Pirates? or not? revised

This is what I know second hand from a former military person’s eyewitness account. Just before 6 pm on Friday, there were 7 to 12 small, fast craft on two sides of the ship. There were men dressed in black in the boats. The men had fish. The Tahitian Princess altered course and sped up. The boats couldn’t keep up. The Tahitian Princess staff say they were fishing boats. CNN says that pirates lie in wait as fishermen. The passengers say they were pirates.

So what do we think pirates would do? Wave, smile and have fish in their hands until they got close? Or fly a skull and crossbones flag and wave automatic weapons in a menacing way?

Check out our friend's photo.

message for Judy

Hi Judy

I met your dad and he says hello. He showed me a photo of you and your husband. He is having a good time! You can email me a message for him if you would like to.

Salalah, Oman

The view of the port from the ship was very unappealing – containers, cargo ships, cranes, sand, rocks, heat, bright sun. We weren’t sure we were even going to get off the ship since everyone had said there was not much to see. But we decided to at least set foot on the shore.

There was a shuttle from the ship gangway to the entrance to the port, a very short, but hot distance away, so we went out to ride it round trip. At the shuttle we met people we knew and decided to bargain for a cab ride to town for the four of us. What bargainers the men of Oman are! Our friend is an excellent negotiator and did the bargaining for the taxi. It took 45 minutes in the heat but we finally reached an agreement and set off on a 3-hour tour with our 20 year-old driver, Naim. The car was wonderfully well air-conditioned and a welcoming respite from the heat each time we returned to it.

We rode along a new divided highway along the coast, past the Hilton Resort on the beach and to the Sultan’s Palace where we got out of the taxi for a photo opportunity and found a busload of people from one of the ship’s tours. Back in the taxi, we rode around the corner to a market, from which we were drawn away from the shops to walk along the beach. The white sand beach was long and inviting with medium sized waves breaking at the shore – and totally empty. I do not know why such a spectacular appearing beach was absolutely empty, but speculate it was the heat of the white sand, possible undertow, creatures living in the water, cultural mores, or a combination of some or all of the above.

Back in the taxi, we visited a mosque, drove through the town center, and renegotiated the fare so we could ride into the mountains. I think we renegotiated right back to the original tour and price we had been offered at the entrance to the port! We are so glad we did though because that was the best part of our tour. Our driver took us out of town, to the mountains with spectacular views of deep ravines and camels, camels everywhere. We followed a herd (?) of wild camels a short distance until they decided it was time to lie down. What a racket they made calling out as they folded their legs and lay down. It was very exciting for us to see camels along the roadside and sometimes to have to stop as they were crossing the road. We also went to Job’s tomb where we saw some kind of weaver birds feeding young in their nests near what is reputed to be the tomb where the Biblical Job is buried.

So all in all, it sounds like we saw a bunch of camels, some rocky and sandy mountains, a tomb, a town and a beach. But it was really much more interesting than it sounds and we enjoyed our brief visit to Oman.

Dubai

Atlantis Hotel

Dubai, the country that is planning its future. Instead of keeping all of their eggs in one basket and pretending that their oil will last forever, they are turning the country into one of the wonders of the world in hopes that the future will attract an industry of tourism. Much like Las Vegas, out of the desert they are building ultramodern hotels to accommodate thousands and thousands of tourists from around the world. The wealth of sheiks who are behind the frenzy of building is astonishing. Each building is an architectural marvel in its own right, with unique designs, including helicopter pads, lush pool areas, murals on walls and ceilings. The number of buildings under construction is remarkable. But more remarkable than the number of buildings, is what they have done to create more waterfront property. They have taken apart mountains and transported the land to create islands. The islands are set together in the shape of palm trees and a map of the globe. With the construction of the new cruise center underway, more and more tourists will be arriving in Dubai by ship.

Ten of us got two cabs for a tour of the city highlights, stopping at the oceanfront, the Burj Al Arab Hotel (the one that looks like a sail), the Jumeriah Beach Hotel, the Mall of the Emirates to see the ski slope, the Atlantis Hotel, and the soon-to-be tallest building in the world on completion of construction. That was the morning. The group wanted to go to the souk (market) for knock-off clothing, watches, handbags, etc., so we returned in the cab for lunch on the ship.

After lunch, we took the free shuttle to the Dubai Mall, where we wandered through the Gold Souk, and the rest of the brand new and enormous mall. Returning on the shuttle to the ship, we ended our tour of Dubai, a city with promise for the future, but somehow not quite real.

Mumbai

Leaving the terminal building in Mumbai, we negotiated a cab for three of us for a tour of the city. Just being in the city was experience enough. The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” is set in Mumbai, and it is an excellent glimpse into the sights and sounds of a city of 20 million people, most of whom live in extreme poverty.

Our driver, Ali, took us in an old not air-conditioned taxi to see the most important sights, including Dobhi Ghat, the famous hand-laundry area. Our driver stopped across a divided four-lane road, which we had to cross without any of the heavy traffic ever stopping. We have lived to tell the tale! The laundry area is hard to describe so we rely on the photo to show you how individual workers wash the clothes as a commercial operation. The beating of the clothes against the cement slabs and the bright sun yield astonishingly clean results.

From there, we went to Gandhi’s longtime residence, now a museum. The photo and diorama displays showed the contributions of a great man, not just to India, but to the world.

Then to the Gateway of India, the archway symbol of the country and around the corner to the Taj Hotel, which was bombed last year by terrorists. Much of the hotel has been repaired and the security is extreme. The lobby, the waterfall memorial to those who died in the attack, and the restaurants are luxurious and beautiful. At the restaurant, we enjoyed an excellent four course vegetarian meal, including fabulous Naan garlic bread. The meal was delicious and made us miss our favorite restaurant at home.

We saw the main sights, including the Victoria Terminal, trains with passengers hanging out the door, not because the car is too crowded, but because there is cool, fresh air at the doors. On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a couple of shops so the cab driver could collect a fee for just bringing prospective customers to look.

The poverty looks crushing and overwhelming, begging is common and heartbreaking. People live on the street or in stacked one room hovels barely the size of a reclining person. A little girl who looked just like Latika in the movie clung to me for a few minutes and a little boy who looked just like the one who didn’t escape sang sweetly. It is hard not to give them money, but it isn’t a good idea in the long run.

The streets are crowded with people, bikes, taxis and buses, all making a lot of noise. There are often unpleasant odors. But there is an energy level and spiritedness about the city that is engaging. It is real and exciting.

QE2 Dubai 2009

When we walked out onto the back deck for breakfast after docking in Dubai, we were greeted by this grand old lady. It is so very sad that this legend will sail no more.

More posts for Mumbai and Dubai later