On the Sea Again

Saturday, 19 November – We are on our last full day at sea as we’ve left the Sultante of Oman and head toward the United Arab Emirates..

The Sea is quite calm and we are going through the Strait of Hormuz. This relatively narrow area has roughly $15 Billion worth of Arabian oil pass through it EVERY day. I could be a little wrong on the number, but I know it’s a big number; it was hard to heard if the Captain said 15 or 50. The area is also a foggy area, so it was hard to get a really good picture of this super tanker; plus, it was quite a ways away from our ship.

We opted not to start packing today. There’s always tomorrow after our tour in Abu Dhabi.

In Muscat, Oman

Friday, 18 November – We pulled into the quiet port of Muscat, Oman, around 7:30 AM this morning. The cream-colored private yacht of the Sultan was impressive as was the larger-sized support vessel that travels along with the yacht.

One of the most interesting sights as we entered port this morning is called the Incense Burner, and it was a gift from Iran. We weren’t told the details of the reasons behind the gift or when it given, but it certainly does look like an incense burner, doesn’t it. One question people asked was, “Do they really burn incense in it to provide an aroma for the port area?” The answer is, “No.” I don’t know what it’s used for; perhaps you can use wikipedia to find it out.

We went on a tour today to the Muttrah Souq, billed as “one of the most popular souqs in the Middle East.” It’s an indoor bazaar with a myriad of shops selling textiles, fragrances, oils, and spices. We bought some frankincense since that is one of the export items of the southern areas of Oman. We then visited two museums, which are essentially private homes (a home is called a ‘Bait’) that have many important items, and some of them generate their income from hosting tours through the home.

We also made a quick stop at the Royal Palace. Calling it “the” palace is a bit of a misnomer since the Sultan (who has been in power since 1970) has 7 palaces in Oman, 1 in Switzerland, and 1 somewhere else in Europe I think. I tried pushing the button to see if we could have a look around inside, but no one came to the door.

We got back to the ship around 1:30 PM, had some lunch, and really did not much until dinner with Kurt, Camilla, John, Sharon, George, and Tawni. We did pull out of port around 6 PM to make our way up to Abu Dhabi.

I think we might need to start packing tomorrow!

Last Quiet Day at Sea

Thursday 17 November – at sea. Our last day at sea until we reach Oman. The rough waters have calmed down quite a bit. We lost another hour last night as we had to turn the clocks ahead ONE MORE HOUR.

At about 11:00 AM we went down the Main Dining Room for a Galley Tour and Brunch. We sat at a table with two single ladies: Jan (Connecticut) and Laura (San Jose, CA). Laura mentioned Ex Officio brand of travel clothing and getting a travel wardrobe set of clothes that she keeps separate. She also suggested  to check out Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) for small group travel (like Rick Steves but smaller groups).

We played miniature golf on Deck 13. It’s a 9-hole par 28 course, and Darlene putted even par and I was 4 under. I think the ball was just a luckier ball than the green one. We then found a nice covered area on Deck 12 by the Seaview Cafe and had a spicy Bloody Mary.

Dinner at 6:45 PM again – same time, same place.

We’re in Oman tomorrow; land ahoy!

Formal Night, numero tres

Wednesday 16 November – at sea. Our fourth day at sea, and I’m not getting as much writing done as I’d hoped I was going to do. So, is that due to over-zealousness, having too much fun on the cruise, poor planning, laziness, or. . .?

We lost an hour of sleep last night as we turned our clocks ahead one hour, one of the penalties for traveling almost due East, as we are right now toward Oman. After lunch I spent about an hour talking with Kurt and Camilla (two from Sweden who were on tours in Jordan and Israel with us) about their invention (zipper replacement), and what I need to do for my poker game (no details of the game were revealed). Camilla suggested creating iPad app (and others) to generate demand (after getting patents) before approaching any casinos.

Tonight was out third formal dinner; Darlene’s top wrap was a piece she bought in Sydney, Australia last year. She accented it with a clip with jade in it, along with a matching necklace and earrings. Here were are at dinner with Kurt and Camilla. They live in the town of Visby, which is on Gotand, the largest island in Sweden. When our family went on a Baltic Cruise in 2004, the one place our ship did not stop was Visby because the water were too rough for the tenders to take us to shore. With our new friends, and with my Swedish heritage, we might now have better reasons for returning to Sweden.

We’ve been very fortunate on the cruise with our My Time Dining to be able to eat at the same time each evening (6:45) and usually with the same Head Waiter (Joey) and Assistant Waiter (Johnny).  They have given us excellent service, and they are very diligent workers. In this picture, Joey is on the left, and Johnny is on the right.

Italian Ships & German Helicopters

Tuesday 15 November – at sea. Day three at sea and tea for me. Sorry, I was just about to break into song.

At 4:45 this morning we entered the Gulf of Aden. Darlene walked 3 miles on Deck 12, and then we went for breakfast in the main dining room on Deck 4 (only our second time there; normally we go to the casual breakfast in the Windjammer Café on Deck 11)

An Italian warship looking like a small frigate hung around our port side this morning a little after 9. I don’t know if there had been reports of pirate activity off Yemen or Somalia, and they were around “for protection,” but they didn’t stay around for very long. The waters have been fairly rough since we entered the Gulf of Aden and we’re heading ENE, so Yemen is to our North, and Somalia is to our South. We have 25 mph winds (45 mph relative) with 3 – 5 meter swells, so it is going to be fairly tough for any pirate ship to come close to us,

Around 12:25 in the early afternoon, a German Marines helicopter came by the ship, with its cargo bay opened. One fellow inside waved, I waved backed as I was taking photos, and the helo took off, cut in front of the ship and turned right (South) and kept going. I asked others, and they didn’t see where it went (there’s nothing but water in our view from here).

We met Bill and Jan Slowinski in their cabin at 5:45 PM. They are the couple from Jackson, Michigan – Darlene’s hometown. Bill in an enrichment lecture speaker onboard talking about crimes scene investigations. We then had a nice dinner, with a table for just the four of us.

At 9 PM, we went to the theatre. It was Production Showtime: “Now and Forever” in the Pacifica Theatre. It was a good show, lasting about 50 minutes. It was a nice way to end another peaceful day at sea.

Nearing the "Pirate Zone"

Monday 14 November – at sea. Our second of five days at sea. We’re still heading south in the Gulf of Aqaba, nearing the dangerous narrow mouth at its southern exit point.

At about 9:15 AM two small UK-territory flagged boats came near us as we maneuvered and stopped. We assumed that the one boat that came alongside delivered a box of “security items” that the Captain had described on a ship’s video as being “shootable” as we enter the pirate area of the Gulf of Aden.

10:30 AM – We held an Operation Safe Haven Drill in case it’s necessary to take action because of pirate activity – highly unlikely due to our size, speed, crew, etc.

Tonight is the first of three nights when the ship’s outside will be mostly dark to allow lookouts to have better vision for boats who might be attempting to approach us. This means closing our curtains, no access to top decks, promenade decks, etc.

Lazy Day at Sea

Sunday 13 November – at sea. After three very busy and bouncy days (at least the last two days were), it’s nice to have five sea days ahead of us. Today we are heading south from our port in Israel, which is only about a mile or two from the port in Jordan, in the Gulf of Aqaba.

There isn’t a whole lot happening today that we’re participating in. This photo is of one of the very few ships we saw as it’s heading north. I presume the letters LNG stand for Liquefied Natural Gas to tell would-be pirate ships that they’re not carrying oil and to stay away. One explosion and they might go “boom.”

All in all, a quiet and calming day at sea.