Home Again!

Even though it was a long time to get home, it was a fairly uneventful journey. Our flight from Dubai was delayed due you fog but we ran into friends from the cruise so the time passed quickly. That delay cut our connection time in Chicago from 3 to 1 hour but with Global Entry we made it with 10 minutes to spare.

I'm happy to be back in MO but John is moaning that it's too cold and it snows here!! We had a wonderful adventure, saw things we have never seen before and probably won't see again; cruised the Mediterranean, the Red and the Arabian Seas; learned a lot of ancient history and spent time in a very modern city; learned more about Islam, Jewish and Christian traditions; walked on three continents (Europe, Asia,and Africa); and made new friends we hope to see again.

We are now getting ready to head out again on a brand new adventure after the New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

The Second Biggest, Tallest and Best!

Indoor ski lift.

It was late morning when we got on the Metro and rode to the second largest mall in Dubai, the Mall of the Emirates. This is considered a swanky shopping destination of over 500 retail stores, a big kids play area, Magic Planet and dozens of eating establishments. But the big draw is the indoor ski area! With real snow!! It has 6000 tons of snow, ski lifts and t-bar lifts, toboggan runs, tubing, and of course skiing. The bad part is that we were going to have to pay just to go take a picture so we settled for looking through the windows. For a moment it felt like Christmas!!

We grabbed a cab to go over to Madinat Jumeirah next door to Burj Al Arab. Madinat is a modern hotel complex with two hotels on either side of a shopping and dining Mecca along a maze of waterways and walk ways on the beach. It has beautiful Arabian architectural styles. We explored as best we could since we are not guests of either hotel but the main reason we came here is to get a close-up picture of Burj Al Arab or the Arabian Tower, an iconic symbol for modern Dubai. To go inside the building we would have to have a reservation for tea ($80 each) or for cocktails ($76 each) or for dinner (reservations needed months ago). It is 1053 feet tall and is considered the tallest all-suite hotel. It is considered a 7 star hotel. Probably one of the most expensive buildings ever constructed but the cost has never been revealed.

A cab back to our hotel and naps - we are running out of steam!

The Tallest, The Biggest, The Best

We missed the fireworks! They didn't last very long and we were in the wrong spot to see them. We had a nice evening walking the Marina and checking out resorts and restaurants. The bad part is that my cough is back and I think I've caught a cold on top of it.

Today we figured that riding the Metro Link and exploring on our own would be cheaper and more interesting than a hop-on-hop-off bus. It took about 30 minutes to ride to the Dubai Creek area. This is the Old Town of Dubai that is divided by a waterway they call The Creek. It is actually quite wide and deep, more like a river than a creek, and fed by the Arabian Gulf. Most of the city's Souq or bazaars are in this area. We walked the Gold Souq and the Textile Souq but missed the Spice Souq. John and I are not real fond of their sell tactics in the souqs. They are constantly yelling " Hey, Lady! Pashima, pretty scarfs!" It's very annoying!

River taxis, called abra, cross the Creek often so that is how we got to the other side. We had lunch Creek side then found the Dubai Museum with a fort and wooden boat outside of it but we didn't have time to linger as we wanted to get to Burj Kalifa for our 5 PM ride to the top.

We hopped on the Metro and arrived at the stop for the Dubai Mall, the worlds largest undercover shopping mall with over 1000 stores, an ice rink, huge aquarium, indoor waterfall, and over 150 places to eat on four levels. It was at least a 20 minute walk from the Metro to the mall. Then we had to navigate the mall to find the ticket area to go to the top of the world's tallest building - The Burj Kalifa. Once we had our tickets we explored the mall, which was amazing in its size, the number of stores, the variety of stores and restaurants, it tall ceilings, decorated domes and water features.

Our reflection in the shiny wall with the sunset to our backs.

At 4:30 pm we lined up for our tour to the top, or the 148th floor which is as far as we could go although the buttons on he elevator went to 153. The tower is 818 meters tall (2684 feet). We were give tea and dates while we waited. Then we were crammed into the elevator which got us to the top in under 90 seconds and when we got off we were offered juice and candy. Then we wondered all the way around the 148th floor. Its a shame there is so much air pollution but we still enjoyed the view, the sunset and then the city lighting up for the evening. On the 124 & 125 floors we were able to go outside. On the ride down my ears clogged up and it was over an hour before they cleared!

You can see the lights and pipes for the fountain show in the lagoon 148 floors below us.

The Palm Jumeirah.

Every 30 minutes the Dubai Fountain show burst into the night. It's a show that rivals the Belagio in Vegas. They say that the water shoots into the air higher than anywhere in the world (500feet). After each song we are enthralled with the Tower lighting up with is own light show.

The 148th floor where we went is at the top of the green section.

It was a day of tallest, biggest and best and we were the tiredest!

Sharjah, UAE & Marina

The U.A.E. or United Arab Emerates is made up of 7 Emerates, or royal families ruled by an Emir, that came together as one county on Dec 2, 1971. So we are in Dubai on a National Unity Day celebration. Fireworks tonight!

The ship docked in Port Rashid around noon on Thursday and we went on a 4-1/2 hour tour to one of the Emerates called Sharjah. Two of the other Emerates are Dubai and Abu Dahbi. Sharjah is the 3rd largest Emerate.

The center of the city/Emerate is Cultural Roundabout where government buildings, a mosque and a library are on four sides of the roundabout and a sculpture of an open Qu'an is in the center.

We drove past the Ladies Club where women can swim on a beach or pool then stopped at the Fort of Sharjah which was built in 1820 and restored in 1998. It depicts life in the 1800's when this was a residence and the seat of the government.

Our next stop was at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization contained in a building that was once a meat market and souq. We then got to shop in the Blue Souq which was a long, two-story shopping mall full of independent shops selling rugs, pashmina and gold jewelry as well as clothing and household goods. The building itself was impressive with a blue arched roof topped with big rectangular wind towers. A wind tower would funnel a breeze into a building or home to keep it cool. Today they have A/C.

This was our last night on the ship. We have made some good friends on this voyage and hope we can maintain those friendships in the years to come.

Today we found our hotel and went exploring along the Dubai Marina walk, a 7 km sidewalk along either side of a canal, until our room was ready. We are surrounded by magnificent skyscrapers! We'll head out again shortly to find a dinner spot and to watch fireworks.

Muscat

Sultan Qaboos bin Said (pronounced like the caboose of a train but put the emphasis on 'ca') has ruled Oman for over 47 years so a lot of buildings, roads and mosques carrying his name.

One of the yachts with our ship in the background.

As we are driving to the mosque our driver points to two 'cruise' ships in the harbor and tells us that those are the Sultan's yachts - one for him and one for his wives!!

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the 4th largest in Arabia with Mecca the largest. There are two prayer rooms, a small one for the women who usually pray at home but occasionally want to pray at the mosque and a large one for the men. The women's room will hold 650 and the men's will hold up to 6500. If needed prayers can be held on the plaza surrounding the mosque for an additional 12,000 men. There are five minarets to represent the five pillars of Islam - one God, prayer, charity, cleansing before prayer and a haj to Mecca. The Sultan paid for the mosque to be built and it took 6 years to complete it in 2001. The dome is mosaic tile, the chandelier is crystal and weighs 8 tons and the carpet on the floor is all one piece made by the hands of young Irani girls.

Our next stop was though a city gate to the bordering town of Mutrah where we shopped in the Souq or market place. We then went through another city gate to Old Muscat and explored a museum named Bait Al Zubair. Displays of clothing, jewelry, stamps and armaments filled one building. We walked past an ancient home made from palm tree fronds and into a more modern display of an Omani home.

From the ship as we are leaving the harbor.

Really big incense burner.

Salalah

We docked around 8 am but our tour did not leave until 1pm so we had a leisurely morning. Oman is on the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. It's main export is oil and gas, it has about 4.5 million people, and is ruled by a sultan.

Salalah is on the west end of Oman, about 125 miles from the Yemen border. It is the capital of the Dhufor state and is the 2nd largest city in Oman. The tomb of Prophet Imran who is considered the father of Moses is near here as is the tomb of Job. This area is famous for the harvesting and production of frankincense.

cemetery

Our tour took us to some of the heritage sites in the region that are important to the Salalah people. Bin Ali's tomb and the cemetery was our first stop. He came from the Prophet Mohammad in Mecca to Mircat to teach Islam to the people. He became a beloved leader of the city so everyone wants to be buried near him.

Sumhuran Archeological Site

Sumhuran Archeological site was occupied from 300 BC to 500 AD. It is on the coast near a protected cove but close to the mountain where the frankincense trees grow. You will only find frankincense trees at about it 1200 foot elevation and only in this area. Frankincense is the sap of the tree, dried then burned for its smell, disinfectant properties and medicinal uses. It was an important trade item, making this an important center from China on the east to Africa in the west and up to Israel and the Mediterranean Sea countries. It is a walled city that held around 300 people, a temple and numerous storage rooms.

Bedroom

Frankincense Tree

Our last stop was at Taqah Castle, a relatively new building built by the Shaq in the 1800's for the Sultan's grandmother. In the early 1900's it was turned over to the local governor, or wali, until 2003 when it became a tourist attraction. This is where we saw a frankincense tree, an Arabian almond tree and date palm.

Cruising Days

We are cruising in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden these past three days and tomorrow we will move into the Arabian Sea which is part of the Indian Ocean. To keep all the passengers active the cruise director and activities director have put together lots of things to do. There is a lecture every day by David Price Williams who is from the Smithsonian Institute and has given us some interesting information about the area we have been visiting. Today's lecture was about the invention of the alphabet from over 6000 years ago. There are games all day like bingo, bridge, casino games, baggo, paddle tennis, putting contests, etc. We could go to enrichment seminars on beauty, back or foot pain, diet, jewelry, and more. We have passed up dance lessons and cooking classes.

This morning they put on a County Fair with lots of games hosted by the different departments. The kitchen staff had a guess this smell, engineering had a bolt puzzle, destinations had a guess where this picture was taken. Then there was a ring toss, a ladder game, bean bag toss, blind make-up application, and, our favorite, Shake Your Booty. They filled a Kleenex box with ping pong balls and tied it around your hips and at the signal you shake all the balls out! John was really quick!

Valley of the Kings Burial Grounds

No one is allowed to take pictures in the Valley of the Kings (because years ago some Italian dignitaries abused the privilege). A burial ground would always be on the west side of the Nile, a place of truth and this particular site is under a mountain with a pyramid shaped top so there was lots of power here as well as a way to the hereafter.

In the late 1800's the first tomb was found and since then there have been 62 caves or tombs located. King Tut was the last tomb found here until just 10 days ago a new tomb was unearthed with an intact mummy believed to be the wife of a priest. Speaking of mummies, almost all of them have been moved out of the area if they hadn't been destroyed or ground up to use as an elixor. 25 are in Cairo (14 intact), 3 in Luxor and some can be found in most of the major cities of Europe.

The hieroglyphics found in each tomb tell the story of that person's life, depict his enemies that he has conquered, show him or her going to heaven and judgement and also tell the stories from the Book of the Dead. We entered three tombs, Ramses IV, in cave 2, Ramses IX in cave 6, and Thutmosis III in cave 27. This last tomb was up the side of the mountain then inside we descended two levels, each about 60 steps, to the location of the sarcophagus, a granite coffin.

We drove past the Valley of the Queens but did not enter it as it is not as special. We stopped for pictures of Al-Deirdre Al-Bahdrhi Temple, where Queen Hatshepsut, the daughter of Amman-Ra is buried. It is considered a mortuary temple. Surrounding the temple were what looked like holes in the mountain side. This is where the soldiers were buried so they could protect the queen.

King Tut on right & his wife.

Our next stop was at Habu Temple or the Temple of Media, built by Ramses III. Ramses III was like a modern day architect as he had lots of buildings, temples and statues built. This temple was to commemorate military actions. On the left wall are the images of Ammon-Ra with his wife, Mut, behind him and facing him is Ramses III.

Our last stop before heading back to the ship was at The Colossi of Memnon. These two statutes are of Pharoah Amenhotep but were claimed by Agamemnon, a Greek hero of the Trojan War when one of the statues began to whistle, supposedly calling to his mother, the goddess of dawn. A few years ago someone tried to steal them which resulted in them breaking apart.

The 3 1/2 hour drive back was spent napping!

Wonderful, Astounding, Awesome Luxor

WOW! Our trip to Luxor, Egypt was all I said in the title and more! But where to start? Our guide was an Egyptologist and loved sharing all of his knowledge. We both were overloaded with information and until our second day we were unable to make sense of a lot of what he was talking about.

We start with learning about the Egyptians beginning 4000 years ago but they have found records and dated ruins from 10,000 years ago. It was in 3200 BC that King Menes unified Egypt and brought stability to the area. He is the one who established Memphis (today Cairo), Egypt. Jump ahead to 2700 BC on the Nile River which is 4900 miles long ending in Egypt. The kingdom is divided with Luxor in the South and Alexandria in the North so the hieroglyphics also indicate this by painting the crowns of kings, pharaohs and gods white for South and Red for North. Jump ahead again to 1500 BC where we find Luxor and her temples and on the west side of the Nile is the burial grounds for the pharaohs, kings and their wives. This is the Valley of the Kings under a mountain whose peak is shaped like the great pyramid. But that is tomorrow's subject.

The hieroglyphics we saw are depicted over and over and have certain meanings to the Egyptians. The papyrus plant is the debts of the Kings. We saw its bloom mostly as the capitol on the columns. It was used not only for paper but to make boats (its smell repelled crocs) and mattresses. The Lotus flower represents beauty and is seen at the top of the columns. The sycamore tree is the tree of life. The anch or cross with a loop at the top is the Key to Life. The asp or cobra represents life, the head of a Jackel is death, baboons represent wisdom, the scarab (dung beattle) is the sun, a ram's head is night, a shepherds crook represents the ruler, and many symbols have more than one meaning.

The most important symbol is the sun disk which is the symbol for Amman-Ra. Ra is the sun god and Amman was a pharaoh who was revered as a god and was believed to turn into the god Amman-Ra. The sun disk will be over the head of Amman-Ra in all the hieroglyphics and sometimes over Ramses III.

Rams head Sphinx with Ammon-Ra.

Our first stop was at the Karnak Temple complex in Luxor which was known as Thebes in ancient times. It took 4000 years to build the complex as each king or pharaoh had to add to it, move things around, and rebuild to suit their status. The Avenue of the Ram's Head Sphinx is lined on both sides by the sphinxes and it supposedly runs from Karnak to the Temple of Luxor, several miles away. The ram's head is one incarnation of Amman-Ra. The open courtyard is the contra-temple and is the eyes and ears of the gods.

The courtyard with 134 columns is called the Hall of Shinning because the roof would have let light into the area in a certain way and the columns would have been painted and polished to shine.

The Temple of Luxor was built by Ramses III. He is the one wearing the double crown shown with a cone shaped white crown on top and the red crown with the cobra on the forehead. This temple has 64 columns in its open courtyard and they have the lotus capitols. Ramses II had 52 sons.

The god Amman-Ra would come to the Luxor Temple to meet his wife as a human then he would travel the avenue of the sphinxes to Karnak and along the way return to his god form so no one would see him return.

There is a Muslim Mosque built on top of the temple and a room inside the temple was made into a Catholic Church in 3rd century AD. This was done by Alexander the Great.

Avenue of the Sphinxes.

We checked into a 5 star hotel before returning to Karnak for a sound and light show. This made for a late dinner on the patio by the pool overlooking the Nile river. Beautiful evening.