Mina Qaboos (Mee-nah Kah-boos) Oman
I woke up and there was a lot of light coming through the drapes and I wasn’t sure what time it was. I wanted to sleep more but it wasn’t working. So I crept up and peeked through the crack in the drapes and it was the Moon! And it was reflected on the ocean and all I could think of was: “Arabian nights”. It’s pathetic to try to sleep and not be able to do so. I heard a pilot(?) boat in the distance and figured it was about 5 am. Eventually it was clear that we had some sunlight, so I again peeked through and I could see the moon through a mist so thick you couldn’t tell where the horizon was. But it was beyond the beginning of dawn. Ed woke up and I whispered asking if he was awake. When he answered, I flung the drapes open so I could read the clock: 5:50 am! So I slapped the curtains shut again and tried for a little more rest.
Next thing you know, there’s a tap on the door. Room service was 5 minutes early. God Bless those little guys because the order form indicates 6:30 – 7am as the earliest they can deliver. Right on time, the phone rang with our wake up call at 6:15 am. I had my cereal quickly and hopped in the shower. Predictably, Ed had MSNBC blaring (except now he, mercifully, puts it on mute during the commercials) with Keith Olberman.
The Captain came on the PA about 7:10 am to say that he was turning the ship around in the harbor since the pilot wasn’t ready to come on board, so who knows what I heard earlier. This trip between Dubai and Oman has been very slow and the sea has been very calm.
Today’s tour: mystical Muscat—Grand Mosque and Bait Al Zubair (Bait means house; Beit in Isreal)
We were a little delayed in berthing since the pilot wasn’t available until late to board the ship. Apparently, berthing fees here are pretty steep; this information comes from someone with a sailboat so I assume some degree of credibility for this tidbit. We berthed a little after 8 am and left promptly at 4:45 pm.
Our bus had only 39 folks on it and it probably held 50 and the airconditioning was marvelous. We were provided with as much water as we wished and it’s a good idea to drink at least a bottle for every few hours here.
Weather: well let’s get this part out of the way. I have a photograph demonstrating 43 degrees Celsius (I’ll save you the trouble: 110 degrees Fahrenheit) but another passenger said she has a photo showing 47 degrees (117⁰ F). So take your pick. It was hot but all of us agreed this was sooooo much better than Male, Maldives with it’s lower temperature but higher humidity! The sun is a broiler here as it was in Dubai. It takes no time to get your Vitamin D dose.
Our guide was a young man from some African country where French was his first language. He spoke of everything Omani in “we” phrases and sang the praises of how wonderful this country is with great fervor. It is hard not to appreciate the cleanliness, peace, lack of crime, etc. in many of these countries. But they are definitely not democracies and very unforgiving if you violate their dictates. We were again cautioned about keeping shoulders, arms, legs, and knees covered (both men and women) and in the mosques, which were closed anyway because today was Friday, women must cover their heads. No public showing of affection between same or different sexes, no smoking in public. I saw all of those violated, sometimes by the young folks who work on the ship and this bothered me for obvious reasons, and in some instances by folks whose skin color indicated they might be Arab. So figure it out for yourself.
Architecture
This is all low buildings of no more than perhaps four stories, all in distinctive Omani architecture. It is so white you need sunshades to look out the window. The whiteness of the buildings exceeds even those post cards of Grecian island villages.
Aromas
Again the wonderful spices everywhere but here they specialize in frankincense and myrrh. Many folks both one or both in either rock or oil form.
Grand Mosque
This was a photo stop only because it is Friday. Everything was behind walls or fences but Ed said they opened up a little area for a few folks to go in and get some photos. This was still outside the prayer area but inside the interior grounds. The outside is expansive and with many flowers, trees and lots of grass. They use grey water here for all their plants and desalination is the source of all the other water. It still amazes me to see lots of grass in patches and sprinklers running in mid day. The poor flowers are fried in this sun though they still manage to look pretty good overall and the gardeners must be wizards. As in all the mosques, there is a side entrance for the women.
Clothing
About 50/50 native and Western for the men. All the local women are in black dresses to the ground, many obviously too long for these short people. All local ladies wore black head coverings but the facial covers varied from none at all, to the peeking eyes only. The men wear the all white (and these are always squint-your-eyes white and to the floor; I believe they are called something like a “dashdish” in these parts) but the head coverings vary from the full Arab style to a flat round, brimless, embroidered skull cap. A small minority of the men wear ecru or khaki colored “dresses” instead of the more common white. The children ran the range from mini-adult to Western kid style.
Many stores had the native Omani woman’s clothing which is absolutely stunning and lavishly embroidered and beaded. It also looked heavy and hot. I suspect IF they wear this these days, that’s what’s under those black robes. Many of the “stores”, actually mostly stalls in souks, had every manner of dress including the Arab belly dance costume in various designs so who knows what they wear underneath. One shipmate remarked that the facial make up of the women is perfect and fully done up. I hadn’t noticed it that much but then I was looking at the older women.
Muttrah Souk
You can find almost anything in this covered, native souk replete with stalls and a warren of passageways and mysterious alleyways. The path is paved with patterns of light colored tiles. While it’s not airconditioned overall (many of the stalls are with clear plastic sheeting keeping the cold air inside for the comfort of the buyers) it is cooler than outside as the lighting is subdued except in the stalls themselves.
Omani daggers-really impressive and wicked looking- and silver jewelry, clothing of various types with what seemed an inordinate number of children’s shops, spice shops where the vendors were hawking saffron and frankincense but where one could see the promise of many other spices inside, doors where you wondered how they secured these thousands of impossibly heavy necklaces and other trinkets around the sides of the walls: you name it, you could probably find it here as long as it wasn’t veggies, fruits or meat (that’s another souk). Bargaining is expected and steep here though it’s always hard to tell if you’ve really gotten a good bargain. I content myself that it’s certainly a good bargain compared to what I’d pay in LA but then we still have to get it home too!
Bait al Zubair
This is a private museum featuring exhibits chronicaling Oman’s heritage. I was especially interested in the displays of clothing on manikins in this cool, clean, marble structure. Well the latter’s rather redundant: almost all the buildings that aren’t pre-oil are made of marble. The jewelry was mostly silver and vast examples were shown. The little containers with the long stick on a chain used to store and then apply kohl around the eyes (both men and women) were of special interest. And they were all of silver. The little gift shop here had a nice, modest array of picture books and a few pieces of clothing. No bargains here but good quality post cards in books of 32 for about $15 USD.
Sultan’s Palace
Well he has several and I’m sure this one rivals all the others for it’s size and uniqueness. They have closed off the driveway which is several blocks long, to the tall wrought iron fence with the disks, probably real gold, that symbolize the sultan. This palace is rather modern in design with lots of marble of course. We saw folks of all nationalities visiting here including many women in saris.
Muslim marriages
Almost totally arranged in these countries though many will now allow the child to reject a match. The men are allowed 4 wives but most only have one. There’s the matter of the dowry the man pays to the bride’s family starting at $35K USD and going higher. Then the first wife must approve the taking of a second wife and there must be an acceptable reason. Then he must treat each wife equally: you get something for one, all must receive one. Kind’ve a steep maintenance cost. Then if you have three for example, you sleep two nights each week with each wife and on the seventh night “you rest” as he said.
Forts
There are two, one on each side of the Sultan’s Palace. These are from the Portuguese 16th century occupation and are perfectly situated to “guard” the harbor. Muscat was a part of the spice trade and thus an important port for the colonizing nations and in this area, Portugal colonized many of these areas.
Lunch
We got back to the ship about 12:30 pm and went to lunch in the dining room where we visited with a lady we had met for lunch before. She’s so charming, kind, smart, and pleasant. She lives in Vancouver BC and does a lot of volunteer work for the Canadian Cancer Society. She had breast cancer around the same time I did and she had a complete reconstruction. She knew immediately that I had lymphedema. She’s travelling with another lady but I don’t know the relationship but she is so caring to this much older woman. Her husband isn’t with her on this trip but clearly it’s a very loving relationship not based on much she said but just on the way she talks about him and their life.
Cruise Terminal
The port area is enormous: think LA Harbor with all it’s cranes and containers piled 4 and 5 deep. If you want to get a taxi, you must take a shuttle to the gate. But within about a 2 block space from the ship is a ship’s terminal. It’s stark and inside is all marble (of course) and on the second story (as everything else appears to be empty) is a duty free shop. Your local 7-11 has more to offer but some folks were buying wine. I find that amusing actually. I suspect they will then sneak it onto the ship and drink it in their cabins because if they see you bring alcohol onto the ship, they take it to return it to you at the end of the cruise. Someone said that wine could pass. I wouldn’t know as it isn’t that important to Ed nor myself.
Reading
We kept the cabin drapes pulled a little and read most of the afternoon. I’m amazed to see Ed reading the novel of our fellow passenger. I think the last time I saw him read a book cover to cover was on a long flight from Norway many years ago when he read a Tom Clancy novel. This is a chick story. Oh well, even I admit the author is cute.
Fun in the dining room
Last night, five guys came to supper dressed as Sheiks. Their wives were dressed in a quasi-Arab way but you wouldn’t have known it except for looking hard. But the guys were a hit! You don’t see men doing this very often and then usually as a result of the prodding of their wives. Tonite one fellow came dressed Arab style and folks were taking photos of him all along the way. It was a hoot. So JoAnn and I both bought the little jangling head coverings with the coins on the tendrils and we’ve agreed to wear them to dinner on the next formal night. Then we can take them off after we’ve had our fun.
This was a free wheeling discussion and there was more give and take than usual. Rhia came in a black caftan with rhinestones all around the neck and cuffs with a little tassle on the end. She had her sunglasses on and with her platinum blond hair, it was a real Hollywood look. We talked about Yuma Arizona of all places, MRIs, CT scans, sonograms etc.
Our waiter, Max, told of going into the city via taxi with some other folks who work on the ship. They went to an area and “all we saw were Filipinos.” It was funny to hear him describe all of this (he’s Filipino) and tell us about all his countrymen who work in many of these countries, and I would add, send so much money back home that the Phillipine economy is lost without it.
Diane Cousins
Wales First Lady of Comedy and Song. This is a woman of my age or probably older, rather plump to be understating it, and with a really robust personality. She’s still a handsome woman but I’ll bet she was a beauty in her hey day. Her comedy is everyday and very funny when Americans can understand her through her accent which is certainly present but not so thick that you want to leave the room. She had a form skimming dress on that Ed felt was not a good one for her. I don’t disagree with that but I will say that she had a great foundation under it because despite her matronly figure, she looked poised and nothing under the dress jiggled. Anyway, I enjoyed her.
Five days at Sea
Yeah! I love sea days though it must be a challenge for the staff. Most folks do like sea days but many aren’t sure about a five day stretch even though that’s what it was between LA and Hawaii. The entertainment staff sure has their work cut out for them at such times but they seem to put out a good selection of things to do both active and passive.
Safaga is our next port and Ed and I still haven’t decided what we’ll do. We’ve seen the Valley of the Kings, Luxor and Karnak twice before and while we’d love to see them again, it is a very long bus ride each way and it’s not a cheap tour for obvious reasons. So we may just explore Safaga. That’s not such a bad way to enjoy ourselves as we don’t mind doing exploring on our own sometimes.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Muscat here we come
April 29 2010
The temperature for today and tomorrow is predicted to exceed 100 degrees F. You can bet we’ll be inside!
We are sailing SW so while the sunrise is very bright, it isn’t as bad as we would expect. I went up to the library to finish my internet stuff before the piracy drill. Ed was cleaning up as I left. As I left, I saw that the little sign we put out on our door to signal the cabin steward, had been put out saying that the cabin was ready to be cleaned up. Good thing I got out early enough to see it and change it. Of course, by now poor Edison knows the cabin probably won’t be ready for him until after 9 am on sea days.
In the library each time I come up, there is a man who is sitting asleep in the same chair each time. Also, on the tours, many of the men, usually travelling alone, will be fast asleep in their seat as we move from place to place. Seems a shame to come all this way and miss most things!
Piracy drill
I’m amazed that folks do not follow directions. I could hear the cabin steward knocking on doors and often having to do it several times before they could determine that the occupants were there. We were supposed to have our cabin doors open at that time as we were being counted off. Eventually, the names of two passengers were called over the loud speaker and asked to call in. We spoke with one woman who was in the medical clinic waiting to be seen when the MD came out and, gruffly she said, shooed them all off to their cabins because of this mandatory drill. She was upset and I kept my mouth shut, but Daauuuh! What if it had been real?
I was disappointed however, because I was waiting to see how it felt to be on a ship that was rapidly zig sagging. We are travelling very slowly but our next port is pretty close to Dubai so that doesn’t seem to be related.
We read in the cabin until it was time for me to go to audit my computer class. Since another person showed up to take the class, I was able to audit. Ed went to trivia and when I saw him, he immediately asked me who St. Agatha was as a patron saint. Nursing but we also sometimes claim Camillus. While I’m on the subject of trivia: this afternoon it was done by a fellow passenger, a woman who, while she has a lovely speaking voice, is not particularly well liked by many. And you know how we feel about trivia being done by other passengers. This was awful. We all swore an oath that we’d refuse to show up if passengers do the trivia. And just to wrap up this part, I was also able to audit the afternoon computer class. I’m at the point where I need help remembering which tool is the best for what purpose. I’m hoping a book at home will help me when I start practicing there with Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Lunch
Again Ed and I had our wires crossed but he eventually did find me at the Panorama Buffet since I had a short time for lunch. We were joined by our dining room table mates with whom we such a fun conversation last evening. They are cribbage “students” so they had to leave early.
Spectacular culinary demonstration
The Commandatore joined the ship again in Dubai and so he wowed us with two main dishes involving pasta and a demonstration of how to make tiramisu. It all looks so easy but it takes hours to prepare the ingredients in all the little containers so he just pops things into the pot or pan.
More precious than gold: a short history of the spice trade
This is a new speaker on board. She’s very attractive, probably in her late 40s or 50s, with a PhD in anthropology. I assume it was her husband who read an overly long introduction for her. Her graphics were clever and the content was interesting. But she has a rather monotonous delivery voice and it sounded like this was a very well written book from which she was reading. Since she’s published several books, perhaps this was one. If so it’s narrative is very interesting and well written but overly ponderous when it’s read. Still I’ll attend her next lecture and be aware that you have to listen carefully for the pearls.
Dinner
All present. Much less tension though the conversation is still somewhat strained to me. I try to think in advance of questions to ask the others that I think would be of interest to them and are designed to draw them out about their activities. You always learn something. And after the tension of the trivia session this afternoon, I told Ed I’d share a bottle of wine with him. Don’t misunderstand, each of us had a single glass of wine and we’ll finish the bottle over the next few weeks. Just so you don’t think Trivia has turned us to the bottle.
Tonite’s entertainment
This was a mentalist and while I don’t have a clue as to how they do “it”, but he was very good. He used about 20 people of all stripes from the audience and would admit when something wasn’t working (he usually had two folks during these skits so he was exonerated when he nailed the thoughts of the remaining person.
The temperature for today and tomorrow is predicted to exceed 100 degrees F. You can bet we’ll be inside!
We are sailing SW so while the sunrise is very bright, it isn’t as bad as we would expect. I went up to the library to finish my internet stuff before the piracy drill. Ed was cleaning up as I left. As I left, I saw that the little sign we put out on our door to signal the cabin steward, had been put out saying that the cabin was ready to be cleaned up. Good thing I got out early enough to see it and change it. Of course, by now poor Edison knows the cabin probably won’t be ready for him until after 9 am on sea days.
In the library each time I come up, there is a man who is sitting asleep in the same chair each time. Also, on the tours, many of the men, usually travelling alone, will be fast asleep in their seat as we move from place to place. Seems a shame to come all this way and miss most things!
Piracy drill
I’m amazed that folks do not follow directions. I could hear the cabin steward knocking on doors and often having to do it several times before they could determine that the occupants were there. We were supposed to have our cabin doors open at that time as we were being counted off. Eventually, the names of two passengers were called over the loud speaker and asked to call in. We spoke with one woman who was in the medical clinic waiting to be seen when the MD came out and, gruffly she said, shooed them all off to their cabins because of this mandatory drill. She was upset and I kept my mouth shut, but Daauuuh! What if it had been real?
I was disappointed however, because I was waiting to see how it felt to be on a ship that was rapidly zig sagging. We are travelling very slowly but our next port is pretty close to Dubai so that doesn’t seem to be related.
We read in the cabin until it was time for me to go to audit my computer class. Since another person showed up to take the class, I was able to audit. Ed went to trivia and when I saw him, he immediately asked me who St. Agatha was as a patron saint. Nursing but we also sometimes claim Camillus. While I’m on the subject of trivia: this afternoon it was done by a fellow passenger, a woman who, while she has a lovely speaking voice, is not particularly well liked by many. And you know how we feel about trivia being done by other passengers. This was awful. We all swore an oath that we’d refuse to show up if passengers do the trivia. And just to wrap up this part, I was also able to audit the afternoon computer class. I’m at the point where I need help remembering which tool is the best for what purpose. I’m hoping a book at home will help me when I start practicing there with Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Lunch
Again Ed and I had our wires crossed but he eventually did find me at the Panorama Buffet since I had a short time for lunch. We were joined by our dining room table mates with whom we such a fun conversation last evening. They are cribbage “students” so they had to leave early.
Spectacular culinary demonstration
The Commandatore joined the ship again in Dubai and so he wowed us with two main dishes involving pasta and a demonstration of how to make tiramisu. It all looks so easy but it takes hours to prepare the ingredients in all the little containers so he just pops things into the pot or pan.
More precious than gold: a short history of the spice trade
This is a new speaker on board. She’s very attractive, probably in her late 40s or 50s, with a PhD in anthropology. I assume it was her husband who read an overly long introduction for her. Her graphics were clever and the content was interesting. But she has a rather monotonous delivery voice and it sounded like this was a very well written book from which she was reading. Since she’s published several books, perhaps this was one. If so it’s narrative is very interesting and well written but overly ponderous when it’s read. Still I’ll attend her next lecture and be aware that you have to listen carefully for the pearls.
Dinner
All present. Much less tension though the conversation is still somewhat strained to me. I try to think in advance of questions to ask the others that I think would be of interest to them and are designed to draw them out about their activities. You always learn something. And after the tension of the trivia session this afternoon, I told Ed I’d share a bottle of wine with him. Don’t misunderstand, each of us had a single glass of wine and we’ll finish the bottle over the next few weeks. Just so you don’t think Trivia has turned us to the bottle.
Tonite’s entertainment
This was a mentalist and while I don’t have a clue as to how they do “it”, but he was very good. He used about 20 people of all stripes from the audience and would admit when something wasn’t working (he usually had two folks during these skits so he was exonerated when he nailed the thoughts of the remaining person.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Happy Birthday Lana!
Dubai
Room service arrived right on time. Since we got an extra hour back last night (Yeah!) we were both awake. The ship docked around the same time. Originally we were scheduled to leave at 5 pm. For reasons we aren’t told, it was changed at some point to 11 pm. They did refuel here but that was finished by 2 pm.
Maps
There is an interesting thing I’ve noticed about the maps we are getting about this area of the world. We have come from the Arabian Sea past the Gulf of Oman and the straits of Hormuz and into the Arabian Gulf—not the Persian Gulf. I have never heard or seen it listed as “Arabian” Gulf. All of the resources I brought with me use the label “Persian” Gulf. Hmmm
Piracy drill
We’ve received a notice about a piracy drill to be held tomorrow. Basically we will be asked to go back to our staterooms by the closed interior passageways only, pull the drapes shut, stay away from the windows and sit by the door after propping our cabin doors open so we can hear instructions from our cabin stewards. Use handrails as you walk to be prepared for sudden unexpected movements by the ship since it will be zig zagging. The ship will also travel in a convoy and in case of any incident, helicopters will appear within 20 minutes on both sides of the ship.
CNN
We still don’t “get” it. “CNN live” was blaring in the cruise terminal but our cabin TV still shows the same tired message about not being available because of the satellite on the ship. Go figure!
No internet
We have no internet access in many ports and this is one of them. You can pay for internet access in the terminal and I understand it’s quite reasonable. Since we have been in port from 7 am to 11 pm tonite, it simply means we have no access.
New ship’s terminal
Two years ago there was a rather ordinary, ten year old terminal for cruise ships here. In the intervening two years, that one was razed and an entirely new building was erected in modified Middle Eastern style. I had great expectations for this new terminal but I was really disappointed. I like the old one better even if it was (only) slightly smaller. There are two ships in port today: ours of course and the QE2 which generates such warm memories for the people who have sailed on her.
Weather
While it was awfully hot here today, well over 90 and as high as 100, it wasn’t as wearing as the heat and humidity we’ve had in other ports. For one thing, it’s drier here and there are breezes. Also, many of our stops involved going into air conditioned buildings. My tour did walk a few blocks where there were rows of local shops but it wasn’t bad.
Smells
I simply can’t describe the wonderful aromas you experience in these Middle East markets. And the bags piled high with products of various colors and shapes. It is a wonderful memory I love to experience anew in Middle Eastern cities.
Ed’s tour
He went to the world’s tallest building which just recently opened. It has 200 + levels and it’s about half a mile high. It is called Burg Kalifi. It’s free to walk the stairs to the observation deck—or so the rumor goes-- or it costs $30-40 USD to ride the elevator in less than 2 min. to the observation deck at level 120. They also went to the indoor ski slope, and two different huge malls with expensive shops. We’re talking very upscale, Rodeo Drive shops.
Lunch
I went to the dining room but tried to phone for Ed twice. The DR closes at 1:30 and I had only 5 min. before it closed. So I ate a rice dish and then went up to the Panorama Buffet where I found him; we had missed each other by a few minutes in the room. So I shared fruit with him for dessert.
Movies
There was a movie in the Cabaret Lounge at 2 pm: Knowing. Then this evening another: Serious Moonlight. And then on the TV from 8 pm onward: State of Play. There are always Leonard Maltin and some TNT movies. I passed on all of them but Ed went down to the Cabaret Lounge for Serious Moonlight. He’ll watch any movie but I suspect he’ll really enjoy this one since Meg Ryan is in it.
My tour
Our guide was Issam whom I can only describe as a mischievous Arab genie. We had such fun with him. He could sell any toothpaste his smile was so sparkling. He is Yemeni and lived for 7 yrs in Germany so he is also fluent in that language. (While in one of the souks, I saw a tall man dressed in Arab attire speaking perfect Spanish and he took some folks around; it seemed so odd) Our driver was Santos from India; I never got a chance to ask him if he was from Goa as these folks are Christian, usually Catholic, and the name “Santos” is hardly Hindu.
We went to one of the adjacent emirates, Sharjriah which is hailed as the “Pearl of the Gulf.” It is less pretentious than Dubai but still shows the impact of all the building and development. Most people live in Sharjriah and commute to Dubia, right across the bridge, as housing costs in Dubai are about 3 x more costly. There are 4 (?) million people in the United Arab Emirates (there are seven emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjriah are the only ones I’ve ever heard of). Think of the UAE as = US and each of these emirates = state. 87% of the people in UAE are UAE residents but not citizens and will almost no chance of ever becoming a citizen. The government(s) have gradually tightened their restrictions over the years to prevent being overwhelmed by outsiders. One thing Issam said that perked me up is that very soon, compulsory health insurance will be required for everyone. The laborers will be the most grateful for that I’m sure.
There was a question about the women’s clothing and I thought he answered it in a thoughtful way. He did finish by saying that in the 13th and 14th centuries, European women were also covered and now they are not. He predicted that one day, Muslim women would not be covered. Indeed there are many here who were not draped head to foot in black though you saw all versions of that. The funniest to me was a woman totally covered except for her glasses sticking out. Ed said he saw two head to toe black clad women in a shop selling bikinis. What a photo that would have been!
Mosques
We saw many gorgeous mosques but none so breathtaking as those we saw in Brunei and Malaysia. These are, we are told, quite elegant inside and the photos suggest that too.
Souks
After we went by the old city of Sharjriah, we were taken to the old souk. I wasn’t looking forward to walking dusty, hot streets. It turns out they’ve closed it in and it’s air conditioned. So we had 30 minutes to wander around here and see all the gorgeous stuff. I did eventually purchase two items and couldn’t tell if I overpaid (you have to bargain and that is not my strength and Ed was elsewhere) but clearly I paid less than I would have in LA so I’m not looking back. I probably should be carrying a pocket calculator as many people do but I’ve been working it out the old fashioned way: on paper. When Ed’s around, he does it in his head quicker than I can line up the idea in my mind.
After the old souk, we eventually found our way to a modern, huge mall but it’s their local souk. There were scads of shops selling gold and silver jewelry mostly. Let me tell you, the Arabs here know about BLING! No red hatter could match them ever. Some of the solid gold (22 K usually) necklaces are as big as a nun’s wimple. They must weigh you down and that’s before the rings, bracelets, anklets, and whatever else they can think of.
There were many rug merchants and I had a sense that most were expats. In fact, many of the shoppers were clearly not from the UAE: lots of gorgeous saris (that’s redundant in my experience: they are all gorgeous), western teen wear, Pakistanis, and Indians of all stripes.
In the old souk, I picked up something you can wear around your hips. It has two strings to tie it in the front. So I was trying to show Ed how to wear it and it keeps falling to my ankles. Clearly either it’s WAY too big, or I’m not doing it right (or these women have humungous hips because mine are not small by any stretch of the imagination!). So I’ll worry about it when I get to LA.
Walking the streets
During our walk of several blocks, we saw stores selling all kinds of electric appliances. The “vessels” (we’d just call them pots) range from a simple saucepan to something big enough to bathe a family! Makes you wonder how they’re used. Several stores selling only candy; another with various nuts. Some folks bought some nuts and I heard they were confiscated before they could reboard the ship. I was hoping we’d be given a few dates to nibble along the way but no such luck. This is the place in the world to get delicious dates in several varieties.
Ed’s neck
We know that Ed has severe arthritis in his neck and he’s having increasing problems with it lately. He shouldn’t be laying with pillows under his head or bending over doing his Sudoku but it’s hard to remember and there’s a quality of life issue. But he’s got numbness in 3 of his fingers though the motor function is intact. And then of course, there’s the discomfort so he started on his arthritis medication yesterday but it might take much longer to get on top of it this way assuming it makes a difference at all. And then there’s the issue of the stomach irritation. He’s already had problems with that for years for various reasons including the other meds he’s taking and the diabetes. So I can only hope things improve for him as this isn’t fun.
Afternoon tea/dinner
Since we were here, I suggested we go down to tea. There was only one other couple there and so we visited with them while we enjoyed the goodies. I actually went for the scones and jam. Mmmmmm
Ed watched TV and worked on his Sudoku while I kept reading the book written by our table mate. Then he wanted to go to dinner on the early side, even though we were still full of scones from tea, because he wanted to go to the movie in the Cabaret Lounge tonite. It is open seating tonite because we are in port late, but Ed suggested we go to our assigned table anyway and one couple was there. We had a great time discussing the sights around this area, and later moved onto funny movies to see. This led to a discussion of dysfunctional family members and sad story childhoods, since the movies we were discussing were based on such situations. Lots of laughs and I think this is the most fun we had at table on this leg of the cruise. Quite a nice treat.
I had downloaded the photos, recharged the batteries, formatted the memory cards, and selected a few photos to piddle with and put aside to upload tomorrow. Ed met some of the crew staff at a few of the locations on his tour so I downloaded those photos to a thumb drive and sent it on to those kids here on the ship so they could have the photos.
And now I’ll get back to finishing this novel….
Room service arrived right on time. Since we got an extra hour back last night (Yeah!) we were both awake. The ship docked around the same time. Originally we were scheduled to leave at 5 pm. For reasons we aren’t told, it was changed at some point to 11 pm. They did refuel here but that was finished by 2 pm.
Maps
There is an interesting thing I’ve noticed about the maps we are getting about this area of the world. We have come from the Arabian Sea past the Gulf of Oman and the straits of Hormuz and into the Arabian Gulf—not the Persian Gulf. I have never heard or seen it listed as “Arabian” Gulf. All of the resources I brought with me use the label “Persian” Gulf. Hmmm
Piracy drill
We’ve received a notice about a piracy drill to be held tomorrow. Basically we will be asked to go back to our staterooms by the closed interior passageways only, pull the drapes shut, stay away from the windows and sit by the door after propping our cabin doors open so we can hear instructions from our cabin stewards. Use handrails as you walk to be prepared for sudden unexpected movements by the ship since it will be zig zagging. The ship will also travel in a convoy and in case of any incident, helicopters will appear within 20 minutes on both sides of the ship.
CNN
We still don’t “get” it. “CNN live” was blaring in the cruise terminal but our cabin TV still shows the same tired message about not being available because of the satellite on the ship. Go figure!
No internet
We have no internet access in many ports and this is one of them. You can pay for internet access in the terminal and I understand it’s quite reasonable. Since we have been in port from 7 am to 11 pm tonite, it simply means we have no access.
New ship’s terminal
Two years ago there was a rather ordinary, ten year old terminal for cruise ships here. In the intervening two years, that one was razed and an entirely new building was erected in modified Middle Eastern style. I had great expectations for this new terminal but I was really disappointed. I like the old one better even if it was (only) slightly smaller. There are two ships in port today: ours of course and the QE2 which generates such warm memories for the people who have sailed on her.
Weather
While it was awfully hot here today, well over 90 and as high as 100, it wasn’t as wearing as the heat and humidity we’ve had in other ports. For one thing, it’s drier here and there are breezes. Also, many of our stops involved going into air conditioned buildings. My tour did walk a few blocks where there were rows of local shops but it wasn’t bad.
Smells
I simply can’t describe the wonderful aromas you experience in these Middle East markets. And the bags piled high with products of various colors and shapes. It is a wonderful memory I love to experience anew in Middle Eastern cities.
Ed’s tour
He went to the world’s tallest building which just recently opened. It has 200 + levels and it’s about half a mile high. It is called Burg Kalifi. It’s free to walk the stairs to the observation deck—or so the rumor goes-- or it costs $30-40 USD to ride the elevator in less than 2 min. to the observation deck at level 120. They also went to the indoor ski slope, and two different huge malls with expensive shops. We’re talking very upscale, Rodeo Drive shops.
Lunch
I went to the dining room but tried to phone for Ed twice. The DR closes at 1:30 and I had only 5 min. before it closed. So I ate a rice dish and then went up to the Panorama Buffet where I found him; we had missed each other by a few minutes in the room. So I shared fruit with him for dessert.
Movies
There was a movie in the Cabaret Lounge at 2 pm: Knowing. Then this evening another: Serious Moonlight. And then on the TV from 8 pm onward: State of Play. There are always Leonard Maltin and some TNT movies. I passed on all of them but Ed went down to the Cabaret Lounge for Serious Moonlight. He’ll watch any movie but I suspect he’ll really enjoy this one since Meg Ryan is in it.
My tour
Our guide was Issam whom I can only describe as a mischievous Arab genie. We had such fun with him. He could sell any toothpaste his smile was so sparkling. He is Yemeni and lived for 7 yrs in Germany so he is also fluent in that language. (While in one of the souks, I saw a tall man dressed in Arab attire speaking perfect Spanish and he took some folks around; it seemed so odd) Our driver was Santos from India; I never got a chance to ask him if he was from Goa as these folks are Christian, usually Catholic, and the name “Santos” is hardly Hindu.
We went to one of the adjacent emirates, Sharjriah which is hailed as the “Pearl of the Gulf.” It is less pretentious than Dubai but still shows the impact of all the building and development. Most people live in Sharjriah and commute to Dubia, right across the bridge, as housing costs in Dubai are about 3 x more costly. There are 4 (?) million people in the United Arab Emirates (there are seven emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjriah are the only ones I’ve ever heard of). Think of the UAE as = US and each of these emirates = state. 87% of the people in UAE are UAE residents but not citizens and will almost no chance of ever becoming a citizen. The government(s) have gradually tightened their restrictions over the years to prevent being overwhelmed by outsiders. One thing Issam said that perked me up is that very soon, compulsory health insurance will be required for everyone. The laborers will be the most grateful for that I’m sure.
There was a question about the women’s clothing and I thought he answered it in a thoughtful way. He did finish by saying that in the 13th and 14th centuries, European women were also covered and now they are not. He predicted that one day, Muslim women would not be covered. Indeed there are many here who were not draped head to foot in black though you saw all versions of that. The funniest to me was a woman totally covered except for her glasses sticking out. Ed said he saw two head to toe black clad women in a shop selling bikinis. What a photo that would have been!
Mosques
We saw many gorgeous mosques but none so breathtaking as those we saw in Brunei and Malaysia. These are, we are told, quite elegant inside and the photos suggest that too.
Souks
After we went by the old city of Sharjriah, we were taken to the old souk. I wasn’t looking forward to walking dusty, hot streets. It turns out they’ve closed it in and it’s air conditioned. So we had 30 minutes to wander around here and see all the gorgeous stuff. I did eventually purchase two items and couldn’t tell if I overpaid (you have to bargain and that is not my strength and Ed was elsewhere) but clearly I paid less than I would have in LA so I’m not looking back. I probably should be carrying a pocket calculator as many people do but I’ve been working it out the old fashioned way: on paper. When Ed’s around, he does it in his head quicker than I can line up the idea in my mind.
After the old souk, we eventually found our way to a modern, huge mall but it’s their local souk. There were scads of shops selling gold and silver jewelry mostly. Let me tell you, the Arabs here know about BLING! No red hatter could match them ever. Some of the solid gold (22 K usually) necklaces are as big as a nun’s wimple. They must weigh you down and that’s before the rings, bracelets, anklets, and whatever else they can think of.
There were many rug merchants and I had a sense that most were expats. In fact, many of the shoppers were clearly not from the UAE: lots of gorgeous saris (that’s redundant in my experience: they are all gorgeous), western teen wear, Pakistanis, and Indians of all stripes.
In the old souk, I picked up something you can wear around your hips. It has two strings to tie it in the front. So I was trying to show Ed how to wear it and it keeps falling to my ankles. Clearly either it’s WAY too big, or I’m not doing it right (or these women have humungous hips because mine are not small by any stretch of the imagination!). So I’ll worry about it when I get to LA.
Walking the streets
During our walk of several blocks, we saw stores selling all kinds of electric appliances. The “vessels” (we’d just call them pots) range from a simple saucepan to something big enough to bathe a family! Makes you wonder how they’re used. Several stores selling only candy; another with various nuts. Some folks bought some nuts and I heard they were confiscated before they could reboard the ship. I was hoping we’d be given a few dates to nibble along the way but no such luck. This is the place in the world to get delicious dates in several varieties.
Ed’s neck
We know that Ed has severe arthritis in his neck and he’s having increasing problems with it lately. He shouldn’t be laying with pillows under his head or bending over doing his Sudoku but it’s hard to remember and there’s a quality of life issue. But he’s got numbness in 3 of his fingers though the motor function is intact. And then of course, there’s the discomfort so he started on his arthritis medication yesterday but it might take much longer to get on top of it this way assuming it makes a difference at all. And then there’s the issue of the stomach irritation. He’s already had problems with that for years for various reasons including the other meds he’s taking and the diabetes. So I can only hope things improve for him as this isn’t fun.
Afternoon tea/dinner
Since we were here, I suggested we go down to tea. There was only one other couple there and so we visited with them while we enjoyed the goodies. I actually went for the scones and jam. Mmmmmm
Ed watched TV and worked on his Sudoku while I kept reading the book written by our table mate. Then he wanted to go to dinner on the early side, even though we were still full of scones from tea, because he wanted to go to the movie in the Cabaret Lounge tonite. It is open seating tonite because we are in port late, but Ed suggested we go to our assigned table anyway and one couple was there. We had a great time discussing the sights around this area, and later moved onto funny movies to see. This led to a discussion of dysfunctional family members and sad story childhoods, since the movies we were discussing were based on such situations. Lots of laughs and I think this is the most fun we had at table on this leg of the cruise. Quite a nice treat.
I had downloaded the photos, recharged the batteries, formatted the memory cards, and selected a few photos to piddle with and put aside to upload tomorrow. Ed met some of the crew staff at a few of the locations on his tour so I downloaded those photos to a thumb drive and sent it on to those kids here on the ship so they could have the photos.
And now I’ll get back to finishing this novel….
Monday, April 26, 2010
Dubai tomorrow
April 26 2010
Ed was out of bed before I was and he went to the gym while I watched some animal planet shows trying to build up my energy. I went to the library and dropped off some books.
Computer audits
I was about to give up on a new student showing up for “Beyond Photoshop Basics” but a lady rushed in and so I was able to audit this class once more. I learn or master something better each time so I’m not sorry about the time. There wasn’t much of interest going on this morning anyway. This afternoon, Chuck (one of our trivia team) and I came to audit another of the computer classes we had taken but again no newbie showed up, so it wasn’t possible to audit.
Trivia
Since no one showed up for the 11 am class, there was no opportunity to audit so I whizzed over and joined my trivia group. We were no threat to the winners. Some of the answers were clearly wrong but folks are getting mildly better about not becoming ballistic when the person calling trivia has an incorrect answer. This afternoon there were only 5 of us and we started off on a roll with all of the first 10 correct. We could hear the folks grading our answer sheet cluck clucking about how well we were doing. However, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings and in the end we were no threat to the winners.
Lunch
We joined some folks we’ve lunched with before, the lady with her 90+ y/o, sharp as a tack, father. Another couple was farther down the table and so it was a loose series of discussions. One woman has macular degeneration and so I listened as that was discussed. They’ve been travelling pretty steady since she was first diagnosed. She has some vision but it’s compromised increasingly and I can certainly identify with that. Her husband is hard of hearing so there were chuckles about them. The other lady plans trips for her sorority and so we discussed trips she’s taken and those planned for the future.
Taj trip feedback
We’ve been hearing various versions of this trip but the stories include the fact that Princess is refunding $200 USD because of problems. Specifically, the India air plane they were to use had problems and so they sat for 2 hrs in the airport lobby until there was a proper plane. The temperature was in the 90s and the humidity was high as well. They had an hour at the Taj itself. There was supposed to be a stop at the Red Fort which was downgraded to a photo stop. It turns out only one bus truly did stop for photos there. So all in all, we are glad we decided not to go.
Bucket list
This was a lecture with the port talker and he covered 50 must see places in the world. This was part of what we were discussing at lunch speculating on what would be in each person’s top 50. We have seen all but 16 on his list and one of those, Petra, is on our schedule for this trip.
Show us what you bought
At one point today, while I was doing other things, I was in the Casino Lounge and there was this program going on. It’s astonishing what, and how much, many of these folks have purchased. And these aren’t folks for whom this is their first world cruise. I’m wide eyed at some of the things that folks believe they got at a good bargain. But if they’re happy… I can still see the smile on the face of the vendors who sold them the items. Some of these folks, mostly women, spend all of their time in port shopping. My Lord, how much can one buy? Well actually we all know the answer to that.
Dinner
All present tonite. One lady had purchased a 7 strand ruby necklace in the terminal shop and she was showing it off tonite. I’m glad she likes it and that’s enough said. The book written by the other lady was passed to me this evening and so I’ve started it. You can tell it’s her “voice” as I read. The font isn’t super large, but in good light, it’s OK for my reading. My “cheaters” seem to be working pretty well for me and I think my contacts are in the correct eyes now and that whatever was going on has stabilized for the time being. I’ll be curious to see what my tests show when I return.
David Copperfield
This is an older British (Scottish but without a heavy brogue) man who is “not the illusionist but the “unusualist” the original all around entertainer from across the pond.” We had a lot of belly laughs with this guy who involved folks all over the audience. He poked fun by doing some of the magic tricks we’ve all grown super tired of by making them unexpected and hilarious. He also did several songs in crazy ways and he has a good voice. It’s impossible to describe adequately his show, but the time passed very quickly. We sat next to our luncheon tablemates and the father had on a bright red blazer that was impossible to miss. He looks so adorable. She is also very sweet and fun to talk with.
Technology Hurrahs
Ed has often been able to speak with various family members via VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) using his iPhone. (I’m afraid to turn mine on given the $300 charges the Marine carrier tried to charge me in Dec. because I couldn’t figure out how to use the iPhone without incurring those charges!) I can’t understand, given his enthusiasm for that, why he won’t let me put Skype on here (the computer does have a built in camera) so we can use that. I have seen some people using it on board though not many. And despite the fact that the ship won’t support these technologies, it doesn’t mean you can’t successfully use them all other things being equal.
So at least we don’t feel totally and completely shut off from the world while we are, as the Captain frequently says, “in the middle of nowhere.”
Ed was out of bed before I was and he went to the gym while I watched some animal planet shows trying to build up my energy. I went to the library and dropped off some books.
Computer audits
I was about to give up on a new student showing up for “Beyond Photoshop Basics” but a lady rushed in and so I was able to audit this class once more. I learn or master something better each time so I’m not sorry about the time. There wasn’t much of interest going on this morning anyway. This afternoon, Chuck (one of our trivia team) and I came to audit another of the computer classes we had taken but again no newbie showed up, so it wasn’t possible to audit.
Trivia
Since no one showed up for the 11 am class, there was no opportunity to audit so I whizzed over and joined my trivia group. We were no threat to the winners. Some of the answers were clearly wrong but folks are getting mildly better about not becoming ballistic when the person calling trivia has an incorrect answer. This afternoon there were only 5 of us and we started off on a roll with all of the first 10 correct. We could hear the folks grading our answer sheet cluck clucking about how well we were doing. However, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings and in the end we were no threat to the winners.
Lunch
We joined some folks we’ve lunched with before, the lady with her 90+ y/o, sharp as a tack, father. Another couple was farther down the table and so it was a loose series of discussions. One woman has macular degeneration and so I listened as that was discussed. They’ve been travelling pretty steady since she was first diagnosed. She has some vision but it’s compromised increasingly and I can certainly identify with that. Her husband is hard of hearing so there were chuckles about them. The other lady plans trips for her sorority and so we discussed trips she’s taken and those planned for the future.
Taj trip feedback
We’ve been hearing various versions of this trip but the stories include the fact that Princess is refunding $200 USD because of problems. Specifically, the India air plane they were to use had problems and so they sat for 2 hrs in the airport lobby until there was a proper plane. The temperature was in the 90s and the humidity was high as well. They had an hour at the Taj itself. There was supposed to be a stop at the Red Fort which was downgraded to a photo stop. It turns out only one bus truly did stop for photos there. So all in all, we are glad we decided not to go.
Bucket list
This was a lecture with the port talker and he covered 50 must see places in the world. This was part of what we were discussing at lunch speculating on what would be in each person’s top 50. We have seen all but 16 on his list and one of those, Petra, is on our schedule for this trip.
Show us what you bought
At one point today, while I was doing other things, I was in the Casino Lounge and there was this program going on. It’s astonishing what, and how much, many of these folks have purchased. And these aren’t folks for whom this is their first world cruise. I’m wide eyed at some of the things that folks believe they got at a good bargain. But if they’re happy… I can still see the smile on the face of the vendors who sold them the items. Some of these folks, mostly women, spend all of their time in port shopping. My Lord, how much can one buy? Well actually we all know the answer to that.
Dinner
All present tonite. One lady had purchased a 7 strand ruby necklace in the terminal shop and she was showing it off tonite. I’m glad she likes it and that’s enough said. The book written by the other lady was passed to me this evening and so I’ve started it. You can tell it’s her “voice” as I read. The font isn’t super large, but in good light, it’s OK for my reading. My “cheaters” seem to be working pretty well for me and I think my contacts are in the correct eyes now and that whatever was going on has stabilized for the time being. I’ll be curious to see what my tests show when I return.
David Copperfield
This is an older British (Scottish but without a heavy brogue) man who is “not the illusionist but the “unusualist” the original all around entertainer from across the pond.” We had a lot of belly laughs with this guy who involved folks all over the audience. He poked fun by doing some of the magic tricks we’ve all grown super tired of by making them unexpected and hilarious. He also did several songs in crazy ways and he has a good voice. It’s impossible to describe adequately his show, but the time passed very quickly. We sat next to our luncheon tablemates and the father had on a bright red blazer that was impossible to miss. He looks so adorable. She is also very sweet and fun to talk with.
Technology Hurrahs
Ed has often been able to speak with various family members via VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) using his iPhone. (I’m afraid to turn mine on given the $300 charges the Marine carrier tried to charge me in Dec. because I couldn’t figure out how to use the iPhone without incurring those charges!) I can’t understand, given his enthusiasm for that, why he won’t let me put Skype on here (the computer does have a built in camera) so we can use that. I have seen some people using it on board though not many. And despite the fact that the ship won’t support these technologies, it doesn’t mean you can’t successfully use them all other things being equal.
So at least we don’t feel totally and completely shut off from the world while we are, as the Captain frequently says, “in the middle of nowhere.”
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday night
April 25, 2010
It took Ed a while to stir around. He’s been having some neck pain and as we all often do, he’s waited too long to go back on the medication he has brought with him. I got ready and finally went to the Cabaret Lounge to use the hot spot there and be in place for the speaker.
Port Talk: Dubai
I was interested in this because I haven’t yet decided on what tour I want to take. I was almost stunned the find that Dubai (of ALL places!) now has a hop-on hop-off bus route! I went to the library to get a book on Dubai to help me out but I think the place has changed so much (or it’s simply not a good book) and there wasn’t much in there.
Clearly a lot has changed in Dubai since we were there two years ago and the recession isn’t the only story. The ship’s terminal that we were in 2 yrs ago, which was then 10y/o, had become too small for the 130+ ships coming in there so they tore it down! And built a completely new, large, elegant one that opened in February. So I can’t wait to see it.
The economic situation is also of great interest and is not yet resolved by a long shot. Ed is taking the tour to see the building that is by FAR the tallest in the world; there are other stops on the tour but that’s his real goal.
Trivia
We won handily this morning but were pathetic this afternoon. The team who graded this afternoon’s sheet said we were “over thinking.” They were too kind. Still we have lots of laughs.
Lunch
Today was the Sunday brunch and while it wasn’t horribly crowded when we got there around noon, still one has to be careful of the sharp elbows. You’d think these folks weren’t going to get enough to eat! During the visits to the various stations, I found that our junior waiter, a lovely young woman who’s husband is a full waiter in the dining room, has now been promoted to a full waiter. We are all rooting for her. So that means we have a new junior waiter, a nice young man who got on in Mombai and is Indian. He’s lucky to have Max, our waiter, as his mentor.
There was almost nothing that interested us this afternoon so Ed did some stuff on the computer and then slept while I finished one of the stories in the last large print Reader’s Digest Select Editions I brought alone and leave in the library for others. There are some large print books in the library but I’ve told you the selections are strange sometimes.
I then spent some time looking over the 1000+ photos that Ed and I took related to Mombai. I learn the Picasa software a little more each time so we’ll see how I do. Ed got some very cute photos of monkeys. I picked out some that I hope will give you some sense of what it is like there.
Sounds and smells
One of the things I love about places like Mombai is the fragrances everywhere. No sewer smell anywhere we went. Lots of floral odors in various places, and incense near the temples and neighborhood/street shrines. And the smells in the marketplaces where they sell spices, fruits and vegetables are just marvelous. I feel like a dog sometimes who’s being led around by the nose.
And the sounds are dominated by the honking of horns. Driving here is a game of chicken and they could not survive without their horns of various tunes. And the soft voices; no yelling heard anywhere. The laughter of children is so cute as it is everywhere in the world.
Dinner
We saw one couple in the hallway and they told us they weren’t going to the dining room as they weren’t doing great. Nothing extreme, just a tad down. The other couple showed up and it’s interesting to hear what’s important to others. I’ve finally identified that there is a great discomfort with formal education and all that implies on the part of the wife. She, at least per her conversation and I have no reason to doubt this, is very accomplished in her own right. She has no need to be defensive (and thus aggressive) about her background compared to others. There were a few more nervous gestures and gasping breathing as she spoke tonite, but not as much as when the table is full. I’ve gotten to where I keep my eyes on her husband and try to hear what he is saying even when she starts talking as if he wasn’t saying a thing. He doesn’t speak that often for obvious reasons. So it’s everyone she does that to. Sad really. It is a test of my character to find ways to be kind and pleasant through this all.
Tonite’s entertainment
It’s a juggler. You know how excited I am about jugglers so I’m going to upload photos and perhaps even this blog before I go back to the room to read before going to sleep.
There is a “Taste of India” deck party tonite and that includes a buffet at 10:30 pm but Lord do we need more food even if it is exotic and related to the part of the world where we are at this time? There will be an Indian costume parade. Those are fun to see but I can’t see killing myself to find something Indian and buying it just to have it to wear for this event. Still folks enjoy that as a focus and I love seeing how beautifully it all is when they are dressed up. There was a fellow passenger today who was giving lessons on how to fit a sari. I hope none fall to the floor unexpectedly tonite.
It took Ed a while to stir around. He’s been having some neck pain and as we all often do, he’s waited too long to go back on the medication he has brought with him. I got ready and finally went to the Cabaret Lounge to use the hot spot there and be in place for the speaker.
Port Talk: Dubai
I was interested in this because I haven’t yet decided on what tour I want to take. I was almost stunned the find that Dubai (of ALL places!) now has a hop-on hop-off bus route! I went to the library to get a book on Dubai to help me out but I think the place has changed so much (or it’s simply not a good book) and there wasn’t much in there.
Clearly a lot has changed in Dubai since we were there two years ago and the recession isn’t the only story. The ship’s terminal that we were in 2 yrs ago, which was then 10y/o, had become too small for the 130+ ships coming in there so they tore it down! And built a completely new, large, elegant one that opened in February. So I can’t wait to see it.
The economic situation is also of great interest and is not yet resolved by a long shot. Ed is taking the tour to see the building that is by FAR the tallest in the world; there are other stops on the tour but that’s his real goal.
Trivia
We won handily this morning but were pathetic this afternoon. The team who graded this afternoon’s sheet said we were “over thinking.” They were too kind. Still we have lots of laughs.
Lunch
Today was the Sunday brunch and while it wasn’t horribly crowded when we got there around noon, still one has to be careful of the sharp elbows. You’d think these folks weren’t going to get enough to eat! During the visits to the various stations, I found that our junior waiter, a lovely young woman who’s husband is a full waiter in the dining room, has now been promoted to a full waiter. We are all rooting for her. So that means we have a new junior waiter, a nice young man who got on in Mombai and is Indian. He’s lucky to have Max, our waiter, as his mentor.
There was almost nothing that interested us this afternoon so Ed did some stuff on the computer and then slept while I finished one of the stories in the last large print Reader’s Digest Select Editions I brought alone and leave in the library for others. There are some large print books in the library but I’ve told you the selections are strange sometimes.
I then spent some time looking over the 1000+ photos that Ed and I took related to Mombai. I learn the Picasa software a little more each time so we’ll see how I do. Ed got some very cute photos of monkeys. I picked out some that I hope will give you some sense of what it is like there.
Sounds and smells
One of the things I love about places like Mombai is the fragrances everywhere. No sewer smell anywhere we went. Lots of floral odors in various places, and incense near the temples and neighborhood/street shrines. And the smells in the marketplaces where they sell spices, fruits and vegetables are just marvelous. I feel like a dog sometimes who’s being led around by the nose.
And the sounds are dominated by the honking of horns. Driving here is a game of chicken and they could not survive without their horns of various tunes. And the soft voices; no yelling heard anywhere. The laughter of children is so cute as it is everywhere in the world.
Dinner
We saw one couple in the hallway and they told us they weren’t going to the dining room as they weren’t doing great. Nothing extreme, just a tad down. The other couple showed up and it’s interesting to hear what’s important to others. I’ve finally identified that there is a great discomfort with formal education and all that implies on the part of the wife. She, at least per her conversation and I have no reason to doubt this, is very accomplished in her own right. She has no need to be defensive (and thus aggressive) about her background compared to others. There were a few more nervous gestures and gasping breathing as she spoke tonite, but not as much as when the table is full. I’ve gotten to where I keep my eyes on her husband and try to hear what he is saying even when she starts talking as if he wasn’t saying a thing. He doesn’t speak that often for obvious reasons. So it’s everyone she does that to. Sad really. It is a test of my character to find ways to be kind and pleasant through this all.
Tonite’s entertainment
It’s a juggler. You know how excited I am about jugglers so I’m going to upload photos and perhaps even this blog before I go back to the room to read before going to sleep.
There is a “Taste of India” deck party tonite and that includes a buffet at 10:30 pm but Lord do we need more food even if it is exotic and related to the part of the world where we are at this time? There will be an Indian costume parade. Those are fun to see but I can’t see killing myself to find something Indian and buying it just to have it to wear for this event. Still folks enjoy that as a focus and I love seeing how beautifully it all is when they are dressed up. There was a fellow passenger today who was giving lessons on how to fit a sari. I hope none fall to the floor unexpectedly tonite.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
On to Dubai in 3 days
Mombai
The ship was docked by 7 am. We had room service and watched the ship snuggle up to the pier and the various officials gather to begin the process of clearing the ship and all the passengers and crew. They sent 10 immigration officers on board this time. As I was nearing the officer, another fellow was checking our paperwork to be sure everything was in order to expedite the time. He saw that I had a 10 yr. Indian visa (something very new this year and only a few dollars more) and this BIG smile came over his face. You can envision it: dark skin, gleaming white teeth. He says with glee:”2019!”
Ed and I went on different tours. Last time we were here, he wasn’t feeling well and so I went to Elephanta Island. Fr. Sean had recommended it and it is definitely a “must see.” So that’s where he went and he wasn’t disappointed.
Shrines and temples tour
The tour was to gather in the ship terminal and with my eyes it’s very hard for me to see where things are these days. I finally latched onto another couple who were also signed up for this tour and after some fits and starts, we were finally accurately routed to the appropriate bus. It turns out we bypassed getting the stickers we wear when on tour. Since there were only twenty of us, the guide said it wasn’t going to be a problem. The two front seats were reserved for handicapped and so everyone else had bypassed them and chosen seats farther back. This included some folks with some problems. The obnoxious couple about whom I’ve written before, marched onto bus—the woman is always the worst and always ahead of him—sneered at the sign, put it aside behind the seat and sat down. That’s where they stayed the whole day. One fellow passed them, looked and said: I don’t see any handicap! They’re oblivious of course. It’s not very nice but I told that fellow later that I felt like coming onto the bus early, sitting in the seat and when she objected (as she surely will since this is her pattern), I’d show her my arm with my compression sleeves and say:”but I have a REAL handicap!” Of course I didn’t do it but I was surely tempted! I’m stewing about it and considering going to the tour office onboard and complaining. A woman had turned her ankle and the Queen did not budge and the lady went back further in the bus. One could make the argument that she managed to ambulate to the temples so why did she need a seat in the front of the bus? For me, it’s a matter of courtesy and respect for others.
As we see examples of such behavior which takes advantage of our concern for those with handicaps, I often think that those who are taking advantage should experience a substantial handicap themselves and then experience others treating them as if it didn’t matter.
Ok. Enough of that crap.
I took the shrines and temples tour and was not disappointed either. I had not seen any of the shrines before. And one of the major advantages, is that we went into areas we otherwise would not explore. In most instances, we had to leave the bus and walk through neighborhoods to reach these temples.
Our port talker had explained that tipping is usually for the tour guide and perhaps the driver. But there is also a fellow who hopes to be a driver one day who must prove his dedication for EIGHT years by being what’s called a “conductor”. He suggested we also give him a modest tip. This guy puts the extra step down, shoos away beggars annoying us, helps us down with his hand and such. But there were two other women also on the bus. I never quite figured out what their role(s) were and wondered about the etiquette of tipping them. In the end, I didn’t since I didn’t have the proper money along with me.
Public Buildings
The architecture is among the most interesting in the world. It includes old British colonial, Gothic, much less modern but still there especially among the new high rises. There is tremendous pollution here so the buildings show the gray discoloration and black streaking over many decades.
In recent years, the public buildings have acquired Indian names but no one uses them because they are so long. So the train terminal, seen in the movie “slum dog millionaire”, is still called Victoria. We passed many lovely beaches; I couldn’t recreate any of their names. Indians don’t sunbathe or swim on the beaches. They stroll and play with their kids there.
Taj Hotel and Gate of India
I’m making comparisons with our trip two years ago where there was much construction at the Gate of India. All of that is finished and the area is gorgeous. This is the huge Hindu and Muslim symbol of Mumbai. There are less beggars and they are better managed than in the past. The areas around the ship’s pier and this area have also been cleaned up considerably over the years.
The Taj Hotel is still gorgeous but going into it is a very different experience. There is only one door man dressed in that gorgeous uniform and it looks like he’s largely ceremonial. There used to be several there and they were actually door men with a few porters. There are still a few porters in ordinary wear, but there are a large contingent of men who are in and out of law enforcement uniforms. You must go through a scanner to go into the lobby. And the middle of that gorgeous, huge lobby, is blocked off with a wall. I found in conversation later that it is there to camouflage the repairs being done after the terrorist attack. The guest rooms involved are still under repair as well. The terrorists attacked old symbolic sites in Mombai including some favorite tourist restaurants such as the Leopold.
The remaining terrorist who was not killed is awaiting the verdict after a very long protracted trial. Pakistan has denied that any of their citizens were involved though the guide said that they knew exactly which village the dead men came from. Their bodies have been in a morgue for the past year waiting for Pakistan to claim them, which it won’t do because that would mean admitting it was their citizens who carried out the violence. So the Indians buried them in an unknown site where they couldn’t be found.
Terrorists
You can see the impact of this everywhere. There was always a police presence in Mombai but it is “in your face” now. I described the Taj Hotel and the Gate of India (they are across the street from each other) have a very visible presence. But you see them everywhere with their assault rifles at hand. Shopping areas also show this as do temples.
Beggars
This is a sore spot for many travelers of course. They can be quite aggressive and swarm you quickly. One fellow was passing out candy to the kids and the police and others were very pointed that he stop it. We only see the surface of course. The port speaker told us that women will rent babies by the hour because they can get more money that way. And the kids are kept in awful looking states as they can get more money that way too. And of course, they’ve all learned to look pathetic. But the most disturbing part is that they don’t get to keep that money; it’s like a pimp system.
The guide, as they have done in many countries, talked about the kind of work these women could be doing such as housework which doesn’t require much training. Many prefer to beg; that’s probably true more often than we’d like to admit but we simply don’t know much about all the details. I have learned over the years not to give directly to beggars but instead to give to groups who help them with food, lodging and education. They keep doing it because it works and thus I really have problems with people who insist on doing that. If they’re selling something, I find that less offensive though the way some of the tourists bargain them down is often shameful and in many instances, after this time when the person doesn’t have the opportunity to sell to someone else, the bargainer will walk away without buying anything.
Haji Ali Dagah
This is a place on an island in the middle of the bay which is reached by a bridge of some kind. It is a beautiful white structure and those who can’t go to Mecca, go here instead. There’s more the story but that’s the gist of it all.
Dabba Walas
This is an amazing system unique in all the world and is found only in Mombai. Basically, a woman anywhere in the Mombai area, and Mombai has 14 million people, prepares lunches for her kids at school, her husband at work, etc. About 11:15 in the morning she has it in a bag outside her door and the Dabba Wala, a man with a bicycle equipped with about 40 hooks to hold these bags, picks up the bags from the housewives or maids. He then takes them to a terminus where they are then transported via train usually to their destination. At the schools, they arrive about 15 minutes before the kids break for lunch and then the kids come to get their lunch. In each instance, the dabba walla waits for the bags to be returned to him and they are then returned to the housewife before 3 pm. They get paid a modest flat fee to do this and can still work another job around it. The accuracy rate exceeds 99.9%. They give lectures at management schools in Universities. I’d love to hear one of those lectures. The logistics must be amazing.
Dhobe Wat
This is also a uniquely Mombai service. It is an enormous outdoor laundry. Dirty laundry is picked up, processed here – no washers (except human), no dryers, no mangles—and delivered pristine clean to the owners within two days I think. How do they do it?
Lunch
We had this at a place on one of the beaches called Sand and Surf. It wasn’t very impressive but the food, a buffet, was terrific. It didn’t take us long to finish and so we didn’t stay as long as they had originally planned—mercifully.
ISKON temple
This is the Hare Kirshna temple and it is a bright white newer temple. There are three large windows inside an open structure and when the drapes open over these idol niches, people fling themselves onto the floor and much more. And there are a lot of people here. The music, disappointingly, was coming from a boom box. I saw only one of the traditionally attired Hare Krishnas we see in the US: shaved head with a small braided top knot, draped robes, barefoot…and he was a few blocks from the temple as we walked through the neighborhood.
Mumba Devi temple
We saw two other temples and I can’t recall which one this is. But one was a Southern Hindu temple that was very close, and dark, and with many nooks and crannies. There were many icons with worshipers at each one. There were also signs everywhere warning you in large English printing, to beware of pickpockets and such.
The other temple involved taking a “lift” or climbing a lot of stairs which was what I did. We went through some fascinating hovel neighborhoods to get here though and that was a real experience. At the top of the stairs, as you always do when going into these temples, you take off your shoes. But in this temple, the floors are often wet. This is because at the center of this temple is a lingam, a phallic symbol. They are more sanguine about genital symbols in many parts of Asia. People bring milk (the symbolism was not lost on me) and water to pour over this.
Shoes at temples
You must take off your shoes and so most people wear some kind of slip on. It is an ordeal to remove our tennis shoes, which most of us wear for stability and convenience. There are rarely seats or any other place to sit to take off, or as important, put your shoes back on. In many places, there are people who “look after” your shoes (because shoes have been known to be stolen from these places) and they of course expect a tip for this service. When you are on tour, all such tips are taken care of and it simplifies things considerably. The guide also prevents you from making any gaffs in speech or behavior too. I used to carry “temple socks”, those airline slippers you’re given on long flights, but it is still as much trouble to take them on and off, carry them, etc. In most places, the floor are pristine but in many of these older temples, the pigeon poop must be dodged between the shoe storage place and the inside of the temple.
Shopping
This was for 30 minutes and we were told we could only go into three shops in a row because of a concern about terrorists. The guide said there was an advisory out and each store had a guard who also spent time running the beggars away. But many folks believe it was so that the guide would get her kickback. Backshish (bribery and kickbacks) are so common in many parts of the world; You come to assume it’s going on even if you are not directly approached. Some folks went across the street (itself a suicidal mission given the traffic!) to buy, of all things, alcohol. One guy is collecting it in many ports to take home wherever that is. The baggage costs will surely off set his savings…for alcohol???
The stores had beautiful jewelry, clothing, rugs, and a few more expensive souvenirs. I looked at some clothing which was admittedly gorgeous and appeared to be well made, but $3-600 USD is way over priced! Most others agreed. One couple bought a chess set of some kind for no small price and I had the same questions about size and weight in getting it home. In most instances, all of these things are available in the US though admittedly, the cost might be much higher. But that might be offset by hassle factor and baggage costs, never mind customs fees as many folks are clearly going over those limits. Although the clerks are gentle and soft spoken, they still haunt you and so I didn’t stay long. The driver didn’t have the a/c on; we suspected it was to ensure that we stayed in the shops longer.
Stores in ship’s terminal
There are many lovely things here but few good bargains. And I’m never quite sure of the quality so unless it had really been a great deal, I wasn’t interested. And so I bought nothing. I keep telling myself, I could probably find the same stuff in LA, again perhaps at the same price.
Dinner
This was open seating and Ed and I opted against going out after dark in Mombai to have dinner somewhere unknown. We sat near the window to see the harbor and so this meant that we didn’t have our usual wait staff. Max saw us anyway and suddenly the plate of lemons appeared (I make lemonade) and Ed’s wine.
We decided to forego dessert to go to the early Folklorico Show on board. Later, we went up to the buffet and were busted. Max was laughing as he saw us getting dessert up there; the dining room was slow so he went to the buffet. These guys know all our secrets.
Folklorico Show
This was the same troupe we’ve seen before but the dances were new to me. And the costumes! So gorgeous. I’ll never be able to figure out how they can move around as well as they do in those clothes which are wrapped and tucked. Mine would be on the floor after the first twist. And as Hazel and I remarked, one of the dancers had to be 6 mos along though with all the drapery you had to look closely. Very clever. And speaking of which, that’s the only pregnant woman I’ve seen in India. Most of those with whom I spoke, have only two kids.
The ship was docked by 7 am. We had room service and watched the ship snuggle up to the pier and the various officials gather to begin the process of clearing the ship and all the passengers and crew. They sent 10 immigration officers on board this time. As I was nearing the officer, another fellow was checking our paperwork to be sure everything was in order to expedite the time. He saw that I had a 10 yr. Indian visa (something very new this year and only a few dollars more) and this BIG smile came over his face. You can envision it: dark skin, gleaming white teeth. He says with glee:”2019!”
Ed and I went on different tours. Last time we were here, he wasn’t feeling well and so I went to Elephanta Island. Fr. Sean had recommended it and it is definitely a “must see.” So that’s where he went and he wasn’t disappointed.
Shrines and temples tour
The tour was to gather in the ship terminal and with my eyes it’s very hard for me to see where things are these days. I finally latched onto another couple who were also signed up for this tour and after some fits and starts, we were finally accurately routed to the appropriate bus. It turns out we bypassed getting the stickers we wear when on tour. Since there were only twenty of us, the guide said it wasn’t going to be a problem. The two front seats were reserved for handicapped and so everyone else had bypassed them and chosen seats farther back. This included some folks with some problems. The obnoxious couple about whom I’ve written before, marched onto bus—the woman is always the worst and always ahead of him—sneered at the sign, put it aside behind the seat and sat down. That’s where they stayed the whole day. One fellow passed them, looked and said: I don’t see any handicap! They’re oblivious of course. It’s not very nice but I told that fellow later that I felt like coming onto the bus early, sitting in the seat and when she objected (as she surely will since this is her pattern), I’d show her my arm with my compression sleeves and say:”but I have a REAL handicap!” Of course I didn’t do it but I was surely tempted! I’m stewing about it and considering going to the tour office onboard and complaining. A woman had turned her ankle and the Queen did not budge and the lady went back further in the bus. One could make the argument that she managed to ambulate to the temples so why did she need a seat in the front of the bus? For me, it’s a matter of courtesy and respect for others.
As we see examples of such behavior which takes advantage of our concern for those with handicaps, I often think that those who are taking advantage should experience a substantial handicap themselves and then experience others treating them as if it didn’t matter.
Ok. Enough of that crap.
I took the shrines and temples tour and was not disappointed either. I had not seen any of the shrines before. And one of the major advantages, is that we went into areas we otherwise would not explore. In most instances, we had to leave the bus and walk through neighborhoods to reach these temples.
Our port talker had explained that tipping is usually for the tour guide and perhaps the driver. But there is also a fellow who hopes to be a driver one day who must prove his dedication for EIGHT years by being what’s called a “conductor”. He suggested we also give him a modest tip. This guy puts the extra step down, shoos away beggars annoying us, helps us down with his hand and such. But there were two other women also on the bus. I never quite figured out what their role(s) were and wondered about the etiquette of tipping them. In the end, I didn’t since I didn’t have the proper money along with me.
Public Buildings
The architecture is among the most interesting in the world. It includes old British colonial, Gothic, much less modern but still there especially among the new high rises. There is tremendous pollution here so the buildings show the gray discoloration and black streaking over many decades.
In recent years, the public buildings have acquired Indian names but no one uses them because they are so long. So the train terminal, seen in the movie “slum dog millionaire”, is still called Victoria. We passed many lovely beaches; I couldn’t recreate any of their names. Indians don’t sunbathe or swim on the beaches. They stroll and play with their kids there.
Taj Hotel and Gate of India
I’m making comparisons with our trip two years ago where there was much construction at the Gate of India. All of that is finished and the area is gorgeous. This is the huge Hindu and Muslim symbol of Mumbai. There are less beggars and they are better managed than in the past. The areas around the ship’s pier and this area have also been cleaned up considerably over the years.
The Taj Hotel is still gorgeous but going into it is a very different experience. There is only one door man dressed in that gorgeous uniform and it looks like he’s largely ceremonial. There used to be several there and they were actually door men with a few porters. There are still a few porters in ordinary wear, but there are a large contingent of men who are in and out of law enforcement uniforms. You must go through a scanner to go into the lobby. And the middle of that gorgeous, huge lobby, is blocked off with a wall. I found in conversation later that it is there to camouflage the repairs being done after the terrorist attack. The guest rooms involved are still under repair as well. The terrorists attacked old symbolic sites in Mombai including some favorite tourist restaurants such as the Leopold.
The remaining terrorist who was not killed is awaiting the verdict after a very long protracted trial. Pakistan has denied that any of their citizens were involved though the guide said that they knew exactly which village the dead men came from. Their bodies have been in a morgue for the past year waiting for Pakistan to claim them, which it won’t do because that would mean admitting it was their citizens who carried out the violence. So the Indians buried them in an unknown site where they couldn’t be found.
Terrorists
You can see the impact of this everywhere. There was always a police presence in Mombai but it is “in your face” now. I described the Taj Hotel and the Gate of India (they are across the street from each other) have a very visible presence. But you see them everywhere with their assault rifles at hand. Shopping areas also show this as do temples.
Beggars
This is a sore spot for many travelers of course. They can be quite aggressive and swarm you quickly. One fellow was passing out candy to the kids and the police and others were very pointed that he stop it. We only see the surface of course. The port speaker told us that women will rent babies by the hour because they can get more money that way. And the kids are kept in awful looking states as they can get more money that way too. And of course, they’ve all learned to look pathetic. But the most disturbing part is that they don’t get to keep that money; it’s like a pimp system.
The guide, as they have done in many countries, talked about the kind of work these women could be doing such as housework which doesn’t require much training. Many prefer to beg; that’s probably true more often than we’d like to admit but we simply don’t know much about all the details. I have learned over the years not to give directly to beggars but instead to give to groups who help them with food, lodging and education. They keep doing it because it works and thus I really have problems with people who insist on doing that. If they’re selling something, I find that less offensive though the way some of the tourists bargain them down is often shameful and in many instances, after this time when the person doesn’t have the opportunity to sell to someone else, the bargainer will walk away without buying anything.
Haji Ali Dagah
This is a place on an island in the middle of the bay which is reached by a bridge of some kind. It is a beautiful white structure and those who can’t go to Mecca, go here instead. There’s more the story but that’s the gist of it all.
Dabba Walas
This is an amazing system unique in all the world and is found only in Mombai. Basically, a woman anywhere in the Mombai area, and Mombai has 14 million people, prepares lunches for her kids at school, her husband at work, etc. About 11:15 in the morning she has it in a bag outside her door and the Dabba Wala, a man with a bicycle equipped with about 40 hooks to hold these bags, picks up the bags from the housewives or maids. He then takes them to a terminus where they are then transported via train usually to their destination. At the schools, they arrive about 15 minutes before the kids break for lunch and then the kids come to get their lunch. In each instance, the dabba walla waits for the bags to be returned to him and they are then returned to the housewife before 3 pm. They get paid a modest flat fee to do this and can still work another job around it. The accuracy rate exceeds 99.9%. They give lectures at management schools in Universities. I’d love to hear one of those lectures. The logistics must be amazing.
Dhobe Wat
This is also a uniquely Mombai service. It is an enormous outdoor laundry. Dirty laundry is picked up, processed here – no washers (except human), no dryers, no mangles—and delivered pristine clean to the owners within two days I think. How do they do it?
Lunch
We had this at a place on one of the beaches called Sand and Surf. It wasn’t very impressive but the food, a buffet, was terrific. It didn’t take us long to finish and so we didn’t stay as long as they had originally planned—mercifully.
ISKON temple
This is the Hare Kirshna temple and it is a bright white newer temple. There are three large windows inside an open structure and when the drapes open over these idol niches, people fling themselves onto the floor and much more. And there are a lot of people here. The music, disappointingly, was coming from a boom box. I saw only one of the traditionally attired Hare Krishnas we see in the US: shaved head with a small braided top knot, draped robes, barefoot…and he was a few blocks from the temple as we walked through the neighborhood.
Mumba Devi temple
We saw two other temples and I can’t recall which one this is. But one was a Southern Hindu temple that was very close, and dark, and with many nooks and crannies. There were many icons with worshipers at each one. There were also signs everywhere warning you in large English printing, to beware of pickpockets and such.
The other temple involved taking a “lift” or climbing a lot of stairs which was what I did. We went through some fascinating hovel neighborhoods to get here though and that was a real experience. At the top of the stairs, as you always do when going into these temples, you take off your shoes. But in this temple, the floors are often wet. This is because at the center of this temple is a lingam, a phallic symbol. They are more sanguine about genital symbols in many parts of Asia. People bring milk (the symbolism was not lost on me) and water to pour over this.
Shoes at temples
You must take off your shoes and so most people wear some kind of slip on. It is an ordeal to remove our tennis shoes, which most of us wear for stability and convenience. There are rarely seats or any other place to sit to take off, or as important, put your shoes back on. In many places, there are people who “look after” your shoes (because shoes have been known to be stolen from these places) and they of course expect a tip for this service. When you are on tour, all such tips are taken care of and it simplifies things considerably. The guide also prevents you from making any gaffs in speech or behavior too. I used to carry “temple socks”, those airline slippers you’re given on long flights, but it is still as much trouble to take them on and off, carry them, etc. In most places, the floor are pristine but in many of these older temples, the pigeon poop must be dodged between the shoe storage place and the inside of the temple.
Shopping
This was for 30 minutes and we were told we could only go into three shops in a row because of a concern about terrorists. The guide said there was an advisory out and each store had a guard who also spent time running the beggars away. But many folks believe it was so that the guide would get her kickback. Backshish (bribery and kickbacks) are so common in many parts of the world; You come to assume it’s going on even if you are not directly approached. Some folks went across the street (itself a suicidal mission given the traffic!) to buy, of all things, alcohol. One guy is collecting it in many ports to take home wherever that is. The baggage costs will surely off set his savings…for alcohol???
The stores had beautiful jewelry, clothing, rugs, and a few more expensive souvenirs. I looked at some clothing which was admittedly gorgeous and appeared to be well made, but $3-600 USD is way over priced! Most others agreed. One couple bought a chess set of some kind for no small price and I had the same questions about size and weight in getting it home. In most instances, all of these things are available in the US though admittedly, the cost might be much higher. But that might be offset by hassle factor and baggage costs, never mind customs fees as many folks are clearly going over those limits. Although the clerks are gentle and soft spoken, they still haunt you and so I didn’t stay long. The driver didn’t have the a/c on; we suspected it was to ensure that we stayed in the shops longer.
Stores in ship’s terminal
There are many lovely things here but few good bargains. And I’m never quite sure of the quality so unless it had really been a great deal, I wasn’t interested. And so I bought nothing. I keep telling myself, I could probably find the same stuff in LA, again perhaps at the same price.
Dinner
This was open seating and Ed and I opted against going out after dark in Mombai to have dinner somewhere unknown. We sat near the window to see the harbor and so this meant that we didn’t have our usual wait staff. Max saw us anyway and suddenly the plate of lemons appeared (I make lemonade) and Ed’s wine.
We decided to forego dessert to go to the early Folklorico Show on board. Later, we went up to the buffet and were busted. Max was laughing as he saw us getting dessert up there; the dining room was slow so he went to the buffet. These guys know all our secrets.
Folklorico Show
This was the same troupe we’ve seen before but the dances were new to me. And the costumes! So gorgeous. I’ll never be able to figure out how they can move around as well as they do in those clothes which are wrapped and tucked. Mine would be on the floor after the first twist. And as Hazel and I remarked, one of the dancers had to be 6 mos along though with all the drapery you had to look closely. Very clever. And speaking of which, that’s the only pregnant woman I’ve seen in India. Most of those with whom I spoke, have only two kids.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Mombai tomorrow
Mombai tomorrow
I heard Ed moving around. It sounded like someone unwrapping candy in a theatre. Finally I gave up trying to get more sleep and he left for the gym. I watched a program on capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica for a while and then got myself ready. I went to the library and found that I couldn’t get an internet connection. I presume the ship’s position, going north, is a problem for the satellite connection. These north south trajectories on this ship block the signal from the satellite a lot. So I decided I’d try again later. I am so dependent on the internet at home but on a ship in the middle of nowhere, it becomes our life line as does the TV signals we can get.
And speaking of TV signals, we don’t get CNN again. We do, however, have MSNBC so Ed is happy and of course the ubiquitous FOX news is always present. BBC is available more regularly now as well. The ship also has many channels with sitcom reruns, reruns of the lectures on board, movies of several kinds and other miscellany. As it is at home, the thing you want to watch at that time is often not available.
And regarding the library, I forgot to tell you that the travel books are locked up and must be checked out. All the other books are on the honor system. I suppose that’s to be expected.
Sugar creations
Eventually I took the computer and went to the Casino Lounge where there was a demonstration about how they make these incredible sugar creations. Today it was two glorious swans. The chef used a hair dryer from the cab in and a squeeze bulb on a rubber tube from the medical center on board. I’m not making this stuff up. These are not to eat so why not. It takes 3 hrs to make these often so you just know it’s not something we’re going to be doing at home.!
Trivia
We won big time! The other teams were giving us hazzahs. There were six of us. The team dynamics are the fun part though. And we always lament that we don’t get a perfect score. This morning’s trivia was a tough one too. This afternoon there were only 4 of us and we thought we were pretty awful until we graded another team’s answer sheet. The winning team blew us all out of the water so it didn’t matter in the end.
Lunch
We sat with an older woman and her 90+ dapper looking father (her husband didn’t want to go on this cruise, so she took her Dad!). The on board priest also sat with us and we had a ball. He runs a food bank in Ft. Lauderdale that serves 4,200 people a month who are HIV+. Most are elderly. He has no illusions about how all of this comes about and he is very resourceful in getting funding and keeping it going.
He is a Franciscan friar who is originally from Canada and lived in the No Calif Bay Area for many years where he taught high school. He has such a wry way of describing events and his life has been filled with lots of fun. He’s had his share of sorrow as well. We finally heard the full story of his trek to join this ship and it’s too long to recount here but it would have tested the body and soul of someone a third his age. He laughed about having to fight the urge to rejoin some vocabulary he thought he had put away years ago. He will celebrate 50 yrs of priesthood later this year. He has 8 siblings still living and so many nieces and nephews that he’s lost count. A thoroughly delightful luncheon experience as the lady and her father were charming as well.
US Foreign Policy: In an age of globalization, can we adapt?
This is a very talented speaker. She is a straight talker. From what I can see, her facts are flawless. Questions are fielded without shirking and with solid perspectives. She separates actions into politically instigated versus others. Her knowledge of the cultures and motivations of the folks in the middle east is extraordinary. She has been a consultant with many new media and travelled with Peter Jennings in particular. She has met with almost every leader in the middle east.
Princess Grapevine
We sat with a fellow from San Francisco who loves “Two Buck Chuck” and a lady from Venezuela. There were a few new wines. I still don’t like reds but I’ve come to “appreciate” Martin and Rossi Asti Spumonti and of course there’s always the little souvenir glasses we get at the end. And the cheeses are always fresh and delicious so it’s never a loss.
I was going to go to the practice lab for the computer but spending this time enjoying these events with Ed, things we don’t ordinarily do, is one of the fun parts of cruising like this.
Dinner
Only the second couple were at the table tonite and I think Ed is right that the two women usually feed off of each other and not in comfortable ways. I tried to focus on asking them questions about things I knew interested them. He is an architect, so I asked questions about what he thought of the architecture in various places. And for her, what places she most enjoyed in the world. That kind of thing. It was a much more pleasant meal than I would have predicted. Fewer nervous mannerisms and gasping talking actions. Ed thinks she has a need to be “accepted”; I’m not sure what the dynamic is but it was a much calmer experience and not unpleasant in the way meals have been before.
Rikki Jay, comedian
This guy is so hyper and so funny. He reminds me of Robin Williams when he’s off his meds. He is very funny though and not just verbally. He can imitate how someone would behave and you are transfixed as if you were watching it in real time.
Here’s one of his verbal jokes I can recall (and it was Ed’s favorite)—answer at end of blog:
What’s hospice?
Today’s weather
It started off bright and sunny but quickly deteriorated to dreary, hot and muggy. It is gray and the ocean while amazing, isn’t as striking as I think of it ordinarily. I hope the little fishies are having a good time underwater.
Mumbai time
For reasons that are a blank to me, Mombai is on a half hour change instead of the usual one hour. The ship has not had us change our time as it would simply mean returning to our pre-Mombai time. So we are using ship’s time while in port. That means ignoring the clocks and paying attention to your own. Not hard but for some it’s very confusing.
Answer: About four liters.
I heard Ed moving around. It sounded like someone unwrapping candy in a theatre. Finally I gave up trying to get more sleep and he left for the gym. I watched a program on capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica for a while and then got myself ready. I went to the library and found that I couldn’t get an internet connection. I presume the ship’s position, going north, is a problem for the satellite connection. These north south trajectories on this ship block the signal from the satellite a lot. So I decided I’d try again later. I am so dependent on the internet at home but on a ship in the middle of nowhere, it becomes our life line as does the TV signals we can get.
And speaking of TV signals, we don’t get CNN again. We do, however, have MSNBC so Ed is happy and of course the ubiquitous FOX news is always present. BBC is available more regularly now as well. The ship also has many channels with sitcom reruns, reruns of the lectures on board, movies of several kinds and other miscellany. As it is at home, the thing you want to watch at that time is often not available.
And regarding the library, I forgot to tell you that the travel books are locked up and must be checked out. All the other books are on the honor system. I suppose that’s to be expected.
Sugar creations
Eventually I took the computer and went to the Casino Lounge where there was a demonstration about how they make these incredible sugar creations. Today it was two glorious swans. The chef used a hair dryer from the cab in and a squeeze bulb on a rubber tube from the medical center on board. I’m not making this stuff up. These are not to eat so why not. It takes 3 hrs to make these often so you just know it’s not something we’re going to be doing at home.!
Trivia
We won big time! The other teams were giving us hazzahs. There were six of us. The team dynamics are the fun part though. And we always lament that we don’t get a perfect score. This morning’s trivia was a tough one too. This afternoon there were only 4 of us and we thought we were pretty awful until we graded another team’s answer sheet. The winning team blew us all out of the water so it didn’t matter in the end.
Lunch
We sat with an older woman and her 90+ dapper looking father (her husband didn’t want to go on this cruise, so she took her Dad!). The on board priest also sat with us and we had a ball. He runs a food bank in Ft. Lauderdale that serves 4,200 people a month who are HIV+. Most are elderly. He has no illusions about how all of this comes about and he is very resourceful in getting funding and keeping it going.
He is a Franciscan friar who is originally from Canada and lived in the No Calif Bay Area for many years where he taught high school. He has such a wry way of describing events and his life has been filled with lots of fun. He’s had his share of sorrow as well. We finally heard the full story of his trek to join this ship and it’s too long to recount here but it would have tested the body and soul of someone a third his age. He laughed about having to fight the urge to rejoin some vocabulary he thought he had put away years ago. He will celebrate 50 yrs of priesthood later this year. He has 8 siblings still living and so many nieces and nephews that he’s lost count. A thoroughly delightful luncheon experience as the lady and her father were charming as well.
US Foreign Policy: In an age of globalization, can we adapt?
This is a very talented speaker. She is a straight talker. From what I can see, her facts are flawless. Questions are fielded without shirking and with solid perspectives. She separates actions into politically instigated versus others. Her knowledge of the cultures and motivations of the folks in the middle east is extraordinary. She has been a consultant with many new media and travelled with Peter Jennings in particular. She has met with almost every leader in the middle east.
Princess Grapevine
We sat with a fellow from San Francisco who loves “Two Buck Chuck” and a lady from Venezuela. There were a few new wines. I still don’t like reds but I’ve come to “appreciate” Martin and Rossi Asti Spumonti and of course there’s always the little souvenir glasses we get at the end. And the cheeses are always fresh and delicious so it’s never a loss.
I was going to go to the practice lab for the computer but spending this time enjoying these events with Ed, things we don’t ordinarily do, is one of the fun parts of cruising like this.
Dinner
Only the second couple were at the table tonite and I think Ed is right that the two women usually feed off of each other and not in comfortable ways. I tried to focus on asking them questions about things I knew interested them. He is an architect, so I asked questions about what he thought of the architecture in various places. And for her, what places she most enjoyed in the world. That kind of thing. It was a much more pleasant meal than I would have predicted. Fewer nervous mannerisms and gasping talking actions. Ed thinks she has a need to be “accepted”; I’m not sure what the dynamic is but it was a much calmer experience and not unpleasant in the way meals have been before.
Rikki Jay, comedian
This guy is so hyper and so funny. He reminds me of Robin Williams when he’s off his meds. He is very funny though and not just verbally. He can imitate how someone would behave and you are transfixed as if you were watching it in real time.
Here’s one of his verbal jokes I can recall (and it was Ed’s favorite)—answer at end of blog:
What’s hospice?
Today’s weather
It started off bright and sunny but quickly deteriorated to dreary, hot and muggy. It is gray and the ocean while amazing, isn’t as striking as I think of it ordinarily. I hope the little fishies are having a good time underwater.
Mumbai time
For reasons that are a blank to me, Mombai is on a half hour change instead of the usual one hour. The ship has not had us change our time as it would simply mean returning to our pre-Mombai time. So we are using ship’s time while in port. That means ignoring the clocks and paying attention to your own. Not hard but for some it’s very confusing.
Answer: About four liters.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friday at sea
April 22 2010
The sun was very bright as the ship is going north and the sun rises on starboard side now. Ed was up creeping around for a long while and eventually went to the gym. I headed to the library.
Library
The one on this ship is quite nice with perhaps well over a thousand volumes not counting those donated by passengers, some hardcover, as the cruise progresses. There is an area where folks put jig saw puzzles together. Another table where the daily quiz and Sudoku challenge are put out for folks to pick up. A large world globe is in the center but it is almost as old as the one Columbus used; well maybe the one Magellan created. There are windows on three sides that look out; one onto the jogging track and in the distance, the pool.
As I was typing, I kept hearing his very quiet clicking sound and I wanted to see where it was coming from as it had become annoying. Turns out it’s a man who’s asleep in a chair. It is not uncommon, no matter what time of the day, to see folks snoozing away in the chairs which are pretty comfortable actually; some even have foot stools.
Ed went to the gym this morning—at least that’s what it looked like. I enter this information in here as Nancy is keeping track. Also, we have sat with a couple from New Orleans and an older man who now lives in Slidell but has the NO accent and attitude.
Port Talk: Mumbai (Bombay)
We’ve been here twice before and haven’t even scratched the surface of this fascinating city. We recognized many of the places discussed and heard about some we have yet to visit. We will be taking different tours. Ed was ill last trip and thus did not see Elephanta Island which is really a must see. I will be doing the tour of the shrines and temples so lots of taking off and putting on of shoes.
Trivia
We didn’t win this morning but we did OK. We were terrible this afternoon but we had plenty of company!
Lunch
It is still interesting to meet and talk with people from various places who are on this cruise. And it is still amazing to us that we meet people we do not recall having seen around the ship before. We all have this experience so it’s not just us.
I read while Ed did some Sudoku and then we went to the lecture.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Myth and Reality
This speaker, Judith Kipper, is such an interesting person to hear. She does not use notes but has some powerpoint slides, perhaps 2-3 for each talk. She knows all the major players and understand the culture and politics very well. The questions are fielded in a straightforward and honest manner. Disagreements are fine but you’d need to be much more knowledgeable than she is to hold your ground. I learned a lot about this kingdom from her perspective.
Computer practice lab was for an hour and I tried again to do a composite photo from some we had taken. Thank goodness it is just for learning as I go so far and then can’t figure out the missing step and have to keep going until I get past that part. Trying to do precision work on a bouncing ship doesn’t help either. I’ll need to look at books when I get back and practice, practice, practice.
Plastic surgery post operative
This was offered during the same time as the practice lab. Some folks brought it up but they also had not gone to hear the fellow passenger who has had 8 surgeries at a cost of $45K and 16 hours in the OR. I’ll keep asking, as will others, about this story. But I’m surprised I haven’t been able to identify someone who’s had that much work done. Wonder if it was worth it psychologically and otherwise.
Dinner
Just Ed and I and one other couple. This was an easier discussion time and I actually enjoyed it. There was much more give and take and no so much grabbing of “air time”. Ed observed the dynamics are different particularly between the two women. As we left the dining room, two of the dancers were dressed up in Chinese attire and photos were being taken. I have no idea why that theme or tonite. This is the first time they’ve done this on this cruise or perhaps even on this ship! Tonite is 50s and 60s night but I don’t think they’ll see Ed and I or many others either. The staff will probably have a good time by themselves.
Kaitlyn Carr
This is the Scottish singer who is really cute and of course has a cute accent. She sang songs by many folks: Rogers and Hammerstein, Bette Midler, Josh Grogan, Andrew Lloyd Weber. She’s perky and upbeat and of course very young compared to the rest of us and did I say, very pretty.
Recurring themes as we travel
Immigration: Every country is struggling with an immigration problem of one form or another. And citizens struggle also with how strict to be and what criteria to use to exclude some and not others. The issue of educated versus unskilled, while not always being mentioned explicitly, is certainly a part of the fabric of any conversation. As an example, the elite (think upper middle class and above) in many of these countries have all their education paid for by their governments. The prime example is Saudi Arabia. But almost all of these countries also have a substantial problem with poverty (yes, even in Saudi Arabia!) and importation of a large ex-pat community to perform jobs that their population is unwilling or unskilled enough to do.
But when one thinks of terrorists, the focus is often on those who are uneducated. But consider those who are the most visible among the terrorists: all are highly educated and many have been physicians (I am reminded here of Che Guevara yet once more…but back to the Middle East and today’s terrorists). The poor are recruited to be single suicide bombers and the grunts on the front lines.
Demographics: Most of these countries are top heavy with young people. Think of a pyramid where you have 40-60 percent under 20 or 25 y/o. Read that again as it’s important. Then think of those countries who are developed or developing and what their population pyramid would look like. China already is dealing with elderly people and who will care for them; Japan as well. In the US I think our birthrate is fast approaching a point where we won’t be achieving a replacement rate. I’m not advocating changing the birth rates in developed nations, but we do need to recognize the significance and implications for future geopolitical events. These young people need jobs. They need elders to move aside so they can be employed. In several of the countries we’ve just seen, the retirement age for those in salaried jobs is 55. It is 60 in China. Many of our age group view this with glee as Ed and I obviously have, but it becries the need for the input of wisdom which is acquired with age.
I will add some gender implications here as well. In Saudi Arabia, they are building huge universities solely for women. More women than men are becoming college graduates there. The latter is true many places in the world including the US. In some countries such as India, women are being empowered to earn their own income via small entrepreneurial endeavors such as cell phones for long distance calls and making of local products. They funnel that money back into their families and children; they do not gamble or drink it away. Thus the overall health of the family is improved in such situations. And we cannot ignore the impact of birth control where a woman can devote her energies to maintaining a proper home and nurturing children who will be stronger adults. I do have concerns about the lack of male role models for both boys and girls however and we do need to find a way to address this fact even in the US.
Poverty: running through all of this is the theme of poverty. Education pays off for the whole society because along with education comes health, stability, and success. Research has repeatedly shown that in those nations where the range between the high income and the low income is narrow, the overall health and stability of the population is impressive. We need to be alert to this in the US for a wide range as you see in many countries, foments rebellion and insurgencies.
End of observations and professorial lecture for today.
The sun was very bright as the ship is going north and the sun rises on starboard side now. Ed was up creeping around for a long while and eventually went to the gym. I headed to the library.
Library
The one on this ship is quite nice with perhaps well over a thousand volumes not counting those donated by passengers, some hardcover, as the cruise progresses. There is an area where folks put jig saw puzzles together. Another table where the daily quiz and Sudoku challenge are put out for folks to pick up. A large world globe is in the center but it is almost as old as the one Columbus used; well maybe the one Magellan created. There are windows on three sides that look out; one onto the jogging track and in the distance, the pool.
As I was typing, I kept hearing his very quiet clicking sound and I wanted to see where it was coming from as it had become annoying. Turns out it’s a man who’s asleep in a chair. It is not uncommon, no matter what time of the day, to see folks snoozing away in the chairs which are pretty comfortable actually; some even have foot stools.
Ed went to the gym this morning—at least that’s what it looked like. I enter this information in here as Nancy is keeping track. Also, we have sat with a couple from New Orleans and an older man who now lives in Slidell but has the NO accent and attitude.
Port Talk: Mumbai (Bombay)
We’ve been here twice before and haven’t even scratched the surface of this fascinating city. We recognized many of the places discussed and heard about some we have yet to visit. We will be taking different tours. Ed was ill last trip and thus did not see Elephanta Island which is really a must see. I will be doing the tour of the shrines and temples so lots of taking off and putting on of shoes.
Trivia
We didn’t win this morning but we did OK. We were terrible this afternoon but we had plenty of company!
Lunch
It is still interesting to meet and talk with people from various places who are on this cruise. And it is still amazing to us that we meet people we do not recall having seen around the ship before. We all have this experience so it’s not just us.
I read while Ed did some Sudoku and then we went to the lecture.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Myth and Reality
This speaker, Judith Kipper, is such an interesting person to hear. She does not use notes but has some powerpoint slides, perhaps 2-3 for each talk. She knows all the major players and understand the culture and politics very well. The questions are fielded in a straightforward and honest manner. Disagreements are fine but you’d need to be much more knowledgeable than she is to hold your ground. I learned a lot about this kingdom from her perspective.
Computer practice lab was for an hour and I tried again to do a composite photo from some we had taken. Thank goodness it is just for learning as I go so far and then can’t figure out the missing step and have to keep going until I get past that part. Trying to do precision work on a bouncing ship doesn’t help either. I’ll need to look at books when I get back and practice, practice, practice.
Plastic surgery post operative
This was offered during the same time as the practice lab. Some folks brought it up but they also had not gone to hear the fellow passenger who has had 8 surgeries at a cost of $45K and 16 hours in the OR. I’ll keep asking, as will others, about this story. But I’m surprised I haven’t been able to identify someone who’s had that much work done. Wonder if it was worth it psychologically and otherwise.
Dinner
Just Ed and I and one other couple. This was an easier discussion time and I actually enjoyed it. There was much more give and take and no so much grabbing of “air time”. Ed observed the dynamics are different particularly between the two women. As we left the dining room, two of the dancers were dressed up in Chinese attire and photos were being taken. I have no idea why that theme or tonite. This is the first time they’ve done this on this cruise or perhaps even on this ship! Tonite is 50s and 60s night but I don’t think they’ll see Ed and I or many others either. The staff will probably have a good time by themselves.
Kaitlyn Carr
This is the Scottish singer who is really cute and of course has a cute accent. She sang songs by many folks: Rogers and Hammerstein, Bette Midler, Josh Grogan, Andrew Lloyd Weber. She’s perky and upbeat and of course very young compared to the rest of us and did I say, very pretty.
Recurring themes as we travel
Immigration: Every country is struggling with an immigration problem of one form or another. And citizens struggle also with how strict to be and what criteria to use to exclude some and not others. The issue of educated versus unskilled, while not always being mentioned explicitly, is certainly a part of the fabric of any conversation. As an example, the elite (think upper middle class and above) in many of these countries have all their education paid for by their governments. The prime example is Saudi Arabia. But almost all of these countries also have a substantial problem with poverty (yes, even in Saudi Arabia!) and importation of a large ex-pat community to perform jobs that their population is unwilling or unskilled enough to do.
But when one thinks of terrorists, the focus is often on those who are uneducated. But consider those who are the most visible among the terrorists: all are highly educated and many have been physicians (I am reminded here of Che Guevara yet once more…but back to the Middle East and today’s terrorists). The poor are recruited to be single suicide bombers and the grunts on the front lines.
Demographics: Most of these countries are top heavy with young people. Think of a pyramid where you have 40-60 percent under 20 or 25 y/o. Read that again as it’s important. Then think of those countries who are developed or developing and what their population pyramid would look like. China already is dealing with elderly people and who will care for them; Japan as well. In the US I think our birthrate is fast approaching a point where we won’t be achieving a replacement rate. I’m not advocating changing the birth rates in developed nations, but we do need to recognize the significance and implications for future geopolitical events. These young people need jobs. They need elders to move aside so they can be employed. In several of the countries we’ve just seen, the retirement age for those in salaried jobs is 55. It is 60 in China. Many of our age group view this with glee as Ed and I obviously have, but it becries the need for the input of wisdom which is acquired with age.
I will add some gender implications here as well. In Saudi Arabia, they are building huge universities solely for women. More women than men are becoming college graduates there. The latter is true many places in the world including the US. In some countries such as India, women are being empowered to earn their own income via small entrepreneurial endeavors such as cell phones for long distance calls and making of local products. They funnel that money back into their families and children; they do not gamble or drink it away. Thus the overall health of the family is improved in such situations. And we cannot ignore the impact of birth control where a woman can devote her energies to maintaining a proper home and nurturing children who will be stronger adults. I do have concerns about the lack of male role models for both boys and girls however and we do need to find a way to address this fact even in the US.
Poverty: running through all of this is the theme of poverty. Education pays off for the whole society because along with education comes health, stability, and success. Research has repeatedly shown that in those nations where the range between the high income and the low income is narrow, the overall health and stability of the population is impressive. We need to be alert to this in the US for a wide range as you see in many countries, foments rebellion and insurgencies.
End of observations and professorial lecture for today.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Off to Mombai
Male (mah-lay) Maldives
Beautiful sail-in and a fun tender ride to the sea wall which surrounds this small atoll. Lots of various ships at anchor including another cruise ship, probably Italian. Once ashore, we grouped for the walking tour in a small park. Our guide was “Sud” one of the 150,000 inhabitants of this island; the whole Maldives has 300,000 plus the tourists for the many resorts here. Someone said that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had honeymooned here. They have the money as this isn’t an inexpensive place; everything is imported.
It was in the 90s and the humidity was just short of a downpour; the sweat from your hair dripped onto you as if you’d just emerged from a pool. It is exhausting and breezes and shade are cherished. Drinking lots of water is a must and the shower and change of clothes back on the ship is welcomed.
We saw the mosques from the outside and much of the inside of the very elegant and modern new mosque. There are gold domes and minarets as we’ve come to expect and we know without being told to remove our shoes before mounting the stairs. I’m also surprised that some folks still don’t “get” the dress code: knees and shoulders covered. Many men in shorts were provided swathes of material to wrap around their waist to provide modesty. I think all the women complied; we were allowed to wear slacks as many of the local ladies do though most of the women do wear the full head scarf here. Everyone is Muslim they say.
While you do see a few vehicles and bicycles, you are mostly overwhelmed with the numbers of mostly modern scooters. And beware they don’t run over you while crossing the streets. There are stone streets and the land is mostly fine sand from the coral. The greenery is lush as the tropics provides. We saw fruit bats resting in some trees. They call them “flying squirrels” in Asia. But I don’t recall seeing anything live that could be labeled a pet: dog, cat, etc. there were a few scattered birds but I couldn’t get close enough to describe them and none were interesting enough to photograph. The flowers are lovely and I recognized our friend we call “ham and eggs” (for reasons I’ve never understood).
We walked by the old and new Presidential Palace, Supreme Court and some other official type buildings. Just looked in, no going inside. The Natural Museum had some old furniture and cannons but the ladies who “guarded” things were the most interesting. All in colorful full length clothing with the head dresses and so tiny you can’t help but stare at them. We look like giants next to them. This and the souvenir shop (on a second floor up steep stairs: how do they expect customers to find it?) were the only air conditioned places we were in. Folks kept wanting to peel off and do other things or return to the ship but Sud kept insisting we had to stay with him. He didn’t provide much narrative but we are no longer surprised by the varying quality of the guides we get.
There was no question that we were going right back to the ship when this was over. We stripped, showered, and went to lunch in the dining room where we were joined by a couple from Idylwild, Ca (who are moving to Oregon) and a British couple who were very “jolly”. Both couples came on in Singapore.
Afternoon movie
This was “Vantage Point” with Dennis Quaid. I was looking forward to it since I enjoy him but the directing wasn’t very good imho. I left after maybe 30 minutes. It depends on a lot of special effects and shooting and bombs. Apparently the director was trying some melding of Groundhog Day and Roshomon, and it didn’t work very well. The setting was Salamanca, Spain and I wanted to see that as much as any thing else but given the way it was filmed I only saw the square…over and …over and….over again. Ed did stayed for the whole film which is predictable.
Vicissitudes of foreign diets?
For several days now I’ve been having some lower abdominal pain but nothing terrible and nothing else seemed to be changing. Except for the bratwurst I described in earlier blogs, he and I have eaten the same things, so I was very puzzled. Last night it got so bad I felt like my guts were on fire. I got up in the night and took an ibuprofen but I had warned Ed that if it stayed this bad, I was going to see Nikolas at 8 am when the clinic opened. And I was feeling bad enough I was considering going down in my housecoat since I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to manage the shower and dressing. I woke up with a still tender tummy but nothing like the earlier evening and so I went without a problem. But this evening I spoke with another lady who’s been experiencing similar symptoms though not to the same degree. So who knows? I just consider myself lucky. Between my tummy and my vision challenges (mixing up my contacts and not being able to determine by my vision if they are on correctly; wondering if I’m creating lesions on my cornea since they feel like I have sand under them lately) I was considering throwing myself a pity party and getting over it all. Ha.
Dinner
Given all the above and other things I’ve shared before, I just didn’t have the will to endure the table tonite so I sent Ed on by himself to the dining room and I went up to the Panorama Buffet where I joined Lysle and Ellie from our first table assignment. We sat on the back outside and watched the sunset. Pretty quickly it began a rainstorm which we thoroughly enjoyed. We discussed various films and previous passengers who would fit right into your local mental hospital.
Ed endured some stories at the table about previous lives and drunken brawls in the Antilles by one person at the table. It sounds like he’s a little more aware of the Chatty Cathy quality of the ladies.
Dressing for dinner
Mike has written puzzled about the big deal some folks have about dressing for dinner. There are dress standards for the dining room, and to a lesser extent for the Panorama Buffet. We are given a schedule with “smart casual”, “dressy casual” and “formal” descriptions of dress. The complaint is that folks are coming to the dining room for supper (lunch is pretty open) in tank tops, shorts and flip flops. Some folks seem to wear a combination of clothing that varies little all the time. Something slightly above beach wear. The discussion and complaints speculate that the dress codes aren’t being ‘enforced” since no one wants to anger a passenger and lose a customer. I know they do bend over backwards to please folks who clearly think their specialness entitled them to extraordinary attention, because in the end, it is all about attention.
The Panorama buffet crowd has been offended by (you won’t believe this happens but it’s true) folks coming in their housecoats to eat, and eating in their bathing suits at the tables. If you want to eat in your bathing suits, there are areas around the pool for that.
So anyway, it’s an interesting cultural mix to hear the stories. Equally as interesting (and sometimes mildly shocking) is the insensitivity of some folks—and hypersensitivity of others. And then of course there are always those who are calling the other kettle black.
Magician/Comedian
Well you know by now how I feel about these folks so I passed. There is much discussion about how many times can we see the rope trick done by another entertainer. In truth, it is very difficult to please everyone; they do their best. And many folks do genuinely enjoy the magicians, like Ed who tries to figure out how they do it. ;-) However, he decided not to go this evening so it was just he and I alone quietly. Very nice. I did my hand laundry and he did his Sudoku. Then we turned the lights out early. Very peaceful and domestic on the high seas.
Beautiful sail-in and a fun tender ride to the sea wall which surrounds this small atoll. Lots of various ships at anchor including another cruise ship, probably Italian. Once ashore, we grouped for the walking tour in a small park. Our guide was “Sud” one of the 150,000 inhabitants of this island; the whole Maldives has 300,000 plus the tourists for the many resorts here. Someone said that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had honeymooned here. They have the money as this isn’t an inexpensive place; everything is imported.
It was in the 90s and the humidity was just short of a downpour; the sweat from your hair dripped onto you as if you’d just emerged from a pool. It is exhausting and breezes and shade are cherished. Drinking lots of water is a must and the shower and change of clothes back on the ship is welcomed.
We saw the mosques from the outside and much of the inside of the very elegant and modern new mosque. There are gold domes and minarets as we’ve come to expect and we know without being told to remove our shoes before mounting the stairs. I’m also surprised that some folks still don’t “get” the dress code: knees and shoulders covered. Many men in shorts were provided swathes of material to wrap around their waist to provide modesty. I think all the women complied; we were allowed to wear slacks as many of the local ladies do though most of the women do wear the full head scarf here. Everyone is Muslim they say.
While you do see a few vehicles and bicycles, you are mostly overwhelmed with the numbers of mostly modern scooters. And beware they don’t run over you while crossing the streets. There are stone streets and the land is mostly fine sand from the coral. The greenery is lush as the tropics provides. We saw fruit bats resting in some trees. They call them “flying squirrels” in Asia. But I don’t recall seeing anything live that could be labeled a pet: dog, cat, etc. there were a few scattered birds but I couldn’t get close enough to describe them and none were interesting enough to photograph. The flowers are lovely and I recognized our friend we call “ham and eggs” (for reasons I’ve never understood).
We walked by the old and new Presidential Palace, Supreme Court and some other official type buildings. Just looked in, no going inside. The Natural Museum had some old furniture and cannons but the ladies who “guarded” things were the most interesting. All in colorful full length clothing with the head dresses and so tiny you can’t help but stare at them. We look like giants next to them. This and the souvenir shop (on a second floor up steep stairs: how do they expect customers to find it?) were the only air conditioned places we were in. Folks kept wanting to peel off and do other things or return to the ship but Sud kept insisting we had to stay with him. He didn’t provide much narrative but we are no longer surprised by the varying quality of the guides we get.
There was no question that we were going right back to the ship when this was over. We stripped, showered, and went to lunch in the dining room where we were joined by a couple from Idylwild, Ca (who are moving to Oregon) and a British couple who were very “jolly”. Both couples came on in Singapore.
Afternoon movie
This was “Vantage Point” with Dennis Quaid. I was looking forward to it since I enjoy him but the directing wasn’t very good imho. I left after maybe 30 minutes. It depends on a lot of special effects and shooting and bombs. Apparently the director was trying some melding of Groundhog Day and Roshomon, and it didn’t work very well. The setting was Salamanca, Spain and I wanted to see that as much as any thing else but given the way it was filmed I only saw the square…over and …over and….over again. Ed did stayed for the whole film which is predictable.
Vicissitudes of foreign diets?
For several days now I’ve been having some lower abdominal pain but nothing terrible and nothing else seemed to be changing. Except for the bratwurst I described in earlier blogs, he and I have eaten the same things, so I was very puzzled. Last night it got so bad I felt like my guts were on fire. I got up in the night and took an ibuprofen but I had warned Ed that if it stayed this bad, I was going to see Nikolas at 8 am when the clinic opened. And I was feeling bad enough I was considering going down in my housecoat since I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to manage the shower and dressing. I woke up with a still tender tummy but nothing like the earlier evening and so I went without a problem. But this evening I spoke with another lady who’s been experiencing similar symptoms though not to the same degree. So who knows? I just consider myself lucky. Between my tummy and my vision challenges (mixing up my contacts and not being able to determine by my vision if they are on correctly; wondering if I’m creating lesions on my cornea since they feel like I have sand under them lately) I was considering throwing myself a pity party and getting over it all. Ha.
Dinner
Given all the above and other things I’ve shared before, I just didn’t have the will to endure the table tonite so I sent Ed on by himself to the dining room and I went up to the Panorama Buffet where I joined Lysle and Ellie from our first table assignment. We sat on the back outside and watched the sunset. Pretty quickly it began a rainstorm which we thoroughly enjoyed. We discussed various films and previous passengers who would fit right into your local mental hospital.
Ed endured some stories at the table about previous lives and drunken brawls in the Antilles by one person at the table. It sounds like he’s a little more aware of the Chatty Cathy quality of the ladies.
Dressing for dinner
Mike has written puzzled about the big deal some folks have about dressing for dinner. There are dress standards for the dining room, and to a lesser extent for the Panorama Buffet. We are given a schedule with “smart casual”, “dressy casual” and “formal” descriptions of dress. The complaint is that folks are coming to the dining room for supper (lunch is pretty open) in tank tops, shorts and flip flops. Some folks seem to wear a combination of clothing that varies little all the time. Something slightly above beach wear. The discussion and complaints speculate that the dress codes aren’t being ‘enforced” since no one wants to anger a passenger and lose a customer. I know they do bend over backwards to please folks who clearly think their specialness entitled them to extraordinary attention, because in the end, it is all about attention.
The Panorama buffet crowd has been offended by (you won’t believe this happens but it’s true) folks coming in their housecoats to eat, and eating in their bathing suits at the tables. If you want to eat in your bathing suits, there are areas around the pool for that.
So anyway, it’s an interesting cultural mix to hear the stories. Equally as interesting (and sometimes mildly shocking) is the insensitivity of some folks—and hypersensitivity of others. And then of course there are always those who are calling the other kettle black.
Magician/Comedian
Well you know by now how I feel about these folks so I passed. There is much discussion about how many times can we see the rope trick done by another entertainer. In truth, it is very difficult to please everyone; they do their best. And many folks do genuinely enjoy the magicians, like Ed who tries to figure out how they do it. ;-) However, he decided not to go this evening so it was just he and I alone quietly. Very nice. I did my hand laundry and he did his Sudoku. Then we turned the lights out early. Very peaceful and domestic on the high seas.
Wow! It's sooooo hot and muggy
4 20 2010
The ocean was gorgeous when we opened the curtains and Ed went off to the gym. There wasn’t much going on this morning so I went to the library for my usual internet stuff and then read for a while. I was lucky to find another new large print book but I don’t know if it’ll be worth the time to read. I saw several other books of interest but the small print is a definite problem; I wouldn’t be able to read them for any period of time.
Computer classes
I audited the computer class on layers and selections and then I took the one on composite photos in the afternoon. I couldn’t talk Ed into attending the latter though I know it is a bell and whistle he’d enjoy.
Trivia
Because of the computer classes, I wasn’t in trivia in the morning where there were 5 on the team and they didn’t win. This afternoon there were the core four of us and WE WON! Not only that, but we won by 2 points higher than the nearest competitor. We were getting punch drunk laughing at our versions of the answers to some of the questions.
Lunch
Ed and I ran down for a quick lunch as this was in between the computer classes. The two profs from Univ. of Miami were at the adjacent table and we had fun discussing other passengers, tours and trivia where they are also part of a team.
The Middle East and South Asia: An Arc of Crisis
This speaker has lived and worked in the Middle East for decades and while she has a peculiar speaking style and waves the microphone in front of her mouth instead of holding it where you can hear her well, she is clearly very knowledgeable. She also has the same perspectives we hold about much of what’s going on. I expected some negative oriented questions but they didn’t come. She will speak again day after tomorrow.
Dinner
I swear if I start to say something and another person at the table, and here I include all of them, starts talking over me, I am going to scream! One person was talking about someone (it was Norman Cousins but they didn’t know the name nor much else accurate about the story) who had cured themselves of cancer by watching funny movies. I knew Norman Cousins at UCLA and it was a rheumatological condition. But you’d be proud of me: I stayed mum. I came close to suggesting they read “Anatomy of an Illness”, Cousin’s book, but I doubt they would. The “authoress” at our table spends time each evening trashing other successful authors such as Nicholas Sparks. I look forward to reading her one novel which she has with her and is published by a company I’ve never heard of. Do I sound catty? Of course I do. I’d be supportive under other circumstances but this conversation that focuses on so much negative is wearing me down.
Liars All Gameshow
This was hilarious. Peculiar words were put up and then the four panelists had to describe the word and in the end we had to guess who was telling the truth. Two examples are crapulence and farture. The panelists where the cruise director, the magician-comedian, the singer, and the comedian. What a riot and it wasn’t easy to determine who was telling the truth.
The ocean was gorgeous when we opened the curtains and Ed went off to the gym. There wasn’t much going on this morning so I went to the library for my usual internet stuff and then read for a while. I was lucky to find another new large print book but I don’t know if it’ll be worth the time to read. I saw several other books of interest but the small print is a definite problem; I wouldn’t be able to read them for any period of time.
Computer classes
I audited the computer class on layers and selections and then I took the one on composite photos in the afternoon. I couldn’t talk Ed into attending the latter though I know it is a bell and whistle he’d enjoy.
Trivia
Because of the computer classes, I wasn’t in trivia in the morning where there were 5 on the team and they didn’t win. This afternoon there were the core four of us and WE WON! Not only that, but we won by 2 points higher than the nearest competitor. We were getting punch drunk laughing at our versions of the answers to some of the questions.
Lunch
Ed and I ran down for a quick lunch as this was in between the computer classes. The two profs from Univ. of Miami were at the adjacent table and we had fun discussing other passengers, tours and trivia where they are also part of a team.
The Middle East and South Asia: An Arc of Crisis
This speaker has lived and worked in the Middle East for decades and while she has a peculiar speaking style and waves the microphone in front of her mouth instead of holding it where you can hear her well, she is clearly very knowledgeable. She also has the same perspectives we hold about much of what’s going on. I expected some negative oriented questions but they didn’t come. She will speak again day after tomorrow.
Dinner
I swear if I start to say something and another person at the table, and here I include all of them, starts talking over me, I am going to scream! One person was talking about someone (it was Norman Cousins but they didn’t know the name nor much else accurate about the story) who had cured themselves of cancer by watching funny movies. I knew Norman Cousins at UCLA and it was a rheumatological condition. But you’d be proud of me: I stayed mum. I came close to suggesting they read “Anatomy of an Illness”, Cousin’s book, but I doubt they would. The “authoress” at our table spends time each evening trashing other successful authors such as Nicholas Sparks. I look forward to reading her one novel which she has with her and is published by a company I’ve never heard of. Do I sound catty? Of course I do. I’d be supportive under other circumstances but this conversation that focuses on so much negative is wearing me down.
Liars All Gameshow
This was hilarious. Peculiar words were put up and then the four panelists had to describe the word and in the end we had to guess who was telling the truth. Two examples are crapulence and farture. The panelists where the cruise director, the magician-comedian, the singer, and the comedian. What a riot and it wasn’t easy to determine who was telling the truth.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Male, Maldives tomorrow
4 20 2010
I got ready and Ed went to the gym. We got an extra hour last night. Since we are so close to the equator now, our days are 12 hrs of light and 12 of dark. It seems so strange.
The day started off with three strikes: I stubbed my toe pretty good last night, my temple piece on my reading glasses came apart, and a favorite pair of earrings came apart and I have no pliers to repair them until I get home. The glasses I’ll take back to the place where I got them for repair. In the meantime I went down to the boutiques on board and picked up a pair of cheaters in a high power and they work fine. It takes some getting used to and they’ll never win a beauty contest, but they work.
Computer class(es)
I showed up to audit the 10 am class and no one showed up so I visited with the teacher who is a nice and talented teacher. At 11 am, a lady did show up and so I was able to audit that one. At 1 pm, Ed took a class I had already taken thus it gave me an opportunity to audit one more for the review.
Lunch
I went to the dining room with Ed and we sat alone for a change since I had a tight time schedule. It was nice not to have to entertain other folks which takes a lot of energy out of me but which Ed seems to enjoy very much.
Port Talk: Male
This is really just a collection of Atolls SW of India and West of Sri Lanka. The airport is on one island and the capitol city on another. Very strange. It is really a very expensive resort area with snorkeling, scuba diving, and just sun bathing sometimes on uninhabited islands. I think we’re signed up for a walking tour of the city.
Endless forms most beautiful: Darwin’s Cabinet of Curiosities
This was the photojournalist again and the photos as you may expect are darling but equally as interesting is the story of how they are achieved.
Trivia
My team didn’t win this morning (I was auditing a computer class). Evelyn, our most interesting member who was born in Egypt, speaks 5 languages and lives in Rome among other places, was asking Ed and Chuck what the Rainbow GLBT get together. I came up while this discussion was going on and she clearly thought they were pulling her leg. So she asked me what it was and when I told her, the reaction was so hilarious. She went down to see this gathering and no one showed up; she thinks they don’t want to come out of the closet. We clearly do have some folks who would fit that group on board but just as I don’t always go for meetings of groups where I would “fit” (think the COPD meeting: egads!) I suppose they have the same feelings.
This afternoon there were only the four of us and WE WON! And it was not an easy quiz either. The team whose paper we graded got only 6 out of 20. Our final score was 16. Sometimes we just get on a roll. Even then, we had two answers that were correct but we put something else down. Ed and I bowed to Chuck and Evelyn each of whom had a correct answer that didn’t make it on our page. Had we listened to them, our score would have been 18 but in reality no other team came close to us anyway.
This evening there was a Broadway show trivia. We were joined by a couple who’s son just graduated with a degree in music from CSUN (and who can’t find a job) and the two profs from Florida. We all knew we were outpaced by another team where they have some real experts. Predictably that team did win. However, we were rather shocked at how well we did do given the fact that we were out of our league. And again, I’m surprised at some of the answers that just seem to pop out of nowhere.
Formal night
Ed wore his red Chinese jacket we got him in Singapore and I wore mine as well. The reaction was cute with most folks thinking it was a clever idea and the photographers in particular having a ball posing us. We’ll see if they turn out respectable or if we simply look silly.
Dance
This was the show tonite with all the energy of the dancers. They are so good it is astonishing to me that we can see them up so close and really see what they are doing. We’ve seen this production at least twice before but it is still fresh and new to us.
Indian immigration
These are the latest forms we have to fill out: three in fact and we cannot separate them from each other or the directions. One of us will take them down to the purser’s office tomorrow so they are ready for Indian immigration to check out. This is such a time saving method for us. I can only imagine what it’s like if you have to do this on a flight into the country. And the folks who are going to the Taj Mahal, a trip that begins at 4:30 am and finishes when they return at 11 pm, will really appreciate the facilitated run through immigration and passport check.
I got ready and Ed went to the gym. We got an extra hour last night. Since we are so close to the equator now, our days are 12 hrs of light and 12 of dark. It seems so strange.
The day started off with three strikes: I stubbed my toe pretty good last night, my temple piece on my reading glasses came apart, and a favorite pair of earrings came apart and I have no pliers to repair them until I get home. The glasses I’ll take back to the place where I got them for repair. In the meantime I went down to the boutiques on board and picked up a pair of cheaters in a high power and they work fine. It takes some getting used to and they’ll never win a beauty contest, but they work.
Computer class(es)
I showed up to audit the 10 am class and no one showed up so I visited with the teacher who is a nice and talented teacher. At 11 am, a lady did show up and so I was able to audit that one. At 1 pm, Ed took a class I had already taken thus it gave me an opportunity to audit one more for the review.
Lunch
I went to the dining room with Ed and we sat alone for a change since I had a tight time schedule. It was nice not to have to entertain other folks which takes a lot of energy out of me but which Ed seems to enjoy very much.
Port Talk: Male
This is really just a collection of Atolls SW of India and West of Sri Lanka. The airport is on one island and the capitol city on another. Very strange. It is really a very expensive resort area with snorkeling, scuba diving, and just sun bathing sometimes on uninhabited islands. I think we’re signed up for a walking tour of the city.
Endless forms most beautiful: Darwin’s Cabinet of Curiosities
This was the photojournalist again and the photos as you may expect are darling but equally as interesting is the story of how they are achieved.
Trivia
My team didn’t win this morning (I was auditing a computer class). Evelyn, our most interesting member who was born in Egypt, speaks 5 languages and lives in Rome among other places, was asking Ed and Chuck what the Rainbow GLBT get together. I came up while this discussion was going on and she clearly thought they were pulling her leg. So she asked me what it was and when I told her, the reaction was so hilarious. She went down to see this gathering and no one showed up; she thinks they don’t want to come out of the closet. We clearly do have some folks who would fit that group on board but just as I don’t always go for meetings of groups where I would “fit” (think the COPD meeting: egads!) I suppose they have the same feelings.
This afternoon there were only the four of us and WE WON! And it was not an easy quiz either. The team whose paper we graded got only 6 out of 20. Our final score was 16. Sometimes we just get on a roll. Even then, we had two answers that were correct but we put something else down. Ed and I bowed to Chuck and Evelyn each of whom had a correct answer that didn’t make it on our page. Had we listened to them, our score would have been 18 but in reality no other team came close to us anyway.
This evening there was a Broadway show trivia. We were joined by a couple who’s son just graduated with a degree in music from CSUN (and who can’t find a job) and the two profs from Florida. We all knew we were outpaced by another team where they have some real experts. Predictably that team did win. However, we were rather shocked at how well we did do given the fact that we were out of our league. And again, I’m surprised at some of the answers that just seem to pop out of nowhere.
Formal night
Ed wore his red Chinese jacket we got him in Singapore and I wore mine as well. The reaction was cute with most folks thinking it was a clever idea and the photographers in particular having a ball posing us. We’ll see if they turn out respectable or if we simply look silly.
Dance
This was the show tonite with all the energy of the dancers. They are so good it is astonishing to me that we can see them up so close and really see what they are doing. We’ve seen this production at least twice before but it is still fresh and new to us.
Indian immigration
These are the latest forms we have to fill out: three in fact and we cannot separate them from each other or the directions. One of us will take them down to the purser’s office tomorrow so they are ready for Indian immigration to check out. This is such a time saving method for us. I can only imagine what it’s like if you have to do this on a flight into the country. And the folks who are going to the Taj Mahal, a trip that begins at 4:30 am and finishes when they return at 11 pm, will really appreciate the facilitated run through immigration and passport check.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
On the Indian Ocean
April 18, 2010
We were both up before 7am and the ocean was not spectacular but still the ocean and impressive no matter what it looks like.
Ed went to the gym and I to the library to catch up after a day away. We did lose and gain a few folks at Phuket, mostly speakers.
Witness: Endangered Species of North America
This is a photographic journey by Susan Middleton, who was the photographer in this Emmy winning National Geographic documentary. There is a book of the same name. the struggle to identify and even more challenging, to photograph them for this project, is a fascinating story. The people who have contributed to the preservation of many of these animals are also so interesting in their own right.
Trivia
Only five of us and we were no threat to anyone. We were frankly surprised we did as well as we did. Sonja zipped through it rather quickly and so we were finished before the officer of the watch made his report on the PA at noon. On the laptop, I tried to pull up the phone bill for the FAX line which looks much more expensive than it has been. I was pulling it up to show him but he obviously forgot this part because when I turned back to talk to him, he was off to the Sunday buffet he loves so much. I snuck over to get a Bratwurst with mustard. My rationale was that I’d take more calories at the buffet. You are allowed to roll on the floor laughing at this rationale.
This afternoon there were only four of us and again we posed no threat to anyone or anything. Ha.
China vs. India
I listened to the RAND expert on the TV as I had missed the lecture several days ago. This is the guy whose speech pattern drives me nuts but I can get the content in the background as I write. I’d hate to be a student in one of his classes at Harvard though clearly he is knowledgeable as are the speakers they schedule on board.
Sad news
Lisa writes that her Dad is doing very poorly as his leukemia is fulminating and it doesn’t look like he’ll get out of the hospital this time. Nancy is on her way to see him as well as I write. His living brothers and sisters are around and I wish for him a peaceful and pain free passing. And I received news that a fun cousin of my age has died. She had experienced some increasingly difficult health challenges in recent years and I have fond memories of our rare visits with each other. She took the time to send me a kind note when I sent her a get well note late last year and I’m glad I made that last contact.
Photoshop Elements Beyond Basics
I audited this class and got lucky because there were two other women there who were taking it for the first time. This time, things were faster and more and intuitive for me. I plan to audit three tomorrow that I’ve done before so I won’t be at trivia in the morning. Ed went to take “Create a Multimedia Slideshow with Photoshop” at 2 pm and said it was excellent. I read the handout and it doesn’t look much different than Powerpoint so I’ll use that next time I make one at home. Perhaps I’ll even add narration as I’ve never done that before.
The King and I
Remember this 1956 film with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr? It (and the more recent one with Jodie Foster are banned in Thailand though not apparently the book) is banned in Thailand. This was just as delightful as it was when I first saw it and the skit where Tuk Tim made a play out of the “House of Mr. Thomas Sawyer” is fantastic. When we get home I’d like to read the book and see both versions on film for comparison.
Dinner: much discussion of locations where people live and various children and their travails. One is just finishing college and there are no job prospects. The mother asked about a law degree in international relations with a minor in Mandarin.
I’m amazed at the complaints of some people about other folks not dressing properly for dinner. Have they looked in the mirror? I know I should dress better (I hate dressing and redressing unlike Ed who loves to change clothes) but I haven’t violated any of the criteria that I’m aware of anyway. Ok, enough of “meow”.
Entertainment
I can use a good belly laugh today and tonite’s entertainment gave me hope when I saw it in the Patter. This fellow from Britain did not disappoint. Lots of belly laughs.
We were both up before 7am and the ocean was not spectacular but still the ocean and impressive no matter what it looks like.
Ed went to the gym and I to the library to catch up after a day away. We did lose and gain a few folks at Phuket, mostly speakers.
Witness: Endangered Species of North America
This is a photographic journey by Susan Middleton, who was the photographer in this Emmy winning National Geographic documentary. There is a book of the same name. the struggle to identify and even more challenging, to photograph them for this project, is a fascinating story. The people who have contributed to the preservation of many of these animals are also so interesting in their own right.
Trivia
Only five of us and we were no threat to anyone. We were frankly surprised we did as well as we did. Sonja zipped through it rather quickly and so we were finished before the officer of the watch made his report on the PA at noon. On the laptop, I tried to pull up the phone bill for the FAX line which looks much more expensive than it has been. I was pulling it up to show him but he obviously forgot this part because when I turned back to talk to him, he was off to the Sunday buffet he loves so much. I snuck over to get a Bratwurst with mustard. My rationale was that I’d take more calories at the buffet. You are allowed to roll on the floor laughing at this rationale.
This afternoon there were only four of us and again we posed no threat to anyone or anything. Ha.
China vs. India
I listened to the RAND expert on the TV as I had missed the lecture several days ago. This is the guy whose speech pattern drives me nuts but I can get the content in the background as I write. I’d hate to be a student in one of his classes at Harvard though clearly he is knowledgeable as are the speakers they schedule on board.
Sad news
Lisa writes that her Dad is doing very poorly as his leukemia is fulminating and it doesn’t look like he’ll get out of the hospital this time. Nancy is on her way to see him as well as I write. His living brothers and sisters are around and I wish for him a peaceful and pain free passing. And I received news that a fun cousin of my age has died. She had experienced some increasingly difficult health challenges in recent years and I have fond memories of our rare visits with each other. She took the time to send me a kind note when I sent her a get well note late last year and I’m glad I made that last contact.
Photoshop Elements Beyond Basics
I audited this class and got lucky because there were two other women there who were taking it for the first time. This time, things were faster and more and intuitive for me. I plan to audit three tomorrow that I’ve done before so I won’t be at trivia in the morning. Ed went to take “Create a Multimedia Slideshow with Photoshop” at 2 pm and said it was excellent. I read the handout and it doesn’t look much different than Powerpoint so I’ll use that next time I make one at home. Perhaps I’ll even add narration as I’ve never done that before.
The King and I
Remember this 1956 film with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr? It (and the more recent one with Jodie Foster are banned in Thailand though not apparently the book) is banned in Thailand. This was just as delightful as it was when I first saw it and the skit where Tuk Tim made a play out of the “House of Mr. Thomas Sawyer” is fantastic. When we get home I’d like to read the book and see both versions on film for comparison.
Dinner: much discussion of locations where people live and various children and their travails. One is just finishing college and there are no job prospects. The mother asked about a law degree in international relations with a minor in Mandarin.
I’m amazed at the complaints of some people about other folks not dressing properly for dinner. Have they looked in the mirror? I know I should dress better (I hate dressing and redressing unlike Ed who loves to change clothes) but I haven’t violated any of the criteria that I’m aware of anyway. Ok, enough of “meow”.
Entertainment
I can use a good belly laugh today and tonite’s entertainment gave me hope when I saw it in the Patter. This fellow from Britain did not disappoint. Lots of belly laughs.
late entry
Phuket tomorrow
Thunderstorm
As we left Singapore, there was a terrific lightening and thunderstorm right behind us. Originally, rain had been predicted but we got the muggy humid weather instead. This thunderstorm was quite exciting to many of us. In the night, I heard above the noise of the air conditioning and the ship’s engines, what sounded like a heavy downpour. So I peeked through the drapes and saw this deluge with lots of thunder and lightening. For some inexplicable reason, it seemed odd to have a thunderstorm such as this over the ocean.
New table mates
Each of the new couples have been on the full world cruise. One couple is from Canada and the other from Arizona. The latter are more aligned with our political persuasion. I have an idea that the Canadian couple is also close to this but we’ll have to see as things play out. This is a table for 6 and it is sooo much easier to hear over the din of the dining room. We still have the same wait staff at this table and so it didn’t feel like such a dramatic change.
James Dixon Box
This young man is the lead singer on the ship’s extravaganzas. I’m glad he had an opportunity to do a show by himself because he’s quite talented. I loved the selections he chose to sing; he has had much experience singing in plays on the stage and so gave us much of that background.
Port Talk: Phuket
We’ve been here before but clearly we only scratched the surface. As I usually do, I read the tour offerings and gave Ed the information on my preferences. He then decides what we’ll do so I’ll have to revisit what we’re doing as I’ve totally forgotten. After this talk, I’d love to go to the zoo (more of a theme park) and the heritage park; we always seem to enjoy the latter.
Trivia
We have a new member, Hazel from St. Louis. She is a math teacher and is a terrific addition. Several people wanted to know where I got my hair cut and said they loved the cut. I’m glad it doesn’t feel like a damp mop on my head. Three teams tied including ours and since the new choir rehearsal was beginning, we all got tokens. In the afternoon there were just the four of us. We missed winning by one point and of course we reanalyzed how we could have gotten one or two more points to either tie or win outright.
Lunch
I’m still on my hot dog routine so I got a bratwurst with mustard and met Ed in the Panorama Grill where they were having a Chinese menu featured. It’s really more an Asian offering as tempura was included. I like that I was able to get some iced tea.
Computer classes
I went to see part of the free class on introduction to digital photos. Tim also does free classes entitled: computers for beginners. I asked for those handouts so I could see what I may learn new. This has generated my curiosity about software that is resident in windows alone. There’s a lot there that I’ve never thought about.
Onboard TV
They’ve changed the channel line up for reasons we can’t fathom so we’re having to relearn the numbers for our usual channels.
Thailand: Thai is not just an exotic cuisine
The speaker was a foreign service officer for many years in this area so his historical and local knowledge is unique. He has also lived here and admires the gentleness of the Thai people. His observations on the current unrest involving the yellow shirts (the more successful) and the red shirts (farmers and such) was fascinating.
International Relations: China and India
I was nodding off and so I went to the cabin to try to take a nap. Alas, it was a useless effort. Besides, I don’t like the presentation style of this speaker even though he may be very knowledgable it is just so distracting so I wasn’t terribly upset that I missed it.
Dinner
Some discussion of solar and other forms of alternative power sources. Our Canadians are well travelled and have spent extended periods of time in various parts of the world including tomorrow’s port, but they clearly are very conservative in comparison to the rest of us at the table. Often not very well informed or misinterpreting facts, they, or at least the lady of the couple, seem to feel threatened by folks not as well off (though she dresses as if she could afford only gauze and vegetable jewelry).
Tonite’s entertainment
This was a nice enough young man who was billed as a “comedian-magician”. Well you know how excited I am about magician’s. I gave him a try for two tricks (done well but old and hackneyed by now) before I left. Ed as expected, stayed as if mesmerized trying to figure out the tricks.
Another hour! We get to move the clock back one hour tonite.
Volcanic ash
We are following the news about this ash and its impact on flying. We had so many folks getting off yesterday who were needing to fly to get back home. That may accentuate the rigors of getting back home. And of course, Lisa is in the US and will need to return to Norway soon so that is of concern.
Thunderstorm
As we left Singapore, there was a terrific lightening and thunderstorm right behind us. Originally, rain had been predicted but we got the muggy humid weather instead. This thunderstorm was quite exciting to many of us. In the night, I heard above the noise of the air conditioning and the ship’s engines, what sounded like a heavy downpour. So I peeked through the drapes and saw this deluge with lots of thunder and lightening. For some inexplicable reason, it seemed odd to have a thunderstorm such as this over the ocean.
New table mates
Each of the new couples have been on the full world cruise. One couple is from Canada and the other from Arizona. The latter are more aligned with our political persuasion. I have an idea that the Canadian couple is also close to this but we’ll have to see as things play out. This is a table for 6 and it is sooo much easier to hear over the din of the dining room. We still have the same wait staff at this table and so it didn’t feel like such a dramatic change.
James Dixon Box
This young man is the lead singer on the ship’s extravaganzas. I’m glad he had an opportunity to do a show by himself because he’s quite talented. I loved the selections he chose to sing; he has had much experience singing in plays on the stage and so gave us much of that background.
Port Talk: Phuket
We’ve been here before but clearly we only scratched the surface. As I usually do, I read the tour offerings and gave Ed the information on my preferences. He then decides what we’ll do so I’ll have to revisit what we’re doing as I’ve totally forgotten. After this talk, I’d love to go to the zoo (more of a theme park) and the heritage park; we always seem to enjoy the latter.
Trivia
We have a new member, Hazel from St. Louis. She is a math teacher and is a terrific addition. Several people wanted to know where I got my hair cut and said they loved the cut. I’m glad it doesn’t feel like a damp mop on my head. Three teams tied including ours and since the new choir rehearsal was beginning, we all got tokens. In the afternoon there were just the four of us. We missed winning by one point and of course we reanalyzed how we could have gotten one or two more points to either tie or win outright.
Lunch
I’m still on my hot dog routine so I got a bratwurst with mustard and met Ed in the Panorama Grill where they were having a Chinese menu featured. It’s really more an Asian offering as tempura was included. I like that I was able to get some iced tea.
Computer classes
I went to see part of the free class on introduction to digital photos. Tim also does free classes entitled: computers for beginners. I asked for those handouts so I could see what I may learn new. This has generated my curiosity about software that is resident in windows alone. There’s a lot there that I’ve never thought about.
Onboard TV
They’ve changed the channel line up for reasons we can’t fathom so we’re having to relearn the numbers for our usual channels.
Thailand: Thai is not just an exotic cuisine
The speaker was a foreign service officer for many years in this area so his historical and local knowledge is unique. He has also lived here and admires the gentleness of the Thai people. His observations on the current unrest involving the yellow shirts (the more successful) and the red shirts (farmers and such) was fascinating.
International Relations: China and India
I was nodding off and so I went to the cabin to try to take a nap. Alas, it was a useless effort. Besides, I don’t like the presentation style of this speaker even though he may be very knowledgable it is just so distracting so I wasn’t terribly upset that I missed it.
Dinner
Some discussion of solar and other forms of alternative power sources. Our Canadians are well travelled and have spent extended periods of time in various parts of the world including tomorrow’s port, but they clearly are very conservative in comparison to the rest of us at the table. Often not very well informed or misinterpreting facts, they, or at least the lady of the couple, seem to feel threatened by folks not as well off (though she dresses as if she could afford only gauze and vegetable jewelry).
Tonite’s entertainment
This was a nice enough young man who was billed as a “comedian-magician”. Well you know how excited I am about magician’s. I gave him a try for two tricks (done well but old and hackneyed by now) before I left. Ed as expected, stayed as if mesmerized trying to figure out the tricks.
Another hour! We get to move the clock back one hour tonite.
Volcanic ash
We are following the news about this ash and its impact on flying. We had so many folks getting off yesterday who were needing to fly to get back home. That may accentuate the rigors of getting back home. And of course, Lisa is in the US and will need to return to Norway soon so that is of concern.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
First day toward Maldives
Phuket (Poo Kett)
We woke a little after six and when the curtains were opened you could see a wonderful apricot and pastel sky with a few wispy clouds. We watched as the sun, like a navel orange, rose through the clouds into a very hot and humid day. The smattering of dock workers anticipating the docking of our ship was dwarfed by the rows of vendors who were setting up their stalls for our arrival. Dresses and shirts were flapping in the wind.
I always enjoy seeing the local immigration officials waiting on the pier to board the ship and check our passports. They are usually in dark blue or black, or muddy green uniforms; American immigration is often white shirts with black pants and each will carry a bag. At this port, checking our passports and forms will be done quickly as the passports are presented in bulk with the landing cards we all completed and turned into the purser’s desk before noon yesterday.
On the pier there are 3 black and white dogs bullying a fourth. Eventually, some pier workers hollered at them and they moved a little farther back. Eventually, they moved into position as curious sentinels as the ship sidled up to the pier. Passengers on their decks whistled and clapped their hands to get their attention. In the background, tuk tuks and scooters whizzed by transporting goods and people to destinations over the hill. The row of busses for today’s tours peeked out from behind the warehouse on the wharf. All of the described vehicles are of fairly recent vintage. We’ve been a little sad not to see so many of the stereotypical old transports in our ports this time; the world is modernizing almost imperceptibly.
Today’s tour
The busses are nicer than you might expect for this part of the world. Our tour guide did speak English but she was usually hard to understand both because of pronunciation and also sentence construction. But as Ed observed, we’ve been pretty lucky so far. And the reality is, we had excellent tour guides the last time we were in Thailand.
We were given maps of Phuket Island, Thailand’s largest, so we could follow along and we headed for the Cape. Along the way, we passed many gorgeous beaches with older water craft and some new speed boats. Everywhere you see folks selling food and drinks; I can’t imagine how they all survive financially. Many of the buildings here and elsewhere in Asia are “shophouses”: the first floor is used as a business and the family lives above on the other levels. It is always interesting to see how people live and the countryside and that basically is what we were about doing.
Our first real stop was to see an area near several bays and great views. At the top are some religious statues including a large area totally devoted to the elephant god. You’ve never seen so many elephants of various sizes anywhere. There was a shop here as well and you had to go all the way to the back to use the restrooms.
Chagdong Wat
This is the largest one on Phuket and I recall how amazing it was from the first visit. It felt familiar to be there. I was concerned about some people who were in shorts and tank tops marching into the temples when everyone had been warned to be modest and take your shoes and hats off. It turns out that they were Russian visitors. I was frankly relieved because we see our share of “ugly Americans” on these tours. There were some little shops to the side and we wandered through them looking at the various products.
The Weather
Our guide pronounced the word “weather” like the word “waiter” and it took me a while to put it all together. It was hot—somewhere in the mid to high 90s—and muggy. It is absolutely draining. They frequently offer us bottles of water and even though Ed and I do drink a lot, I still got a headache. I subscribe to the “never pass up a restroom” philosophy but frankly, there wasn’t much to deposit. This weather is so draining and this is especially disturbing because the locals never seem to break a sweat. Must be all that lemon grass they tell us helps with internal body temperature.
Thai Heritage
We watched a one hour program here of native Siamese/Thai dances. As we walked into the pavilion we were each presented with an orchid. The ladies are absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous and the young men are very slight and pretty looking. The costumes take your breath away. The music is appropriate for the dances and such and the music doesn’t get in the way of your enjoyment of the various dances. There was a badly choreographed Thai boxing match which was almost hilarious. (Later, on the bus, the driver had a Thai boxing match on the TV.) There was also at least one transvestite in the show; Ed had figured out one of them early on. I had forgotten that Thailand is a hub for such surgeries.
We had lunch here and recalled our last visit here and the food was equally as good this time. The heat made the whole experience somber but there was water dripping around some of the open air sides so that some coolness was enjoyed. And the ladies were delighted because all the toilets were Western style. I don’t really care anymore; they both work for me.
There is an orchid farm here which Ed and I passed on viewing since we had seen it last time. Eventually the bus with the merciful air conditioning was available for us and we all left for our next stop which was for shopping. This is a fancy jewelry factory showroom on the first floor and you have to meander through it before you can locate and get to the second floor which is where all the souvenirs are found. While you search for this escalator, a smartly dressed young lady is shadowing you on the hope that you’ll show an interest in one of the pieces of jewelry.
We checked out all the souvenirs and picked up a few things. I’m not sure what we’ll do with them but the Discovery shop can always make good use of them. (Don’t tell Ed I said that as he didn’t ask for my opinion about some of the little things he bought. He had said I’d find some use for them so clearly he doesn’t have someone in mind.)
We were so grateful to be back at the ship. We didn’t even look at the tents of the vendors near the ship! A hot bath was very welcomed and I did some of my hand laundry to get it out of the way. And of course, we donated yet one more packed bag of dirty clothes to the Pacific Princess laundry. Since it was way too warm in the cabin (the sun heats up the cabin and the system can’t keep up in tropical areas) we went downstairs to look around where they were having a sale on bling rings. Yes, I bought two for my red hat events. They are good deals both ways of the transaction though I’m sure the ship is coming out the best.
Dinner
There was much discussion of a Frank Gehry museum being built in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada (the couple are from there). The husband is an architect so this was interesting. Then there was a long discussion about old and new Hawaii and how things have changed over time. The other couple had a condo on Maui for many years.
Tonite’s entertainment
This is a Scottish singer and as tired as everyone is, I had hoped she’d be good. Apparently we saw her 2 years ago on the cruise at which time she was single. She’s a young, very perky young woman who is now married with a husband whose brogue is so thick you could cut it. She has a lovely voice but some of the notes didn’t sound true to me. Perhaps it’s my hearing as Ed loved her.
Chuckles for today
Susan, who occasionally joins our trivia team, was telling about a family member who was always speaking in malapropisms. Here are a few examples: “they used a Heinken on him.” (Heimlich) “If she doesn’t have that baby soon, they’ll have to seduce her!” (“induce”) “do you know what those nurses did to me in that hospital? They castrated me.” (catheterized)
Note to self: look up references in appendix to: McCullough, Deniis. My Mother, Your Morher: Embracing “slow medicine.” The compassionate approach to caring for your aging loved ones. Harper.
We woke a little after six and when the curtains were opened you could see a wonderful apricot and pastel sky with a few wispy clouds. We watched as the sun, like a navel orange, rose through the clouds into a very hot and humid day. The smattering of dock workers anticipating the docking of our ship was dwarfed by the rows of vendors who were setting up their stalls for our arrival. Dresses and shirts were flapping in the wind.
I always enjoy seeing the local immigration officials waiting on the pier to board the ship and check our passports. They are usually in dark blue or black, or muddy green uniforms; American immigration is often white shirts with black pants and each will carry a bag. At this port, checking our passports and forms will be done quickly as the passports are presented in bulk with the landing cards we all completed and turned into the purser’s desk before noon yesterday.
On the pier there are 3 black and white dogs bullying a fourth. Eventually, some pier workers hollered at them and they moved a little farther back. Eventually, they moved into position as curious sentinels as the ship sidled up to the pier. Passengers on their decks whistled and clapped their hands to get their attention. In the background, tuk tuks and scooters whizzed by transporting goods and people to destinations over the hill. The row of busses for today’s tours peeked out from behind the warehouse on the wharf. All of the described vehicles are of fairly recent vintage. We’ve been a little sad not to see so many of the stereotypical old transports in our ports this time; the world is modernizing almost imperceptibly.
Today’s tour
The busses are nicer than you might expect for this part of the world. Our tour guide did speak English but she was usually hard to understand both because of pronunciation and also sentence construction. But as Ed observed, we’ve been pretty lucky so far. And the reality is, we had excellent tour guides the last time we were in Thailand.
We were given maps of Phuket Island, Thailand’s largest, so we could follow along and we headed for the Cape. Along the way, we passed many gorgeous beaches with older water craft and some new speed boats. Everywhere you see folks selling food and drinks; I can’t imagine how they all survive financially. Many of the buildings here and elsewhere in Asia are “shophouses”: the first floor is used as a business and the family lives above on the other levels. It is always interesting to see how people live and the countryside and that basically is what we were about doing.
Our first real stop was to see an area near several bays and great views. At the top are some religious statues including a large area totally devoted to the elephant god. You’ve never seen so many elephants of various sizes anywhere. There was a shop here as well and you had to go all the way to the back to use the restrooms.
Chagdong Wat
This is the largest one on Phuket and I recall how amazing it was from the first visit. It felt familiar to be there. I was concerned about some people who were in shorts and tank tops marching into the temples when everyone had been warned to be modest and take your shoes and hats off. It turns out that they were Russian visitors. I was frankly relieved because we see our share of “ugly Americans” on these tours. There were some little shops to the side and we wandered through them looking at the various products.
The Weather
Our guide pronounced the word “weather” like the word “waiter” and it took me a while to put it all together. It was hot—somewhere in the mid to high 90s—and muggy. It is absolutely draining. They frequently offer us bottles of water and even though Ed and I do drink a lot, I still got a headache. I subscribe to the “never pass up a restroom” philosophy but frankly, there wasn’t much to deposit. This weather is so draining and this is especially disturbing because the locals never seem to break a sweat. Must be all that lemon grass they tell us helps with internal body temperature.
Thai Heritage
We watched a one hour program here of native Siamese/Thai dances. As we walked into the pavilion we were each presented with an orchid. The ladies are absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous and the young men are very slight and pretty looking. The costumes take your breath away. The music is appropriate for the dances and such and the music doesn’t get in the way of your enjoyment of the various dances. There was a badly choreographed Thai boxing match which was almost hilarious. (Later, on the bus, the driver had a Thai boxing match on the TV.) There was also at least one transvestite in the show; Ed had figured out one of them early on. I had forgotten that Thailand is a hub for such surgeries.
We had lunch here and recalled our last visit here and the food was equally as good this time. The heat made the whole experience somber but there was water dripping around some of the open air sides so that some coolness was enjoyed. And the ladies were delighted because all the toilets were Western style. I don’t really care anymore; they both work for me.
There is an orchid farm here which Ed and I passed on viewing since we had seen it last time. Eventually the bus with the merciful air conditioning was available for us and we all left for our next stop which was for shopping. This is a fancy jewelry factory showroom on the first floor and you have to meander through it before you can locate and get to the second floor which is where all the souvenirs are found. While you search for this escalator, a smartly dressed young lady is shadowing you on the hope that you’ll show an interest in one of the pieces of jewelry.
We checked out all the souvenirs and picked up a few things. I’m not sure what we’ll do with them but the Discovery shop can always make good use of them. (Don’t tell Ed I said that as he didn’t ask for my opinion about some of the little things he bought. He had said I’d find some use for them so clearly he doesn’t have someone in mind.)
We were so grateful to be back at the ship. We didn’t even look at the tents of the vendors near the ship! A hot bath was very welcomed and I did some of my hand laundry to get it out of the way. And of course, we donated yet one more packed bag of dirty clothes to the Pacific Princess laundry. Since it was way too warm in the cabin (the sun heats up the cabin and the system can’t keep up in tropical areas) we went downstairs to look around where they were having a sale on bling rings. Yes, I bought two for my red hat events. They are good deals both ways of the transaction though I’m sure the ship is coming out the best.
Dinner
There was much discussion of a Frank Gehry museum being built in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada (the couple are from there). The husband is an architect so this was interesting. Then there was a long discussion about old and new Hawaii and how things have changed over time. The other couple had a condo on Maui for many years.
Tonite’s entertainment
This is a Scottish singer and as tired as everyone is, I had hoped she’d be good. Apparently we saw her 2 years ago on the cruise at which time she was single. She’s a young, very perky young woman who is now married with a husband whose brogue is so thick you could cut it. She has a lovely voice but some of the notes didn’t sound true to me. Perhaps it’s my hearing as Ed loved her.
Chuckles for today
Susan, who occasionally joins our trivia team, was telling about a family member who was always speaking in malapropisms. Here are a few examples: “they used a Heinken on him.” (Heimlich) “If she doesn’t have that baby soon, they’ll have to seduce her!” (“induce”) “do you know what those nurses did to me in that hospital? They castrated me.” (catheterized)
Note to self: look up references in appendix to: McCullough, Deniis. My Mother, Your Morher: Embracing “slow medicine.” The compassionate approach to caring for your aging loved ones. Harper.
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