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.