Mangalore, India pictures

A pedi-cab like ours

Hmmm!

Mangalore advertising

Fresco in St. Aloysius church

sign outside the church

View from 3 wheeled cab

Luxor, Egypt pictures

Road to the Temple at Luxor

Colonnade at the Luxor Temple

The size
of the temple is incredible

Statue of one of the Kings and Queen

Another view of colonnade

b

Yep! This is still the mode of travel in the country

Two story homes along ride to Luxor 

Me playing with band at Luxor Sheraton

Queen Hatsheput's Temple

This statue is near entrance to the Valley of the Kings

Entrance to Temple

Cairo, Egypt pictures and Suez Canal

Pyramids

Camel rides - they hold tourists hostage for more money to let them off

Back of pyramid with entrance and excavation tents

Sunset as we entered the MED

The sphinx

Camels on the desert

Mosque at Port Said

Jack at pyramid with the original smooth top

Viet Nam pictures

Janet in the pedicab

Cart full of melons

Produce market

Boats at rest on the river

Bonsai garden at Buddhist Temple

Emperor's Palace

Typical narrow and long Vietnamese house

Palace grounds, Hue

Incense for sale

Marketplace lanterns

Making the conical hats

Jack in the pedi-cab

Rice field with water buffalo

2010 Hong Kong to Athens -Cairo, Egypt

2010 Hong Kong to Athens – Cairo

We arose at 4:00 AM to dress, eat, meet and leave by 5 AM. We were a few minutes late leaving because they hadn’t unlocked the gates at Port Said. We walked out to the busses which were again going by caravan with guards. We did find out that since the German tourists were killed in 1997 the government decided to send guards with every tour bus. I was relieved to know it was not just that we were Americans but was done to help protect   the almighty tourist income.

With our 3 ½ hr bus ride we were expected to get to the pyramids around 8:30. Well, traffic jams intervened as well as stoppage of all traffic on the outer ring for a cavalcade for an “important visitor”. We saw the “important person” at the pyramids with bodyguards in their dark suits. We certainly did not recognize him. Maybe it was a rock or movie star. Anyway, we finally arrived at 9:40 AM. The bus we had was air conditioned and comfortable with a bathroom. That was good since there are no restrooms at the pyramids. The bad thing was after a couple hours the light in the bus bathroom went out and was never able to be fixed. I can’t describe how much fun it is to use the restroom in a moving, rocking, turning bus when you can’t see a thing. Excitement reigned.

The pyramids are impressive. They are now fenced off. Arriving so late we did not have an opportunity to go into the tomb. The camel rides are still there. The city of Cairo is so much bigger and more developed than when I was there 15 years ago. Development of middle class surrounding cities, which we would call suburban sprawl, is taking over the desert. The cities have apartments, small homes, and even upscale villas which sell for @ $200,000 American dollars equivalent. Based on the square footage they would be $500,000-$1,000,000 here. It appears that they finish all the building before anyone moves in. That may be because no property taxes are owed on property until it is finished. So no one finishes their individually built houses. They are left unpainted or not quite finished.

Although the traffic in Cairo is still exciting,  it actually seemed a little more controlled than 15 years ago. The traffic lights are still “decoration” unless the police are there. Lanes are very fluid but now they at least start out in the lanes before driving between them. Last time, no lanes were maintained at all.

After the pyramids it was on to the Sphinx. Well there is now an outside amphitheater in front of the Sphinx so the long view is gone. Progress sometimes does not seem like progress to me. Then to a hotel for lunch. Again, it is cautious eating.

We had to skip a shopping stop (awww) then wound through the city which has developed lots of 5 star hotels and upscale shopping to the Cairo Museum. That is a great museum. They have all the smaller statues from all over the country as well as all the stuff from the tomb of King Tut. When I say small statues it just means the statues that were small enough to be moved. They are still in most instances Pharaoh sized which is definitely bigger than life-sized. And of course we saw copies of some King Tut stuff because some of it is on tour. But the gold beds, chariots, all gold everyday things are pretty incredible. And the kid died at 17. Can you imagine what the tombs of Ramses and the other great pharaohs contained before they were robbed? No wonder there were such active grave robbers. By the way, no cameras are allowed in the museum so there are no pictures. We were only in the museum for 1 ½ hours so it was a race to just see a few of the highlights with the guide then 20 minutes on our own.

Back to the bus for the 3 1/2 hour ride home. At least we missed the traffic jam. At the end of the day I realized how lucky I was to have had my first trip to Egypt with just three other friends and our own driver and guide. The cities of Cairo and Luxor (Thebes in historical writings) have grown so much in size and population that the monuments are being swallowed up by people and development. The countryside is dominated by the small 5 acre farms maintained by oxen and handwork. Our guide told about an American tourist who was a farmer. When our guide asked how many acres he farmed he thought the American was joking when he told him he had 200 acres and three of them (brother, son, and himself) did the work. Then he showed him the machinery they used to accomplish it. Our guide went and told his farmer cousin he was a loser. The guide also went to Russia to study the Russian language and was amazed at the green landscape and forests. He felt like he was in a wonderland. That also made me think about the wonderful country we live in that has such a varied landscape. We have the opportunity to see forests, deserts, mountains, plains, lakes, waterfalls, rivers to creeks, beaches and oceans; all the things mentioned in “God Bless America”.  I hope when our country is 5000 yrs old, like Egypt, that Americans will still be enjoying these wonders.

After our long day. the staff of the ship lines up to greet us as we return to board the ship, accompanied by the band playing. It is a welcoming touch. Out last day was packing day but I still had time for bridge. The flight home was  long and uneventful. The flight from JFK was late boarding then we spent one hour and 45 minutes on the tarmac waiting to take off. We arrived in Ft Lauderdale at 12:30 AM which was more than 24 hours since we had arisen. But we are home. The laundry is done, the lawn mowed and groceries bought. It was a wonderful trip. And this is

THE END

2010 Hong Kong to Athens -Luxor Egypt

2010 Hong Kong to Athens

Luxor

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Today was the day of our trek to Luxor. And it was a trek Our port on the Red Sea is not close to Luxor which is on the Nile. We got up at 6:30 am for our 8 am departure. All the busses went together in a convoy, each with an armed guard on board. That is real reassuring! When I was here 15 years ago there were armed guards in public places but now there are manned checkpoints all along this new highway. Everyone has to go through and they are one way. It is like driving around the cones in Driver’s Ed but these are gates. Our line of busses didn’t have to wait too long but at one point I counted 28 buses, cars, trucks, and carts waiting to get through coming the opposite way. These check points have raised guardhouses with rifles pointed out the windows so I guess they mean business. Anyway, it was a 3 ½ hr bus ride one way.

We arrived in Luxor in time for lunch. We ate at the Sheraton Hotel which was the same hotel we stayed at last time. After lunch it was on to the Valley of the Kings on the other side of the Nile. Now there is a nice paved road, a visitor center (unairconditioned) and a tram that takes you about 200 yds up the hill to near the first tomb. The tomb entrances have been improved and there is now two way walking traffic in and out of them. They have added acrylic panels in front of the walls so you can’t touch. The guide are no longer allowed in the tombs so you have to get the info outside before you enter. It was 45 degrees Celsius today. For those who don’t have their calculators on hand- that is 120.2 F. What a day!

We stopped for some photo ops at Queen Hatshepsut’s Tomb and the Colossae then back to Luxor for the temple. At least at the temple the huge statues, columns, and walls create a little shade. After an hour there it was back on the bus for our 3 hr plus ride back to the ship. We finished lunch at 1:45 and got back to the ship at 8:45. I was hungry! We ordered room service and sat on the balcony as we left Safaga, Egypt. Jack was under impressed with the tombs but was impressed with the temple. There were so many people at the tombs you really didn’t have any time to contemplate the age and complexity of the hieroglyphics. And we were so hot you couldn’t concentrate. The interesting thing was I was hardly sweating at 120degrees but my face and skin was red. When you licked your lips they tasted salty but we weren’t drenched in sweat. Do any of my scientific friends have a reason for this? Maybe it’s so dry the moisture just evaporates at that point.

May 11, 2010

Yesterday we were in Sharm El Sheik which is a resort town on the Red Sea in Egypt. There was a trip to Mt. Sinai offered but it was another 3+ hours on the bus for an hour there and we just couldn’t do it. Plus it meant getting up at 5 AM to leave at 6:45 AM- NOT! That means at some point I would like to come back and fly to Mt Sinai. Maybe if the stock market goes up I could bring some grandkids in the cooler weather.

Today we are in transit through the Suez Canal. We had a fun white robe breakfast where we were invited to wear our jammies and Oceania white bathrobes in the Terrace dining room and on deck this morning. I wore mine but Jack did not.

Back to the canal. There are no locks. The day is cooler so I am sitting on the balcony as we pass the anchored ships. We are in a northbound convoy going the required 8 knots. The canal is one way with several lakes used for anchor areas. There are two southbound convoys a day and one northbound convoy. We are now passing through the Great Bitter Lake where all the ships on the early southbound convoy are anchored waiting for our convoy to pass so they can again queue up and continue on their southbound way. These lakes are quite wide. Another interesting fact, the canal flows in one direction in the summer and the opposite direction in the winter. Didn’t go to the lecture so I don’t know the reason for that one.

Tomorrow we have to meet at 4:45 AM, yes, that is not a typographical error, to leave for Cairo from Port Said for another 3 ½ hr bus ride each way. I don’t think it will be over 100 tomorrow, hopefully, just in the 80’s. So tomorrow will be another killer long day. It sure was easier last time I was here when we just flew from Cairo to Luxor and back. And there being only four of us was so wonderful with our own driver and guide. But Jack will get a chance to see the pyramids, sphinx, and Cairo museum.

Then we have one day at sea to pack then it is on to Athens and home. That is if everyone is not on strike in Athens or rioting so we can get to the airport and the flights are on schedule. We managed to avoid the worst of the rioting in Bangkok, it picked up the day after we left. It is hard to believe the 35 days are almost over. An 108 day around the world cruise would not be too long! I don’t think we can afford to do that next year though.

This has been a fantastic trip. We’ve met a lot of great people. Since this is such a long cruise, 90% of the people are retired and have traveled extensively so they are all interesting. We have especially liked the Brits, Aussies, Kiwi’s and, of course, the very friendly Canadians.

2010 Hong Kong to Athens -Petra

2010 Hong Kong to Athens

Petra

Yesterday, May 7, 2010, was our trip from the port of Aquaba, Jordan to Petra. Aquaba is at the northern end of the Red Sea. What is interesting about Aquaba is that 1 KM to the west is Eliat, Israel which is Israel’s resort destination on the Red Sea. You can see both towns but there is about a 100 yd space between the two towns where there is nothing. It looks funny but you can tell it is definitely the dividing line between two not particularly friendly countries.

We left at 9 am on our busses to drive the 60 KM to Petra. Jack kept saying it wasn’t going to take two hours to drive the 60 km. Wrong. We had a “happy room” stop but it was mostly uphill. We were on the east side of the Dead Sea though we couldn’t see it and it was mountainous and desert all the way. We passed Aaron’s tomb which was on a high mountain to the west of the road. It made me realize why the Israelite’s grumbled a lot. I can’t imagine spending 40 years wandering around in this territory. It was supposed to reach 104 degrees yesterday. Since we were up in the mountains I think it was more like the high 90’s. Three people suffered a heat stroke, one a twisted ankle walking on the Roman road (as it were) but I was amazed that all the rest of us old folks made it. It was a 6 mile walk through sandstone (ok), but tough going through the sand and uneven limestone pavers. It was downhill going in and thus uphill coming out. We spent 4 ½ hours of straight walking and we were pooped (especially me) at the end. However it was worth every minute.

Petra is a city of tombs and altars carved into the sides of sandstone mountains. When the Romans finally conquered it in ?. The extent of the city is amazing as well as the number of tombs. But just as impressive is the ¾ of a mile walk into Petra. The entrance is called “the siq” or cleft between the rocks. It is like walking through a narrower Grand Canyon. It’s wow,wow, wow. Then at the end you see the Treasury and come into the clearing of the tombs and temples and down and around the curve in the road the amphitheatre and residential area. It is hard to believe it was forgotten for all the centuries until the 19^th Century.

We were very happy to have a rest day because tomorrow we go to Luxor on a thirteen hour tour. Six hours of driving to get there and back and seven hours in Luxor to see the Valley of the Kings and the Temple at Karnak. I figure that is another five hours of walking tomorrow. It will probably be in the 100 degree range again. We should be ready for some “cool” weather in the 80’s when we get home.

You’ll have to excuse the picture placement on next page. I just cannot get these where I want them in Word. I can’t believe we’ll be home in a week. Boo hoo!