest building” above), and then finding the box office and picking up our tickets for tomorrow’s 11:30 elevator ride to the 124th floor. We could go to the 148th floor, but instead of paying $34.00, we’d pay nearer to $75.00, so we decided that it wasn’t worth it for 24 floors.

 

After we were done with the mall, we headed outside where we purchased tickets on the HOHO bus - the most expensive we’ve ever found. Fortunately, the $60 pp includes a shuttle back to the ship as well as a one-hour dhow (historical wooden boat) ride on Dubai Creek. The tour divides the city into Red, Green and Blue lines, and we wanted to take the Red Line, which covers the historical heart of the city around Dubai Creek. The dhow ride is the next-to-last stop, and we then enjoyed our one hour, relaxing boat ride, sitting on pillows on the top deck. We could almost imagine Dubai of yesteryear - except for the glass high rises that surround one side of the Creek now.

 

On Tuesday, our plan is to get back to the mall and get tickets to dinner in the desert. Oh, did I mention that the mall is the largest?

[Johnny B]

P. S. Hi Dorothy, we remember you well. We did enjoy that trip to Cambodia, didn't we?

No, no mention of problems in the Suez, but everyone on board is aware of Tunisia. I wouldn't worry about it for now - just keep watching the news.

 

Regarding floors, we are, unfortunately, not on 7 - just 6, so I don't think I know your friend. Sorry.

[MMDown Under]

"Dubai has the world’s largest shopping mall, the world’s tallest building, the world’s most expensive hotel, the world’s highest hotel - but something is lacking. This is our first trip to Dubai and we spent all day yesterday exploring it, but I can’t put my finger on it."

 

Could it be the contrast between vibrant India, the second most populous country in the world, and "artificial man made" Dubai is just too great, a bridge too far?