Subject: Report #89 Sailing towards Muscat, Oman March 29, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 82 degrees
Finally a day at sea, but not one to do nothing. Is there ever a day to do nothing? No. We are desperately trying to catch up with photos and reports. We know we will be glad that we put the time and effort into finishing it, but it's not so easy. OK, enough whining…..just do it.
The weather has cooled down nicely once we left Dubai. Speaking of Dubai, we missed listing some of the tours, so here they are for anyone who is interested.
Dubai highlights was 4 ½ hours, with drive-bys of the major attractions including the Burj Al Arab Hotel, Jumeirah Mosque, the old Dubai water towers, the museum, and a souk for $60.
Northern Emirates was a ride to several other emirates for 9 hours for $130.
Abu Dhabi for 9 hours included a tour of the capital with the main site being the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world for $135. Strict dress codes applied to both men and ladies at every mosque.
Deluxe Dubai for 9 ½ hours which must have done lots, because it was $500.
Tea at the Burj Al Arab and tour for 4 ½ hours was $230. Been there, done that twice. It was a wonderful, elegant tour. Highly recommended, as you cannot easily access this hotel without being in a group.
The Dubai Ho-Ho bus was 4 ½ hours for $65.
Arabian Nights and Safari and Camel Ride for $130. Included a 4x4 dune ride, camel farm, campsite with henna painting, sheesha pipe smoking, a BBQ dinner and a belly dancer. We have done this tour twice and it was a hoot.
Back to our day at sea. During the morning, the Amsterdam sailed through the Straits of Hormuz, a very security sensitive area with a checkered history. Many guards were present in their designated posts. There will be another choke spot when we wrap around the Arabian Peninsula near Yemen, where the space between shores is narrow. There will be similar security watch then too.
Konnie joined us on our walk this morning, and we found out who our secret "Welcome Home" sign with chocolate bunnies was. Of course, it was Konnie, the only person we know who could have pulled this off, and make us laugh. She really is sweet.
President's Club gifts arrived today - another spring flower bouquet and 4 cases of Coke Zero. Always welcomed.
The biggest event of the day was having Maureen and Barb join us for lunch in the dining room. We find the conservative entrees much to our liking, and even though we are eating earlier, we are more ready for dinner at 8pm.
Shipboard life continued as usual with talks in the Queens Lounge. Barbara H covered Salalah, Oman, not one of our favorite stops, while new guest speakers began their series today. Timothy Runyan discussed the underwater world and archaeological finds. This is right up our alley. In the afternoon, Vivian Rowan spoke about the 7 ancient and new wonders of the world.
The jewelry salepeople are promoting cartouches, the Egyptian pendants with personalized hieroglyphics carved into them. We have seen these pendants, bracelets, and keyrings while in Cairo and Luxor, and if done in 14 or 18 carat gold, they are pricey.
The absolute best surprise we encountered was unexpected sightings of two whales and a hundred dolphins. Yes, what appeared to be humpback whales were swimming and diving not far from the ship around 6pm. We had gone to the promenade deck to watch the sunset, and got more than we bargained for. When we spotted the plumes of the blows, we thought we were seeing things. Then suddenly, we heard slapping on the waves, and there were dozens of dolphins keeping up with the ship's speed. Besides the security guards, there were only a few of us outside to see this display. It was too cool as the dolphins flew out of the water, turned to look at us, then slapped the water as they landed. It seemed to go on for at least ten minutes before they got tired or bored, and swam away from the ship. This was the best sighting we have had since leaving Florida back in January. Usually, we pack the small camera, but this time we did not. If we had, they would not have come, right?
Showtime in the Queens Lounge was far different than what is usually expected. Tonight, a performer by the name of David Keller, performed a one-man show of Shakespeare Around the Globe. His subject tonight was Hamlet: "Cut to the Bone". Although we did not attend, we heard mixed reviews. Some liked it, some did not. The only problem we gathered was that he did not use a microphone, so much of the dialogue was lost to some. Even at its best, understanding the language of the era was a chore in itself.
For us, we stayed up late to complete a few more days of our overland tour. Now that we are writing about it, we realize how totally busy it was.
Bill & Mary Ann
