The days seem to be racing by as we continue our voyage towards Jordan. So far, the weather has remained quite nice, even still warm and humid. Knowing these balmy days and evenings are numbered, many more folks are coming out of the overly air-conditioned ship to relax on the outside decks, and take advantage of the swimming pools and spas.
Here are a few more countries that we are passing along the route. One that we got close to, but stayed well clear of, was the north coast of Somalia. Perched on the tip of the Horn of Africa, Somalia is an unstable war-torn country with the capital of Mogadishu and a population of 10 million. Seriously, it is a no-go area despite the fact that there are huge archaeological treasures and world class beaches here. First thing that comes to mind is the incident of October 1993 and the Black Hawk Down disastrous combat mission. And more recently, pirate attacks that occurred with the Maersk Alabama and Captain Philips in 2009. So if you travel here, according to some sources, you may be the only tourist in the entire country.
Eritrea is another country we are passing on the port side. With the capital at Asmara and a population of 5,600,000, it is a country like no other. It has a wealth of culture and history with beautiful volcanic deserts and coral reefs of the Red Sea. Their fight for sovereignty and clashes with Ethiopia have brought on hard times. But it still remains a diver’s paradise, as well as a place of monasteries, mosques, and temples. Best known for macchiato and a snack of deep-fried dough balls sold in newspaper cones. And another country we have never visited.
Sudan is also on our port side as we head north in the Red Sea. Khartoum is their capital and the population is around 45 million. This country stretches over part of the Sahara Desert to the shores of the Red Sea. Again, there are relics of ancient civilizations from pre-Pharaohic Egypt. It is also torn from civil war, now divided by the north and south. They are known for the hammerhead sharks in the Red Sea reefs, and the confluence of the two Nile Rivers – the Blue and the White where they meet in the capital. It is a place of pyramids more numerous and older than Egypt’s. The locals eat “fuul”, a stewed brown bean dish eaten with flatbread, eggs and cheese. The favorite drink is sweet tea or coffee with cardamom and cinnamon. And again, a place we will not stop.
Happenings of the day included three lectures. What to see and do in Italy, Spain, and Portugal was discussed by Ian, and Barry Dreyer deal, an appropriate subject dealing with the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia, perfect for our upcoming visit to Jordan. But of course, you would have to visit Petra and Wadi Rum to see the setting for this true saga. Then Miss Rowan spoke about the pyramids and how they were built. Too bad we will not have the opportunity to see them on this trip.
The HAL Chorale group has been meeting on some sea days since the onset of this cruise. One of our friends sure enjoys this easy group activity and we look forward to hearing their performance later in the voyage.
For a change, there was a gala night port wine tasting held in the Crystal Terrace at 7:30pm. However, instead of the usual $5 wine charge, it was $14.95. We had been relaxing in our chairs close by, but we left shortly before it commenced.
As we indicated, this was another “dress up” gala night with the theme of 1001 Arabian Nights Dinner. The majority of guests dressed much the same as any other formal evening, but some did dress the part of exotic Arabia. But none could match the exotic headdress of our tablemate, Greg, who came to the table with a royal blue and gold lame Tutankamun hat. He even added a very bushy black mustache over his real one. Good thing our host for the evening happened to be the hotel director, Henk, who knows all of us very well. Good thing. When our laughter died down, we got through the evening just fine. Greg did catch the attention of Philip, who is the head of all culinary operations now. He insisted on taking a cell phone photo, as did another buddy Jane, who ventured down to take a tablet photo to capture the moment. All in good fun.
And to answer a recent question regarding theme nights, we did receive a Know Before You Go booklet well before the cruise began. Every special event and theme dinner was included in the list, as well as the specialty wine pairing, Tamarind, and Sel de Mer evenings in the Pinnacle Grill. That way, we can come prepared with the assorted costumes. Or these items can be purchased along the way, which many guests do.
The entire lower level of the dining room emptied out, leaving us the last to leave. But that is normal. We all like it when it gets quiet. It did give us the opportunity to go directly to the show, which was a dance and song performance by the singers and dancers of the Amsterdam. For a change, they played the music we like….country western, folk, and country rock. This group has got the moves and the voices to go with them.
And once again, the clocks went back one hour, which was fine for all.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS Love the comments about the “dessert” sands, as we still chuckle about that. And yes, there are no calories in those desserts.
