Hello everyone!
Hope all is amazing in your world and spring is now in full bloom where you are! It seems like ages since I have been able to write to you, so this may be a bit longer than usual. I have so much to tell you.
We were told that our satellite connection was not as available in the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea due to our location. However, there have been rumors on board that our connection may have been deliberately interrupted so as to not give our exact location away to nefarious individuals or pirates in the area. The mystery and intrigue continues!!!
Since my last update, I have experienced an evening 4WD safari through a conservation park near Dubai to an Arabian camp. I also visited Salalah, Oman and its outlying regions. As well, I have passed through expansive bodies of water I have only ever heard about.
Dubai...what an intensely lavish, wealthy, clean, and diverse city! The architecture was spectacular with no two buildings alike and the steady hum of constant construction heavy in the air, yet there was not a speck of garbage to be seen.
During the day as we rode through to reach the desert, there was a sense of "duty and discipline”, so to speak, and yet at night when we drove back to the ship on the same
highway into the city, the atmosphere of the city was so different. Dubai had come alive! Its buildings were silhouetted in neon and Vegas style lights, and the traffic was decked out in muscle and luxury cars or SUVs with Arabian rhythms on playlists pounding through the night.
I was on an excursion with 6 others, including our driver, Faiez. I sat up front with Faiez and so I was able to ask him a great many questions which he was so open to answering. Everything from religion to cars to culture. He was very protective of us and made sure we were safe and sound. For example, when we were driving past the royal palace, I decided to take a picture out the windshield and he gently chastised me. This, he told me, was “forbidden”. It was a good reminder for me to ask a few questions and keep the respect of their culture forefront in my mind, which really was not that difficult to do.
I have found throughout this trip that respecting others' cultures certainly earns the respect of the citizens in these countries, and allows for some really great connections to be made. People are so forthcoming and open about sharing their lives, and take such pride in their countries and cities. We are not so different in our basic desires and needs.
We began our desert journey by deflating our vehicle's tires and then entering the Dubai Desert Conservation Park. The desert was absolutely magical and alive, in spite of only receiving about 5 days of rain per year.
This desert reserve was set aside about 20 years ago for the oryx and gazelle populations. These magnificent beauties had been on the verge of extinction when the Sheikh realized that if something was not done immediately then they would be lost forever.
And today, they wander free in this desert oasis with watering holes and tree shelters set up for them to live out their days. We saw quite a few of them interspersed among the sand dunes, which was such a thrill!
The sand dunes were so much fun as we sped over and around them. These dunes were so high and steep that even from the front seat, I couldn't see beyond the tops and it was like a leap of faith to drive further as we couldn't see the bottom until we started down the other side. I couldn't help but cheer Faiez on and we both had a laugh. The poor seniors in the back must have been a bit carsick though, since it was like a huge roller coaster, which I totally loved!
We drove - along with about 25 other vehicles - to a high point in the desert to watch the sun set. Quite a spiritually uplifting moment - honouring the sun's departure in the Arabian desert with about 175 others from so many varied backgrounds, races, religions. Bringing us all together! So awesome!
We then drove to the Arabian camp, where throughout the night lineups of tourists kept the camels busy wandering around the camp, being led by their owners. I opted out of riding one because there were so many other things I wanted to see and do, such as being able to get up close and personal with a falcon (hugging this silent observer who wore a little leather helmet and leg strap). We had a beautiful moment together!
We were fed so well with a variety of Arabian dishes to choose from, served with coffee and/or wine. At dinner, I met a wonderful Mother and Son duo, Annette and Oscar, from Sweden. We bonded immediately and we look forward to staying in touch with each other.
At the end of the night a lovely Lady provided us with a wonderful belly dancing show. She was so passionate and enjoying what she was doing, that the audience couldn't help but clap and cheer her on. Everyone seemed to go away from the night with a big smile on their face as we made our way to the station to fill up the vehicle's tires before making our way back to the ship.
The first night of spring under the full moon in the Arabian desert...it doesn't get much better than that!
Two days ago, we were in Salalah, Oman. An incredible, but short excursion to visit a fishing village in Taqah. Here, we journeyed to a small castle and saw the lifestyle of the Omani people from ages passed.
We then journeyed along the beach to a site for a somber and sacred reflection at Mohammed Bin Ali's tomb (the son-in-law of Mohammed).
Our tour guide, Ibrahim (Abraham), pointed out that the surrounding gravesites housed regular individuals - 3 stones on top of a grave signals a woman's tomb, 2 stones for a man's tomb.
We moved next to Sumhuram where frankincense first originated. It is claimed that the Three Wise Men gifted this region's frankincense to Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem. These trees are considered to be around 3,000 years old! WOW!!!
So surreal to experience these areas and learn their history from Biblical times. It is a real testament to the resilience of the areas and their people in seeing how well they thrive even now.
On our highway journey we had to make a few stops. In one area, we had to go through a police checkpoint. There, one policeman came on to our bus in purple camouflage, straight to the back, and asked one of the male passengers where he was from before smiling, shaking hands with this passenger and checking all of our passports. As he left, he seemed to look at each of us with his piercing dark eyes and let us know that it was “forbidden” to take photos of him! Yikes - no problem!!!
At another point, the bus screeched to a halt for camels, which wander freely without fences and often just stop and sit in the middle of the road.
Salalah is a fairly modern city. It is currently being rebuilt after a fairly catastrophic storm, which destroyed the majority of the city last year, (May 25, 2018). Cyclone Mekunu brought extremely high winds and over 2 feet of rain on this particular day. Due to its arid climate, this amount was about 5 years worth of rain. The sea port is constructing a higher retaining wall to fend off enormous waves, which also caused much of the damage.
There are gorgeous white sand beaches, but with no one on them mostly due to the heat (+35 Celsius, with sweltering humidity), and also due to religious restrictions. This area is strictly Muslim, so we didn't often see women. As we were told by our guide, women in this society stay in the home and only men work to take care of their families. However, those few women we did see in the souvenir shops were trying to take care of themselves as a result of divorce. Divorced women seem to be ostracized in this society and have to fend for themselves.
I also found out that women in this culture must wear black, "to hide themselves and fade into the background". This falls under my list of "the things I tend to learn the hard way!"
I had asked various people before I went on this excursion as to my outfit, but was told I “looked great”. However, I was dressed all in white (pants, long shirt), so a few disapproving looks as I was obviously quite noticeable and stood out! Sigh! Men are allowed to marry up to 4 women, and on our journey to excursion sites there were walled complexes of 4 houses, where each wife is given a home.
Our tour guide, upon pointing this out, shook his head, and only half-joking said, "Women are strong and hard to handle. I don't know how a man can have 4 wives! They can be very expensive!", and then went on to say that he was divorced from his (one) wife.
So since Oman, we are traveling full speed ahead. We entered the Red Sea early this morning heading for Aqaba, Jordan where my next excursion will be to the "lost city" of Petra, (though everyone seems to know where it is)!
We are traveling this fast mostly since we need to make our scheduled passage through the Suez Canal after Aqaba. Ships are required to book their time previous to arrival and then at the allocated time they are provided access.
It has been noted that last year in particular, crossing the Suez Canal earned the area $16 billion. Quite a hefty price is paid by ships to traverse this waterway!
Another reason for the high speed is a deterrent to the pirates in the area. Combined with the ship's great size, it makes it virtually impossible to catch and board us.
We've noticed quite a number of smaller vessels nearby in this area, and our ship's crew are on high alert keeping us updated at regular intervals. There have been a few small boats which have approached our ship, coming full speed at us, making most of us quite uneasy. They have sped straight at us only to stop for a photo op or try to push us off course slightly to avoid their fishing nets.
The Captain has also mentioned that various boats may just be drug smugglers who have a somewhat regular route moving their cache between nations - Iran, Somalia, and other countries, where the penalty is death for drug trafficking.
Of course there are other types of trafficking in place, so the ship is maintaining a steady course straight ahead trying to keep a low profile, but ready for anything as we are now sailing between Africa (Somalia/Ethiopia/Eritrea) and the Middle East (Yemen/Saudi Arabia)! All of these nations are embroiled currently in some intense conflict!
I've been kept busy on the ship with various activities. Some really intriguing lectures about the sea. Today was "The Evolution of Passenger Sea Travel from the 1800's to 1939" which really made me appreciate how far cruise ships have come.
I am so grateful to have been born in an age so progressive. Not sure how my ancestors were able to sail to North America from European/Scandanavian nations on what we now classify as "primitive" vessels. So courageous and strong!
The other day I took in a lecture on "Historical Shipwrecks", which seemed odd to present this on board. It's like watching movies on plane crashes while you're flying! Living on the edge!!!
Each afternoon and evening there are movies "under the stars" on a giant movie screen complete with popcorn, lounge chairs and blankets. For instance, they played both parts of Jumanji. As well there was a viewing of the Mamma Mia movies, back to back. People (crew and passengers) were up singing and dancing under the stars and the moon! Such an exhilarating time!
I have been learning a few words in Arabic while I’ve been in the Middle East. The beautiful Arabian language is spoken by around 500 million people world-wide, and written right to left. While traveling through this area, I thought it wise to at least attempt to learn a few phrases of Arabic.
A common phrase upon meeting or departing from another person, not mentioned here is: Peace be upon you! = As-salamu alaykum
I am so in awe of this trip, as you may have noticed from my letters.
Sailing on the Red Sea has been such a highlight. The story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the parted Red Sea to escape the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army comes to mind, as we continue to sail here. What a true miracle that must have been!
It is so humbling to think of this miracle and to look out to the horizon in any direction without seeing any land. This body of water is so immense in its size and leaves me with a renewed sense of reverence for the Biblical and historical stories I have heard since I was younger. How phenomenal!
Well, I will leave you with this update for now! The ship will be in Jordan late tomorrow night with excursions the following day before we venture towards and through the Suez Canal, and eventually enter the Mediterranean.
Only 11 days and about 2700 nautical miles to go until we reach Rome!
Such a pleasure to write to you and share my adventures! Please be amazing to yourselves and kind to others. Until next time!
Love, Jae
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