John and Diane's Lucky Number 7

[whogo]

19 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

No supplies, no beer? On a world cruise? wow...

Same thing happened on MS Artania's world cruise last year, their containers did not make it to Central America on time. It must be quite a logistics problem to resupply cruise ships that are out of the country for months. While I understand the suppy challenges, I would hate to be the guy doing without a beer.

[tennisbeforewine]

Nope, no news on the 2021 WC.  However, we did receive a letter from Orlando Ashford, HAL President, inviting us the the WC "special event" which will take place in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  It will be drinks and dessert from 7:00 to 10:00 PM as an after-hours event there.  Sounds promising.

[Sir PMP]

Or not...

[Krazy Kruizers]

7 hours ago, tennisbeforewine said:

Nope, no news on the 2021 WC.  However, we did receive a letter from Orlando Ashford, HAL President, inviting us the the WC "special event" which will take place in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  It will be drinks and dessert from 7:00 to 10:00 PM as an after-hours event there.  Sounds promising.

 

The party sounds interesting.

 

Wonder what news Orlando Ashford will have.

[tennisbeforewine]

As I recall, the "big visit" is when they announce the next WC itinerary, i. e., 2021.  We'll see.  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Who is singing in the piano bar this cruise?   How are the reviews?

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, April 8, 2019

In the Red Sea en route to Aqaba, Jordan

 

I’ve always known that some passengers are quarantined during cruises, and on one memorable cruise (NOT the WC) , almost 20% of the passengers were confined to their quarters with norovirus.  Well now we know first hand what it’s like.  

 

We don’t buy many souvenirs any more, since we’re running out of space in which to store them, but on this India (etc.) overland, John picked up a new souvenir:  a bacterial infection which has caused him to feel severely under the weather.  Yesterday he finally decided it was time to get to the infirmary, where the South African nurse and South African doctor couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful.  Unfortunately, this resulted not only in a course of antibiotics but a “sentence” of quarantine.  This means that while I can come and go as I like, John is restricted to the environs of our cabin and verandah. 

Since this began, we’ve had more than one discussion about how happy we are to have that verandah and how claustrophobic it would be in an inside cabin.  

 

When on quarantine, all meals must be brought to you, either from In-Room Dining or by a helpful spouse (in our case).  Of course when one is feeling truly awful, that doesn’t include a lot of food, so John is restricting himself to all forms of bread (toast, English muffins, etc.) and a great deal of Gatorade.  He said he was feeling weak and the doctor said that when your electrolytes are down it makes you feel tired.  Solution?  Gatorade!

 

One of the most interesting parts of this whole process is the room steward situation.  When one is quarantined, the regular room stewards are not allowed in your room.  Who comes in then?  The Haz-Mat team.  That’s not their real title, but that’s what it looks like.  They wear full-length plastic aprons as well as facial masks while they “sanitize” the room.  When they first came in, I thought I was watching Ghostbusters!

 

Fortunately the antibiotics seem to be doing their job, so hopefully John will be released in time for this evening’s Gala Night.  He may not be too hungry, but it is fun to get all dressed up and hang out with friends.

 

Since I don’t have to restrict myself to the cabin, yesterday I enjoyed the at-sea Sunday brunch with our tablemates.  It is always served as a sampler, with three courses:  cold sampler, hot sampler, and sweet ending sampler.  I understand that there are five rotating menus for this event and that this Sunday was number five.  I remember how much I loved the first Sunday brunch, so I’m looking forward to next Sunday which is, again, a sea day.  

 

In the spirit of “It’s never too late,” I’m going to post a few miscellaneous photos, both from India and Oman, both of which we absolutely loved. The India photos are first, followed by Muscat, Oman, including the Sultan's yacht.  If I repeated any photos, I apologize.  

 

P. S.  For Pete and Judy - The Piano Bar singer is named Jimmy and his wife Monique also sings with him from time to time.  It's not well attended and the main comment I hear is "I wish Debby Bacon were back."  The Station Band in the Crow's Nest is great and there's a singer in the Ocean Bar who really has some pipes and belts them out.  Both are well attended.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that John has gotten sick.  Hopefully the medicine that the doctor gave him will get him back on his feet quickly.  Lucky that you do have a balcony that he can use and not be stuck in a cabin.  It is also good that you are able to bring him food besides his ordering in.

 

Hope he made it to Gala night.

 

That Sunday brunch menu looks wonderful -- so many good bites.

 

Love the pictures.

[cat shepard]

Diane 

I have always enjoyed your writing. And this year I love your pictures.

 

But it is your sense of humor that makes we want to meet you and hang out. “Hazmat team” indeed.😎

[Cruise NH]

I've been in quarantine on the Amsterdam on a world cruise.   I know what you mean about the haz mat team that's what we thought they looked like too. 

 

One thing I didn't know until they released me was that my keycard had been disabled.   They really want to know if you get out and then try to get back into your room.

 

Also we were offered free laundry (we weren't 4 or 5 star).

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Sorry to hear that John has the dreaded virus. 

 

We were on a San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale cruise several years ago when the ship was in Code Red almost the entire 15 or so days. Luckily, we did not catch it.

 

I have misplaced the name of the Book Club selection about India. Will you advise of the title again? Thanks. Barbara

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Thanks for your research on the piano bar.  Interesting to hear about the quarantine process.  Hope he feels better soon.

[tennisbeforewine]

This book club selection is "Holy Cow," about a woman's experience living in India.  I had a hard time finding it online, but I understood it was available in Australia (big help, I know).  Next book is Maeve Binchy's "Tara Road."  

[RuthC]

13 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Who is singing in the piano bar this cruise? 

I know Diane gave you the name 'Jimmy'. His full name is Jimmy Maddox, who was a regular on HAL for years.

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

In the Red Sea en route to Aqaba, Jordan

 

Hooray, John is out of quarantine!  He went 24 hours without any symptoms that the infirmary considered troubling, so he was able to go free.  He had decided to call them at 5:00 yesterday afternoon to see if he was “sprung,” so we were on the verandah talking about it at 4:58.  He then went in and, since we can’t hear the phone ring while we’re outside, discovered a message on the phone (from one minute earlier),.  When he called the infirmary, they questiioned him a bit and then asked why he hadn’t answered the phone.  He told them he’d been outside on the verandah and the young woman replied, “That’s what YOU say.”  Well, I never!  Anyway, he was free and could get dressed up for Gala Night.

 

When we arrived at the Crow’s Nest at 7:15, John received a standing “O” from our friends and settled down with a glass of wine - his first in three days.  We proceeded to dinner at 8:00 and met our officer, Nyron, the head of Shore Excursions.  He was good company and, when I asked how often he went on shore excursions, he told us that he was going on the overnight tour to Wadi Rum, sleeping on the ground in the desert.  As a non-camper, that shouldn’t sound attractive to me, but for some reason it does.  We’ll have to talk to him after we sail from Aqaba to hear about his adventure. 

 

    *    *    *    *

 

One of the things that many of us take for granted on the ship are the amazing flower arrangements by Eddie and Callista, our shipboard florists.  They’re a lovely Dutch couple who are absolute artists with flowers.  They create arrangements that I never would have thought of, and I think almost all passengers enjoy their artistry.  Their work covers a great variety of areas and types of arrangements.  My single favorite is a grand and glorious arrangement outside the Ocean Bar, but a close second is the floral display between the librarian’s desk and the adjoining hallway.  They’re in charge of having a small plant, usually an orchid, on each of the tables in the Lido Market, and the Main Dining Room also has a display on each table.  Just to remind myself how beautiful their work is, I wandered around the ship and took some photos.  I know I didn’t do them justice, but hopefully you’ll get an idea of the beauty, creativity, and variety of their work. 

 

Just for the heck of it, I threw in a photo of Mary, the lady who makes the omelets each morning.  She always, always has a wonderful smile and knows each of her “customers” by name.  In fact, for the last couple of days she wanted an update on John’s health and today, when we shared one of her creations, she was so happy for him.  Everyone knows who you mean when you say, “Mary said . . .” or “Mary did . . . “ since everyone loves her and her happy smile.  

 

Tomorrow is Aqaba, and we still don’t know what we’re going to do.  The only guarantee is that we’re not going to Petra or Wadi Rum, but we have a whole day now to figure it out.  

 

[tennisbeforewine]

So far I'm unable to upload the photos.  I'll have to try again later.

[Krazy Kruizers]

22 hours ago, Cruise NH said:

I've been in quarantine on the Amsterdam on a world cruise.   I know what you mean about the haz mat team that's what we thought they looked like too. 

 

One thing I didn't know until they released me was that my keycard had been disabled.   They really want to know if you get out and then try to get back into your room.

 

Also we were offered free laundry (we weren't 4 or 5 star).

 

 

That is interesting about the key card being disabled.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad to hear that John is out of quarantine and got to enjoy Gala night.

 

Nope -- no sleeping on the ground for us.

 

We can wait for your pictures.

[cat shepard]

Boy, John was most considerate to be in quarantine while at sea. Glad he has recovered before reaching Jordan.

 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

I don't know what the problem is, but the website just won't take my photos.  Oh well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

But we can still read your reports.

[tennisbeforewine]

Thank you for your kind words.  I tried one more time and I don't know what's wrong, since I'm dragging them the same way I've done for the last 2-1/2 months.  

[cat shepard]

Diane, there was a period last evening when I could not access CC. Received an error message. 

 

So the problem may not be at your end.

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, Akpril 10, 2019

Al-Aqabah, Jordan

 

Although it’s usually just spelled Aqaba, above is the proper name for the beautiful city in which we’re presently docked.  If you remember the wonderful movie Lawrence of Arabia, when Lawrence and the members of the Arab Revolt rode camels across the desert, Aqaba is the city where they arrived after many grueling days.  A wonderful aspect of being on a ship at this port is that, from the stern, it’s possible to see four countries:  Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia - with nary a gun in sight.  

 

In past visits here we’ve had the pleasure of visiting Petra, the Rose Red City, twice.  This 3rd Century BC Nabataean city was only “discovered” about 200 years ago, and you’ve no doubt seen parts of it, especially the Treasury, in the Indiana Jones movies.  The second most popular spot to visit is Wadi Rum, where a great deal of Lawrence of Arabia as well as Star Wars was filmed.  It is sometimes called “The Valley of the Moon” and, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is not to be missed if you’re “in the neighborhood.”  This beautiful rock-rimmed valley, which makes me feel like I’m actually on the moon, has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has been an oasis for caravans.  There are several Bedouin tribes who still call this home.

 

After our India overland, and because we’ve been to both of these incredible sites, we used today just to wander around the city and enjoy watching Jordanians at work and play.  As a Muslim city, burkas abounded, but as the man in the tourist office reminded us, “Women in Jordan have all rights,”  and it’s true.  It truly is a progressive country, which very recently had an American Queen, Noor, the former Lisa Halaby.  

 

We wandered around the city, seeing the ruins of Ayla, a 7th Century town established by the Prophet Mohammed as well as the Ayla Church, whose mud-brick ruins date from the 3rd or 4th Century and is believed to be the oldest building in the world constructed to serve as a Christian church.  

 

We walked along the public beach, seeing sand, palm trees and umbrellas alongside the warm waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea.  The water here, in several shades of blue,  is warm and clear and is a popular place for snorkeling and scuba diving.  In the materials provided by the ship we are reminded that modest dress is recommended, a one-piece suit or t-shirt and shorts for women.  However, there were a few groups from the German ship Mein Schiff (docked ahead of us) who all were attired in bikinis.  We believe that local cultural norms should be observed, but obviously not everyone agrees with us.

 

After about three miles of walking (according to our IPhone app), we headed back to the shuttle stop where we boarded the bus which took us back to the ship.  The rest of the day was pretty quiet, but we still have tomorrow, and we’re planning to take full advantage of it!

 

P. S.  Again the photo problem raises its ugly head.  I think I must agree that it's a CC problem and simply be patient, posting a plethora of photos once the problem has been solved.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoying your report on Jordan and your walking tour.