Author: davidscruise

Another gloriously hot day was to greet us at Oman’s capital city, Muscat. Stony rugged hills the like of which I have not seen before, made an impressive backdrop from QM2’s port side. As with most places I visited for the first time, I opted for the shore excursion which would show me as much as possible of the city in the limited time available. This was entitled “Impressions of Muscat”. I don’t know what the temperature was today, but it felt hotter than at any time on this voyage. Cunard had warned that the coaches may not be of the usual high standard, and had made similar warnings throughout our time in Asia. In fact, I found little wrong with any of the transport provided throughout the entire cruise. Occasionally, seats could be bunched up allowing not much leg room for tall people like me. And for a second time, I enjoyed the front seat. Our first visit was to the Grand Mosque, I understand to be the third largest. Construction started in 1995 and was completed six years later. The photographs below illustrate the scale and opulence of this phenomenal place of worship. No shorts were allowed and women had to be covered appropriately. Shoes had also to be removed; there were pigeon holes in which to store them. The Lady’s Prayer Hall 9 9 Grounds of the Grand Mosque Inside the Main Prayer Hall where the centre chandelier has a drop of 45 feet! We were escorted round by our local guide who was able to explain all that we were looking at. We continued to the souk, a huge and impressive market with a wonderful mysterious atmosphere and a hive of vibrant activity. I parted with much of very limited amount of currency during the small amount of time available. We continued to the museum for a guided tour, and finally to the Royal Palace for a brief photo stop. That brought this tour to a close, and we returned to the ship. Needless to say, I didn’t board immediately. Tomorrow, we dock in Dubai at midday. This should afford my first view of the former Cunard liner R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth 2. It came out of service almost 10 years ago, being acquired by interests in Dubai for re-use as a hotel. There were huge and ambitious plans, but the sudden global financial crisis of 2008 put paid temporarily to its regeneration. With seemingly little fanfare, QE2 does indeed open its doors to the public on 19th April. My table is booked for lunch in the Lido on April 19th; I last dined in there in 2008! When eventually we leave Dubai later that evening, there will be 6 consecutive sea days. It will be during this time I shall be reflecting on this incredible journey….I won’t be doing this all the time, but I hope to fill in some of the details and other items which I may have ommited since starting this blog on January 9th. Best wishes, David.

An unusual event today was the Anti Piracy Drill”. This is because from today until 25th April we shall be passing through the Gulf of Aden and Bab el Mandeb. All passengers with ocean view and balcony accommodation were required to assemble in corridors outside their cabins. Passengers with inside windowless cabins were ok to stay in their stateroom. A litany of instructions were broadcast over the ship’s entire P.A. system. These were also printed out with a copy for every passenger. Reassuring is the fact that Queen Mary 2 will be protected by an International Task Force assigned to protect merchant shipping from attacks. Only essential ship’s exterior lighting will be provided outside. Passengers with outside stateroom will be requested to keep all curtains closed during the hours of darkness. The drill appeared to be most satisfactory; I visited the Spa in the faint hope of easing the pain in my knee, soon after the drill was complete. I booked a massage and this enabled a healing of sorts. This occurred after lunch at 3pm. The massage and the application of muscle loosening medication seemed almost to do the trick. The sea resembled a mill pond once again, and winds were light. I enjoyed the well over 50 minutes of reflexology, and certainly, my knee is less troublesome. There is not too much to write about at the moment. It’s time for some sleep. Very best wishes, David.

Today remains wonderfully hot and sticky. There is little wind accross the decks and the sea is like a mill-pond. Last night, I learned that the former Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2, at Dubai since its final voage there in 2008, was at last, opening to the public on 19th April. QM2 passengers were invited to apply to be shown around the day before, and I missed the announcement on the back page of yesterday’s Daily Programme. Needless to say, I was too late to secure my place at this historic occasion. I shall keep trying. I now have lunch in the Lido of QE2 confirmed for its opening day, 19th April, on what would have been my father’s 102nd birthday. Further places did become available for the eve of the opening day, but that would have meant cancellation of one of two very nice tours I had booked already.

My knee continues to cause me pain, especially when using stairs. My feeling is that this may be the result of a tour passenger sitting immediately in front of me on the coach, reclining his seat onto my knee causing, at the time, temporary pain and discomfort. But now, getting around is far less easy than it was a couple of weeks ago. I have had to cancel the “Behind the Scenes” tour of the ship, which is a special event, and have thus, been a little irritable today. This morning, I attended church, today being the 3rd Sunday of Easter. The hymns included the play-safe “Morning has Broken” and “Eternal Father Strong to Save”, as well as “I Vow to Thee My Country”. The lesson was a ghastly translation of Psalm 23. No mention or celebration of the Resurrection! After the service. It should be cool enough to catch up on some deck walking. Many thanks for reading. All the best, David.

The discomfort from last night’s indigestion receded as I fell into a much needed deep sleep. Any fear of curtailing my shore excursion was short lived as I awoke at around 6.30 this morning, rejuvenated. I have always been slightly nervous about setting foot in India after horrendous accounts of the resultant sickness which can follow. Armed with insect repellent, sunscreen and now, hand sanitiser, I felt confident taking part in what turned out to be a lovely day out. The coach was air conditioned and comfortable; the roads rather dodgy with no motorway quality construction. The journey to where we would board the vessel was around 90 minutes. Again, it was hot and sticky, but still far preferable to the cool and damp of home. Before clambering on to one boat, getting settled and then being instructed to cross to another vessel which had pulled up alongside, there was the mandatory visit to the washroom prior to our two hour river and canal cruise. There was plenty of room on the upper deck. It seemed that all ordinary life flourished along the banks of the waterways along which we sailed. There was an abundance of water traffic, house boats, other tours and freight. I derived much pleasure from this brief but fascinating less than one day in India. In both directions, going to and from the backwaters, the roads were lined with businesses of all kinds. Stalls selling every variety of organic fruit and vegetables, were in great abundance. I never saw so many bananas. It’s strange how the day dawned; turning on the TV this morning, I was greeted with the breaking news about sinister developments in Syria. But, it was of no interest on this voyage and there was no discussion after I returned to the ship. Just out of interest, the Celebrity Cruises “Constellation” was berthed behind QM2 having followed us from Phuket. No sign of the Genting Dream, however! I have seen that in some of the Far East ports we have called at, including Phuket. We have now left Cochin and steaming through the Arabian Sea towards our next port of call, Muscat. Ship’s position this morning. Breaking News The backwaters of Kerala The hotel which provided bathroom facilities and tea & coffee after the river cruise. 5 further pictures taken along the backwaters of Kerala. Celebrity Constellation moored in Cochin. Immediately behind was QM2 facing in the opposite direction. QM2 on departure from Cochin, turned 180 degrees thus sailing past Constellation as we progressed out to sea. QM2 berthed at Cochin

Views from QM2 as she steams towards the open sea. Once again, menacing clouds had gathered high above the city. There was some lightening and it did start to rain. Now, I shall prepare for dinner! Thank you for reading. All the best, David PS Genting Dream in Phuket. David. 19.30hrs 14/4/2018

That was a pity; I found myself with symptoms of indigestion. Perhaps attending an exclusive cocktail party might not have been wise. I therefore chose to stay in my cabin this evening giving myself the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I sneeked down to the shop for some appropriate medication, on Deck 3, dressed inappropriately for a formal night. Strangely, there were no obviously disapproving looks from people I passed on the way, dressed formerly for the evening. One such person thought I looked unwell and showed genuine concern. I hope he doesn’t know something I don’t!

David

I could get used to this. The air temperature is announced as 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with slight seas, little wind and part cloudy skies. What have I done today? Got up late, attended the 11am lecture in the Royal Court Theatre, and then visited the photography place to discuss part 2 of my souvenir customised QM2 album covering the section from The Whitsundays to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Really, I should be cooking myself under a tropical sun. But now, it is mid afternoon and instead, I am listening to Graham, again in the Royal Court Theatre where he is delivering a presentation on a near future port of call, Dubai, where I have booked what I believe are three excellent shore excursions, one of which will get me inside the Burj Al Arab Hotel.

It is now after 6.30pm. Clouds gather for another downpour; it should have happened before now. The orange sun has set behind distant broken clouds, offering little to the camera brigade who gather at various vantage points each evening hoping to create their own masterpieces. It remains humid and my efforts to catch up on some deck walking are in vain; for whatever reason, I am drained of energy. Writing last night’s blog at almost 2am was not a wise move. I have engaged in much conversation with a number of people I have met previously. So, my day wasn’t wasted. I shall do less tonight; tomorrow morning, I see India for another brief excursion, mainly by boat. Before that, another cocktail party for those on the full World Voyage. The catering at these events is so good that it has been suggested that we forego dinner tonight. That might be a very good thing.

The ship’s position earlier today.

Weather, sea, and other details.

Inside the Royal Court Theatre

The stage chandelier which when fully operational, is spectacular; it opens to more than twice its normal size as seen here, to form something resembling a giant flower. The present stage lighting and effects are magnificent and hugely imaginative, operated by highly skilled lighting and sound engineers. But I do wish they would or could bring this “umbrella shaped” lighting effect back into use.

The sun sets behind cloud and mist, but nevertheless leaves a firey sky scape in its wake.

Many thanks for reading.

David.

13/4/18 01.00 hrs This morning, I awoke after a decent sleep; we were already docked at what resembled a container port close to Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. Now, I don’t understand this; I lay in bed fully aware of where I was, but not at all excited that I was in another new country I had wanted to visit for many years. I put it down to the fact that for well over three months, I had done nothing but visit far off places almost day after day, and this privileged travel to the far ends of the earth had become sort of routine. Eventually, I pulled myself together and having enjoyed lunch in the Britannia Restaurant, presented myself at the starting point of a Highlights of Colombo afternoon tour. I had managed to acquire a returned ticket for this already sold out tour. It was very hot and sultry away from the much appreciated air conditioning of the ship. I was on bus number 4, a magnificent orange liveried modern air conditioned vehicle. For once, I had the front seat which was more than welcome, given the fact that somewhere, I am not sure where, I have sustained a knee injury which makes using the stairs painful. This was a typical city tour; we passed the numerous important buildings one sees in a capital city; we spent the usual half hour, this time at the Colombo National Museum. We also visited a major Roman Catholic Church and the Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple. Throughout the afternoon, menacing grey clouds, like smoke billowing from an oil refinery fire, assembled high above the city preparing to drop it’s payload of precipitation. A thunderstorm ensued and my shoes left outside the Buddhist Temple filled with water! Nevertheless, I was excited eventually by my all too brief drive around Colombo. And, of course, I would like to return if only to take the train to Kandy and see some fabulous countryside on the way. For once, I was able to take some acceptable photographs of QM2 docked at Colombo. It was a good day. Out side the Roman Catholic Church during the period of Easter Traffic in Colombo, seen from the coach. 4 views both inside and outside the Church Diagram of the frontage of the National Museum Colombo. 2 views inside the Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple. QM2 docked at Colombo Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple. More news to follow as we continue towards Cochin. Best wishes, David.

We are now three quarters of the way through this World Voyage. It is around 82 degrees with a gentle refreshing breeze accross the decks. The remainder of the voyage is almost the same length as my previous longest trip of 29 nights. Including today, 30 days remain not including our arrival home on 10th May. I hope that the blogs written thus far have given a reasonable idea of this rare trip. There remains much to be seen as we head accross the Indian Ocean from Phuket to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and eventually into the Mediterranean. Tonight, I have been invited to dine with one of the Senior Officers. I expect there will be a small number at this gathering. More news soon. David. Ship’s position today 10th April.

Pictures taken at the end of the day.

Patong Beach

Looking back from the jetty.

Patong Beach.

Patong Beach, Phuket

Thailand sunset

From on board the tender, Phuket.

Star Cruises “Genting Dream” with rolling graphics. This cruise ship was docked at Singapore during our first call there.

All the best, David

My excursion from Phuket had been booked on board for around a month; I had secured a place on the James Bond Island Cruise which would take me to the highly scenic setting for part of the movie, “Man with the Golden Gun”. This tour had sold out, but places did become available as time progressed. I was never keen on the horrendously early start, and was easily persuaded to sell my ticket to a table colleague who was very keen to make the trip. I enjoyed a much needed lie-in. Instead, after disembarking QM2 late in the morning, I foresook the endless approaches from men with taxis and boarded a local bus for the town of Phuket, some 9 miles from the point on Patong Beach where the Cunard tenders dropped us off. Phuket itself was devoid of anything which would attract tourists except possibly, authenticity. It was hot, scruffy and a place not to explore too deeply. I took the next bus out….allegedly back to where I started from on the beach front. I expected the bus to retrace its steps on the outward journey. But it continued bouncing along merrily in the opposite direction, in very heavy traffic. A Palestinian tourist assured me I was on the correct bus. Suddenly, on the horizon, the unmistakable silhouette of QM2 generated a huge sigh of relief! Eventually, I was back where I had started from. There was time to enjoy food at an Indian restaurant before venturing to the familiar environs of my ship. I just hope the visit to this quiet restaurant doesn’t have Delhi Belly-esque consequences! Tomorrow marks the three quarter stage of the voyage. Even so, there is a respectable 30 days to look forward to. After two days at sea, we call at Colombo, Sri Lanka. I have a bundle of Sri Lanka Rupees, worth about a fiver. These I obtained from a pop-up money changer outside the ship in Langkawi. I’m sure that the exchange was far from brilliant, and that he “made a killing”. My £100 worth of Vietnamese currency made me a millionaire for the short time I was in Vietnam!

Pictures to follow.

Best wishes, David.