LIVE - An Epic Journey - Rhapsody - Singapore to Istanbul

[AussieVisi2r]

Hi Raina!

 

I have been following your travels quietly, excited to hear of your thoughts of India. And you have summed it up so much more eloquently than I ever could. Yet I would wish to say exactly the same.

 

For me the single sentence " do believe that when they made up the word juxtaposition - they were thinking of India." Is how I think of India After 3 business trips. A place I never wished to visit, yet strangely it now holds something magical over me and a fascination to discover more!

 

Then old, the new, the rich, the poor...all interspersed randomly so you never quite know who or what will be in your face next! The history of the country and its surrounds is also uniquely fascinating and so different to our own!!

 

Well your lovely (and in my eyes, so very accurate!) summary of Your India interlude made me come out of the woodwork, off I hide again and look forward with further fascination as you discover new lands, cultures and juxtaposition s [emoji13]

 

Cheers

Matt (from C.A. social media!!)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for coming out of the woodwork and for your lovely words.

I loved it. I'm sure I will go back.

 

R

[Realtor at Sea]

Have loved ALL the photos! Never too many! And your commentary is terrific! Thanks for all the energy and effort you have put into this review.

[catella02]

Your photos and commentary are simply amazing. Not too many photos. Thanks so much for all the time it takes to share it with the rest of us!

[NorbertsNiece]

Posting pics is a labour of love on this cruise.

 

Keep it up Raina! It's wonderful to see places I didn't get to see!

[AussieVisi2r]

Sea Days

 

Sailing across the Arabian Sea.

 

Well, It's official. I am a genius...well a sports legend.

I won the Shuffleboard!

 

Arrived a few minutes late and got put in the left over term who were coming dead last. I didn't get a warmup. Our team had no points.

Then it was my go. BAMMM - straight down the line into the 8 box.

Second go - still dead last - BAMMM straight down the line, knocked their puck out (so they got no points) and landed on the 8.

Third and final go. "Where do I put it? I asked.

"Just don't touch their pucks."

"OK" BAMMM straight down the left side to land on the 7.

 

Our team went from last to first and I got the top score! And a Gold medal. I'm sure its pure gold!

 

 

I think I should never play Shuffleboard again. Why tarnish my record.

 

The Elite Divas were the show tonight. Two ladies who have played many of my favorite roles on The West End and Broadway.

They played lots of great show tunes and they sang 'Somewhere' from Westside Story, 'I love him' for Les Mis and 'I don't know how to love him' from Jesus Christ Superstar.

How happy was I!!!!!!

 

There was a different aerial show tonight then the Love and Marriage Game which is always fun.

 

 

2nd day

 

 

It is stupidly hot. Muscat, Oman was 47 degrees today. We are just off Muscat - So we have the heat AND the humidity. It is the hottest/wettest combination I have ever been in. DISGUSTING. But funny. Like a wet blast furnace.

It was pretty though with the giant ball up in the sky.

 

 

But it's OK. It's 6 pm and the temp has dropped a bit. It's all good, it will be down to 36 / 98 degrees by midnight. Oh and don't forget the total humidity. You walk outside and everything gets wet. Camera fogs up, glasses fog up and any hard surface like the phone drip water.

 

 

We had a few hundred dolphins play next to the ship today. Acres of them - leaping, tail displaying and all.

 

 

It's amazing. Such a different experience, especially when hearing that it is -4 at home with snow flurries and hail. Oh ......

 

I do believe many people will not be getting off in the next few days in Dubai.

 

[Blue Skies]

Loving your blog, please don't stop...... please leave us some of those real gold medals to win and of course your secret of how you won:eek:, we are joining the ship in Istanbul wish you were staying on too.

Ruth and Mike

[Cruisin' Along]

Incredible report. Your photos really brought India alive for me. Thank you for sharing!

[clochette]

please keep posting your photos they are amazing, it is great to follow you.

[AussieVisi2r]

Sorry for the delay folks.

 

I've been so busy and the internet has been a bit flakey the last few days.

 

I will catch up tomorrow.

 

Raina

[depplep]

Sorry for the delay folks.

 

I've been so busy and the internet has been a bit flakey the last few days.

 

I will catch up tomorrow.

 

Raina

 

Eagerly awaiting. I love the way you describe the heat as stupid hot. Especially since you live in Australia. I don't want to ever know what that feels like.

[Setting sail for fun]

Looking forward to your future posts!

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai

 

We arrived in Dubai smack on time at 11am. And it was a lovely cool day. Only got to 100 degrees flat! 36.5. Yay.

 

 

Dubai is covered in what looks like the usual smog to be found in a city of over 2 million people. A heavy grey cloud blocking out the sun totally. But it is not smog. It is fog. Generated by the high humidity. Even poor Dubai is sweating. It is not just us.

 

They rolled out the red carpet for us - literally.

 

 

The port area is totally on reclaimed land. I don't know why they call it reclaimed land.They are not re claiming it, they are creating it. Lots of it!

 

 

I headed out on the hop on hop off bus for a day of touring. It was a double decker but the top layer had a roof - or you would bake. The font part of the top is enclosed and air conditioned. But that is no fun! I sat out under the roof.

 

This was excellent value. I did the RED bus HOHO company that you see all over the world. They were offering a 48 hr ticket with boat rides and a few entry fee for $33US. I got great value from it. The brown bus was $66 for 24 hrs. They had the ship contract so didn't care how expensive they were.

 

I did a loop off the CBD, Old Dubai and around the river. I was here 10 months ago, had been to many of these places so was determined not to revisit any that I had been to.

 

BUT I am going to mention them here is case you are planning a trip.

 

Old Down Town. They had some really nice displays. Really worth a visit.

 

Fish, Meat and the Fruit Markets. So wonderful. Such awesome sights and smells. If you like markets this one is brilliant.

 

The fruit was very similar to home. Probably as almost all of it it imported. The big difference was the dates. Who knew that there were so many different kinds of dates.

 

The meat markets were also great. Heads, feet, tongues, intestines etc. A great visit. Everyone should always go to local markets. Not tourist markets but local markets.

 

Dubai Creek is not a small muddy creek. It is a major river with the port mouth and a large tourist centre. We saw air conditioned ATMs. The machines were in glass boxes bigger than an old phone box!

 

And of course the air conditioned bus shelters.

 

 

The Dock is amazing. In the middle of this modern city is this unbelievably LOW tech dock, hand loading goods onto ratty old timber boats. Awesome.

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai continued

The the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It has 164 floors! And is 829.8 meters high. That higher than Mount Ainslie is ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

 

The top 15 floors are empty. No one can live there. But it still has the record for the highest occupied floor in the world.

 

 

 

I did go to the Spice Souk which we didn't get to last time. Oh I l did love this place. Rows and rows of tiny little shops with awesome displays. I just want to bring it all home to have the sacks looking pretty.

 

 

I did buy some crry from my lovely new Iranian friend Reza. A really un-pushy salesman.

My room smells glorious. I bought some curries and it just smell delightful.

 

I then did a one hour river cruise on a 'Dhow' boat and very slowly chugged up the river, seeing the amazing contrast between life on the river and the majorly modern city.

 

 

The amazing contrast between life on the river and the majorly modern city.

 

An 'Adra' ride is also included. this is the taxi system across the river

 

 

There are many beautiful parks around with super grass and big shady trees. They all have under ground watering systems. I saw many many many groups of men out relaxing and chatting under the trees. Not one women was out enjoying it.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai continued

 

The Mosques are stunningly beautiful building. I didn’t realize there were some many of them. Along some main roads there is one every about every 200 meters. I guess when you hear about them holding 30 and 40 thousand people, you think of them as being only a few, but there are many local ones as well - just like there is a church every few suburbs.

 

 

Geometric designs are a really important part of Arabic architecture. The infinity of the patterns brings you closer to god. There really are some stunning buildings.

 

 

 

I then went to the Dubai Mall. The biggest shopping mall ever. And it had everything. And more,

 

All the top end shops - Rolex, Armani, .......

A three story high fish tank.

 

 

 

A three story high waterfall.

An Ice rink...Every kind of shop you could want. Even Porters if you don't want to carry your packages.

 

 

I will confess hear that I HATE shopping! But I had heard about this Mall and thought I should go look. And it was amazing. Very expensive but amazing.

 

I will also confess that during my last visit I did decide that Dubai was the most soulless place I have ever been. But at the Mall I did see Emiratie people out smiling and talking with their families.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai continued

 

There was a car display. I thin I may have found my next car. A Roles Royce Cloud. Bullet and explosion proof. I could get it for around 2 million. Or the 6 wheel Mercedes G6 - again armour plated etc. It was only $1.5 million.

 

 

I was chatting with the guy and asked if he sold 5 of these value cars a year, or 50. He chuckled at me and said that I wouldn't believe how large the number is.

 

I saw valet parking and wondered who needs valet parking at the mall, until I saw the cars. Not just one of them - rows.

 

 

I went out to the Burj Kalefa to see the evening 'fountain show' , claimed to make the Bellagio look boring.

So I waited, in the hot sun.....but no fountains at 6. Oh it must have been 6.30. No fountains. Maybe it was because of the 'private' holiday today.

 

The sun set was pretty though.

 

 

We went to a restaurant with views over the 'lake' to wait it out. Ordered dinner....but no alcohol till 7.30 due to the holiday. A Dry Day. That meant no grog, music, fountains etc until 7.30.

 

Just before 7.30 the sun disappeared, the call to prayer was heard then the show started.

 

And yes. It was amazing. Go to a bar or restaurant with a view and watch it a few times. (every half hour).

 

 

 

The drive back to the ship was great with all the building lit up. (Night tour included in HOHO ticket).

 

 

It is worth making the effort to see the fountains

 

A note for people who use taxis. Taxis MUST charge the meter price. If you get into a taxi at the port - or going to the port - the driver may try to tell you that there is a 20 dirham charge for the port. Take a photo of his ID card or licence plate and all will be good DO NOT pay the extra. They have a charge to get int teh port and try to scam unwary tourist into paying it!

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai continued

 

Tonight is the end of cruise one and the corridors are full of sad people' suitcases.

 

What an amazing trip this was.

 

 

Turn around day I got back onto the bus. this time I did the Blue route out along the coast.

 

 

All of the tour guides like telling you about the native bird of Dubai - The Crane. Hahah - get it? A crane!

 

 

Burg Al Arab. The supposedly 7 star hotel - even though there is no rating higher than 5 stars. It comes from a hotel reviewer saying that "this hotel should have 7 stars".

 

 

We then drove along the beach a bit. We saw a number of public beaches – open beaches – where bachelors can go, family beaches where men can only go with a family, but most were private beaches.

 

Although humans have lived in Dubai for over 5000 years the city as we now know it didn’t develop until 1971 when the British left the Persian Gulf. Dubai joined with six other Sheikdoms and formed the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai had the straightest coastline of any city. And not enough of it to cope with the demand for luxury houses. So they build a stack of islands and added 70 kms of beach front.

 

The nationals, know as Emitatis, make up 10% of the population. They get free Education, free medical, free housing. You cannot become an Emiratis. Citizenship is not given out.

 

Dubai is the fasters growing city in the world. In 1991 it had one tall building. Now…….

 

There is no standard address system in Dubai, making delivery services a challenge. Instead of a line for address, there is a space to draw a map or leave instructions such as this: “I live on the street after the airport road, but before the roundabout, Go past the mosque and make a U-turn. It’s the second house on the left.”

 

In 2009 they opened the Dubai metro system. It serves most of the city including stations at the main hotels. The whole system was built in under two years. Longer than it had taken Canberra to build one stupid corner on the Cotter Road in Weston Creek.

 

 

then visited the Palms. A collection of man made islands in the shape of a palm tree. We were able to drive out to the ‘top of the palm’ and see the hotel. Access to the fronds is through boom gates to residents only. They are not called streets they are called Fronds, as in Smith Frond.

There has been so much development just in the last 10 months. It is amazing that Dubai continues to grow.

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by AussieVisi2r

[AussieVisi2r]

Dubai continued

 

I went to The mall of the Emirates. Another ridiculously large shopping mall aimed at "luxury retail tourism".

 

 

And what every shopping centre needs - an indoor ski resort.

The ski resort is 22,500 square meters covered with real snow all year round and houses the world’s largest indoor snow park at 3000 square meters. Ski Dubai has maintained temperature of -2° to -4° and has five different slopes of varying difficulty and lengthy with longest run of 400 meters.

 

 

 

If you are coming to Dubai and are here overnight...my must do is an evening desert tour.

 

Last time I did a tour with Heritage tours. It was amazing. One of the best tours I have done! Pick up, drop off, desert ride in a vintage land rover, camel ride, falcon show, amazing meal. Spectacular.

 

 

 

How much can you fit into the $30 washing bag?

 

Heaps.

 

 

Sail away was lovely - big party, music etc. And lots of new people running around being excited!

[AussieVisi2r]

Muscat, Oman

 

WOW! Amazing! Awesome!!!

 

We sailed into Muscat Oman after a very leisurely morning at 1pm.

 

Oman is on the Arabian Sea, in the Gulf of Oman. Oman is an absolute monarchy, the leader being Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. He has been leader since 1970 and is the longest serving ruler in the Middle East. Oman only has ‘modest’ oil reserves – 25th globally, but is ranked as a ‘high income economy. There are no taxes, free education, and the housing for ‘low income people’ looked pretty dammed good.

 

And what a stunning view met us as we arrived. Huge, baron, savage rock mountains behind white building with a sparkling aqua ocean.

 

Muscat is amazing. So wonderful. Apart from the fact that it reached 46 degrees today! That’s 114.8 on the old scale! Just got the official temp! Hot! Ridiculously hot but an honest dry heat – not like the sweat feasts we have been having.

 

We did get off to a false start this morning.

We got mobbed by the taxi driver. Got given a guy who promised he had a good car with good air conditioning and could understand us.

We hopped in and off he shot. Before we could assess anything we were roaring up the freeway – when we wanted to be wandering DOWN the freeway towards Old Muscat.

“No – we want to go to Old Muscat”.

“Yes, I take you to markets”

Mean while we were nearly being sick with the heat.

 

When he pointed to a large mall, we decided that we were being kidnapped.

We demanded that he stop and turn around and take us back.

 

Yah we were heading back but did have a quick stop to see the amazing Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and the Opera House. Both very impressive.

 

Opera House

 

 

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

 

 

 

 

The Mosque is closed inthe afternoons to tourists - so we only saw the outside.

 

When we got to the port, Tim told them we wanted a very good car, good driver with good English and one who would listen to us.

“That is me, I am the boss. I will take you”.

 

So off we set in our Toyota Limousine class car. Brilliant. A super car with the nicest driver. He was great and we talked about all kinds of things.

 

Now our brilliant day had begun and we could see how truly amazing Muscat is.

 

 

So big tip here. Do not all get into the taxi until you have sorted out where you are going etc.

[aussielozzie18]

Raina, this review is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your fascinating trip and great photos with us all.

[icat2000]

FAbulous review. I have been to India a couple of times. I loved Mumbai. Spent three days there in December 2013.

[AussieVisi2r]

Muscat continued

 

Before we even left the dock there were wonderful old boats unloading huge loads of watermelon. Passing them hand over hand then rolling the up the truck to stacked in perfect order.

 

 

 

 

We then went DOWN the coast to Old Muscat.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by AussieVisi2r

[QE2_Fan]

Mumbai continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dhoby Walla's are from the Untouchable class and live a terrible life with no chance of improvement.

 

There houses are the ‘huts’ next to the washing pits.

 

 

It is also amazing and sad that this 'slum' and place of such hardship and manual labour is part of the modern city with high rise, computers and all.

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn't that just do your head in!! The squalor interspersed with modern buildings housing blue chip companies next door. It's just I like anything we had experienced before.

 

And I just cannot get over the caste system where if you are born into the 'untouchables' that's it, don't even think of trying to make a better life for yourself, it ain't gonna happen...[emoji33]

 

Yet that is from our perspective, but whenever we went past the slums (we had a large one just by our corporate offices in New Delhi) the people seemed happy, they were very friendly and gave us huge smiles as we would pass by, the children were playing merrily. It moved me to tears to think these lovely people would never know, or even be given the chance for a better life [emoji22]

 

Fantastic shots of the laundry also. Totally agree there must be some magic algae in the water because the whites are so bright and the colours so vivid...one of the highlights of India is all that colour buzzing before your eyes!!

 

Enjoy your sailing!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 19, 2015 by QE2_Fan

[AussieVisi2r]

Muscat, Oman. continued

 

Then the white low-level building with the rocky hills as a back drop. Along the coast the hills had forts dotted along, with walls and roads between them.

 

The Sultans Palace was stunning. Absolutely amazing and in such an amazing place, over looking the sea, near the forts. Beautiful building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[QE2_Fan]

Muscat looks amazing, although you've made every port look amazing with your photos!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Setting sail for fun]

Amazing photos! Thanks for taking the time to share.