Day 31 Aqaba and Petra

Wadi Rum

Bedeoan Camp

Paul and Linda overlooking Aarons Tomb

Aarons Tomb Buggy

Adelaidians

 

Day 31 Petra part 2

Wow first glimsp of Treasury

Tombs Petra

Theatre in Petra

Day 31 Aqaba and Petra, Jordon

Day 31 Aqaba and Petra

Oh My Goodness! Wow!  Magnificent! Impressive!

On our arrival back to the ship last night Paul and I kept looking at each other with these big smirks on our faces…….I kept thinking to myself 'pinch me, I must be dreaming'. My heart is still beating a fast tattoo just thinking about what we experienced yesterday. Please; anyone thinking about doing this port or site, get your fitness levels up and just do it. I am sure you would not regret it.

In the morning the DP sailed up the Aqaba Gulf, heading north east. We could see Egypt on our Port and Saudi Arabia on our starboard. Ahead of us we could see Israel on our port and Jordon on our starboard.  There must be only a handful of sites in this world where one could see 4 countries in one glance. Coming from the island continent of Australia this is certainly is a first. Gees we hadn't even left the ship and we are seeing something impressive!

We were the first bus to depart the port area and head for Petra. This is a big factor when we walked through the Siq and Petra as we were first from the ship to explore this magnificent rock-cut city. By the time we walked out, 2 hours later, hoards of our fellow passengers where still entering.  

After leaving the city area of Aqaba, the bus travelled past the Wadi Rum, a remote region with some of the most spectacular desert scenery we have ever seen. We thought the Bungle Bungles, Kimberley, Simpson Desert and Flinders Ranges could not be more spectacular; however the towering stone sentinels and arches, and the cliffs of reddish and black rock are just as dramatic and impressive. This location was a favourite headquarters for T E Lawrence during the Arab Revolt in 1917. He fought a guerrilla type resistance against the Ottoman Turks in this area and much of the film Lawrence of Arabia was photographed here. Message to myself: 'when I get home, hire the DVD and watch it again'. I picked up this poem from TE Lawrence and thought it worth quoting:-

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible."

By the end of the war, the Arab army had liberated Damascus, with the help of Lawrence and other British officers. Prince Faisal was named King of Iraq, and his brother Abdullah became King of the Nabataean lands, called Transjordon.  In 1950 the region was renamed Jordon. Jordon is now ruled by Abdullah's grandson, King Hussein, who continues to be a voice of moderation in a region known for extreme views.

On the way to Petra, the bus stopped at a scenic lookout where we alighted to view and take photos of Mt Aaron and Aaron's Tomb. Aaron is the brother of Moses.

After 2 hours travelling we finally arrived at our destination, one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites, Petra. 2,200 years ago ancient Arabian tribes settled in this strategic area and became known as the Nabataeans. (It was the cross-roads on the trade routes in the ancient days with a reliable supply of water). They were engaged in the caravanning business and became the undisputed masters of the region's trade routes, levying tolls, and protecting caravans laden with Arabian frankincense and myrrh, Indian spices and silks, African ivory and animal hides. The Nabataeans were open to outside cultural influences, absorbed them and added to them their own native touch. The rock-hewn tombs and temples were re-discovered by the first modern westerner to enter Petra in 1812, was Johann Burckhardt.

 

Our tour of the lost city of Petra began with the monument, Obelisk Tomb, an intermarriage of styles between East and West. The obelisk is Egyptian influence; the niche between the obelisks is a Greco-Roman influence and the triclinium is a chamber of three benches, Nabataean. The main entrance to Petra is an impressive long, deep and narrow gorge of colourful rock, dams, water channels and carvings. There are sections of the way which still have the original roman pavement; the rest has a rough cement surface which is a lot easier to walk on than the uneven pavement. I saw a fellow passenger sitting at the treasury, who had ricked his knee, and was undecided on how to get back to his bus. Another couple had offered their booked buggy but he seemed to be loath to take up their generous offer. We heard later another passenger had collapsed and needed medical attention. Although the heat wasn't extreme we found we had drunk all our water by the time we arrived back to the meeting point. Thank goodness the meeting point happened to be the Cave Hotel which sold ice cold beer! I don't think the $10 USD beer we shared, touched the sides.

Just as we emerged from the Siq we came face to face with the Treasury. It is the monument featured in the Indian Jones movie and is considered to be the pride and joy of Petra and the most beautiful. It has been deliberately positioned at the end of the siq for maximum effect and boy does it impact.

Past the Treasury, we came to a street of Facades, rows of Nabataean tombs with intricate carvings. We then walked further on to the theatre which looks Roman but was carved into the solid rock by the Nabataeans in the 1^st century AD. It sat about 7,000 people. Further on we saw the Royal Tombs which were carved to house the tombs of Nabataean dignitaries. Unfortunately erosion has taken its toll on these exquisitely carved monuments yet they still look richly decorated and magnificent.

We walked down a gentle slope through the Siq and Petra the walking easy though thirsty. When we retraced our steps our progress was slower but not difficult. This is where some of our fellow tourists had booked buggies to return them to the top. I suggest to anyone who is concerned about their ability to return unaided, book a buggy at the beginning of the decent. Paul and I took our time walking back by stopping and sitting in the shade on the many strategically located benches along the way. Once we arrived at the open area above the Siq, we took our booked horse ride back to the top. Anyone who knows me, realises I am not the lightest person a horse would like on its back, however I was given a sturdy animal which carried me well. I did fret about the type of horse available to me and made a mental decision not to ride if my horse was not up to it.

This awesome and remote dead city is one of the great archaeological treasures in the world and is a must-see.

Day 29 Gulf of Aden

Day 29 22nd June

Gulf of Aden. We had Somalia to the west and Yemen to the east. We woke this morning to smooth, mill pond like seas, which were covered by either a sea mist or remanets of a recent sand storm. At first I thought the ship must be stationery as we felt very little movement but once I opened the curtains and door to our balcony, I saw we were travelling a reasonable speed. I guess we would have been travelling at 17 knots. I found out about 2 hours later, the ship's speed was 17.7 knots and we were sailing 945 metres above the bottom of the sea.

Around 4 pm we passed through the 'Gate of Tears', Babble of Namdab, the straight from the Gulf of Aden and into the Red Sea. 3.3 million barrels of oil pass through this straight every day. The Island of Jabutti, previously an old French Foreign Legion base, and  is now an American Airbase, is only a few kilometres from here.

Yesterday a Yemen helicopter circled around the ship before flying away. Two days before we arrived into Dubai we had a United Arab Emeriti military plane fly over us several times before flying away. An Italian Naval Ship passed by this afternoon and one of the bridge's Officers reported the aircraft carrier George W Bush was on the horizon. All this surveillance is due to the threat of pirate attacks.

Since leaving Cochin, the ship had put into place defence measures in case of a pirate attack. We had a pirate attack drill the day before arriving into Salalah and since then the ship's security has increased.

This afternoon whilst we were at lunch, a request for –O or A+ blood donors' came over the pa system. Several passengers immediately left their lunch table to offer their blood. Even Paul left his lunch to offer. He soon returned with the news that there were a lot of donors already in the hospital. We found out later that there were 15 passengers who stepped forward and 2 units of blood taken. The other donors are on standby if needed. The ship's doctor was amazed at the generosity of the passengers. 

Just came back from watching the movies under the stars, Red with Bruce Willis. Perfect night to be sitting outside, again the ship feels as if it is stationery…..must be smooth seas again.

Day 26 Salalah, Oman

Day 26 Salalah, Oman

The ship didn't arrive into Salalah, Oman, until 12 noon, 3 hours late. Due to heavy seas over the past 2 days the Dawn Princess sailed at 14 knots an hour, to enable passenger comfort. A heavy sea mist encompassed the ship on the arrival and departure giving the need for the ship's fog horn to sound at regular intervals.

I am surprised to find, again, high humidity in this desert country. Salalah is on the corner of the Arabian Peninsula which experiences heavy summer rains from the Indian Ocean, making it lush and green. The city is surrounded by coconut, banana, guava and paw paw groves.

It is considered the perfume capital of Arabia. Frankincense trees grow readily here and attempts to establish them elsewhere in the world have failed. The souks closed between 1pm and 4pm, so by the time we got to the Muttrah Souk, we had only 20 mins before the tiny shops closed. At least I had an opportunity to sample some sandalwood, mer and frankincense before they closed. I bought a local hat for Paul, the name escapes me. The shopkeeper accepted my Dhs (UAE) money for payment. He also took USD. The local money 'Oman Rials', were almost inaccessible to us, some passengers exchanged some in Dubai but the ship didn't sell any.

We had a look at the Grand Mosque from the outside. We missed out on entering the mosque as it is only open for 2 hours in the mornings for sightseeing. Pity the ship had been delayed as it would have been an interesting place to see. We spent some time looking at a banana and coconut planation. They had some young camels there as well.

The last place of interest was the museum. The grounds on the outside of the museum interested me more as it is the archaeological dig for Queen of Sheba's Palace.

Paul has been fighting a cough which has extended to his chest. The ship's air conditioning seems to affect quite a few passengers with this condition. He seems to be OK outside, away from the air conditioning but by the end of the day he is fairly flat. Next stop Petra which requires a reasonable amount of walking, so I hope he will shake it in the next 3 sea days.

Day 23 Dubai part 2

Day 23 Dubai

Hot; sand; exotic; palm trees; unbelievable: modern; hot; wealth; extravagance; hot; amazing; new; ….. Oh, did I mention the fact it was hot? 45C

A raising metropolis from a small Bedouin settlement in the 1950's, Dubai has been spurred on by the oil wealth of the 1970's and the then sheikh encouraged inward investment from around the world. There has been considerable investment on infrastructure i.e. freeways, canal systems, parks, business free zones, airports, railway system, ports and many more. Everything here is considered 'new', if no more than 2 years old, anything else is considered 'old' or traditional/heritage. The current 3 year old airport is about to be replaced by another bigger airport, which will be the biggest in the world. Four year old buildings are now 'old'.

The ship arrived in Dubai about 7.30pm on the 16^th June. Due to the rough seas out of Mumbai and three engines (still), we lost 5 ½ hours from the amended itinerary.  The revised port time had the ship docking in Dubai at 2pm, enabling us to drive to Abu Dhabi on a sightseeing tour; however the late arrival burnt this proposal. We were docked alongside the QE2 which still has a Captain and crew maintaining this proud liner at a cost of $60,000 a month. Dubai had purchased the QE2 with the plan to convert it to a 7 star hotel but since the 2008 GFC, property markets in Dubai have dropped 40% and finance has become limited.

We awoke early…well it was 6am for me. I raced down to the terminal to access some Dhs from the ATM so we had some local currency for our private tour. We went down to the terminal the previous night to see if we could change our $ but the money exchange was closed and the huge line-up for the ATM discouraged us from standing in line. There were quite a few people waiting to use the free internet sites in the terminal at that time as well.

The same 12 passengers joined Joanne and Gary on their private tour guided by Shehnaaz Mayet. The tour started at 9am and ended 7pm. I am fairly sure we managed to see most of the attractions of Dubai in the time we were there. Jumeirah Mosque, Souk Madinat Jumeirah which availed us the best position to view the dramatic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, the artificial manmade islands, spectacular Atlantis Hotel and its 11 million litre aquarium boasting 65,000 exotic fish. We visited Miraaj Islamic Art Centre which sold some beautiful handicrafts. We had a brief stop at the Mall of the Emirates to see the indoor ski fields, and then headed off to Bastikiya, an older part of Dubai with its original Windtowers, for a traditional lunch. After lunch we toured what I would consider the best museum I have ever visited in regards to presentation, the Dubai Museum, to see the way Bedouins lived before the discovery of oil. We then crossed the Dubai Creek on an 'abra' (local water taxi) to visit the Spice and Gold Souks. Walking around the souks became uncomfortable due to the heat. Paul's shirt was soaked with perspiration. The tour ended at the Burj Khalifah, the largest shopping Mall in the world this is where we went up to the highest observation deck in the world, 124 stories high (the building is 2600 feet high) and took in the 360-degree panoramic view. After returning to ground level we watched the water fountain show at the base of the building.

By the time we arrived back to the ship we were happy to have a shower and dinner then crash (Oh no; I meant retire) for the night.

Is Dubai the new Aladdin of the desert? There are some amazing projects still happening in this Desert City. The skyscapers, island developments and a ski run in such a hot and inhospitable climate, are all incredible. We even saw the world's largest lolly shop!

 It is already unbearably hot for the first month of their summer. Our guide explained most people living in Dubai will leave for 3 months to escape the heat, leaving those who are unable, due to finances or work commitments, to suffer the heat. The Dawn Princess is the last cruise ship to visit Dubai, as was the case in Mumbai, till after the 3 months of summer.

 

 

 

 

Day 23 Dubai

Burj Khalifah Lagoon,view from124th floor,in front of Burj Khalifah, in Dubai Museum, old fort now Dubai Museum

Mumbai part 2

Day 19 Mumbai 

Dawn Princess has been operating on 3 engines since the first day from Sydney despite specialist engineers boarding in Darwin and Singapore. Due to the ship's reduced power our schedule has been altered. In some ports we are to leave or arrive a couple of hours later or earlier and in the case of Abu Dubai, the port has been dropped. In Cochin the ship arrived 2 hours later however we were still able to have our organised tour with a few modifications. In Mumbai the ship arrived an hour later and the departure was to be two hours earlier but there were a few hiccups to the planned early departure. Several busloads of passengers who travelled by air to the Taj Mahal from Cochin and re-joined the ship here were held up at the airport and didn't get back to the ship till an hour after the proposed sailing. The ship also had to wait for a shipment of technical equipment and believe it or not, someone forgot to tell the harbour pilot that the departure had been brought forward. Paul and I waited on the back deck to watch the sail away for over an hour then gave up and went to bed.  I don't know what time we sailed as we were well and truly asleep. 

Mumbai…As it is the beginning of the monsoon season we were fortunate to experience only a couple of downpours during our tour around this fascinating city. We toured the diverse sights of the former British Colony with the same group as Cochin. The Gateway of India and the sumptuous hotel, Taj Mahal Palace, both on the harbour front, were our first stop for the day.  Next stop, a fishing village virtually covered in small pieces of broken up foam and rubbish washed in from the sea. The local fisherman use a raft to paddle out to their fishing boats anchored some 200 to 300 metres from the shore. These rafts are made of pieces of white foam (used to make the cooler boxes to store broccoli), kept within netting to make what I would describe as a huge floating pillow.  Mayhem and order is what we experienced for our third stop, a visit to the Old Victoria Railway Terminus with a daily traffic of 2.5 million people. Next stop was Gandhi's House which is now dedicated to the man and his peaceful philosophy. Next we visited the Jain Temple where we had to remove hats and shoes and leather items of any kind were not allowed inside. On the way to see the Dhobis gat (open air laundry) we stopped off at the Hanging Gardens and looked in the direction of the Towers of Silence (towers where a particular religious sect place their dead to be dried by the sun and eaten by vultures). The tour included a vegetarian lunch at a' western' style restaurant. We discovered our lunch to be colourful as well as tasty with NO after effects!

Mumbai is a mass of humanity in India's extremes. From very wealthy people to overwhelming poverty. Sky scrapers to slums.  Peaceful and serene temples to the blaring horns of road vehicles. We found it to be a fascinating city full of contrasts.

India certainly puts life into perspective and makes us appreciate how very fortunate we are compared to many people in this world. Yet I felt India had a soul.

Mumbai part one

Gateway to India, Taj Mahal Hotel, Fishing Village, Victoria Railway Station and Gandi's House.

Day 17 Cochin

Day 17, 11th June Cochin

Monsoonal rain threatened our visit to Cochin, however we were fortunate the rain held off till after our departure.  There were 12 of us who joined Gary and Joanne's private tour to the backwaters of Alleppley (Alappuzha). Land reclaimed by manmade dykes to grow rice or farm fish in the monsoon season on the flooded rice paddies, have enabled people to live alongside these waterways. On top of the dykes people have built houses, schools, churches and shops, all under the shade of coconut trees which line the banks. Most of these banks would be no more than 20 feet and in some areas less.

Once boarding the tour bus, we travelled 60 kilometres south of Cochin to Alleppley. The area has an abundance of coir factories which make door mats, ropes and other products from the coconut fibre. 70% of the population of Kerala are educated and the people are proud of this statistic. There are more females than males and both sexes are equally employed. Apart from exports of coconut products, fish and spices, a lot of the people work overseas and as a consequence the province has a lot private foreign money coming in.

Traditionally houseboats were used along the water ways to transport rice from the country side to markets but are now used as holiday houseboats. They are quite popular with honeymooners. These houseboats are made using material from coconut trees; the roof is woven from coconut fronds and the haul from the timber.

As we motored along the waterways we saw everyday life taking place. People washing themselves, clothes, cooking utensils as they stood on steps cut into the embankments. These steps were either made of stone or cement as well as the cut outs. Women in beautiful saris, stood ankle deep in the water to wash clothes by smacking them on stone pillars. We saw several women hanging washing on lines strung out between trees. Chickens, goats, dogs, ducks and the occasional cow appeared to roam freely around the houses. We saw a fishmonger alongside the embankment, in his open boat, selling fish to a lady who had come out from her house. A couple of chickens were scratching around them as the transaction took place.

We ate a lunch of local curries, rice and vegetables.  I know a lot of people back home who would have loved the curries. (Nic)

We returned to Cochin to visit Fort Cochin. The area housed various nationalities over the centuries. Firstly the Chinese, Jews, Portuguese, Dutch and lastly the English settled here. We saw St. Francis Church, the oldest church in India, built by the Portuguese in 1510 and is the original burial site for Vasco de Gama, the great explorer. His remains were later transported back to Portugal to its final resting place. Just nearby are the Chinese Fishing Nets.

 

 

 

Eve of arrival into Cochin

Day 16 on the eve of our arrival to Cochin

The three sea days crossing the Bay of Bengal to pass the islands of Sri Lanka have been relaxing. A westerly course had been maintained through this major shipping lane. We have spotted many types of vessels, tankers, merchant ships carrying unusual types of cargo and fishing boats. One ship we passed had what looked like 3 oil rig platforms on its deck. On the night of the 8^th June we were up on the deck after dinner at a deck party around the main swimming pool to "dance the night away" when we spotted what seemed to be a very long ship lit up with lights giving the appearance of a jetty, which of course, wasn't.

This morning whilst we were enjoying our constitutional morning walk along the promenade deck, a huge pod of whales heading south, were spotted of the starboard side of the ship. I reckon I counted at least 20 to 30 water spouts and saw a tail well out of the water as its owner dived to deeper water. I also saw three whales breach the water in concession, which I presume to be a family travelling together. 

As the ship passed Sri Lanka we noticed a few fishing boats, I would say to be about 5 to 10 kilometres off the coast. A large white lighthouse on the tip of the island could be seen clearly from the decks. Then afterwards a group of white buildings could be seen just west of the lighthouse. I am not sure if we were looking at a major city or not but the buildings would have been  4 or more stories.

The DP has now changed course to head North West to the tip of India. Ooh my goodness how exciting is that. India. Tomorrow we dock in Cochin.

In the past 3 days our clocks have turned back 2 ½ hours. In Adelaide it is 5pm whilst it is 1pm on board. It has been great getting an extra hour every so often. DH has had extra bed time whilst I have raced off to the laundry, firstly to see if I can get a washing machine not in use, then if so, wash, dry and iron. Then DH wonders why I come back to the cabin grouchy. Hmmm. We become 'Elite' after this leg of the cruise and washing can be done by the ship's crew as a reward for continued patronage. Yippee. But then DH has said they wash only and not iron….is he teasing?  Time will tell. DH may well be checking out the ironing board if not.

This afternoon we joined the party atmosphere in the Vista Lounge as the ship hosted the 'Melbourne Cup' races. Yesterday the horses had been auctioned off and a group from Cruise Critic bought a horse entered into the race. We had lots of laughs and won a couple of 'races', on a three dollar bet we won $8 and $10 and lost $10 on another bet…..big gamblers we aren't. But we did win a luggage tag for having a funny hat each.

 

Malaysia

Day 12 Malaysia

Yesterday the DP docked at Port Kelang, just 1 ½ hours' drive the Capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The thunder storms had passed to leave a reasonably sunny but hot, 34c day in its wake.  We decided to catch the ships shuttle service to the local shopping mall as Paul and I had been here before.  I have nothing much to report except we bought post cards and stamps and posted them with the wrong date on them. Sorry kids.   

We still have 3 out of the 4 engines working. New technicians boarded the ship in Singapore to supposedly fix the problem but have given themselves lots of room to wiggle out. This must be one sick or damaged engine. Two weeks of assessment to actually say if the engine can be repaired before Dover! If not repaired our ports after Dover will be amended. At this stage we are compensated $200 each…..wow! But at least we are having a great time and I am still pinching myself.

The ship docked today at Langkawi on the amended schedule. 6 hours in the port instead of the 9 on the original itinerary. I think everyone still managed to see/do everything they had wished to achieve on Langkawi in the reduced time. It's a lovely island holiday destination for beach and a little Malaysian history. We found the people polite and helpful. The island appeared clean, though a little tired. Duty Free prices here are so far, the cheapest. The ship's staff are now checking bags for spirits on arrival. We are only allowed to bring on a bottle of wine each or 6 cans of beer, which I consider is fair.