Nosy Be Madagascar April 29th

We had a really nice day yesterday in Nosy Be. We were lucky enough to get on the first tender off the ship, and arrived on shore by 8:30. We hooked up with two other couples from the ship and hired a boat to take us to Nosy Komba, a small island about 30 minutes away. The waters are crystal clear, and the islands around Nosy Be are covered with very dense vegetation. Quite a beautiful area. Once on Nosy Komba, our guide took us through the village, which was very interesting in itself, to a park area populated by the famous Madagascar Lemurs. The Lemurs are very interesting looking animals. The males are black, and the females are brown with white faces. We were given bananas to coax the Lemurs from the trees. They were not at all shy about jumping on our shoulders to take the bananas from our hands. One of the park employees had a small Boa Constrictor, which we were able to hold. We couldn’t help thinking about one or two of our good friends who would have been back on the boat as soon as they saw the snake, probably without ever touching the ground on the way!

The village at Nosy Komba was a very typical African village, without electricity. We were greeted by groups of small children with their faces painted, singing and dancing and offering flowers and vanilla beans for a small price. The streets were lined with embroidered table cloths, wood carvings, and other items made by the villagers.

Once back to Nosy Be, we hired a taxi to take us into the center of town, where we found a sidewalk cafe and sat down to try the local beer, Three Horses. Quite good. We then walked through town, stopping at the central market, where the displays of tropical fruits and vegetables were amazing. We walked from town back to the tender pier where we caught the tender back to the ship. A really good day. Now, as we near the end of our cruise, we have three days at sea before arriving in Durban. This morning we’re having our table mates into our cabin for a bloody mary before lunch. More from Durban, where we plan to visit a nearby game preserve.

At sea

Today is our seventh and final day at sea before our arrival in Nosy Be, a small island located at the Northern tip of Madagascar. There is no port, so we will anchor out and tender ashore, our first tender experience of the cruise. Once ashore, we plan to hire a boat to take us to a small nearby island where the Lemurs are said to be plentiful.

The days at sea have passed very quickly, with plenty to do every day. Aside from normal trivia challenges, bridge groups, and just laying out by the pool, we have had some excellent lecturers aboard, including John Maxton-Graham, an historian who has authored several maritime history books, many dealing with the old passenger liners, and the Atlantic crossings. He is a man in his 80s, but an spellbinding speaker, who never refers to notes.

The weather the past seven days has been excellent with the exception of a few showers yesterday. For the most part, the seas have been glassy calm. We crossed the Equator during the night on Sunday.

Our course from Dubai took us East of the Seychelles, approximately 700 miles off the coast of Somalia. We’ve not seen a ship or vessel of any sort since our first day out. We’ve now turned West toward Madagascar. So far, on this leg of the cruise, from Singapore, we’ve traveled a total of 7,018 miles, with about 2,000 to go before reaching our final destination of Cape Town. All told, we will have traveled more than 12,000 miles for the full 62 days.

Some have asked to see a few photos of our ship, so this seems like a good time to post a few. More from Nosy Be.

Dubai April 20-21

Sometime during the night, as we crossed from the Arabian Sea, through the Straits of Hormuz, into the Persian Gulf, we passed through a time warp, bringing our ship many years into the future. Dubai is the tomorrow land we always saw predicted on TV. Amazing buildings one after the other, ultra modern mass transportation, crystal clear water ways, and every modern convenience that can possibly be imagined; all to the excess.

Our first day in Dubai started with a taxi ride through the heart of the city to the Burj Al Arab hotel, the world’s only 7 Star hotel, where we had reservations for the “Indulgent Tea” at the Sky View Bar. We had to present our reservation number at the security gate to even gain admittance to the hotel grounds. The hotel sits on a man made island at the end of a short causeway over the beach. There’s just no way to describe the opulence of the building. The lobby, the giant aquariums built into the sides of the walls lining the escalators to the second floor lobby, the elevators, the atrium, all amazing. I’d love to post a dozen photos, but you’ll get the idea, I’m sure.

We were seated by the window overlooking the water, and started with a glass of Champagne. From there, one course led to another then to another and another. A truly indulgent experience, and a great way to be introduced to Dubai.

From the hotel we took a taxi to the Mall of the Emirates, which houses the famous “Ski Dubai”, the only indoor ski facility in the middle east. It’s amazing to walk in from a 90+ degree day, to watch people skiing down hill at a pretty respectably steep and long slope, built into a shopping mall with every designer store imaginable.

On day two we decided to go into the center of town to see the new tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai.

News Flash: The race for the tallest building in the world is over, done, settled. This is it! More than 800 meters tall, it is more than twice the height of the former number one, Taipei 101. The observation deck on floor 124 looks up at another 80 floors above. Eighty story buildings are dwarfed by this building. It’s impossible to get the entire building in one photo without a super wide angle lens. Unfortunately we were unable to score tickets to ride to the 124th, but those who were lucky enough found it amazing. Another huge designer mall is located adjacent to the tower; this one with the Dubai Aquarium, an ice rink and more than 1200 stores.

Okay, Dubai is amazing, spectacular, and breathtaking, but it’s just not my kind of town. Nowhere, other than in a hotel, can you even find a place to sit down and have a beer. I mean nowhere. We walked along the waterfront of the large lake in front of Burj Dubai, looking for a place to have lunch and a beer and enjoy the scenery. Not going to happen! Five hundred years from now, after the desert has reclaimed all these spectacular buildings, archeologists will find not a single beer bottle and determine the real reason for the demise of the society. Now we have seven days at sea before our next port of Nosy Be Madagascar. This morning we had our emergency muster drill for pirate attack procedures. In case any pirates are reading this, we were all issued grenade launchers and automatic rifles. More soon.

Oman April 19

As we pulled into the harbor of Muscat, Oman, it was clear that this would be a much different experience than had been our two stops in India. The coast of Oman is very mountainous, with the mostly white buildings of the city of Muscat hugging the shoreline. On top of a large hill at the entry to the harbor stood a white watch tower shaped in the form of an incense burner. There were the remains of an old castle or fort perched among the crags over the city, with several old guard towers spaced along the mountains above the shoreline.

We had only a half day in Muscat, having to leave at 1:00pm in order to traverse the straits of Hormuz late at night on our way to Dubai. We opted to take a short shuttle ride into the city, and explore what we could on foot, in the time available. The old Souk, or market place was very reminiscent of the bazaar in the film Casablanca, with small shops lining the sides of very narrow winding streets and walkways. It was easy to get lost among the many curving streets and alleys, sometimes finding ourselves back to where we had been just a few minutes before.

Most of the men were dressed in their traditional white arab dress, while the women wore the traditionally black birkas, some veiled and some not. Although Muscat is a small city with all the modern conveniences, we left with the impression that we had gone back in time to an Arab city of many years ago. A short but very interesting port call.

Mumbai April 16th

Today is our second day on the Arabian Sea after visiting Mumbai. Tomorrow we will arrive in Muscat, Oman.

After our first glimpse of India, in Chennai, we expected more of the same in Mombai. We did see a lot of the same conditions we saw in Chennai, but we took with us, a much more positive image of India after our visit to Mumbai.

We opted for a ship’s tour which took us a short distance by bus to the downtown waterfront harbor area, in front of the Gateway to India Arch, and across the street from the famous Taj Mahal Hotel. From there, we boarded a small ferry boat for a one hour ride to Elephanta Island, about 11KM off shore.

Boarding the boat was an adventure in itself, as all the various boats are tied up together, so it was necessary for us to pass through three other rocking and rolling boats before finally boarding ours. Once on board, it was a pleasant ride through the Mumbai harbor, looking back on the city skyline, and passing various ships tied up in the harbor.

Elephanta Island is the location of the Elephanta Caves, a World Heritage Monument, which were carved out of the mountain side by Hindus in the 7th Century as a homage to the Hindu God Shiva. It took thousands of workers more than two hundred years to complete the caves and the monuments inside. A very impressive sight today, even though many of the monuments inside the cave were damaged or destroyed by the conquering Portuguese soldiers who used the monuments for target practice.

Our ride back from Elephanta was highlighted by the adventure of trying to get our boat tied up to another in order for all of us to debark. Several boats arrived at the harbor at the same time, all honking horns and jockeying for position to be the first to tie up to the raft of boats already there. Unfortunately our captain was not the most aggressive, so time after time, just when we thought we’d be the next to tie up, another boat would push in front of us. Finally, after suffering the ultimate humiliation of being called “chicken” by one of his own crew members, our captain nosed his boat between two others, and was able to tie up. After traversing several boats, we finally reached shore, some 35 minutes after entering the docking fray. Very comical. All in all, a good day in Mumbai, and a much more favorable impression of India.

Last night was one of our formal nights, and we had the pleasure to be seated with three other couples, with our Captain, Stephano Ravera. We had known that we would be dining with one of the ship’s officers, but had no idea it would be the Captain. It was a really special occasion, with the Captain charming the ladies, and impressing the gentlemen by paying for the wine. A very nice evening.

Chennai India April 12

India! Unbelievable, depressing, compelling, spellbinding, and incomprehensible all rolled into one. We arrived early into the port of Chennai, a city of 9 million people, only one to two miles from the heart of the city, but still a 20-30 minute drive by bus.

Right of way here is apparently determined by the size of your vehicle, therefore our bus had right of way, pulling directly out into the path of oncoming traffic either entering the roadway or turning at an intersection. Motor bikes, pedestrians, autos and Tuk Tuks everywhere. Horns honking constantly. Hot; very hot, and extremely humid.

Our drive into town took us by several of the city landmarks such as the High Court, Chennai Central Railroad Station, the old British East India Company fort, and others, but it was impossible to keep our eyes off the street life going on all around us. Small shops packed to every square inch of capacity with whatever that particular shop was selling; auto parts, clothing, food items, you name it. Small street side restaurants cooking up all sorts of take out food items, and every description of shanty lining every side street we would pass, none of which were pointed out by our guide.

And people; people everywhere, going about their business whether it was an old woman stooped over sweeping gutters with a short straw broom, or another woman hanging her wash along the railing of a fence bordering a roundabout at a busy intersection, or people sleeping on the sidewalks, cooking food at a makeshift campfire on the side of the street, or congregated in front of shops and on the crowded side streets.

We stopped at the Government Museum, where we visited the Bronze Gallery which houses India’s finest collection of bronze castings of Hindu gods, dating back as far as the 6th century. While we were there, a large group of middle school age students came through, all dressed neatly in their white school uniforms, and all very polite, pleasant and talkative to our group. A total contrast to what we had just seen on the streets.

From the museum, we were taken to a 5 star hotel in the downtown area, where we were let off to have lunch or to spend some time visiting the surrounding shops. The hotel, hidden behind a high wall and a locked iron gate, was another total contradiction to the life all around us. We spent some time strolling the streets, and taking in the atmosphere of the city before heading back to our ship, which our captain refers to as his “beautiful white lady.” But by this time, the white lady had turned gray from the coal ash spewing from a nearby coal fired power plant.

India is a striking contrast to other countries we have visited on this trip. In China, construction cranes were everywhere. In Chennai, we saw none. In China and in Viet Nam, we saw building, we saw progress, and mostly we saw happy people. In Chennai we saw poverty beyond belief, depression, and little hope of progress. Maybe Mumbai will change our impression. We’re hoping so.

Sunrise at sea

Here are some examples of what we wake up to each day. Pretty fantastic!

Phuket Thailand

Phuket. Our last day in Thailand before heading West to India. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love hot spicy food, usually the hotter the better. In Phuket, I was brought to my knees by a chili shrimp dish that we ordered in a local restaurant. After one bite, my mouth was on fire. I tried mixing it with rice, drowning the fire with beer, water and cold vegetables, all to no avail. Finally, I just gave up after eating a total of about three bites. No question, the hottest food I’ve ever tried to eat without having to sign a waiver!!

On the positive side, I’m now an inch taller than I was before my one hour Thai massage. My fingers are longer, my toes are longer and every joint in my body has been stretched far beyond what I believed was possible.

Super hot Thai lunch, including beer $2.65. One hour Thai massage $7.75, another day in Thailand, priceless!!

We’re now on our first of three days at sea before reaching Madras. I think we’re all happy for the break, after being in port 6 of the last 7 days. The weather is great; hot, humid, clear skies (with spectacular sunrises and sunsets) and calm seas. We sat out by the pool with a bloody mary this morning, played trivia this afternoon, and look forward to more of the same tomorrow.

We’re both looking forward to our first glimpse of India.

Kuala Lumpur/Penang Malaysia April 5th & 6th

From this point on, all of the ports we visit will be new to us. We started out this morning in Kuala Lumpur. Tomorrow we have Penang Malaysia, then the day after we visit Phuket Thailand before heading off for India.

It was a beautiful morning in Kuala Lumpur (KL to us locals), so we scheduled ourselves for the shuttle bus into town. We were let off the bus directly in front of the Petronis Towers, the famous twin towers, which before Taipei 101, and the new tower in Dubai, were the tallest buildings in the world. A skybridge connects the two buildings at the 41st floor, adding to the buildings impressive appearance. In the plaza area of the towers, there is a large garden with beautiful tropical landscaping, and a large lake connecting to a water park on the other side of a bridge crossing the lake.

We had a good time, just exploring the city area around the towers. We had lunch at a restaurant on the plaza where we could watch the dancing fountains in the lake while we ate.

During the time we were in KL, the clouds began to gather, to the point that when we got on the bus to head back to the ship, the sky was pretty dark. By the time we reached the ship, lightning was striking all around us with simultaneous crashes of thunder, and the hardest rain I’d ever seen.

We were let off the bus near a covered walkway that led to the pier, but the cover over the walkway did nothing to keep us from getting drenched by the heavy rain. By the time we got to the ship, it looked like we had just got out of the pool. The storm continued for another hour or so, and it was very cool to watch from our balcony.

Some have asked how the food has been on and off of the ship. I think we both agree that the food on board has been excellent; as good or better than we’ve had in the past. Since we’re now on our 31st day on board, we’re seeing some of the same menus again. So far that hasn’t been a problem because there’s always something new to try.

As for eating off the ship, for the most part we’ve been very lucky and have had great food. Today, in Penang for example, we stopped at a little restaurant and ordered some spring rolls and calamari to have with our Tiger beer. While the beers were about $2US each, the food totaled only $2.50US for all that we bought. We had great Thai food in Thailand, and will probably try that again tomorrow in Phuket. We’re looking forward to trying some Indian food once we arrive in Madras. Thanks to all of you who continue to follow us.

Singapore April 4th

Singapore is an absolutely beautiful city. Lush greenery everywhere, and absolutely the cleanest city you will ever see. We docked at the new Cruise Center, and made our way through the Cruise Center Mall, to the street, where we hired a taxi to take us to Merlion Park, on the waterfront. Directly across from the spouting Merlion, is the new Singapore concert center, which locals have dubbed the Durien, because it resembles the infamous smelling Durien fruit, a favorite fruit in this area.

From Merlion Park, we followed the monument trail which took us along the river until reaching Raffles Place. Monuments depicting Singapore history, and it’s former leaders are situated along the way. From Raffles Place, we headed over to China town where we stopped at a restaurant we had visited on our earlier stop in Singapore, for Peking Duck. We then walked through the streets of China town, then took a cab back to the ship. Tomorrow will be Kuala Lumpur

Bangkok April 1st and 2nd

We docked at the port of Leam Chabang, about two hours drive south of Bangkok. We had prearranged with three other couples to hire a van and a guide for our two day trip north to the Bridge on the River Kwai, and Bangkok. The van was waiting for us as we debarked, and we started our trip North. Our first stop, other than a short rest stop, was the Tiger Temple located near the town of Kanchanaburi, almost four hours drive from our port. The Tiger Temple, operated by Buddhist Monks, is essentially a tiger sanctuary for protection of the endangered Bengal Tiger. We were given the opportunity to have our pictures taken with some of the tigers, and tour the grounds where other animals such as a herd of water buffalos were kept.

From the Tiger Temple, we headed off to the Elephant Village, where we rode elephants along the Kwai River. By this time, it was time to check into our hotel, which was located on the river and included several floating rooms as well as a floating bar and restaurant.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the railroad bridge constructed during the Japanese occupation of the Malay Peninsula, by prisoners of war and thousands of asian laborers during WWII. The Japanese wanted the bridge to move military personnel and supplies from Singapore to Burma for a possible attack on India. The bridge, known as the Railway of Death, was completed on Christmas day 1943, and was bombed in 1945 by Allied bombers, knocking out the two center sections of the bridge.

Over 16,000 Allied POWs, and as many as 100,000 asian slave laborers died during the construction of the bridge, due to the harsh conditions, malaria, and intensive heat and humidity. Many of those who died are buried at various military cemetaries in the are. After the war the bridge was repaired, and remains in use today as a railroad link to Singapore.

On Friday we got an early 6:00am start for our drive back to Bangkok. After a drive of about two hours, we stopped at the famous Bangkok floating market where we were able to board boats and float through the market. Aside from the numerous souvenir stands, all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and cooked on the boat specialties were available. A little touristy, but well worth the stop.

Next we headed into downtown Bangkok for our visit to the Grand Palace. We noticed that the Thai military had set up inspection check points on the highways leading into the City, due to the ongoing protests in Bangkok. Once into the downtown area, we noticed several streets in the governmental area blocked off to accommodate the protesters expected over the weekend. Our guide advised that the protests usually took place during the weekends, and were usually confined to the one area of the City.

I don’t think any of us were prepared for what we would see once we entered the Palace grounds. We all agreed, however, that the Grand Palace was easily the most awe-inspiring site we had ever seen. Built in the late 1700s, the Palace and associated buildings are far beyond grand.

Photo opportunities were everywhere with gold leaf, glass mosaics, and intricate porcelain designs on a spectacular scale. As we strolled through the grounds thinking we had just seen the ultimate highlight, something more wondrous would appear, until we finally entered the Emerald Pagoda, where the Emerald Buddha resides. Unfortunately photos were not allowed inside the Temple, but the Emerald Buddha alone, is worth the trip to Bangkok.

After the appropriate number of oohs and ahhs, we headed off to a Thai lunch at a restaurant on the river before heading back to the port. Traffic in downtown Bangkok was very congested, causing us to arrive back to the ship with very little time to spare. We were all exhausted from the long two day journey, the heat and the humidity, but all very glad we made the trip. Now it’s off to Singapore.