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Great day in Mumbai - our dock location leaves a bit to be desired, but the first passengers heading to immigration were greeted by local dancers etc. The authorities took a long time to clear the ship and then we had to do face to face immigration checks - which took a lot of time too! So while we docked today around 7:30 am we didn't off the ship until almost 11:30am.
We found a great cab driver just inside the port and headed out - Adrian and I have both been to Mumbai before so we have already been to many of the must see spots.
Our driver took us to see the train station and municipal buildings followed by the spice and fruit market. We found a great place to stock up on curry and chai as well as getting to walk through the market. Huge array of spices, nuts, and fruit and lots of humanity. Mumbai has 22 Million people and counting, it's a very busy city, lots of people, lots of traffic and not so many rules in place to keep everyone safe.
We drove along Marine drive and had a stop to get a picture of Mumbai's waterfront. Later we visited a souvenir shop, very high end, where Adrian could have ordered a custom made jacket or shirts - delivered to ship in 6 hours.
From here we went to Leopold's for lunch, famous and historic cafe, since 1871. After a wonderful lunch we walked to the Taj Hotel for a cup of coffee and stopped by the famous gates of Mumbai for a photo.
Mumbai is a cacophony of sounds (honking horns), smells and people. Adrian describes it as an assault on the senses - we had a great time soaking in the atmosphere.
We found a great cab driver just inside the port and headed out - Adrian and I have both been to Mumbai before so we have already been to many of the must see spots.
Our driver took us to see the train station and municipal buildings followed by the spice and fruit market. We found a great place to stock up on curry and chai as well as getting to walk through the market. Huge array of spices, nuts, and fruit and lots of humanity. Mumbai has 22 Million people and counting, it's a very busy city, lots of people, lots of traffic and not so many rules in place to keep everyone safe.
We drove along Marine drive and had a stop to get a picture of Mumbai's waterfront. Later we visited a souvenir shop, very high end, where Adrian could have ordered a custom made jacket or shirts - delivered to ship in 6 hours.
From here we went to Leopold's for lunch, famous and historic cafe, since 1871. After a wonderful lunch we walked to the Taj Hotel for a cup of coffee and stopped by the famous gates of Mumbai for a photo.
Mumbai is a cacophony of sounds (honking horns), smells and people. Adrian describes it as an assault on the senses - we had a great time soaking in the atmosphere.
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Another sea day - another wine tasting!
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What a lesson I learned today! We're at sea - a few days ago I decided I needed to get my hair highlighted again. I knew the ship salon was expensive but the alternative was to lose several hours in a port just to get my hair done. So I got an appointment for a consultation - this morning I went, picked out my colour and confirmed the appt would be a whopping $179 US plus 20% tip -BUT I had a $150 voucher from the ship and in my mind $50 us was in line with home!
Well certainly I should have asked more questions - turns out the colour was $179, the shampoo and blow-dry was $79 the 20% tip on the whole thing was about $50 - and my voucher didn't go very far. I ended up paying $159 US without even getting my hair cut... most expensive service I've ever had!!!
Tonight was the captain's cocktail party - where there's an open bar from 5:45 to 8pm - so above you'll see Adrian and I enjoying expensive cocktails - our way of trying to drink our my money back! Adrian figures he drank enough to cover the shampoo and blow dry - I didn't quite get the colour cost back! Tomorrow night we're having dinner with the Around the World hosts, Paul and Carolyn, ship pays for the wine again - we'll be working on drinking the rest back then.
We lost another hour tonight so we're now 8 hours ahead of NS.
Well certainly I should have asked more questions - turns out the colour was $179, the shampoo and blow-dry was $79 the 20% tip on the whole thing was about $50 - and my voucher didn't go very far. I ended up paying $159 US without even getting my hair cut... most expensive service I've ever had!!!
Tonight was the captain's cocktail party - where there's an open bar from 5:45 to 8pm - so above you'll see Adrian and I enjoying expensive cocktails - our way of trying to drink our my money back! Adrian figures he drank enough to cover the shampoo and blow dry - I didn't quite get the colour cost back! Tomorrow night we're having dinner with the Around the World hosts, Paul and Carolyn, ship pays for the wine again - we'll be working on drinking the rest back then.
We lost another hour tonight so we're now 8 hours ahead of NS.
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Today was a bit of a bust. Both Adrian and I have been to Fujairah before. We took the ships shuttle to the city Centre - however that turned out to be the city centre mall. We returned to the ship and opted to stay onboard.
The internet is not working, again, so I parked myself in the port terminal, along with much of the ship and managed to get the blog finally updated.
The internet is not working, again, so I parked myself in the port terminal, along with much of the ship and managed to get the blog finally updated.
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Early morning today - picked up our tour at 3:15 am and headed out for our hot air balloon excursion. Our guide picked us up atb the ship's terminal and drove us out to the dessert to the launch site. Here we were given coffee, some dates and a safety briefing before boarding our balloon. The balloon baskets were large, holding 24 people - two compartments of 12 and a space in the middle for the pilot. We travelled 17 km across the dessert before landing, with hardly a bump.
After landing we were transported to an area with vintage land rovers and we switched vehicles for the trip to our breakfast venue - also in the dessert. We had an amazing gourmet breakfast in the dessert. We each got to hold a falcon and we had a camel ride. Our guide did a bit of a photo shoot of us in the vintage land rover - more photos in the album.
All this and we were back to the ship by 9:20 am. We spent the rest of our day in Dubai at the Dubai Mall - walking around, admiring the art, the fountain display and having lunch.
After landing we were transported to an area with vintage land rovers and we switched vehicles for the trip to our breakfast venue - also in the dessert. We had an amazing gourmet breakfast in the dessert. We each got to hold a falcon and we had a camel ride. Our guide did a bit of a photo shoot of us in the vintage land rover - more photos in the album.
All this and we were back to the ship by 9:20 am. We spent the rest of our day in Dubai at the Dubai Mall - walking around, admiring the art, the fountain display and having lunch.
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Magical day today in Dubai! We sailed into Dubai for 1pm, with the skyline barely visible through the haze of heat. We enjoyed our arrival from our balcony and were rewarded by spotting a sea turtle. We didn't just spot many ships in shipping lane on the way in but also garbage, algae and oil slicks. So sad what we're doing to the planet!
We had to clear customs in person on arrival and therefore we didn't have enough time to do much more than get some cash at an ATM and explore the cruise terminal before our excursion.
Today was our third exclusive Around the World event provided by the ship. Our adventure began with a ride to the dessert venue. An amazing logistical feat as they loaded us all, 4-5 each into 4-wheel drives and we headed off caravan style.
Before truly entering the dessert our vehicles had to stop and reduce tire pressure - giving us a chance for a few quick photos.
We began our event with a falcon show and sunset viewing complete with carpets and pillows on the ground. We were also immediately greeted by waiters providing drinks and dates, nuts, and fruit to nibble on.
After the falcon show we boarded our vehicles and traveled further into the dessert to our dining venue. Here we were greeted with traditional dancing. We enjoyed a gorgeous buffet of traditional foods. We sat at low tables with pillows, the drinks continued to flow and we had traditional music and bellydancing for entertainment. I was also able to get my hand painted with henna - a first for me.
After a wonderful time we boarded our vehicles to make our way back to the ship - arriving back onboard at 11:30 pm. Fabulous time.
We had to clear customs in person on arrival and therefore we didn't have enough time to do much more than get some cash at an ATM and explore the cruise terminal before our excursion.
Today was our third exclusive Around the World event provided by the ship. Our adventure began with a ride to the dessert venue. An amazing logistical feat as they loaded us all, 4-5 each into 4-wheel drives and we headed off caravan style.
Before truly entering the dessert our vehicles had to stop and reduce tire pressure - giving us a chance for a few quick photos.
We began our event with a falcon show and sunset viewing complete with carpets and pillows on the ground. We were also immediately greeted by waiters providing drinks and dates, nuts, and fruit to nibble on.
After the falcon show we boarded our vehicles and traveled further into the dessert to our dining venue. Here we were greeted with traditional dancing. We enjoyed a gorgeous buffet of traditional foods. We sat at low tables with pillows, the drinks continued to flow and we had traditional music and bellydancing for entertainment. I was also able to get my hand painted with henna - a first for me.
After a wonderful time we boarded our vehicles to make our way back to the ship - arriving back onboard at 11:30 pm. Fabulous time.
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What a wonderful day in Muscat - 90+ degrees, partly cloudy and a lovely breeze. This is a beautiful city, low rise buildings all in middle eastern style. A marble walled promenade that runs for miles along the coast allowed us to walk for a couple of hours. We were able to walk from the port to the gates of Muscat, the Sultan's palace (complete with machine guns for protection), past all of the many forts and lookouts. The promenade is dotted with gorgeous marble statues, a water display, and gold domed gazebos. The city was very quiet - today is the last day is Eid, then end of Ramadan celebration.
The city itself is barren, surrounded by barren mountains and it's dotted with gorgeous gardens and trees , all of which are irrigated. Not a blade of grass grows without an irrigation line!
After our walk we stopped for our usual local lunch, a delicious chicken tikka. As always, more photos in the album.
The city itself is barren, surrounded by barren mountains and it's dotted with gorgeous gardens and trees , all of which are irrigated. Not a blade of grass grows without an irrigation line!
After our walk we stopped for our usual local lunch, a delicious chicken tikka. As always, more photos in the album.
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Lazy sea day today. Beautiful weather still - spent the morning watching the ocean and the dolphins from our balcony, coffee in hand! This afternoon we joined the usual suspects at wine tasting for our own wine sharing event instead. Tonight we were honoured to join Gill and Keith for dinner in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. Fabulous day - tomorrow day 100 in Muscat Oman.
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Today we're in Salalah. The city's buildings are largely the same colour as the desert, almost blending together in some places. There are mountains providing a backdrop to the city but today they're shrouded in haze. The sand runs into the beaches as it did in much of Western Africa. There are beautiful garden oasis' amid all of the sand. Salalah is the third largest city in the Sultanate of Oman.
We snagged a taxi and had a bit of a private tour, visiting a souk and a large mall, along with a photo stop at the Royal Palace and the largest mosque. We also enjoyed a lovely walk on the beach.
The mall was the last stop before returning to the ship, many of the stores were closed because it is Eid, the end of Ramadan. However, we managed to find a great cup of coffee and the best dessert, a chocolate cake, that I've had so far this trip.
We snagged a taxi and had a bit of a private tour, visiting a souk and a large mall, along with a photo stop at the Royal Palace and the largest mosque. We also enjoyed a lovely walk on the beach.
The mall was the last stop before returning to the ship, many of the stores were closed because it is Eid, the end of Ramadan. However, we managed to find a great cup of coffee and the best dessert, a chocolate cake, that I've had so far this trip.
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Lazy day today cruising the Arabian Sea. We spent much of the morning drinking coffee and watching the sea bird hunt for flying fish. We managed to go to the gym, enjoy a great walk and tonight's sunset was an awesome ending to the day - we arrive in Oman tomorrow!
