Saturday, April 2, 2011

Muscat and Salalah, Oman and birthdays!

Sunday, March 27, 2011 – Muscat, Oman and Captain’s 50th birthday

Oman is the oldest Gulf State dating back 5000 years. It was one of the few sources for copper and we read it was shipped to Mesopotamia. Regional importance grew when Frankincense, derived from the native Boswellia tree, emerged as a popular religious instrument. The Portuguese traders established a fort at Hormusz in the 16th century, ruling for only 100 years.

We had an early morning arrival to Muscat, the capital of Oman. The port is actually in Muttrah and we were greeted by buses quick to whisk us off to the main gate. We found a nice taxi driver, Habib, who drove us for 8 hours out of town, past many roundabouts which are adorned with giant model sculptures. The sculptures have significance for that area – coffee pots, incense burners, fish, boats and books. The roundabout near the University has a “sculpture” of large books on it. A large fish is in the roundabout near the fish souk/market.

We continued out through the desert surrounded by the high, dry Western Al Hajar mountains. Our first stop was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – women must have their arms, legs and head completely covered in order to enter the mosque. Men and women must wash before entering the mosque and shoes must be removed. There is a women’s mosque where they can view the service on TVs, broadcast live from the main mosque, where only men can enter to pray. The doors, rugs, chandeliers and walls were magnificent in colors and fabrics.
An hour’s plus ride down the road, we came to the oasis town of Birkat Al Mauz, where we found the above-ground covered water cistern with the fresh mountain water running in to town. There is an extensive network of falaj channels irrigating its date gardens which extend out of town. There are over 40 different varieties of date palms in Nizwa.
We came to Nizwa, which was the capital of Oman in the 6th and 7th centuries and has a vast round tower of the fort beside the new bright cobalt-blue dome of the Sultan Qaboos Mosque. One of the oldest and largest forts in Oman, it was completed in 1668, to protect its strategic position at the crossroads of the caravan routes. There were various courtyards and outbuildings with prisons, storerooms, kitchens, washing areas, sleeping quarters, a mosque, a Koranic school, majlis (prayer) rooms, a judge’s room and living quarters for the wali.

We continued down the road to Manah, Oman’s most impressive ruined town. It was even the guide’s first time to visit the town! The mosque dates back to 1534 and there is continuous renovation of the old town. The walls were made of mud and the wooden beams supporting the floors above had collapsed. We had a pretty drive back to Muttrah with time to explore the souk, the market place. It is the oldest in Oman with a covered intricate labyrinth of stalls, curio shops and winding alleys. Indian merchants are predominant. The aromas from the spices, the incense and the perfume shops were overwhelming!

Men wear the dishdasha, an ankle-length robe. It is usually white for daytime wear and there are a variety of colors for evening and special occasions. The kuman is the small embroidered cap worn by Omani men. The embroidery comes in a variety of colors and floral or geometric designs to match the dishdasha. On formal occasions a musr, turban, is often worn. A khanjar, curved sheathed dagger, is worn, attached to a belt, is also worn on special occasions. The assa, stick, is another part of the Omani traditional costume, which was used in the past to control the camels. They wear leather sandals, or flip flops!, and a bisht, cloak, on formal occasions.

Women wear a black cover-all gown in public, an abaya. Under this, they may have a colorful traditional ankle-length dress. Headscarves are worn and in some areas, a burka, a face mask. Some (many) women wear western clothes, but cover up with the abaya outside the home. It is traditional for women to have their hands and feet painted with henna at times of celebration.

After visiting Oman and Dubai one day after another, I found Oman more interesting. The culture is real, the countryside has high mountains and there are natural sights. Dubai: 80% of the population are not natives, the malls are the main attraction (how much of anything does a person really need?), there is no visible “culture”, the streets are empty of people (you do not see movement in the streets or in homes), everything is over-the-top - - the marketing people of the world won – they certainly get their quota of visitors. It is worth a visit but you feel like it is a fairy tale. Try to find a native Emirati and you really have to search hard. Consider a week’s cruise departing from Dubai so you can judge for yourself.

Music and Mayhem of Davie Howes as our entertainer.

Monday, March 28 – Luisa’s birthday in the Arabian Sea

Tai-chi and took a nap. Gene had invited our group to formal tea at 3PM and they all showed up! We had our cakes (marcipan and white sugar) and they were devoured! I got ½ a slice of my own cake! And no marcipan flowers! Next time, I separate my piece BEFORE anyone tries a piece. This is the 2nd time I’ve ended up with ZIP of my special-order cake! But we enjoyed the time with the group and were honored they took the time to join us on our very last minute invitation. Dinner was nice and I had a chocolate cake to share with everyone at the table. The waiters sang to me in English and Indonesian. Nice night but I missed being with the family and friends. Amsterdam singers and dancers in “Dancin’ Fool”.

Tuesday, March 29 – Gene’s birthday in Salalah, Oman

Desert and very high mountains. We spent most of the morning in 1st gear going up and down steep mountain roads. That was BEFORE I returned to the ship with a couple who needed emergency attention by the ship’s doctor. The gentleman ended up with a broken nose, broken glasses, stitches on his arm and leg/shin and being pretty banged up. Another woman fell at the same spot but was able to carry on with the tour. And Gene had a woman fall at the same spot and break her wrist! So the ship’s medical had a total of six calls for assistance – quite a record we hear.

My tour was supposed to visit a frankincense tree, Job’s tomb (Biblical hero admired by Jews and Christians and Muslims worldwide) and a souk (market) and drive past the Sultan’s summer palace, Al Hosn Palace. I saw a tree. We drove 45 minutes along the coast line, to stop in the desert to see this tree. We learned how the bark is scraped and left for sap to ooze out. After approx. 10-15 days, the sap is taken and sold to be burned in churches. Then we arrived at Job’s tomb and all the accidents occurred and that was it (very uneven pavement near the restrooms). Never saw the tomb or the souk. Gene at least managed to get to the souk. There was a small duty-free shop in the port area so we wandered over there and bought some “wanted but not needed items” as we say and enjoyed it.

Education is free in Oman. Education is combined for males and females until they reach age 10 and then they attend separate classrooms. Camels eat the frankincense so they have fences around the trees. All the streets seemed empty of life; houses are closed up. If you hit a camel while driving, there is camel insurance. Cows do not have insurance and you have to pay the owner the cost of the cow. Free healthcare. Since 1970, they have built over 50 healthcare centers in Salalah alone; there was one prior to that date. The flight for medical care is provided at government cost, if you live too far away or need care from a hospital in a different region. Salalah is two hours from the Yemen border. They claim there are five checkpoints between Salalah and the border. Each family receives free land from the government to build their home. They pay to build the home – approx. cost is $160K for a one bedroom home. Most were one level concrete homes with a 2nd level that held only the water tank. Beginning salaries are approx. $600 month and the government will find you a job! Once you complete your “free” education, you go to the government center and they will try to match your qualifications to an open position. All I kept thinking was, “I’m paying for their ‘free’ education, healthcare and land with my gas purchases in the USA”.
You could pay approx. $300K for a racing camel and $15K for a milking camel (who knew you could milk a camel or who knows someone who drinks camel’s milk? Not me.). Camels have IDs on their ears and are all owned by individuals. The Sultan travels around the country for two months every year to meet with the residents to find out their grievances and see the progress taking place from last year’s visit.

Dinner was nice with some friends at our table, wine and birthday cake! More singing and the Kent Dancers performed. The front office crew put a lovely birthday sign with four balloons on our door. Two bottles of wine were delivered from the Beverage Department and bottle of champagne from the Guest Relations Supervisor. We’re spoiled!
Entertainment was the brother/sister Australian dance team The Kent Dancers. They were in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget, on Dancing with the Stars and toured in the US for the Simply Ballroom.

Wednesday, March 30 – at sea in the Gulf of Aden; we are protected by NATO forces around us – heading for Bab-el Mandeb, lying between Yemen and Djibouti – entrance to the Red Sea

Tai-chi class and than a wonderful luncheon experience in the Pinnacle Grill. We were hosted this time by two from our group and had a nice lunch. Walked the decks, saw flying fish (they come up from under the ship and spray themselves at the surface – quite fascinating), worked, met with people, watched an English movie about the right of women to have equal pay in the UK in 1970, formal night and Unexpected Boys performed (Frankie Valli/Four Seasons tribute) – I went to both shows. Plus we had the gala dessert extravaganza at 9:30 and they had marcipan!

Today was CELEBRATION DAY to collectively celebrate the special moments in our lives with shipboard family and friends. Whether it is a birthday or anniversary, a shared moment of triumph or a personal victory, today is the day we can all raise a glass, salute one another and celebrate. (loved it!)

Thoughts that ramble around in your head when you see the security officers on the promenade deck in each corner of the ship, day and night, with their binoculars…We see several destroyers and helicopters around us; there have been no reports of piracy around us but who knows? We are inside this small blip of a vessel in the middle of this vast ocean. You feel like you are in your own little world, totally protected, but how wrong you could be – just open the door and take a glance out to the real world
And the size of the ocean – the size of the world. I think frequently of the vast size of these oceans. We’ve had days after days of seeing just “water on the horizon”. I love it. Some people need to see land-in-sight. But it is mind-boggling how many days you could sit outside and see nothing, nothing, nothing…just water, water, water. We have gone for days without seeing other ships!! And then you think about that there are so many creatures under the water. When you consider the size of our vessel compared to the size of the ocean(s), we are lucky we have seen even one dolphin or a few flying fish! Scanning the surface of the water seems so futile and so deceptive. We are s m a l l creatures on this very large planet.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – the 14th Dalai Lama

March 31, 2011 – at sea –
We are through the Gulf of Aden and there are now less potential piracy issues. Lazy, quiet day – the one my brother dared me to try to enjoy. Piano lounge for playing and singing, Chorale practice, lunch with friends, watched movie “The King’s Speech” in our room, dinner and then the Captain announced ANOTHER itinerary change – our 3rd! We are back to a stop in Egypt! We were supposed to have three stops in Egypt – they cancelled all of them – now they are adding one back in. Safaga, Egypt – Saturday. It is a 3+ hour bus ride each way to Luxor/Karnak so it will be a long day and then the next day we have a 2+ hour ride each way from Aqaba Jordan to Petra. But all worth it! People are scurrying around trying to figure out which tour option for Safaga. Nice to have the library onboard. Internet was down while we were through the Gulf of Aden for security issues – that was interesting and I don’t remember that from last time.

We are given gifts on our formal nights. Luggage tags, diaries, maps of the world with plotting grids, rolling suitcases, ceramic tiles. They spend a lot of money to make the trip extra special. Variety entertainment show of Kuba, Davie Howes, John Ekin and the Kent Dancers. We are now only seven hours ahead of Delaware/NY time.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, regarded by ancient Romans and Greeks as the most extraordinary structures in antiquity:
- Pyramids of Giza (Egypt) – they are the only one remaining nearly intact today
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon – 600 BC – series of planted terraces
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece) – was the central figure of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, were the Olympic games were held
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Turkey) temple with 127 stone columns – one column remains today
- Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Turkey) – marble tomb in memory of Mausolus
- Colossus of Rhodes (Greece) – bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios to guard entrance to the harbor
- Pharos of Alexandria (Egypt) – ancient lighthouse

“The past is like a river flowing out of sight; the future is an ocean filled with opportunity and delight.” - Anna Hoxie