Mysteries of
Civilizations

Up early and off to the airport. The sun was coming up and we sang "Bless the Lord oh my soul, worship His holy name. Sing like never before oh, my soul, worship His holy name" It was an easy trip and once the car was turned in we cleared security and before we knew it we were settled into our first-class seats. I point this out because this is the only time we have ever had first class for a long international flight. The seats were huge with massaging backs and a multitude of adjustments. We were greeted with champagne and hot towels and it took no time at all for us to decide we liked this very much. Plane took off on time and we had a hard time settling on movies to watch on the large screens we had. We had access to all the Oscar-nominated movies. Our first meal was 5 courses and started with smoked salmon and ended with an ice cream sundae bar. I chose hot fudge, whipped cream, and cherries and Hugh had caramel. We tried hard to adjust our sleeping to China time and it was hard. We rested well on the full beds and awoke to just 2 hours to go. After a brunch was served we prepared for landing and we were amazed how quickly the time had passed. We cleared customs easily and our luggage was on the 3rd round of deliveries. We found a taxi quickly and hoped to be at our hotel before 5; not to be. On the way to the taxi the driver was walking very fast pushing our luggage and I was keeping up with him. He turned to me and said, "how old are you lady? You very fast!" Traffic was bumper to bumper and the drivers here are crazy and our driver joined in the chaos with abandon. It was 6 before we arrived at the Marriott City Wall and checked in. We were upgraded to a suite with executive club privileges and that allowed us to have dinner in the hotel and not have to get back out in the smog. The pollution level was 61 and they were pleased but this would be a national emergency in the USA. We had a nice meal and sent emails before going to our room for showers. We organized our belongings and decided to watch TV and read which lasted about 10 minutes. We went to sleep and woke up at 8 am, must have been more tired than we realized. We had a great breakfast in the lounge and read mail and news.

After breakfast we donned our coats, hats, and gloves and headed out to the Silk Market. We stopped at the concierge and she gave us a map but made it very clear that we should take a taxi as it was far. We also talked to the doorman and he pointed the way but said, " I don't think you will find it." We headed out undaunted and in less than 20 minutes we were at the Silk Market and shopping. Hugh loved this place as much as I did and we had fun haggling with the sellers. We both bought jackets, I got a Burberry trench and Hugh bought a Jack Wolfman 3 in 1. Hugh also bought a new lightweight backpack. We spent several hours exploring each floor. We then had a snack at Micky D's and headed back with our purchases. We got back to the hotel and decided to head to Tiananmen Square. We took our time and enjoyed looking at all the buildings and people. There are policemen and soldiers in evidence everywhere you look. They are not threatening but also not friendly, not a smile among them. Because of the Congress of the Communist Party meeting here this week the closer we got to the square the more troops and police we saw. We had to go through security lines to enter the square and although they were checking the Chinese they waved us through. We spent several hours wandering around the square and making pictures. The buildings surrounding the square are beautiful and Hugh was fascinated with the China Railway Museum ( a trip for another day). We headed back to the hotel around 5 as the wind was picking up and it was getting colder fast. We cleaned up a bit and ate dinner in the hotel. We spent time checking email and reading the news. It was a great day and we were not tired or jet lagged. We went to bed at the regular time with plans to see the Forbidden City tomorrow

Today we woke up rested and ready to go. After a great breakfast we took the subway to Tiananmen Square and crossed under the street to the entrance to the Imperial City. We had to wait in a long line as security was very tight for the Chinese but when we got there they waved us through. Not sure why we are so low a security risk except that the Chinese revere their elders! We made our way into the square and had a great day photographing all the beautiful buildings. The Imperial City, Forbidden City, Palace Museum area is so huge that it takes a day to just walk around it. It was a busy day for families and there were the cutest children there and the parents love for you to make a picture. It is a big thing here to dress in costumes and walk around making pictures at the different sites. We did not participate but I assumed that it cost money to get the costumes even though the lines were long. After we finished with the buildings we exited through the beautiful gardens. We were at the rear of the city and had to walk almost 40 minutes to get back to the street we came on. We walked slowly through the shopping area back to the hotel. We were tired and felt dirty from the smog. Both of us bathed then spent some time reading before we went to dinner. Later in the evening we went to the room to pack. We leave at 11 tomorrow to go to the ship and begin the next phase of our adventure.

Today we slept in and had a later breakfast. We finished packing and had time for Hugh to make some pictures of the trains and train station that is not far from the hotel. I had time to read some before calling for the bellman to take our luggage down. There were 4 bus loads of Oceania cruisers and it took a while for all that luggage to get loaded. We were fortunate that our bellman took ours up to the front and we were able to get on the bus out of the cold. It seemed a little clearer today here in Beijing but our guide said that a cold front was coming from Siberia that would clear it out more in the next few days. We left the hotel and fought the traffic for a good while before we hit some open highway. There is nothing to see and the smog is really thick in this area. We were told no stops for the first 1 1/2 hours and it was easy to see why. We made a happy stop at a gas station with large bathrooms but only 2 western style toilets. Got to practice my squatting skills and I had not lost them and even remembered to take toilet paper. The further we travelled the more barren and unfriendly it looked. The smog gave it an other-worldly appearance. Groups of high-rise apartments would just suddenly appear in the middle of nowhere but we saw no people and there was little traffic. Our guide said these apartments were built for the port and transportation workers. We arrived at the port and it was very modern and efficient. We id'd our bags and then cleared Chinese customs before standing in the check-in line. Oceania was efficient and we were soon on the ship minus our passports but with a copy of it that was stamped by the Chinese government (wonder how we will use this??). As usual we were not able to get to our cabin until 3 so we had a late lunch with 2 other couples, one from England, and one from South Dakota. It was a nice way to start the trip. At 3 we went to our cabin but had no luggage so we explored the ship and then read until our bags arrived. We unpacked our cold weather clothes but kept our summer things in our suitcases under the bed. We dressed for dinner and made our way to the main dining room around 7. It was almost empty as most people had just flown in and were jet lagged. So glad we had 3 days to recuperate. Our meal was delicious and we had time for a couple of hands of Kings on the Corner before the 9:30 show. We enjoyed the violinist but were ready to go back to the cabin when it was over at 11. Read for a while and then it was lights out.

Woke up this morning in Dalian China, our first stop on our latest adventure. This would be our first visit to Manchuria. It was rather bleak looking outside as we docked in a commercial port. After showering and dressing we had a lovely breakfast in the main dining room. The servers were friendly and we met one who remembered us from our South Africa to Singapore voyage. After breakfast we bundled up and headed out to explore. There was a shuttle to town and of course it stopped at the Friendship Shopping Center which is really an 8 story department store. We spent some time wandering through the levels but soon decided we needed none of the overpriced merchandise. It was all very high end. The most interesting level was the food market. We could only identify about 1/3 of the items. From there we took our map and made our way toward Russian Street. This is the oldest street in Dalian and is a reminder of the former Russian presence in the city and of the man, K.G. Skolimovskii,, who designed the city's initial street grid. It has Russian buildings along the street that have been renovated and restored. From the bridge going into this area we could see the railway station. We set off to find it and it was quite a journey through areas filled with small shops and lots of people, no westerners here. The train station was bland from the front and we were not allowed inside. To enter a train station in China you have to have a ticket and bags are checked just like at the airport. After leaving the station we walked along a lot of small busy streets filled with sidewalk markets and shops. Bird cages hung from light poles and the birds chirped merrily even in the cold wind. After a few detours we made it back to the shuttle and arrived back on the ship in time for a late lunch. We ate in the Terrace dining room but did not linger as people kept opening the doors to the outside and we were cold. Back in the room I journaled and Hugh imported pictures. Before we knew it it was time to shower and dress for dinner in the POLO restaurant. Our reservations were for 6:30 and we arrived right on time and had a wonderful seat by the window. Tracie was our waitress and she took very good care of us. The appetizers and soup were fantastic but Hugh was disappointed in his porterhouse as they said he could not have it less than medium and it was not the way he likes it. Dessert was fantastic and overall it was a great evening. Hugh was not felling his best so we skipped the show and went to the room to read. Hope he feels better tomorrow as we have a big day planned.

Today was an exciting day, a new country to visit. I was very happy to visit the country that I knew a little about through my favorite TV show MASH. We had breakfast in the dining room and it was delicious. Afterwards we went to get cameras and made some photos as we approached Incheon. Hugh stayed outside for a bit and I went to the Horizons lounge for the first needlework group. Katie was our instructor and it did not take long for her to give out 33 kits. I am working on a make-up bag and it will be a cruise long project I am sure. Katie showed us all the basics and a few neat tricks to make getting started easier and before long we were all stitching away. We docked at 11 after going through the lock into the harbor. The locks help them deal with the 30 foot tides they have. We went to the Terrace to have an early lunch as our tour began at noon. We checked in for our tour and they gave us our passports; seems we have to have them to travel in the DMZ area. We boarded bus #2 and our guide was Park. She spoke great English and was excited to tell us all sorts of information. She was a fast non-stop talker. The first information she gave us was on Korean surnames. Her first name was hard to pronounce so she used her family name as do most Koreans. She told us that the most common family names come from royalty and are Kim, Lee, and Park in that order. These names make up almost 2/3 of the family names in South Korea. She next told us that Incheon where we are docked is the 3rd largest city behind Seoul and Busan. On our 70 minute trip she gave us a history of the Korean War and also told us what to expect when we arrived at the DMZ and the 3rd Tunnel. We had to go through a check point and show our passports although it appeared they were more concerned about the number of us; 33 people in and 33 people out. There were also a lot of areas that we could not use a camera. We saw soldiers everywhere and most of them looked to be in their teens, healthy and strong. Camouflage was the uniform of the day and Park said that this was picked up from the Americans. The DMZ winds 155 miles across the Korean peninsula and has served as a buffer zone since 1953. It is now a practical ecosystem with a lot of birds and wildlife.. Our first stop was the Imjingak where we had a bathroom break and also great photo opportunities. This area was built as a celebration area when they built the Unification Bridge. There are memorials here, an amusement park, a memorial wall where families put flags to commemorate those they lost. There were trains here and Hugh enjoyed this a lot. There were also views of the checkpoints in North Korea. Our next stop was the Dora Observatory at Paju. This was an interesting area as there was a gift shop and binoculars but there also was a no photo zone. With the binoculars you could see right into North Korea and Gaesung City, the second largest city of North Korea. We could also see "Propganda Village" Kijongdong of North Korea. From the observatory we made our way to the 3rd tunnel. This tunnel was discovered in 1978. Located about 4 kilometers from Panmanjon, it runs through bedrock 73 meters deep. Capable of moving a full division, approx. 30,000, per hour including their weapons, it was designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. We watched a short movie first and then put our cameras in lockers, no photos here, and donning hard hats we boarded an open tram to descend into the tunnel. We could see the dynamite holes from the building of the tunnel. We were allowed to walk toward North Korea and when we reach the wall the South Koreans had erected we were less than a kilometer from North Korea. The tunnel was low and all through our walk you could hear heads hitting the ceiling; glad we had the hard hats. We then reboarded the tram and made our way out. We went to the museum and then we made our way back to the ship. On board we showered and dressed for dinner. We had a great meal and enjoyed the late show. Then it was off to bed.

We slept in this morning and went to the main dining room for a late breakfast. It is amazing how many of the servers were on our South African journey and remember us. After breakfast I went to my needlework group and Hugh went to the Marco Polo talk in the Nautica Lounge. At 11 I joined Hugh for a cooking demonstration and this was terrific. The head chef is Italian and has a caustic sense of humor. He and the chef from Toscana worked well together and picked at each other constantly, highly entertaining. We then went to the dining room for lunch and joined 6 others at the table. We had a light lunch and then read, journaled, and Hugh signed up for a class on martinis. I went to a craft class where we made cards and it was fun and Hugh was the only person at his class and Ivan the Russian bartender gave him a real education on martini's. We rested a while before we dressed for the Captain's cocktail party. We joined everyone in the lounge for champagne and then made our way to dinner. We shared a table with a lovely group but we also encountered our first braggart. This was a women who within 5 minutes let us know they were in the penthouse suite and could not travel for 21 days with less than 2 bedrooms, she uses the second as her closet and dressing area. After lobster and a relish chocolate dessert, we went to the show and it was Susie G the violinist from Australia. This was here second show and it was just as good as the first. We made it back to read and fall asleep dreaming of Shanghai.

I woke up early this morning and looked out the window and realized we were sailing up the river towards Shanghai. We dressed quickly and took our cameras on deck to get some great shots. It is windy and cold but the decks were filled with early risers with cameras. We took breaks in the Horizons and watched through the big windows while we had hot coffee. We dock at the end of the Bund across from the Pearl Tower and our views are fantastic. After a quick shower we had breakfast enjoying the view while we waited to clear the ship. We were sitting in our cabin waiting for them to call our floor when they made the general announcement for everyone on board to proceed to the terminal to clear customs. We grabbed our jackets and headed out. It only took about 10 minutes to clear and turn our passports back in and we were on the streets of Shanghai heading toward the Bund. We walked with some new friends and when we reached the Bund they headed toward old town and the gardens and we continued on. We were making pictures and talking and completely missed Nanjing Street which was our destination. When we reached the ferry terminal we realized our mistake and turned around and started back. We walked down Nanjing street stopping in some of the large department stores to get out of the wind and warm up. We walked until we reached the Peoples Park and we looked at our map and headed back to Haiding street and we took off to the Train museum. We reached the museum and were surprised that the Chinese close for a siesta time also. We were able to make some pictures but it was 30 minutes before they reopened and we were tired and hungry so we started the long trek back to the ship. We covered a large portion of downtown before arriving back at the cruise terminal. Our guesstimate is that we walked somewhere between 8-10 miles during our 6 1/2 hour adventure. We cleared customs and made it to the WAVES grill before they closed. We treated ourselves with lobster and steak sandwiches and fries dusted with truffles; excellent. We shared strawberry ice cream for dessert and then went back to the room to shed our shoes and read and rest our tootsies. I typed my journal and Hugh watched a Doctor Who episode. We decided not to dress for dinner and just went to the Terrace late for dinner. We walked out on deck and enjoyed the fabulous view from our ship. We are docked across from the Pearl tower and the night views are so colorful and lovely. We walked around the ship for a while and listened to the string quartet playing. Lovely end to a fabulous day!!!!

We got up with the roosters today and showered and had breakfast before joining our tour at 8 a.m. We had a small group and our guide was quite knowledgable. We drove across Shanghai and did not have to fight traffic as it was a Saturday. There are 3 ring roads around Shanghai and I think we saw some of the largest and highest interchanges I have ever experienced. Piko told us about the new child policy; before if you were the last of your family line or were a farmer you could have 2 children; everyone else only one. With the new policy everyone can have 2 if they choose and pay a fee. We made our way to the Maglev train station and there was a lot of construction for new tracks. We went into the station and it was very modern and the trains run every 15 minutes to the airport. It is a 40 kilometer trip and takes less than 8 minutes at 431 kph. We had our bags scanned and then went up the escalator to board the train. We only waited a short time and the train arrived and everyone quickly boarded. We were prepared for great g force and were so surprised as it was so smooth and quiet and with the deceleration glass you could actually see the scenery even though we were virtually flying. it was a short trip and we stayed on the train for the ride back. We got off the train and had an hour to explore the museum and the surrounding area. After we were back on the bus Piko said that the same trip in a car would have taken 40-45 minutes each way. She said they would love to have more of the German made Maglev trains but German technology is expensive but they do have bullet trains which travel 317 kph and are much cheaper because they are Chinese. From the train station we traveled through the Pudong or new area; only 25 years old. We were surrounded by so many skyscrapers housing banks, government offices, and hotels that we were getting neck strain from looking up. Each one is unique and they are not on top of one another. There is a lot of green space which was mandated from the first development of the area. There are 2 miles of raised sidewalks connecting shopping centers, hotels, and etc. which makes it much easier for pedestrians in this bustling are. We stopped at the Jin Mao tower which also houses the Grand Hyatt. They have an observatory on the 88th floor and you get a panoramic but not clear view of the city. We had plenty of time to make photos and even shop if you were so inclined. Our next stop was at a riverside park and walkway along the river. This area was filled with families, children playing, and folks just enjoying the sunshine. From here we made our way back to the ship. We bid Piko goodbye and cleared customs and went to our room to drop off cameras before going to lunch. We ate in the Terrace looking out over the Bund.

After lunch we took the shuttle to the Bund and fought the hordes of people and made a power walk down past the ferry terminal arriving back in time to take the last shuttle to the ship. Back on board we turned in passport copies and made our way to Horizons for the sail away and tea time. It was a beautiful sail out and we enjoyed the string quartet. We rested for a while before dressing for dinner. We were seated with 2 couples, one from Perth and one from Nantucket. We had lively dinner conversation and delicious meals. We hurried to the Nautica Lounge for the show by Terry Bishop, who is billed as a troubadour. He was funny and talented and we enjoyed the show very much. Terry is also the lecturer on board and should be billed as multitalented. It was off to the cabin and reading before bed. It was after 1 (we lost an hour tonight) when we had lights out.

This morning we slept in and dressed for exercise before heading up to the Terrace for breakfast. We thought we would have missed the breakfast rush but most people slept in today as it was quite busy. After breakfast we went to the first of three lectures on Japan. After the lecture we headed to the gym. We worked out and rushed down to the Nautica Lounge in time for todays cooking demonstration. It was Asian inspired and the chefs put on a good show. We went to lunch and it was also Asian inspired. After lunch we walked outside on deck 5 before going to the cabin for our showers. At 2:45 I went to a card making class and we made the cutest nautical themed cards; mine is a happy anniversary one for Hugh. I then joined Hugh for the 2nd Japan lecture on Fat Man and Little Boy, the two first atomic bombs. This was a terrific and knowledgeable talk preparing us for our time in Nagasaki. We immediately went to Horizons for tea time. The sea was calm and lovely to look at and the string quartet provided a nice background. After tea we went to the cabin to journal and work on pictures. Tonight we have dinner reservations at Toscano so we had to dress up just a bit more than usual. We were dressed and ready early and went to the library to read magazines until 8. We were seated with a couple from Bulgaria and we thought it might be a problem because of their lack of English but we had a great evening. The food and service was superb and we left very happy. We went to the show and enjoyed the violinist from Australia very much. Then it was off to bed as we had to be up early the next day in Nagasaki.

Today it was rise and shine as we had an 8am customs face to face. We went to breakfast in the Terrace and watched as we docked in Nagasaki. Our plans changed when the ship did not clear quickly and we did not go to Customs until our 9 am tour. Clearance only took about 10 minutes and we were soon on the bus and traveling through Nagasaki. Our guide Muirika told us that the city was a Portuguese trading post in the 1500's. It grew rapidly and many of the citizens converted to Christianity under the Portuguese missionaries. Christianity was banned by the Japanese government for the next 200 years but survived this persecution period and the Catholic Cathedral here was the largest in Asia. It was destroyed in the 1945 bombing but has been rebuilt. She also told us that Japan has 1/2 the population of the US on 1/25 of the space. They conserve space very well here using their living space for multiple purposes; living room during the day and then mats go down and it is the bedroom. Our first stop was the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. This museum was opened in April 1996 as part of the 50th Anniversary projects for the Nagasaki atomic bombing. This museum walks visitors through the horrific day in 1945 and its aftermath. This museum was very interesting and had a lot of historical information as well as artifacts from the bombing. We had free time here and then we walked to the hypocenter of the blast which is commemorated by a lovely park. From the museum we travelled to the Nagasaki Peace Park. We parked in an underground garage built to accommodate large buses and climbed the steps to the park. The park begins with a lovely statue that dominates the park. The main attraction is the massive Peace Memorial Statue depicting a man with his right arm pointing to the sky to indicate the continued threat of nuclear destruction. The man's eyelids are closed in anguished prayer for those who perished in the bombing and his left arm is stretched our in peace. All around the park are lovely statues donated by countries around the world. We also met a survivor of the bombing who is now 83 years old. He stood under the Nagasaki bell which is rung on the anniversary of the bombing. In the ground below the bell is a mass grave of victims of the bombing, over 17,000 buried here. At a lot of the monuments we saw strings of paper origami cranes. Our guide told us that the crane is a symbol of good fortune, luck, and prosperity as well as peace. We had time to enjoy the park and the lovely weather ending our stay at the park gift shop which is run by bombing survivors and their families. On our way back to port we drove through China town and past the one-legged Torii Gate a left over from the bombing, and past Dejima Island, an artificial island completed 1636 to house Portuguese and Dutch traders who were banned from Nagasaki. On our ride Muiriki showed us pictures of her family and explained about family rites in Japanese families. She also tried to teach us how to count in Japanese. She presented us with an origami crane she had made for each of us. It was a great tour and we hated to have it end. Back on the chip we dropped the backpack and cameras in our cabin and headed for a late lunch. After lunch we took little cameras and started out on a walk in the port area and into town. We chose to walk up a short hill that was a shopping street filled with little souvenir shops and food stores. We took our time strolling along this area making pictures and exploring the cemetery and a lovely church ending at the hillside entrance to Glover Gardens. We decided to explore the gardens but they would take no credit cards or any other currency than the Japanese yen, and we had none. From here we headed toward town but stopped when we came to the Glover Sky walk entrance. Nagasaki is very mountainous and houses are stacked on the mountainside and it is difficult to get to these areas. They have an elevated walkway system and even a tram to take you to the top. We entered the tramway and went to the top for the view. There was a school there with children singing and playing on the playground at the top of the mountain. We walked along the skyway and found ourselves back at the cemetery we had seen earlier. From here we made our way along the waters edge on a lovely boardwalk to a seaside park. People were flying kites and children were playing. We continued on to the Nagasaki Dejima pier where we saw an old sailing schooner. We slowly made our way pack to the cruise terminal and Hugh went on board and got our computers so we could check email and read the news. We sat in the terminal until time to board. We went on top for sail away and a wonderful youth orchestra played for us on the pier as we sailed away. They were fantastic and had great solo artist on the sax and clarinet. It was one of the loveliest departures we have had since we started cruising. We showered and went to a late dinner and then on to the show. The show was a soloist from Australia and she was quite good. We went to the Horizons lounge for St. Paddy's Day music and then off to the room to read for a bit before night night time.

We had planned to sleep in this morning but we were both up at 7. We read some and journaled before we headed to breakfast in the dining room. After breakfast we went to the future cruise presentation and raffle; guess what, we did NOT win!! We stayed for the presentation on the English Samurai which was very good. We went to the cabin to journal and edit pictures before heading to the dining room for lunch. We had a leisurely lunch and just made it to the card making class, and yes, Hugh did go. He made a lovely card and I think he enjoyed it, I sure did. We did not want tea so we went to the room to read and we both fell asleep. It was a foggy, hazy, grey day and very conducive to a nap. I finished my mystery before dressing for dinner. We ate in the Terrace and played cards while we finished our hot tea. The show tonight was a magician-comedian and he was both funny and talented with his magic. Back in the cabin we got out clothes for Taipei and then journaled and watched Dr. Who.

We were awakened early this morning in preparation for our 8 am tour of the highlights of this city. We look forward to using this tour as an orientation exercise so we can explore more this afternoon. We were on the first bus, found out this was not the best idea, as we had a very disorganized tour leader. We started out a little late as it took people a while to get through customs and turn in their passports. There were 33 of us and it was easy to see we had a few complainers on board. The guide was not easy to understand but I guarantee there was no one on board that spoke Chinese and he was trying. Our first stop was the National Palace Museum. The first view of this complex on a high hill is spectacular. We climbed the steps and joined the hoards of people going in. After some confusion we were given headphones so we could hear the guide which was useless as we could not understand him. Hugh and I left the group as did many others and saw the museum on our own. It was well arranged and each exhibit had English descriptions. We saw the Jade, pottery bronze, and the spectacular snuff box and bottle exhibits. We made it to the meeting point on time and found a small group waiting. We waited and waited and well past the time for our bus to leave our guide shows up; his watched stopped!! We left the museum and drove to the Matryr's Shrine. This was a beautiful shrine and reminded us very much of the Imperial City in Beijing. We only had a short visit but it was lovely. We drove rapidly to our next stop, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall for the changing of the guard. We got to this beautiful memorial just in time to see a very impressive changing of the guard ceremony. It was long and so very precise. There were amazing views from the top and of course Chiang Kai Shek himself sitting above it all. On our way to the bus we saw panda's made of paper machete and filling a huge area. These were in honor of the baby panda that died here in the zoo. There were children everywhere getting their pictures made. We boarded the bus on time and waited and waited for 4 people. They did not show up and the bus drove all around the memorial to all the gates looking for them. The guide finally found them and then they said they did not hear where to meet and were mad. There were those on the bus complaining about the lack of elevators and that is so sad because on the tour description this was a stated fact. We made it back to the ship almost an hour late. We had lunch by the pool and then headed out to explore the town. We visited the pier area, the train station, and walked all over the city, even up a large hill in a neighborhood. We found out it did not go down the other side so we had to walk back the way we came. We visited the open air market and a shopping center before heading back to the ship at all aboard time. We went to the top deck to get those last pictures and then showered and dressed for dinner in the Toscana Restaurant at 6:30. We almost had a table for 2 but at the last minute 2 more people joined us. We had great food and made 2 new friends who are staying on till Rome. We went to the Nautica lounge to play cards but after one hand we decided we should claim some seats up front. The show was American Pie and the ship entertainers are fantastic! After the show we settled in to journal and watch Dr. Who. Hugh had ripped seven complete seasons to our computers for this trip.

We woke up this morning to a grey and dreary day. It is much cooler than yesterday. After dressing for exercise we went to breakfast. Fortified with caffeine we headed to the gym. It was not too crowded so we did our stretches, weights, and planks. Just as we finished they announced a safety drill so we hurried to our cabin and grabbed our life jackets and went to our muster stations. We then had to go on deck for the disembarkation drill and it was cold! When this ended we cleaned up and went to the enrichment lecture on the East India Company. Terry Bishop makes these lectures so entertaining and today it was standing room only and we were some of the ones standing. We left the lecture and joined the migration to the dining room for lunch. After lunch I stayed in the cabin and rearranged my closet and drawers so I could get my warm weather clothes out. At 2:45 I went to card making class and the class filled to capacity quickly. We made great cards today but Hugh must have been working hard on pictures or watching Dr. Who and skipped the class. At the end of class I went to the room for journaling and reading but Hugh stayed in the library! We showered and dressed for dinner in the main dining room. We had a great meal and finished in time to play a few hands of King on the Corner before the show. The show this evening was the singer from Australia and she was fantastic! We walked around the ship before retiring to our cabin.

Welcome spring! It is an overcast day in Hong Kong but we got up at 6 am to go on top for the sail in to Hong Kong harbor. It was impressive and after a few cups of coffee we were glad we had gotten up for it. We went to breakfast after we docked and had a lovely meal in the dining room while those on tours and those who have to be first off jockey for space in the Terrace. We got all our things together and headed out. Our first stop was my favorite optician and I ordered a new pair of sunglasses. I got red ones which are very cool and different. From there we continued down Nathan street and then we cut across Kowloon and went to the jade market. We purchased a couple of small items and the walked toward the Temple street area. We walked through the open market and gawked at the people doing the butchering right on the street and then we walked through the produce area and it was filled with veggies and exotic fruits. We walked slowly back toward the harbor checking out anything we wanted to. We ended up at the ship in time for a late lunch. We rested our tootsies a bit and then showered and dressed to go out for the evening. On shore we checked out the best place to watch the light and sound media show later in the evening. We also walked up several streets looking at different restaurants where we could have dinner. We have enjoyed the restaurants on Ashley Road on previous visits and were not disappointed this visit. We decided against Chinese and went to a lovely Thai restaurant called Mangosteen. We asked for spicy and that is what they gave us. We sat and enjoyed the view and food until time to head for the light show. The temperature had dropped while we ate and we hustled to stay warm. We were early for the show so we dropped into an art show at the cultural center. At 8 we went out to the harbor and found a place to watch the show. The wind was cold but the view and show were terrific. We left toward the end and walked slowly back through the Harbor Center which is a large multistory high end mall taking up the entire space between our ship and the Star Ferry terminal. We checked out several outdoor stores and enjoyed looking at some million dollar jewelry displayed in the window; price confirmed by the tags. We arrived back on the ship in time to grab a cup of tea and a slice of a delicious lemon confection and sit on the stern terrace and enjoy the view. When the hot tea was finished it was time to go in Brrrr. It was close to 10 when we settled in to read and journal.

We slept till 7 this morning and read and journaled before going to the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast we headed out for the Star Ferry terminal. We bought our tickets and boarded the ferry quickly. It was a pleasant trip across and we landed at Central Terminal on Hong Kong Island. We walked along miles of elevated sidewalks stopping to visit shopping centers for locals, huge malls with everything under the sun, and then we crossed through areas of restaurants and banks. We finally descended to the ground level and Hugh was fascinated with the double decker trolleys. We walked a long way, climbing stairs up hillsides until we reached a lovely church and a park. On our way down it was very windily and cooler than we expected. We found an entrance into an Armani store and from there we used the elevated walkways to get all the way back to the harbor which was well over a mile away. The British and Chinese have mastered the art of people moving on this crowded island. We wandered around the mall and I bought some lipstick as I forgot to pack what I needed. We bought tickets and caught the ferry back to Kowloon. The ferry area and the shopping around it are bustling today with families doing their shopping and out for adventures. We made our way to Nathan Road and I got my glasses. I love them and the optician here is so helpful. It is his shop and he takes great pride in his work. We took our time heading back and ended up buying new toothbrushes before we changed our Hong Kong dollars back to US dollars. I was late when we arrived back on the ship and the only place to get lunch was WAVES. We sat by the pool and had Surf and Turf sandwiches before heading down to warm up and rest our tired feet. Today was a fabulous day and after resting we showered and dressed for dinner. We went to the Horizons Lounge to watch the sail out through HK Harbor, a world class view. We had some wine and played cards while enjoying the gorgeous view. We made it out to open water and the seas got much larger. We went to a late dinner and then to the show. Nathan Foster, one of the show cast did a cabaret act and it was very good. The seas are rough and it was late so we headed to our cabin.

This morning we got up and went to breakfast in the dining room. After a light meal we changed into exercise clothes and headed to the gym. We worked out hard and then went to the pool deck to watch the crew vs. cruisers in some ping pong, putting, and shuffle board contest. It was sunny and comfortable so we stayed for a good while enjoying the nice weather. We had sandwiches by the pool for lunch and did not head downstairs until time for the enrichment lecture at 2:30. Terry's lectures are always good and the lounge is usually packed. We went to the cabin to journal and Hugh to nap for a bit. We showered and dressed in our finest (we didn't bring anything grand) and went tot the Nautica Lounge to meet the Captain for our return cruisers cocktail party. We sat with 2 lovely couples who are very loyal Oceania customers. One of the couples has 22 credits and the other 31,; this was the most days of anyone on this cruise, 441 Oceania days. We then took our wine and went to the dining room.. We are trying to eat more sensibly so we had a table for 2 and limited our selves to 3 courses. After dinner we played cards until time for the magic show. Again this was a fun show and everyone was smiling when we left. It was off to bed as we had a very early day on Monday.

We had breakfast in our cabin very early as we watched the sail in from our cabin window. It was cloudy and grey and we wondered if we would be able to make this trip or would it be canceled like the last time we were here. We then showered before joining our tour group at 7:45. We boarded our bus and the trip on the bus was not very long. We arrived at the embarkation point for our junk tour along about a thousand other people. Hai, our guide kept us in line and we made it to our boat without too much trouble. We had fun making pictures although we had to stand in the rain. The boats jockey for space and hitting one another is a common occurrence. It was fascinating watching the boats as we made our way to our first stop. Ha Long Bay is made up of 1,969 monolithic limestone islands that rise spectacularly from the ocean. This is Viet Nam's most often visited vacation spot and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. One of the main sites is the Sung Sot cave also know as Surprise Grotto and this was our first stop. It was raining hard and we had to climb 448 steps along with 500 Asian tourists carrying umbrellas. It was worth it. This is a spectacular and huge cave with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites. There are draperies and formations of rock that are so huge they are hard to believe. We thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and we were hoping for some sun for the rest of the trip but alas it was still raining when we came out. We found Hai and headed back to our boat. Again we fought for space with all the other boats as we made our way out into the bay. We soon sailed past a boat village that housed fisherman and their families. This village even had a school. We continued on our voyage and the islands with the haze surrounding them did look like dragons rising form the sea. It was a magical trip and we were so excited that we finally got to mark this off our bucket list. We made our way back to the bus and arrived back at the ship in time for a late lunch at WAVES. We were tired from our early morning and we went to the cabin to read and relax until time to sail away at 5:30. Before sail away we showered and dressed for dinner. The sail out was not more than we had already seen so we went to Katie Mussler's Pre Dinner Cabaret. It was lively music and Katie's fun personality shown through. From there we went to the Terrace for a Red Ginger buffet. Red Ginger is a restaurant on the larger Oceania ships and the buffet was wonderful. We took our time and enjoyed a lot of little treats. We played cards a bit before we headed to the Nautica Lounge for Terry Bishops Traveling Troubadour show. Tonight we did a variety of songs but mostly protest songs of the 50-60's. It was a terrific show with lots of sing alongs. Then it was off to bed.

Today we slept in and went to the Terrace for breakfast. We then went to the gym and worked out. After our work out we decided to walk a couple of miles on deck 10 and watch the docking of the ship at 10am. It was a warm sunny day and we had no agenda. We did not plan any shore excursions as we have been in a lot of Viet Nam and felt we did not want to see any more of this area. We showered and dressed for a warm day and headed off the ship. Our intention was to take the shuttle to the beach and spend an hour or two and then come back-plans change. First we stopped to shop at the little shops set up on shore and enjoyed haggling with them on prices. We made a few little purchases and Hugh took them back to the ship. We then caught a later shuttle and took the ride to the beach. Along our way we saw rice paddies and not many people. There were huge sand dunes as we arrived at Chan May. The resort we went to was lovely and the beach was almost empty. We walked for miles on the beach and waded in the water. It was a lovely day and when we arrived back at the resort we decided to take advantage of the 45 minute massages for $10. There were people just finishing theirs and they vowed it was a highlight of the trip. We laid down on the comfortable beds and they covered us to keep our modesty and proceeded to give us both the best massage we had ever had. I could not imagine lying on a beach practically nude and being able to relax but I did and would definitely do it again. After our massages we took the shuttle back to the ship as we were oily. We got back on board and showered before we went up for a very late lunch. We stayed by the pool for a while and then headed down to relax, we had enjoyed a very active day. We had late dinner reservations at the Polo Grill and we dressed for dinner and arrived right on time. We had a lovely table at the window and we both enjoyed a steamed lobster and a very delicious dessert. We went to the show immediately after dinner and it was a pianist, singer, and storyteller who told us all about the music of the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. We went to our cabin humming some great old songs.

We did not set the clock last night and it was 8:30 before we got up. We dressed for breakfast in the dining room as we have come to enjoy the quiet, calm service we get there in the mornings and the coffee is the best on the ship!! From breakfast we went to the enrichment lecture on the British Empire. Terry did a great job and we looked forward to part 2 this afternoon. After the lecture we changed into exercise clothes and headed on deck to walk our 2 miles. It was a sunny, hot, and humid day and we were drenched in sweat when we finished. I went to the gym to work out and Hugh ran. We ended our exercise in the pool to cool down. After showering we went to the dining room for lunch and finished just in time for part 2 of Terry's lecture. I left at 2:45 to go to my card making class. Today we made kimono cards and they were a bit tricky. It took us until tea time at 4 to finish but they came out great. I went to the library to join Hugh and I journaled and Hugh read the news. It was a great sea day! We dressed for dinner and went to Marie Nicole's cabaret show before we ate. The show as great and when we arrived at the dining room we opted to share a table and we were blessed with a lovely couple from England and we enjoyed our conversation and meal so much we just made it to the show. We were not very impressed with the banjo player and left about 20 mins into the performance. We had a quiet time before it was lights out.

I woke up early this morning for no particular reason. As I was searching for my watch, Hugh woke up and we decided to have an early breakfast and get our exercise done before the heat set in. We ate our oatmeal watching the early part of our sail in to Saigon. We then walked 2 miles on the track and sweated off everything we had drunk. We had never sailed into this city and it was an interesting view, a lot of contrasts, high-rises and fisherman villages, overfilled barges and cruise ships! The heat did not sneak up on us, it hit us full in the face. It is 84 at 9am and climbing to 97 during the day, quite the change from the grey cool days we have had recently. We were an hour late arriving at our berth because of all the traffic on the river. It was slow going with a lot of horn blowing to clear the way. As we docked we were met by lovely girls in native costumes who released bunches of colorful balloons as we docked. Once we were at dockside we showered and decided to have an early lunch before we took the shuttle into town. We sat in WAVES and had burgers and watched the activity on the dock. We took the shuttle into town and as we got off we saw 2 pedicabs waiting for fares. We negotiated 2 hours for $20/each and we hopped aboard. We each had our own as these taxis are made for "chopsticks not cheeseburgers". We loved our ride around the city dodging motorbikes and cars. Traffic moves very well with smooth merges even though there is a lot of honking going on. We decided they use the horn to alert others that they are moving past. We saw all the important sights and even had the opportunity to stop if we wanted to. At the end of our trip around town we stopped at a sidewalk restaurants and Hugh and our drivers shared some beers. They were discussing motorcycles and our drivers said the Japanese one are very good, Korean ones so-so, and Chinese very bad! Our drivers dropped us near the ship and we walked into the port hot and drained. On board again we took a long time to cool off enough before we could shower. We journaled, read, and watched Dr. Who to relax. We showered and dressed and attended a lecture by a Vietnamese gentlemen who told us interesting facts about his country. From the lecture we headed to the dining room for a great meal. We took a walk after dinner around the port and surprisingly it had cooled off a good bit. We played some cards until time for the show and then enjoyed some great Gershwin music. It was a lovely day and we spent some time on the computer looking at future cruises before bed.

Slept in till 8 this morning and went to breakfast dressed for exercise. I did 2 miles on the track and Hugh did one: he spent his time drinking coffee and talking. We showered and caught the 10 am shuttle into town. We spent over 3 hours just wandering the streets and enjoying the people and admiring the parks and old French style buildings. We walked to Notre Dame Cathedral and there were a lot of art students sitting at the post office drawing the cathedral; they were quite good! We went in and out of shopping malls to cool off but they were not particularly cool. We walked [past the Armaments Museum and Hugh took pictures of the tanks. The cutest thing we saw were the Vietnamese women going to work on their scooters with high heels and short skirts; but they wore these long apron type skirts over them and had on helmets, scarves, gloves, and face masks. Everyone seems to respect the other persons space and they merge almost seamlessly. There are no signals for crossing streets and we were told to walk briskly and do not stop. Traffic just moves around the walkers. It worked, but it was hair-raising at times. Mid afternoon we took the shuttle back to the ship. We were the only ones on the bus that did not have shopping bags. We went to the cabin to cool down and then headed up for a late lunch. Today we sail at 3 for Bangkok! We headed out on deck for the sail away and found lounge chairs in the shade. we stayed there for three hours enjoying the sights. What a great afternoon. We were still sweaty from our adventures and decided to stay in for dinner. We showered and put on our robes and uploaded pictures from the day before ordering dinner. We watched 2 episodes of Downton Abbey while we ate a delicious filet of beef for dinner. We dressed and went to the late show and it was fabulous. the Oceania singers did a show called Postcards. Back in the room we read and soon it was lights out.

Today we had no schedule and we slept in and did not get to breakfast until 9. We ate in the dining room and just made it to the enrichment lecture on Thailand. This was Terry's last lecture as he and Julie are leaving in Bangkok; they both will be missed. We then went to the library to edit pictures and this took a long time. We had more pictures than we needed but it is hard to get rid of them. We went to the dining room for lunch. We have made a habit of this on the trip and have really enjoyed it. After lunch Hugh edited pictures some more and I went to a greeting card class. We made tea fold cards and they were the most difficult so far. We just finished in time to grab cameras and head to the Gala Tea at 4. I went early and there was already a line. It is amazing how many people have no concept of lining up. It can quickly become a free for all. The tea was beautifully presented and we sat with a nice couple from Toronto. The band played as well as the string quartet. This lasted much longer than usual and when it was over it was time to think about where to eat dinner; such a hard decision. We read and watched news before we decided to stay in and get room service again. We had a great meal and watched 2 more episodes of Downton Abbey. We went to the show which was excellent. This was a variety show that featured the singers and dancers, Terry Bishop, some very talented crew members, and the surprise of the night was the Cruise Director, Leslie, did a number from Fiddler on the Roof and it was fantastic! At the end of the show we sang Old Lang Syne and held hands. We then sang YMCA and SHOUT and the whole ship was rocking. A terrific evening!!!!! It was very late when we made it back to the cabin and bed.

We woke up earlier than we expected this morning and went to the Terrace for breafast before heading to the gym. After our workout we went on deck to walk as we sailed up the river into Bangkok harbor. The sights were improving rapidly so when I finished my 2 miles I went down to get my camera. It is already in the high 80's and it is not 11am yet. We alternated between Horizons and on deck to enjoy the views. I got some great pictures I think. We saw temples in each little village, the huge elephant that everyone told us about, and lots of fishing villages on the water. As we neared the city and our berth we took turns going to the cabin for a shower and dressing for the afternoon. We docked later than expected, about 30 minutes late because of river traffic. We ate in the dining room to free up seats in the Terrace for those on tours. We decided to head out and ride the sky train to the Boscotel and get a foot massage. This is where Franz took us on our first visit. While we were waiting on the shuttle we met Dennis and Julie and they invited us to go to a spa that they have been to many times. At the shuttle stop we grabbed a taxi and our next stop was the Health Land Spa. It was huge and very lovely. We ordered our treatments and paid at the front desk. They had us take off our shoes and they gave us slides to wear and escorted us to our private rooms. For a total of $45 for both us us we got 2 hour Thai massages and 1 hour foot massages. It was an afternoon to remember and I don't know that I have ever felt more pampered. It was after 6 when we made it back to the shuttle for our trip back to the ship. We had reservations at the Polo Grill for 6:30. Hugh called when we reached our room and they told us to come on. It wasn't a problem as there were a lot of no shows. We had a great dinner and we missed the show which was fine with us, it was the banjo player again. In the room we FACE-TIMED with the boys and then talked to Trey. It was very late when lights went out.

This morning we slept in and almost missed breakfast. It was turn around day and everyone was leaving but the 18 of us traveling on. They had abbreviated breakfast hours and we were trying to miss the rush and almost missed a meal, wouldn't that have been a shame. We went to the gym and had it all to ourselves and then we walked for a mile but the heat was too much. We walked around the ship some saying good-byes and letting them sanitize our cabin. When the cabin was ready we did email and read while cooling off. We showered just before our noon special lunch in the main dining room. There were only 14 of us and it was quiet and lovely while on the rest of the ship the check in madness was in full swing. After lunch we got the shuttle and headed to the mall that is close to the stop. Hugh got his haircut and we both had foot massages. We walked around the area before getting the shuttle to the ship. Peace reigned when we returned and that was nice even though they were still delivering suitcases. We did email, uploaded and edited our pictures, and journaled. We had reservations in Toscana at 8:30 and we did not have to hurry. We took our time and as there was no show we played some cards and then read. We dressed for dinner and arrived at Toscana in time to be seated at a window table. We had a lovely meal but I got a terrible headache so we left before dessert. Off to bed for us!

Today we left Bangkok at 5 am and started our voyage to Singapore. Hugh and I got up and had breakfast then walked 2 miles on deck. We finished our walk in time to head down to our cabin and get our life jackets for our safety drill. This is our 3rd one on this cruise and we are continuously surprised that everyone does not show up for these and they have to go round them up. For one thing there are multiple announcements that you cannot escape, detailed instructions, and the word mandatory for all passengers is repeated at least twenty times. We waited and waited while the staff rounded the people up and brought them to the muster station. After we saw our muster station we changed into bathing suits and headed to the pool. We swam some and then lay in the sun to dry before we found a nice shady spot to read and relax. We had lunch outside at WAVES and were joined by a lovely couple from Canada. The maitre de from Toscana saw us and asked if we would like reservations and we invited the other couple to join us and they agreed and asked to bring the friends they are traveling with. Once that was all set Hugh helped Barbara sign up for the internet and get logged on. He had to help several other people who saw what he was doing. He was in his element. I retreated to my shade and read. We had a great lounge bed for the afternoon and we enjoyed it until time to shower and dress for dinner. We arrive at Toscana and we were seated immediately. We had a great meal accompanied by lively conversation. We missed most of the show but Hugh and I caught the last 20 minutes. After the show we strolled a bit and then headed for the room. It was almost midnight and we loose an hour tonight.

Today we woke up earlier and dressed for exercise. We walked our mile before breakfast and went to the gym as soon as we finished our light breakfast. We worked out hard and had just enough time to get a quick shower before the cooking demo. I enjoy the cooking and Hugh enjoys the comedy of these two hilarious chefs. We decided to eat a light lunch on the Terrace and we enjoyed a cool breeze and a good salad. After lunch Hugh edited pictures in the Nautica Lounge and I journaled in the room until time for the enrichment lecture. This was a new lecturer and he was just OK. He did not have Terry's personality and the lecture was Photography 101 which for us was a little too basic; I am reserving judgment until the 2nd lecture. After the lecture we worked on pictures and then Hugh went to the library to edit some very old pictures from childhood and I journaled. Tonight was the Captains cocktail party and I decided to skip it but Hugh went. Later in the evening I went to hear the string quartet play and then we both settled in for the evening.

This morning we woke up at 7 and went for our 2 mile walk before breakfast. We ate in the terrace and then hurried to our cabin for showers and planning our day. We were off the ship before 10 and lined up at the Kodak dealer to get passport pictures for Myanmar. We, along with half the ship, did not get the email saying we needed 2 passport pictures for our VISA. After we completed this task we joined Frank and Brigit on the train trip into town. We took the MRTA and only had to change once before we ended up at SUNTEC Center and the Hop On Hop Off buses. We had purchased our tickets in the terminal so we were able to just hop on the bus of choice. We took the Heritage Line and F&B took the City line. I am sure we will meet again as both couples will probably take both lines. Hugh and I sat on top and enjoyed the complete tour. We visited China town and Little India. We also saw the Raffles Hotel where on one of our visits we had Singapore Slings and danced the night away. We visited all the historic sites including ST. Andrews Cathedral, which is the oldest protestant church. We ended our tour back at SUNTEC City and decided to cool off with a walk through the mall. It was time for a late lunch and we found one of the NY Times top 10 restaurants in the world located here. It was called Din Tai Fung and we had lunch there. It was amazing and the service was fabulous. They brought a cart for our bags, served hot tea instead of water, and had the best steamed dumplings you can imagine. It was a wonderful experience and so very unexpected. After lunch we reboarded the bus, City Line this time, and continued our tour of Singapore. On this part of our journey we made it to the Botanical Gardens and the Singapore Flyer which is higher than the London Eye. We saw all the fancy shopping malls and of course Orchard Street. We saw the embassies of many countries and the most expensive homes in Singapore. When we finished this tour we again walked into the mall area and made our way to what is billed as the largest fountain in the world, Peace Fountain, but we were sure Las Vegas has them beat. I bought an eleven dollar dress to use as a cover up and to wear when we go to Masada over my bathing suit. It was then time to head back on the train. We realized we were just getting into rush hour and we had to join the crowds. We made it back to the harbor area and had time to walk along the boardwalk toward Centosa Island and walk through VIVO Centre before changing our Singapore dollars for US ones and heading toward the ship. As we made our way through customs we walked with a younger British couple who were just embarking on the Azamara which was docked next to us. They were on a 9 day trip to Mumbai and we will probably see them again in other ports. Back on the ship we cooled off in our cabin a few minutes before grabbing our big cameras and going on top for sail-away. We stayed outside for a long time enjoying the view and decided to have dinner on the Terrace so we would not miss a thing. As we enjoyed our meal we also enjoyed the light show as we continued on our way to Phuket. We went to our cabin and showered and put on warmer clothes before we headed to the show. This was a cast show called Showstoppers and it was excellent. Our seats were close to the stage and we could not hear the singers as much as we could hear the band. They will have an encore presentation tomorrow afternoon and we will sit in a different area. This was an amazing day and evening, Good night!

Today we woke up to the alarm at 7:20 and breakfast was delivered at 7:30. What a nice way to start the day. After breakfast we hurried to the track and did our mile quickly lapping everyone. We wanted to get to the Port Talk at 9 and we did, all showered and clean. The talk was on Myanmar and we enjoyed it but it made us rethink our tours and we swapped one in hopes of returning in time to go to the pagoda at night. We stayed for the next lecture on Steaming to Mandalay and this lecturer was fantastic. Hugh was especially enthralled as this chap is an English train enthusiast . We then made our way to the pool and sat and read until lunch time. We had a late lunch on deck and enjoyed the Asian buffet a great deal. Hugh has a scratchy throat and cough so we sat out by the pool some more as the air conditioning makes him cold. At 3 we went to an encore performance of the show we saw last night and our seats were better placed and the singers were not overwhelmed by the orchestra. We were so glad we went back. We then went to the room for Hugh to rest and I emailed and explored some on the computer. I ended up napping for about 30 minutes before Hugh woke up. We showered and dressed for dinner, we had reservation in Toscana. We had a terrific meal and made it just in time for the late show. This entertainer started slow but proved to be quite talented. His joke style was not my favorite but his piano playing was extraordinaire. We took a walk around the ship before heading to our cabin.

This morning we woke up as we were docking. We took our time dressing as there is always a rush of people on tours leaving the ship. We dressed and went to the dining room for breakfast. We are slowly eating our way through their menu, something we have never done on any other cruise. We had no plans today, Hugh has a touch of tracheitis and has a little cough. It is raining and humid and we had toured this area thoroughly in the past. After breakfast we did a load of laundry, the first for the whole trip and I even got all my pressing done. The laundry was closed for almost all of last cruise so we did hand hand-washing. When were finished our wash we headed out to visit the vendors who have set up quite a spread at dockside. There were some temptations but I stood strong. We looked at some future cruises and updated our computers before heading to lunch. While we were enjoying our meal the concierge asked us if we would like to dine in the Polo tonight so all of a sudden we had plans, nice surprise. We then did our 1 mile walk as the rain had stopped and then headed to the cabin to cool down. I journaled and Hugh watched Dr. Who. We decided to rest and relax until time for sail-away at 5 and then visit the future cruise director Sharon to see what the cruise specials are for onboard bookings. Oh well Sharon was not available until dinner time and we had reservations, guess we will see her tomorrow. Dinner tonight was in the Polo Grill and we shared with 2 other couples. Great dinner and then off to the show. The entertainer was a singer from Australia and he sang all kinds of music and did a good job. We gained 1/2 hour tonight so we stayed up and read bit before bed.

Up early and we dressed for breakfast in the dining room. It was a great meal but Hugh is having some issues with coughing and sneezing. He says he feels OK but his energy is low. We went to the church service on board and then stayed for the enrichment lecture on Sri Lanka. Hugh ran to the cabin and watched the end of the Kentucky vs Wisconsin game. He joined me late into the lecture. We put on exercise clothes and went for our mile walk and then stayed by the pool for reading and relaxing. We had lunch at poolside and then I got in the pool. Later in the afternoon we went to the cabin and I journaled and Hugh napped. Hugh's cough is not improving and I am glad it was a sea day. We had reservations in the Toscana and we had a terrific meal and then just made it to the show. It was a musical review and it was different tunes from last cruise. We made it back to the cabin and it was off to bed.

Up early and off to walk. We finished our mile as we sailed up the Irrawaddy River toward Yangon. We had breakfast on the aft terrace as we continued our sail. We showered and then we Face-Timed with Lori and Ron. We had a great visit and made plans to do it again next weekend. We then went up on deck to watch the small boats in the dock area. We had a 12:15 tour and we went to lunch early so we could get our tickets turned in early and get on one of the first buses. This is one of the ports we have been looking forward to and we hoped to see as much as possible. We got on the 2nd bus and off we went. It was already 100 degrees and humid. The ride into Yangon was over an hour and we passed through small towns and villages with bottle-neck after bottle-neck traffic. There are a ton of motor bikes and bikes on the road along with very overcrowded buses and vans. Cars here are very expensive and none are purchased new. They import used cars from Japan and they average 10 years old. We saw many open-air tea shops and our guide told us that the Burmese usually eat breakfast at a tea shop rather than preparing it at home. Our first stop was at the Chauk Htat Gyee pagoda that has the largest reclining Buddha image in Myanmar. This statue is 16 meters high and 65 meters long. It is elaborately painted and quite lovely to see. We had to leave our shoes and socks before entering but photography was not forbidden. The feet of the Buddha image are inscribed with astrological signs and numerology because the Burmese people are very superstitious and also follow the numerology calendar. We had time to explore the area and then we were off to the Royal Barge. The Karaweik Royal Barge (or Karaweik Hall) is a golden, floating palace moored on the eastern shore of beautiful Kandawgyi Lake in Yangon. This landmark is a restaurant but is so beautiful that people travel from all over to see it. It was built in 1972 and is guilded in 24 carat gold. The park in which it is located is called lovers park because one sees a lot of couples hidden behind umbrellas sharing a quiet moment. The Burmese are very conservative and the girls carry umbrellas so that no one can view them on their dates. From the park we could see our next stop the fabulous Shwedagon Pagoda. Sitting high atop the sacred shrine of Singuttara Hill, housing relics of The Buddha and three Buddhas that preceded him, encased in gold and in jewels, the Shwedagon pagoda is a wonder to see. The beauty of the architecture and design will take your breath away, as will the sparkling, light catching jewels. This wondrous holy place is the most visited in all of Myanmar and the villagers dream of at least one pilgrimage here in their lifetime. As we walked around we saw people washing the small Buddha images, meditating and chanting, and Monks of all sizes in different activities including checking their cell phones. We were lucky enough to see a novitiation processional and were allowed to get pictures of the young boys dressed in all their finery. These young boys will live at the monastery for 1-3 months but are allowed to see their parents during this time. It is a huge family affair and everyone dresses up and the mother carries the robes, the grandmother carry the sleeping mats, and young boys ride on ponies or elephants. We spent a long time here and the amount of gold, jewels, and marble was overwhelming. We took so many pictures it may take days to process them all.Shwedagon at night picture From Shwedagon we were blessed to have a police escort back to the port. It still took over an hour but we moved through the traffic more efficiently. There are no stop signs or traffic signals and apparently not many laws. It is all helter-skelter and amazingly we did not see any accidents. On our trip back Daniel, our guide, showed us how to tie the traditional longyi that most of the Burmese people wear. Men tie theirs for activity and the women for a sleeker more beautiful look. Daniel also showed us how the village women use this garment for modesty when they bathe in the rivers. Daniel told us he was a Shan tribesman and he explained about all the different tribes in Myanmar. He was a terrific guide and very entertaining. He explained to us that 9 was the sacred number to Burmese and an apartment on floor number 9 would be the most expensive with the ground floor being the cheapest. Buildings do not exceed 9 floors because after that height they have to have a lift. We made it back to the port at 5:15 which gave us time to sign up for the Shwedagon At Night tour. Hugh was feeling bad so I went alone. I took both cameras because we had been told this was not to be missed. We had a police escort and made it back just at dusk. The pagoda was even busier than during the day as families made their way there to pray and socialize. There were a lot of monks there also for evening prayers. It was hard to imagine how all that gold would gleam but it was like a golden Disneyland filled with people and glowing from miles away. I spent almost 2 hours photographing all the beauty and I only hope that some of the pictures remotely capture the beauty. It was a long day and I was exhausted when I made it back to the ship after 10. Oceania had provided us with dinner delivered to our room just as we returned. It was much appreciated but I had to shower before I could enjoy it. Wow, what a day; even better than I anticipated!

Today our tour was at 7:15 so we were up early and off to breakfast. We were in the 2nd bus to leave the ship along with some of our new friends. It was a jolly group but no one knows what to expect other than temples. We traveled through the countryside dotted with busy villages and shared the road with every sort of vehicle you can imagine, We were busy the whole trip making pictures out of the window. Our first stop was the Taukkyan War cemetery erected by the British for victims of the world wars. The cemetery was lovely and so peaceful and well maintained. Our next stop was Kyakhatwine Monastery in Bago in time for the monks' lunch. We were strictly observers, mind you, and our guide gave us clear instructions ahead of time, so that we would not interfere: no speaking and no crossing in front of the monks as they walk in and out of the lunch hall. This is a teaching monastery, housing up to 1000 monks and novices at any one time, and their lives are ordered by immutable routine. Visitors are welcome "“ provided they stay out of the way! We were given soap bars to give the monks as they filed past us. We were able to photograph them at lunch and roam through the monastery. We then board our bus and headed to The Shwemawdaw Pagoda or 'Great Golden God Pagoda' which was built around 1000 years ago. It is one of the famous Mon pagodas. The pagoda was built by 2 merchants Taphussa and Bhalita and enshrined some hair and teeth relics of the Buddha. It was originally built to a height of 23 meters and was rebuilt higher several times until it finally reached its present 114 meters in 1954. It was destroyed several times due to earthquakes, including one in 1917 and another in 1930. The upper parts of the pagoda which was collapsed in 1917 earthquake remain at the site. At 114 meters in height, the pagoda holds the record for the tallest pagoda in Myanmar. The pagoda festival takes place every year in April, and we were able to see all the stalls set up for this. It was very hot on our feet and we walked briskly as we photographed this beautiful place. Back on the bus we made our way to a bustling city market. This was a colorful experience and everyone was happy to have us make their pictures. They sold all sorts of things here,from hardware to cloth, food and spices. From the market we went to Kyaw Swa Restaurant where we had a multiple course lunch. The food was fabulous and everyone at our table liked the watercress and mushrooms best although the duck, cashew chicken, and shrimp were excellent. After lunch we boarded the bus for the trip to a Mon village. On our way we passed Naling Daw Gyi May Tha Lyaling Reclining Buddha. We did not stop here but had a great view from the bus. At the village we walked through the narrow street and came to a weaving center where they make the cloth for the longyi. They also manufacture the longyi and all is accomplished by hand. There was a lovely little girl there rolling charoots, or Burmese cigarettes and selling 10/$1. We had some shoppers on this trip and the village was richer when we left. We walked from there to the Shwethar Lyaung Pagoda, which has a reclining Buddha. At the length of 55 m and a height of 16 m,it is the second largest Buddha in the world, after the 74 m reclining Buddha in Dawei (Tavoy). The Buddha is believed to have been built in 994, during the reign of Mon King Migadepa. There were a lot of vendors here and they were the most aggressive we had seen. We then made our final stop at the Kyiak Pun Pagooda, Which has the 4 faces of Buddha image. We only had a photo stop here and then we made the 2 1/2 hour trip back to the ship. We were back on board by 6, tired and dirty. We showered and took some time to upload our pictures. We walked up to the Terrace and had a quiet dinner and then walked around the ship for a bit before retiring. Hugh's cough was bothering him and we decided to order breakfast in the room for tomorrow. Off to bed for us. We decided to celebrate our anniversary another time when Hugh felt better.

Today we awoke much earlier than we had planned. We dressed quickly and went up on deck for our 2 mile walk. It was hot and we were glad to get it done. We did not have anything special to do this morning so we took our time with breakfast. We sailed from Yangon at 10:30 and it was a smooth send off. After breakfast we changed into our bathing suits and went for a swim. We decided to stay out by the pool and Hugh went to the cabin for our iPods and before we know it it was 1 and time for lunch. After showering and changing we had a light lunch in the Terrace and then decided to take a break and rest. It was a very tiring day yesterday and both of us suffered from the heat and humidity. When we got up we tackled the task of sorting through the 1500 pictures we had from Myanmar. We discarded the obviously bad ones, argued over our favorites but in the end we had a manageable amount. We decided to save the task of editing them for tomorrow. We had a great dinner and walked around deck in the evening cool. We watched some TV and then read until lights out.

Today we got breakfast in the room early and then took our walk. There was a stiff breeze so we did not swelter even though the temp was climbing fast. We stopped by the Future Cruise desk and talked to Sharon about some upcoming trips and got info on the ones that interested us. We then showered and headed to Horizons to edit pictures and for me to journal. I had not written a word the whole time we were in Myanmar and needed to get it down before it all blurred together. This took the best part of the morning and we headed to lunch around 1:30. We are sailing in the Bay of Bengal and there is only a slight swell. We had a great lunch and finished just in time to make the enrichment lecture on Florence Nightingale. The lecture was quite good and we left looking forward to his next lecture. We changed into bathing suits and lay by the pool and read and swam, and ended the afternoon with a dip in the hot tub. Hugh was not feeling well and was coughing so much we decided to have dinner in the cabin and watch Downton Abbey. We showered and donned our terry robes and called for steak and frites. We had a great evening and did not miss a thing.

I got up this morning and put on my exercise clothes and left Hugh sleeping. He was up during the night coughing but was resting soundly now. I walked my mile and settled on a shady seat near the pool to read. I read until nine and then woke up sleepy head and we headed to breakfast. After breakfast we went to a future cruise presentation which ended just in time for our first anti piracy drill. We sat in the hallway with everyone else on our floor and were told that if we hear the signal we are to evacuate any room with windows, sit low in the hallways and wait for instructions, will do! We changed into bathing suits and headed to the pool. We enjoyed our shady seats and alternated reading and swimming. After lunch we went to an enrichment lecture on Damascus and then rested by the pool and walked on the upper deck. We showered and dressed for dinner in the main dining room. We had a quiet meal alone because of Hugh's cough. We then watched some more Downton Abbey before heading up on the pool deck for the evening festivities. The wind was very high and no one was able to stay out for too long. We found ourselves in the cabin and settled in for the evening around 10.

Again today I got up and exercised while Hugh caught up on his sleep. He joined me by the pool at 9 and we had breakfast. When we came back to our chairs a couple had moved all our things and taken residence. After letting them know I did not appreciate this action we moved upstairs to a very lovely area. We sat by the pool and read and swam until lunch time. We ate by the pool and then continued our swimming, needlework, and reading. We sailed around the tip of India and entered the Arabian Sea on our way to Cochin, India. Hugh ended up sleeping a good part of the afternoon he has not been sleeping well due to his coughing. About 4 I went down to shower and dressed for the enrichment lecture at 5:30. I had time to journal some before we went to the lecture. This was a good lecture on Cochin and Goa which are two of our next ports. After the lecture we played cards and listened to the quartet before dinner. We ate in the Terrace and finished in time to edit our pictures of Bago before we went to the show. The show was Bane Bacon's 2nd show and this one was much better than his first one. As we were leaving the lounge we went out on deck to watch a lightening show. It was beautiful and we had to share the deck with the water hoses which are laid out in case of pirates and also the crew member who was on lookout with his big binoculars. We went to the cabin and watched the lecture on India before heading to bed.

Up early today as we arrived in Cochin, India at 4 am. There is a group of travelers heading to the Taj at 4:45 so activities began early. We were up at 7 and out on deck for our walk before we cleared customs at 8am. After breakfast and dressing for the day we headed into the port area. We had been told the taxi drivers were aggressive but after we explained we wanted a tuk-tuk we had no problem. Our driver was Haneef and his tuk-tuk was 7 years old and had seen some wear. We started out of the port area and he was talking so fast we could not keep up with him. He pointed out the old railway station and then stopped along the waters edge for us to photo some colorful boats tied across the inlet. We then crossed the bridge onto the peninsula that is old Kochi. The traffic here is beyond crazy. There are no stop signs, speed limits, or any type of organization that we can discern. Cars and tuk-tuks and motorbikes will pass you going the other direction to your left and right. Our first stop was the Mattancherry Palace where the Maharajah's lived in the 15th and 16th century. It is a lovely museum with a lot of history and wonderful English. It was built by the Portuguese for the Raj but was named the Dutch Palace as they were the ones to repair it. From here we went to a modern Hindu temple that was filled with people and just across the street was the old one and there we saw 2 elephants that were being fed before the big holiday festival. As we were driving to the Chinese fishing nets we passed the drummers and some of the men dressed for the festival parade. This was loud and colorful and there were people and tuk-tuk's everywhere slow going. We arrived at the fishing nets and there was only one fisherman team working because it was Sunday and a holiday.These fixed, cantilevered fishing nets, at the entrance to the harbor and along the backwaters, were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. Records show that they were first erected between AD 1350 and 1450. They were a marvel to behold but only one small fish was caught and the man tried to give it to Hugh. Our next stop was St. Francis Church which was built by the Portuguese Franciscan friars in 1503. It is believed to be the oldest existing European church in India. Vasco de Gama was buried here before his body was returned to Portugal. The church is cooled by rope operated punkahs or manual fans. We were able to hear part of the Palm Sunday mass. Our driver gets kick backs from certain stores so he insisted we stop at the Museum Store. We had decided to indulge him but not purchase, but we broke down and got a Christmas ornament. We made a stop at a pharmacy for Hugh to purchase cough drops, prilosec, and ibuprofen. We got 30 couch drops, 15 prilosec, and 30 ibuprofen for less than $1.50. Amazing!!! From here we headed to the Fort Cochin Beach. There were not a lot of people there at this time but as we sailed out at 5 it was covered in folks. Hugh did commune with some goats while we strolled. Leaving the beach our tuk-tuk had trouble starting and had to be pushed, what's up with that? Just around the corner from the beach was our next stop, The Indo-Portuguese Museum. Located within the compound of the beautiful 1506 Bishop's House, the museum established in a separate building showcases artifacts like statues and coins left by the Portuguese and also has a portion of the Fort Cochin wall in the basement. All of the museums have a no photography policy. Poor tuk-tuk wouldn't start and again we had to be pushed. We started off to our next destination not having any idea where we were going. We passed a sports complex with multiple cricket fields, all in use but not with the white-clad British style players.

We suddenly stopped at a house and our driver informed us that this was a mechanic and he would fix the problem, just takes 10 minutes. Thirty five minutes of standing while the mechanic jacks up the tuk-tuk and pulls out the part. He then hammered it, welded it and then re-braised a new piece on it and then put it all together and it worked and we were off. We then made a stop at the public laundry. This was something I would never imagined. There were individual stalls for washing, areas for drying and ironing and folding. The ladies that were there had the neatest, cleanest, most precisely folded clothes you had ever seen. This was a real view into local life. From this adventure we stopped at another lovely Catholic Church and then we made our way to the All Spice Market and Ginger Factory. It was closed on Sunday but this is a working factory. The old buildings were lovely and we enjoyed photographing them. We made our way through Jew Town and then back across the bridge to the port area. We bid Haneef good-bye and made our way back to the ship drained from the heat. We showered before we went to Waves for a very late lunch. We then retired to lounge chairs on the 5th deck and watched the constant parade of pleasure craft coming by to take pictures of our ship and wave. At 5 we sailed out and the light was great for taking pictures of the areas along the harbor. We rushed to dress and get to our Palm Sunday service. Leslie our cruise director did a fabulous job of the service which was well attended. We finished with the hymn the Old Rugged Cross and we have some talented passengers. We had reservations in Toscana to celebrate our anniversary. We had a fabulous meal and when we finished they brought us a small cake with candles and the wait staff sang to us. It was quite touching and lovely and just the perfect way to commemorate 41 years. We then listened to the string quartet until time for the show. The ship's four singers presented American Pie. It was one we enjoyed last cruise and this time was even better. Good night after a terrific day.

Up at 7 this morning and off to walk before breakfast. We docked as we walked and we are in a commercial port but it does have a cruise terminal for passengers. After we ate breakfast we were preparing to shower when we heard the announcement that all passengers had to see immigration in the next 15 minutes if you were leaving the ship. We hastily dressed and got our cards stamped and then showered and dressed for the day. We took the shuttle into Mangalore and when we arrived at the City Center Mall, our meeting point, we decided to walk back to a church we had seen on our trip in. It was hot already and what seemed to be a short walk had us dripping. We visited the chapel of Our Lady of Dolours which was built in 1857. It was lovely and we saw where the Pope sat when he visited. We then returned to the mall area and asked the representative how to get to the market. We were already so hot we decided to stay outside and visit the things we wanted to se before cooling off in the mall. Traffic, both pedestrian and street, is crazy and you have to watch in all directions to keep from getting run down. We made it to the bustling market area and decided after only a short time to head to the large cathedral we saw as we walked. We had a hard time crossing the traffic circle as there are no lights, signs, speed limits, or road marking of any type. A police women saw us and walked out in the middle of the traffic and then put up her hand and said, Go. We made our way to the Milargres Church. It was lovely outside and had a very beautiful and old cemetery. We walked around and enjoyed this area including a funny store called Miriam's Fashion which made us think of friends at home. We made our way back to the mall and stayed inside as we explored 5 floors of shops. On the fifth floor we left the building and made our way to ST. Aloysius College Chapel. we were able to go inside and we had a lovely guide who told us that the inside was painted by one man and it took 2 1/2 years to finish. It is done in fresco and tromphe loele. We left there and walked by the Gandhi Memorial Park on our way back to the mall and the shuttle back to the ship. We enjoyed the journey and we were very glad we were not driving. Back on board we had lunch and uploaded pictures until sail away. We went out on deck and walked another mile as we sailed. The sun was lower and the temp was nice. We showered and dressed and had a great dinner in the main dining room. Not a lot of people out and about as the heat tires everyone out. After dinner we listened to the string quartet and then went to the evening show. Jacque Scott was the headliner and she was fantastic. She is a veteran of the London stage and boy does she have a voice. This is a hard to please crowd and she got a standing ovation. Another great day and tomorrow it's Goa!

We were up early today and we have a tour at 8:30. We were eating breakfast as we docked in Goa. As we were deciding what to do our choices included the town of Vasco, the town of Mormugoa and it's fort, The Bom Jesus Cathedral the first world heritage church in India and where Francis Xavier was buried, the Se Cathedral which is larger than any church in Portugal, the Shantadruga Temple, a cultural museum, and the beach. We choose the Chitra Cultural Museum and the beach which included a drive through all the towns mentioned above. We boarded our bus with a very good English speaking guide and off we went. Right out of the port it was easy to see the differences in this area and the areas we just visited. The traffic was better controlled and there was a lot of industry. We drove through several towns on our way and we saw the differences in the small villages with lots of opens shops and restaurants frequented by people on bikes and walking and the larger towns with more hotels, shopping areas and large parking areas for cars. Buses were plentiful everywhere. Traffic was still crazy and our guide told us, "if you think its bad now you should have seen it the day after the Indians invaded this Portugese colony in 1961 and declared we drive on the left beginning the next day. Cars with right hand steering and drivers used to them on the left side was a disaster." Our first stop was the Goa Chitra Cultural Museum. This museum was owned by one man who has made it his lifes passion to educate the young people about the past and preserve the items that represent the culture. The museum is completely self supporting and a Green Operation. We were met by a brass band, drummers playing drums from the Portuguese times and lovely dancers. The first building we went into was full of all types of carriages, carts, and such that he had lovingly restored; some of them over 200 years old. Next we went into the building with the farm implements, product processing items, and then the area of pottery storage items. It was all beautifully presented and well preserved. Our guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. This museum has the distinction of being listed a "must see place" by TIME International and featured as a hidden gem by National Geographic Traveller. From the museum we drove a short distance to the coast. Our guide told us this was the superior beach area with the famous resorts. The northern beaches are more nightlife and markets. We stopped at the Taj Exotica Resort where we had use of the beach and pool, plus lovely snacks and drinks at their restaurant. We spent almost 2 1/2 hours walking on the beach and swimming in the sea and in the pool. Tourism is #1 in Goa economy and this resort is a good example why. It had so many things to do besides swimming; golf, archery, putting green, and all sorts of water vehicles and sports. We had a great time and our driver took another route back to the port so we saw a whole different side of Goa. Back on the ship we joined friends for a snack before downloading pictures and going on top for sail away. The sail away was fun and we then ran down for showers and dressing for dinner. We had a lovely dinner in the main dining room and finished just in time to head to the show. It was the Art Cameralis Quartet and they were fabulous! Luccas told us that his wife was the cello player and her cello was given to her father as a student and was over 300 years old. the 2nd violinist's violin was over 200 years old. Great Day!!

Today we docked in Mumbai at 10:30. I am so glad we got up early and walked our 2 miles before breakfast. We had a light breakfast and then showered and dressed for the day. Sail in was interesting because there were a lot of ships of the Indian Navy that Hugh found most interesting. We had a light lunch before embarking on our tour. We started on our tour through the port area where we saw a lot of elegant buildings pertaining to the Navy. Our guide told us that Mumbai is known as the business capital of India and numerous financial institutions are housed here. We saw the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, and the Stock Exchange of India as we traveled toward the city. We also saw lovely murals on the walls surrounding some of the Naval buildings. We saw the Church of St. Andrew and the magnificent Victorian buildings of the Mumbai University. There were cricket fields in use everywhere we looked and our guide said that the people of Mumbai are mad for cricket even though the national sport is field hockey. Our first stop Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways in Mumbai, India. Designed by Frederick William Stevens with influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and Indian (Mughal and Hindu) traditional buildings, the station was built in 1887 in the Bori Bunder area of Bombay to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The new railway station was built on the location of the Bori Bunder Station and is the busiest railway station in India, serving as both a terminal for long distance trains and commuter trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Over 2.5 million passengers use this station everyday! From the station we drove along Marine Drive, popularly known the "Queens Necklace" because at night this curving 3 km stretch of road glows from the street lights and looks like a necklace. From this road we were able to visit the beach which is lovely and quite popular with the locals on the weekends although due to cultural restraints no one goes in the water or wears a bathing suit. Next to the sea was a lovely park built just for grandparents. We then travelled to one of the city's most stately and expensive residential areas, Malabar Hill which is located at the northern end of the Backbay, and offers fantastic views of the sea. We saw the richest man in India's home which is 20 stories and has 600 employees, most involved in security. The Kamala Nehru Park and the Hanging Gardens offer spectacular hilltop views of the city also and this was our next stop. The Hanging Gardens are so named because they are built on a hillside over a 30 million gallon water reservoir. the hedges here are cut into animal shapes and there are lovely flowers blooming everywhere. It is filled with joggers and people just resting. Across the street Hugh and I found Kamala Park filled with vendors and school children on outings. It was colorful and gave us a fabulous view of the beach and city. On our way back down Malabar Hill we were told about the Parsi population and their burial practices; to preclude the pollution of earth or fire, the bodies of the dead are placed atop a tower-a tower of silence-and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey. We passed the steps to this Tower of Silence but you cannot see the actual structure. On our way to our next stop we passed a Jain Temple and had lovely views of the city and the beach. We next stopped at Dhobi Ghat an open air laundromat. The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. This area is called the world's largest outdoor laundry. We arrived at Mani Bhavan where Gandhi lived from 1917-1934. He launched 2 of his civil disobedience campaigns from here. Inside the house the museum is small but we were able to see his room and a wonderful set of dioramas depicting his life. Dodging traffic we reboarded the bus for the ISKON Temple. This is a modern temple with ornately carved facades and a beautiful worship area with gorgeous wood work and chandeliers. This is one of the most visited temples in the city and we were fortunate enough to see a wedding there. The bridal party alone had enough jewels to start a large jewelry store. From here we traveled to our next museum. Formerly known as The Prince of Wales Museum, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, besides being a mouthful, is a Mumbai landmark situated between the historic areas of Colaba and Fort. Completed in 1914-1915 to commemorate the first visit of King George V to India, the museum was however open to the public only in 1922. The extensive collection includes miniature paintings, decorative arts, sculpture in various media, weaponry and rare pieces from Elephanta and the Indus Valley. We had a great visit and also enjoyed the lush landscape surrounding the museum. Everyone on the bus was wanting to shop, not us, so our next stop was at a conglomerate store that sold Indian handicraft at exorbitant prices. No purchases were made and Hugh and I spent our time walking through the local market area. We then went to the Gateway of India. Mumbai's most famous monument, this is a bustling area filled with locals and tourist. It was built in 1924 as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, complete with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British ships that set sail for England left from the Gateway. Across the street from the arch is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel that was bombed in 2008. It is redone and even larger and more beautiful. We arrived back on the ship in time to attend the Mumbai folkloric show that was on board for our entertainment and it was colorful and well done. We also had time to do a load of laundry before we showered and dressed for dinner. We ate in the dining room with a lovely couple from Sydney and had a great time. There was not a show tonight so we went on top for the 10 pm sail away. We were able to see the Queens Necklace for ourselves and it did indeed sparkle. It was cool and breezy and very enjoyable. We walked a bit before we retired to our cabin. Tonight we set our clocks back 1/2 hour for a new time zone as we sail west.

We woke up lazily today as we had no plans for the day. We went to breakfast in the main dining room and then changed for exercise. We walked and then spent an hour in the gym. We then dressed and went to the Horizon to edit pictures and journal. At one we went to lunch and had a great time in the dining room. We were cold so we put on bathing suits and headed to the pool. We sunbathed until time for the enrichment lecture and then went to the cabin to read. Hugh napped some and continued his editing. I listened to my iPod and finished my journaling. We decided to go to the Terrace for the Indian buffet tonight. The buffet was huge and filled with all sorts of deliciousness. I enjoyed the paneer and the tandoori chicken and Hugh liked the lamb curry. We ate way too much and we went out on the track and walked for a while before going to the show. Tonight's entertainer was a guitarist and he played everything from flamenco to pop. Very talented and he has another show in a couple of days. We went to the cabin and decided to type some before bed as we gain an hour tonight as we sail to Oman.

Today is Good Friday and we decided to have breakfast in the main Dining Room before going to the Good Friday Church service. We sat by a lovely couple from New Zealand and discussed our plans for Oman. Leslie held a beautiful Good Friday service and it was better attended than the Sunday services have been. Ethan played the piano for the hymns and it put is us in the Easter spirit. We changed into exercise clothes and walked 2 miles fighting the very brisk wind than was blowing in our faces; good resistance training. We then went to the gym for our daily workout. After working out we changed into warmer clothes and went to the Horizons to edit pictures, journal, and enjoy the view. We had lunch in the dining room and I enjoyed 2 bowls of a light coconut chicken soup. We are trying to eat healthy and it is so hard as all the meals are delicious, but we are managing to cut back on bread and desserts. From lunch we headed to the enrichment lecture by the retired New Zealand Ambassador. After the lecture we were cold and put on our bathing suits and headed to the hot tub. After warming us we stayed by the pool and enjoyed some sun while listening to our iPods. Time past quickly and soon it was time to shower and dress for dinner. We met our friends from Canada for dinner at 7 and finished just in time to go to the 9:30 show, time passes so rapidly with great conversation and food. The show was our favorite singer and her show was excellent. We tried to take a walk before retiring but the wind was just overwhelming and the sea was just a bit rough.

We woke with enthusiasm this morning before 7 am. We did our usual walk and gym time, had breakfast, and were showered, dressed, and ready for our 8;30 tour. We boarded our bus with a guide that spoke good English and our adventure began. Our first stop this morning was the beach. The drive down to the beach was ordinary with desert on both sides but to our surprise the roads are great and the area is so clean. Before we reached the Mugsail beach we saw fields of Frankincense trees. However, once you reach there, the beach provides fantastic views of the sea, the rugged mountains and cliffs, blow holes, white sandy beach and more. The beach offers water sport activities and also has a restaurant located on the beach. We spent time walking all the boardwalk areas and enjoying the views. It was deserted except for our group and our guide says that it is packed on the weekends, of course no one swims! From here we drove back towards the port on our way to Jobs Tomb which is on a mountaintop. As we drove up the mountain we were awed by the changing landscape. We saw camels walking down the road and nursing their young in fields by the road. Our guide told us that this is the arid season and during monsoon season the area is green and lush. Evidently each of the inhabitants of the small villages we pass have at least 20 camels and some cows. Every citizen of Oman at age 18 are given land for a home. They are responsible for building the house but the land is free and there are no taxes in the Sultanate. Education and healthcare are also provided free of charge. We reached the parking and there were the sweetest camels. Katie, one of the singers on board, was the favorite person off the bus. The little ones came right up to her and I got some great pictures that she wanted to send her mom. We spent time playing with them before we walked past the lovely gardens to the tomb area. Just outside the entrance to the tomb is a small metal door on the ground. When opened you will find a footprint which has turned to stone. Measurements of the footprint we do not know but suffice it to say, it is quite large. This very footprint is believed to be the mark left on the ground when God instructed Nabi Ayoub, Job, to press his foot down. Just to the left of the footprint is a small hole in the ground where it is believed that the curing waters flowed from which he drank. We removed our shoes, covered our heads, and entered the tomb building. The first thing I noticed was how large the tomb was but considering the footprint Job must have been a large man. This is a holy place in Oman and everyone was very respectful. We then enjoyed the views from the mountain and some more camel time before boarding the bus again. We headed down the mountain again enjoying the sights. This time we saw a lot of mosques, state schools, and barbecue restaurants which we are told are very popular in this area-oh yea, it is barbecued goat meat! Down the mountain we visited the new town and we were able to see the Grand Mosque and the new hotels being built. We passed the new shopping mall which is very modern. The buildings and homes here are very clean lined and modern. From here we passed into the old town area and this area was more open stall stores, tented restaurants, and the homes were definitely for poorer residents. But in this area we also saw the Sultans Palace and some very large government facilities. This was an area where locals would shop and we stopped at a Souk for some shopping time of our own. We are not incense folks so Hugh decided to get a haircut. Here in the market the going rate was about $5 and the gentleman who did the deed was very professional and Hugh looked great except he had Palmade in his hair gluing it to his head. Fortunately he had his hat; side note after shampooing his haircut was excellent! Back on the bus we continued our adventure through the area of the town noted for tailoring and there were shops all around but Hugh noticed that a large number of them had the same name. We continued to the sweet corner of town. Salim told us that the Oman Sweet was Oman halwa and is sometimes called "sweet meat". It is a special sweet that is given to people on a wedding occasion or on special function. According to Salim this is the place to purchase it and there were shops everywhere. It is made with honey, nuts, dates, and coconut milk, coconut oil, and coconut meat, etc. From this area we made our way back across the waterfront area to the port. We arrived back at the ship in time to have a late lunch and upload pictures before sail away. We rested a bit, the heat really drains you before we showered and went to dinner in the Terrace. I had turkey and mashed potatoes to make up for my missed Thanksgiving dinner. It was delicious! We went to the string quartet performance before going to the evening show with the Nautica Singers. Hugh took the camera and made some pictures that the entertainers want copies of. It was off to the room to upload the pics and then off to bed. we were tired even though we gain another hour tonight.

Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed!!! HAPPY EASTER!
Happy birthday, Ron!
Hugh and I both woke well before the alarm. We dressed for exercise and went to the Horizons for coffee and tea. We then walked our 2 miles and went to the gym. This all occurred before 7:30. We showered and dressed for church and gathered with a very large crowd in the Nautica Lounge. The string quartet played the Hallelujah Chorus for the opening number and it was awesome! The service was beautiful and everyone was in the Easter Spirit as we left. We went to Horizons to journal and edit the pictures for Katie. She came by and saw the camel pics and asked if we would make pictures of her cabaret show in a few days. She is so cute that of course we agreed. We went to a great talk by the New Zealand Ambassador, retired, and he spoke on his adventures as Ambassador to Samoa and Tonga. We then made our way to the Easter brunch and sat with a nice couple from Toronto who were missionaries. We were a bit chilly when we finished and we put on bathing suits and headed for the pool area. We warmed up fast. We tried to Face Time with Trey & his family but couldn't keep the connection so we talked on the phone. Hugh will edit my story so far and I think he is finally up to date on his pictures for the trip to date. We went to the pool for a while and enjoyed the breeze as it was quite warm. We went to the cabin to rest and then showered and dressed for dinner. We had a lighter than usual dinner in the Terrace and then headed to the atrium for the string quartet concert. We went to the show at 9:30 and it was a clarinetist. He was ok but we left early and had a wonderful Facetime with Lori and Ron. We got to wish Ron a big Happy birthday and both of them happy Easter. Nice to know all the kids are doing well. Off to the room to read and sleep.

This morning we both woke up before the alarm and dressed quickly and headed to the track for our walk. We walked very briskly and lapped almost everyone on the track at least twice. We went to the Horizons for coffee and then headed to the gym. We worked out hard and then had a light breakfast. We dressed for the pool and went to deck 9 to read and make some pictures as we passed through the straight between Yemen and Jhabouti. We did not get very close to land but from our vantage point Yeman looks like a large desert. We enjoyed our time by the pool but by 1 we were ready to shower and head to the dining room for lunch. We finished lunch just in time for the afternoon enrichment lecture. After the lecture we headed to the cabin to read and edit pictures but both of us fell asleep. The heat is draining but we are working on our tolerance in anticipation of Petra which will be around 102 degrees. When we awoke we went for another mile around the track and then showered and went to the quartet concert before dinner. We had 8 pm reservations in The Polo and had a great dinner finishing just in time to slip into the show just as it started. This was our guitarist 2nd show and this one was fabulous. He played electric guitar music from the rock and roll era and honored all the great guitarist including Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. We walked around the ship a bit before retiring to our stateroom.

Again today we woke up early and headed out to walk. We stopped by the Horizons after our walk and had coffee and a roll before heading to the gym. We worked out the longest of any day and both of us felt very good about our efforts. We dressed in bathing suits and went for a swim and then lay in the sun to dry off. All of this was accomplished before 9:15. We showered and dressed and made it to the Q&A with the Captain and Chief Officer. We then stayed for the enrichment lecture which was exceptionally good. We then went to the Horizons and enjoyed the views before heading to a light lunch. We then took our computers and journaled and edited picture in the Horizons until time for the afternoon lecture. The lecture was by the retired New Zealand Ambassador and he told tales of his different post from Samoa to NYC. Great fun! Hugh then went to the library and I changed into swimsuit and stayed by the pool for a while. We did not get hungry so we walked late and then showered and dressed for dinner. We had a great meal in the dining room and made it to the quartet concert at 8:30 and then on to the show. Good day!!!

Again we are trying to be good with our exercise so we got up before the clock went off and did a mile on deck and the wind was fighting us all the way. We stopped for breakfast and then went to the gym for a long workout. We tried to get another mile in but the wind just about did us in. We showered and dressed and went to the county fair. This was so much fun with silly games and very competitive people. You won raffle tickets and Hugh and I had a good collection. At the end of an hour they drew the tickets and I won a mani-pedi at the spa. Lunch was in the main dining room and then it was off to the lecture. We then went out by the pool to warm up and ended up staying. It was warm but not too hot and we read, Hugh napped and I did some needlepoint. We then walked another mile late in the afternoon but Hugh had to stop as his heel was hurting him. With Petra tomorrow he couldn't take any chances. We dressed for dinner and joined some new friend for a great meal in the dining room. We went to the quartet concert but decided to skip the show and head to the cabin to get organized for tomorrow. Backpacks ready we settled in for the evening.

Up at 6 this morning and showered and dressed quickly. We had breakfast in the room and then hustled to get to our tour at 7:15. We boarded our bus with a hearty group ready for a grueling day. We had almost 2 hours of driving and we all were concerned that we would get bored-Wrong! The sights we saw as we drove out of town were great, good infrastructure, cleans roadsides, and a modern desert city with great views of the Red Sea and their sister Israeli city. Things continued to improve as we climbed into the mountains and our first rest stop had a view I will never forget. I walked in the ladies room and the whole back wall was glass and looked out over an incredible mountain view. We spent some time at this overlook making pictures before we headed on our trek. I was taking pictures out one side of the bus and Hugh was on the other. I am not sure anyone was paying strict attention to our guide who was quite knowledgable. We drove into Petra town and our guide showed us his house and told us we would see his family, 5 children, on our way out. This place was lovely and the homes were large and very neat. Traffic was not too bad except for a lot of double parking! We arrived at Petra and got our tickets and began our walk into the sight. As we walked the first stretch our guide gave us the history of the area. Hidden amidst nearly impenetrable mountains to the east of the valley connecting the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea, stands the ancient city of Petra. One of the world's most visually stunning archaeological sites, Petra (meaning "the rock" in Greek) is an abandoned necropolis of temples and tombs cut into towering cliffs of red, pink and orange sandstone. Primarily known as a commercial and ceremonial center of the Nabataean culture during the centuries before and after the time of Christ, the region of Petra was inhabited in far greater antiquity. Archaeological excavations have revealed a rock shelter of the Upper Paleolithic period, dating to around 10,000 BC, and a Neolithic village from the 7th millennium BC. When we reached the entrance to the Siq he turned from history to describing what we were seeing in the niches and archways we passed. The stones change color with the light and as we ventured further in the passageway narrowed; not a problem for people except we had to share the walkway with camels, donkeys, and mad rushing carts. We made so many pictures that I dread having to edit them. At the end of the Siq which is a mile long tight constriction in the walls we reached the Treasury, one of the most stunning facades in the complex. It became barely visible through some holes in the rock formation and then through a long slit of light at the end and as we turned out of the passageway we got the full effect. There were a lot of people, donkeys, and camels about but it did not distract from the view. This facade is so large that anything on the ground pales in comparison. We were here for a good amount of time and then Hugh and I struck out on our own. We slowly made our way through the city and passed the theater. From here we made our way through the city gates and on to the tombs built higher on the hills. The facade are so lovely and the sun was bright so visibility was excellent. We made our way to the 800 steps to the monastery and started up. We saw a woman fall and get really skinned and bruised so we were taking our time. We looked at our watches and realized we would not make it back in time to meet the bus on our own. So we got a mule for each of us (mine was named Jack Sparrow) and continued our journey. We got our pictures and took the mule ride all the way back to the Treasury building. We then began our hike out of the Siq and then the entrance area. We had forgotten how long this hike was and it was almost mid afternoon and very hot. We made it to the restaurant with 15 minutes to eat lunch and get to the bus. We grabbed hummus and pita, and downed 2 drinks rapidly and then hustled to the bus. We were definitely not the last on the bus as a lot of people had miscalculated how long the exit was and others had lingered to long at lunch. Our guide was amazed we were back on time as we went the furtherest.

We then began our trip to Wadi Rum and our meeting with the Bedouins. We stopped on our way out of town for the guide to see his kids. The bus ride is a little over an hour and some people slept but most of us just enjoyed the changing landscape and made some photos out of the bus window. As we neared the place to board our 4x4's we were told some history. Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan. Huge mountains of sandstone and granite emerge, sheer-sided, from wide sandy valleys to reach heights of 1700 meters and more. Narrow canyons and fissures cut deep into the mountains and many conceal ancient rock drawings etched by the peoples of the desert over millennia. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum and their large goat-hair tents are a special feature of the landscape. This is the area where T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) wrote about and fought in the revolt here. At the Visitors center we had time to photograph the the rock called the Seven Pillars of Wisdom which inspired the title to Lawrence's book of the same name. We were taken to our 4x4's and 6 hearty souls boarded each one. We had been told that they were primitive and broke down often but could and would be fixed quickly. Ours was driven by a wizened old man who smoked constantly and said not a word. The truck had no ignition switch but he hot wired it each time. We took off across sand that went on as far as the eye could see. The views were spectacular but the ride was so bumpy cameras were useless. Fortunately they made several stops for us to make our pictures, climb the rocks, and hike up giant red sand dunes. We saw camels roaming free but very little evidence of habitation. We passed several small bedouin villages and some smaller tent sights. We arrived at a Bedouin camp where we were greeted with gentlemen in white dress with red sashes and swords and a precious little boy with his sword. They had a red carpet for us and sang and danced as we made our way in. The tents were set with low couches and a table for us to dine. We went behind the tent and saw how our lamb had been cooked in the ground. There was a wonderful buffet dinner with the roasted lamb and everything was delicious, especially the lamb. They sang, played music on a drum, a lute, and a bagpipe. We had a great evening and around 8 we headed back. On board our truck we were amazed at the different colors we saw even though we had seen this area before. We made it back to our bus and began our trip back to Aqaba. It was an hour and most people just rested. Back on board we showered for a long time to get off the red sand that had permeated all our clothes and skin. We were ready for bed early.

We slept until 7 and went for a walk before breakfast. We both slept like logs after our big adventure yesterday. We showered and dressed and headed for the shuttle. We wanted to get into town before it got to hot. We arrived downtown Aqaba and the first thing we saw were camels walking down the street, not an everyday occurrence for us. We walked through the main area of the town and it was filled with restaurants, small shops selling all sorts of souvenirs including t-shirts, jewelry, and art. We strolled through the shops and slowly made our way to the waterfront. We came across more upscale shops here and a lovely local beach right in the heart of the town. We descended the steps and found ourselves on a concrete boardwalk that spanned the whole of the long beach area. We were amazed at the number of families enjoying the facilities. In Muslim countries the weekend is Friday and Saturday and they take advantage of it. There were lot of women in their full burkas swimming with their children. Women seemed to prefer to cook on the beach rather than pack a picnic; we saw a lot of small grills and propane stoves with moms preparing the meal while dad smoked his hookah and the kids played. This back area had glass bottom boats for hire, paddle boats that looked like dolphins, and lots of vendors selling inflatable rings that looked like ducks. These seemed to be the most popular as the sea was alive with duckies. We enjoyed this area and found ourselves as the far end of town in the non- tourists part. We went into the shops where the locals were doing their weekend shopping and enjoyed seeing their choices. Nuts, candies, and dried fruits were very popular. We made our way back along the coast and found ourselves at the local McDonalds..they are everywhere. They seemed to be doing a brisk business. We went antique shopping and then dodged the camels and made our way back to the Grand Mosque. This was a new-looking facility but very prominent in the town. We decided to head back to the bus about mid-afternoon. We arrived back at the ship in time for a very late lunch and then do some journaling and picture editing. We have a lot of pictures from Petra which will take a long time just to sort. When our eyes failed we went out by the pool to enjoy the sun and be on the deck for our sail away. The port at Aqaba was lovely as we sailed away. We had a great view of the Israeli city of Eilat across the sea and the sister city of Aqaba. The lights are lovely as we sail away and we enjoyed this view as we had our dinner in the Terrace. We listened to the string quartet after dinner and the played some cards before heading to the show. A great day!

We were up on deck for our walk early and decided to have breakfast in the Horizons so we could enjoy the view of Egypt and the Sinai as we sailed. At 9 I went to the spa for my manicure and pedicure that I won at the Country Fair. It was lovely and I came away refreshed and with hands that looked less like I worked in construction. I joined Hugh for the lecture by the retired ambassador from NZ and then we went to the pool to warm up. The Nautica Lounge tends to be too cool for us. We read and enjoyed the hot tub & sun until lunch time. We went to the cabin and dressed to go to the main dining room. We had a light lunch and enjoyed talking to a lovely couple from Toronto. After lunch we went back to journaling and editing pictures as we did not want to get too far behind. Tomorrow we will transit the Suez Canal and I know we will make more pictures and then we have 3 days in Israel. We went out on deck to walk in the late afternoon and decided to join Frank and Bridget for dinner. We made plans for our train trip to Jerusalem and then Hugh and I went to hear the string quartet and then on to the evenings show. Much more relaxing day and we were not sleepy so we stayed up and read fir a bit before going to bed.

We woke up early today and headed out to walk. The whole of today was spent transiting the Suez Canal and we planned to spend the day by the pool so we could enjoy the view. We got our chairs facing the shore and set up our base camp before we went to breakfast. The portion of the canal we were in at this time was wide and we could see the 4 ships in front of us, a navy ship, the Queen Elizabeth, the Europa, a container ship, us, and then 20 ships behind us that made up our convoy. We maintained a speed of about 8 knots and we were able to see activity on both shores. There were helicopters flying over and guard camps on both side as security is a big issue. The security camps had guns and armored all-terrain vehicles and were very close together. We saw a lot of ferries and they seemed to operate very efficiently. The Sinai side seemed to be mostly desert but the African side had a green belt from the rivers running down from the mountains. We passed under the Japanese-Egyptian Friendship Bridge and made our way to the Mediterranean Sea about 4 pm. We stayed by the pool and swam before heading down to shower before dinner. We decided to have dinner in the Terrace and then play cards and listen to the quartet before the show. Tonight's show was a comedian we have heard 5-6 times before on other ships but we laughed just as hard this time. Tom Sutton has a way to make his jokes current and his British wit is always humorous.

Today we were up early because we were excited to begin our next adventure. Our bag was packed and we went to breakfast before 7. We cleared Israeli immigration at 7 and met Frank and Bridget at 8. We left the ship and took the shuttle to the port terminal because we had docked a distance away and there are regulations preventing us walking around the docks. When we arrived at the terminal we were pleased to see the train station just over a walking bridge. We made our way there and purchased our round-trip tickets. The train was right on time and we settled in for our 60 min ride to Tel Aviv where we had to change trains. We could not understand the conductor so we depended on passengers to tell when to get off; big mistake. We got off a station to early but soon corrected that. Because we had taken an earlier train we had a wait in Tel Aviv. This turned out to be a good thing as we got to experience the Holocaust remembrance celebration which was country wide at 10 am. Everyone in the station stood up when the horn sounded and as we looked out the window all traffic stopped and everyone stood beside their cars until the horn sounded again and traffic resumed without a single problem. We got our connection and had a 90 min ride into Jerusalem. We said good-bye to F&B and we got a taxi to our hotel while they waited for Frank's son-in-law to pick them up. We arrived at our hotel, The National Hotel, and we were greeted by Nirvana the manager as if we were old friends. From that point on she called us by name and no one could have been more helpful. We were allowed to go to our room and get settled even though it was several hours before check-in time. We decided to have lunch in the hotel restaurant as it had gotten great reviews. Our lunch was delicious but our favorite was the bread and dips they brought out as the appetizers. It was a whole grain pita warm from the oven and was served with olive oil, oregano, sun-dried tomato tampenade, and olive tampenade. After lunch we grabbed our cameras and headed to Golgatha which was an easy walk. After viewing the skull rock we visited the Garden Tomb. This garden has been carefully preserved as a Christian holy site because many believe it could be the garden of Joseph of Arimathea in which Jesus was buried after His crucifixion. We enjoyed this garden area and even purchased some prayer crosses made of olive wood at the gift shop there. We then walked to the Old City and entered through Herod's Gate. We made our way to our first stop at The Church of Flagelation and the Church of the Condemnation and Imposition of the Cross. These 2 chapels situated on either side of a lovely courtyard, represent the 2nd Station of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, the site of the scourge and the imposition of the cross. We continued our walk in this area although we did not adhere strictly to the Via Delarosa because we had made this walk before. We checked out churches and sites that we had not taken the time to visit on our last trip. We found ourselves at the Western Wall and we took time for prayer here and placed our request in the nooks in the wall. From here we backtracked and finished the Via Delorosa but did not go into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher this visit as it was extremely crowded. We stopped at the Holy Rock Cafe for a cool drink and then made our way out the Jaffe Gate. From here we started our circumnavigation of the wall taking time to explore all the gardens, churches, and monasteries that are accessible from the path around the old wall. We climbed the hill on Hebron Road for the view of MT. Zion and to the M. Begin Center. We enjoyed views of the Mount of Olives which we had visited previously and then continued back to the Damascus Gate. We made some pictures of all the shopping being done here. Hugh enjoyed seeing the trolleys which were very modern as we made our way back to our hotel well after dark and had a late dinner. It was a great day and before bed we prepared for our trip to Masada tomorrow.

Today we woke up early and had breakfast before we were picked up by our tour group. We had such a great tour with Viator in Peru to Macha Piccu that we had scheduled our tour with them here. Once on the bus we travelled up Mt. Scopsis to another hotel where everyone was placed in the bus to their appropriate tour. We met Zvika our guide and off we went across Jerusalem and out into the Judean desert. As we traveled Zvika told us the story of the Bedouins in this area. It seems they want to maintain the lifestyle of their fathers and are in constant conflict with the Israeli government who wants them in permanent homes. This has been going on for decades and in the 60's the northern area we are seeing was Jordanian and that is how the Bedouins came to live there. When it converted to Israel after the 6 Day War the conflict resumed. We also learned about the growing of the date palms and that each tree requires 1 sq. meter of water per day. The landscape is sand-colored and monotone and very hard to photograph to show its beauty. Our first stop was at AHAVA a company that makes products from minerals in the Dead Sea. We had a few minutes to shop and a lot of money changed hands. I bought nothing as this product is available on Amazon at a considerable savings and I don't have to carry it on the plane. We made a quick stop at Mineral Beach to let 4 travelers off for a spa day. We continued on our journey and before long Masada became visible on our right. It is massive and looks like it would be impossible to get to the top. On the east side, the rock falls in a sheer drop of about 450 meters to the Dead Sea and on the western edge it stands about 100 meters above the surrounding terrain. The natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult and we were very glad we had a cable car. Zvika gave us a history as we went along and below is a synopsis.

The only written source about Masada is Josephus Flavius' The Jewish War. According to Flavius, Herod the Great built the fortress of Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. Herod had been made King of Judea by his Roman overlords and "furnished this fortress as a refuge for himself." It included a casemate wall around the plateau, storehouses, large cisterns ingeniously filled with rainwater, barracks, palaces and an armory. Some 75 years after Herod's death, at the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem. There, they held out for three years, raiding and harassing the Romans. Then, in 73 CE, Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion, auxiliary units and thousands of Jewish prisoners-of-war (slaves). Before the Roman's succeeded in breaching Masada's walls, Elazar ben Yair - the Zealots' leader - decided that all the Jewish defenders should commit suicide; the alternative facing the fortress's defenders were hardly more attractive than death. Each man killed his own family and then lots were drawn as to who would kill all the others and then commit suicide. We boarded the cable car and made our way to the top. The area is huge and there was a lot to explore including Herod's bath house and steam rooms, and the balconies, all 3 stories, of his palace. We had time to check out each area before we boarded the cable car down some 3.5 hours later. The

We had lunch on site and then boarded the bus for the Dead Sea. We had magnificent views of the Dead Sea as we made our drive and it was just a brief time before we were at the beach where we were able to swim or rather float in the sea as swimming was not necessary. There are changing areas and we soon were hiking down to the sea. The beach and sea bottom are rocks and pebble and they were quite warm. We waded in and before long we were fighting to keep our feet planted. It was so easy to lay on your back and do nothing as your body floated effortlessly. The sun was hot and the water felt great. I took advantage of the mud bath and it made my skin so soft. I did not put it on my face but others did and even rinsed their faces in the sea. We stayed in much longer than we thought we would and had to hurry up the path to shower, change, and get to the bus. We made the drive back to the city and said goodbye to Zvika and boarded the bus to our hotel. What a great trip. After showering we walked to the Old City in hopes of finding the entrance to the Temple Mount. It got dark and we had to walk rapidly to find our way out. We then walked to the Damascus Gate and explored that area some as it was better lit and had more activity. We finally made our way back and had a light dinner and then it was off to bed.

Today we got up at 5:30 with a plan. We dressed quickly and left the hotel on a quest to get to the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock. Nirvana had told us we needed to get there early and get in line because only a certain number of people are allowed in and the closing time is arbitrary. We made our way to the Western Wall and a soldier there gave us direction. We followed them and ended up at a Muslim entrance and we were turned away. The soldier there gave us instructions and at 6:15 we were 9th in line to enter. The opening time is 7:30 and it opened right on time. There were some Jewish people in front of us and they were pulled to the side at the inspection point and our passports were checked and we were waved through. We were on the mount with only a handful of others as the inspection process took a while. The light was beautiful and it was a wonderful experience. The soldiers did not give us any problems and we were able to stay over an hour just walking around and photographing. This is the third holiest Muslim site in the world. There were worshipers in and out but the most people we saw were at the Al-Aqsa Mosque also on the Temple Mount. The Rock is believed to be the site where Mohammad descended to heaven. When, according to the Bible, King David purchased a threshing floor owned by Araunah the Jebusite, it is believed that it was upon this rock that he offered the sacrifice mentioned in the verse and where he experienced a revelatory vision of angels ascending a golden ladder into the sky. He wanted to construct a permanent Temple there, but as his hands were "bloodied," he was forbidden to do so himself. The task was left to his son Solomon, who completed the Temple in c. 950 B.C.E. It is traditionally believed that the Holy of Holies was located above the rock.The site is significant for Christians because, as well as being the Temple, it is also the place where Jesus came as a young boy and later in his life prayed and taught. We finally had to leave and we walked slowly back to our hotel marveling that we had been so blessed to visit this site.

We had breakfast at the hotel and finished packing for our train ride back to Haifa and the ship. Ibraham, my new friend, in the restaurant treated us royally and Nirvana the front desk manager was superb. We exchanged cards and she called for a taxi to take us to the station. We boarded our train and began our journey. We questioned our train choice about 80 minutes into the trip as the scenery did not look familiar but we were on track and arrived at the same platform that our next train would arrive on. we had 5 minutes to wait and then we were on our way. When we arrived back in Haifa we got off the train and walked out of the station toward the port to get the shuttle to the ship. To our surprise the ship had moved right behind the station and we could just walk over so easy. We smiled all the way over as we had completed a great adventure without incident. We unpacked and went to Waves for a late lunch. Hugh uploaded our pictures and we rested until time to dress for dinner. At sail away we went up to enjoy the sunset and Hugh got a better look at the Israeli naval ships. We went to dinner in the Terrace and then listened to the string quartet before going to the evenings show. It was Tom Sutton the comedian, and we enjoyed it very much. After the show we walked back through the casino and our friend John was on a winning streak; he won 172 dollars at the slot machine! Then it was off to look at our pictures. We stayed up much too late but it had been a great day.

After staying up past 1am last evening we slept in til 8 this morning. We dressed for exercise and walked before breakfast. Today is much cooler and the wind is strong. After breakfast we showered and went to the lecture on the palaces of Knossos which we will see in Crete tomorrow. We then grabbed our computers and went to the lounge to sit and edit pictures and journal. I am 5 days behind and Hugh has a lot of pictures to sort. Then next time we looked up it was well passed lunchtime so we made a quick visit to the Terrace before we went to the room to give our eyes a rest. Computer work gives me a headache! We went for another walk to get the energy back and then finished the work we had started. Before dinner we were both caught up. We went to the main dining room and had a great dinner with a couple from Minnesota. After our meal we went straight to the show. It was the crew and passenger talent show. It was a valiant effort by all who performed but the crew stole the show. We then walked a bit and settled in for the evening. Tomorrow Crete!

We were up at our usual 7 am and got our walk and breakfast in before we left on our 9:15 tour to the Palace of Knossos. On our trip through the countryside we saw more ports, resorts, and even snow-capped mountains. Our guide was Maria and she was very knowledgeable and by our arrival our brains were on overload by all the information she had given us. This is what I retained: the first palace on the low hill beside the Krairatos river was built around 1900 BC on the ruins of previous settlements. It was destroyed for the first time in1700 BC, probably by a large earthquake or foreign invaders. It was immediately rebuilt to an even more elaborate complex and until its abandonment was damaged several times during earthquakes, invasions, and in 1450 BC by the colossal volcanic eruption of Thera on Santorini, and the invasion of Mycenaeans who used it as their capital as they ruled the island of Crete until 1375 BC. We also enjoyed her tales of the Greek myths associated with this palace, especially the minotaur and the fall of Ikarios. We explored the palace ruins and were able to see the very earliest staircase ever discovered. This palace was extremely grand and contained 5 floors. There has been some restoration that allows you to see some of the details. The surrounding hills have olive trees and vineyards.

We re-boarded our bus in the afternoon and made our way back to the ship. We dropped off our big cameras and headed in to the town which was only a 5 minute walk. It is small but very Greek and the people were friendly. We made our way through the shopping area to the town center and a beautiful church. We continued through town to a beach area. We ran into Bridget who was shopping while Frank sat in the sun. We walked along the small lake and as it got close to all-aboard time we made our way on to the ship. We went to Waves to have a snack and watch the sail-away. The wind was howling and it took a lot of time and effort to get us off the dock. We tried to stay on deck 10 until we cleared the harbor but the temperature was dropping and the wind did not let up so we headed to our cabin to work on photos. We spent a lot of the evening packing our big suitcases. The closet now only holds what we need for the next 2 days. This was a sad time and neither of us are ready to go home We showered and dressed for dinner which was a Greek buffet in the Terrace. The food was fabulous and we had time to get to the string quartet performance. It will be strange not to have classical music after dinner when we get home. We have not turned on the TV except for announcements. We were tired as we had been up until 1 am and neither of us slept well once we turned off the lights. We went to the cabin and edited pictures from today and both were asleep before 11.

We woke up at 8 and headed to the walking track. We attempted our usual walk but the wind was too strong and the temperature was too cool. We settled on having breakfast and trying again. This time we made it and then stayed near the pool for the ship building competition. This was a fun morning and all 6 of the boats floated and were able to carry a full compliment of cokes. The winner was chosen by audience applause. From here we made our way to the Horizons and edited all the pictures, made a key drive for Alan our lecturer with all our great shots on it, and I got some of my journaling done. Sea days can be either productive or lazy! We showered and dressed for a late lunch in the main dining room and we were shocked to see how busy it was. We decided to go to the Terrace buffet but there was no place to sit there so we went back to the dining room. We had to get in line but it was a reasonable wait. The service was a little slower but we had good company. The ship routine changes a lot when people cannot be outside by the pool. Today is our first cool, rainy day this section of the trip. After lunch we went to Alan's lecture on the Sistine Chapel. After the lecture we spent some fun time sitting in bed, eating chocolate, and looking at future cruises. I also caught up on my journaling while Hugh worked on his travel tips. We showered and met Frank and Bridget for dinner in the Polo Restaurant. We had a fabulous time talking and barely made it to the farewell show and crew farewell. It was a lot of fun and we ended with a rocking version of YMCA. Then it was off to finish journaling.

This morning I could not sleep and unfortunately woke Hugh up He was a good sport and we showered, dressed, and then went for our walk. We got to enjoy the scenery along the Amalfi coast as we sailed into our anchorage off Sorrento. Hugh and I could see the hotel that we stayed in the last time we were here. We had breakfast on the terrace and looked out at the island of Capri. Our tour was at 9:45 but it was a little late leaving as people were late picking up their tickets for other tours that had time restraints and had to get tenders ahead of us. We finally got our tender and were met on shore by Pialo our guide. We took a small buss from the port through town to a large parking lot to a large bus. We travelled through the most beautiful areas with sweeping ocean views and seaside cities. We made our way to Herculaneum. Herculaneum (Ercolano in Italian) is decidedly less famous than nearby Pompeii, although it makes for an equally interesting (some would say even more interesting) visit from the tourist's perspective. This Roman town, significantly smaller than Pompeii, was once a seaside resort and trading port town with quite wealthy inhabitants and roots dating back to 6th century BC . The ancient town, of Greek origins, was destroyed and buried, together with Pompei, Oplontis, Stabiae and other small villages by the Vesuvius eruption of A.D. 79. This town, unlike Pompeii, was so well preserved that we get a good picture of just how these people lived and how their homes and businesses were decorated. It was thought that everyone escaped as no bodies had been found but some archeologist in the 1990's found 300 skeletons. We had a great visit here and we were very glad we came.

We enjoyed the ride back into Sorrento and we were able to get off the bus in the main square and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the area. We walked past our hotel from a previous visit and enjoyed looking in the shops along the narrow alleyways. We stopped for gelato and then made our way to the cliffs over the port and walked down the steps to the port. We got back to the ship in time to shower and change and meet 8 friends for a farewell dinner. Some of the group was glad to be going home but the consensus was if they would let us stay and work we would and then continue on after the 10 days in dry dock. It was late when we said good-bye and we rushed to the cabin to get our bags out on time. Room is empty and we are sad as we head to bed and the ship sails toward Rome!

Woke up early this morning and the ship was docked in Cittavechia the port for Rome. We showered and dressed and went to the Terrace for breakfast. The ship was a beehive of activity as everyone was departing and the remodel crew was coming on board. Carpet was already removed from the library and the Nautica Lounge before we disembarked. We gathered our carry-on luggage and hugged good-bye a lot of new friends before claiming our luggage. Luggage in hand we found our bus and loaded up. We started the trip in to Rome and we were able to do some sightseeing before heading to the airport. We met a couple, Damien and Sigrid, who used to live in Spartanburg and know a lot of our Swiss-German friends. At the airport we ran into a lot of new friends from the ship and had time to say our last goodbyes. Our flight was on time and we settled in quickly. The flight was uneventful and 9 hours later we landed in JFK. We cleared customs and claimed our bags. No problem there and we had them rechecked quickly and then the problems started. Our flight was very delayed and then Hugh left his sport-coat. We ended up in a hotel and finally made it home early afternoon on Tuesday. It was a fabulous trip and we look forward to staying in touch with all our new friends. /susan