Through Pirate-infested Waters to Muscat, Oman

We spent five days at sea sailing through pirate-infested waters to Muscat, Oman. It was great to relax and recharge after so much traveling. We also enjoyed the wonderful music of the performers. My favorite show was their tribute to ABBA.

When we finally made it safely through the Gulf of Aden, we had another day before we reached Oman. I hopped in a taxi with my two Australian friends (Barry and Regie) and we were shown the Grand Mosque, the Sultan's Palace, two forts dating back to the days when the Portuguese ruled this area. We then stopped for a panoramic view of the sea and mountains before ending our time at the souq.

That night was our deck barbecue and the performers gave us a wonderful performance of their deck show "Deckades" where they took us on a trip through the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc all the way to some of today's hits as well.

We danced well into the wee hours of the morning!

Luxor back to Safaga

This morning I was up before 4am to be checked out of the hotel and ready to meet the people from the hot air balloon company. They came at the appointed time, and took me to a small boat on the Nile. We had some tea while filling out paperwork, and then sailed to the West Bank of the Nile where we were met by vans and taken to the launch site. Much like ballooning in Cappadocia, we were not the only balloon in the sky. There weren't as many as there were in Turkey, but the sky sure does look nice dotted with colorful balloons.

This was my fourth time hot air ballooning, and each time is a treat. We rose high in the air just in time to watch the sunrise. We soared over ancient temples and the Valley of the Kings, and landed in the desert. I was then dropped off at the Columi of Memnon, where I met back up with my driver and guide.

We first visited the Temple of Hatshepsut. She was the only female pharaoh and some of the ancient hieroglyphics and pictures still remained. It is remarkable that much of the original color has lasted over the millennia.

Our next stop was the Valley of the Kings, where many of the ancient pharaohs were entombed. I visited three tombs: those of Ramses the I, III, and IV. They were all impressive, but unfortunately they don't allow cameras inside the Valley.

We then stopped at an alabaster factory where they still use the ancient techniques of stone carving to make vases and other works of art. After a quick lunch, we made the three hour drive back to Safaga. Luxor was definitely a highlight of the trip!

Safaga to Luxor

I had written a huge long post and then it disappeared. I got off the boat this morning. Met my driver and Egyptologist guide who took me to Luxor. We visited the Temple of Karnak and the Luxor Temple. They were incredible. Extremely impressive.

Had a late, late lunch, then walked around a bit trying to find the hotel where Agatha Christie did some of her writing but the hustlers and the setting sun brought an early close to that. Tomorrow morning I am up early for a hot air balloon ride along the Nile!!!

Aqaba, Jordan to Safaga, Egypt

We arrived in Aqaba, Jordan early Saturday (11/17) morning. Most people left the ship early to visit Petra. I had been there before, so I decided to spend the two days on the Red Sea going scuba diving. I had a stuffy nose, so I decided against diving because sinus pressure and having to equalize the pressure in your ears is no fun. So instead I had a great day on board the ship. Since most people were off the ship visiting Petra, it felt like I had the entire ship to myself.

For the first time in the cruise I went to high tea in the afternoon, joined by Colin, our cruise director, and after a nice dinner with new friend, Jean Pierre (again speaking all in French - my French is getting so much better), we went to the upstairs bar which had been turned into a disco for the evening. After dancing and drinking well into the wee hours of the morning, we finally went to bed!

The next (late) morning, I got up and had lunch with Jean Pierre and then on my way back to the cabin, I ran into my Australian friends who were about to have lunch out on the deck and asked me to sit with them and hang out a bit because we hasn't seen each other in two whole days! I was going to go into Aqaba for a little bit, but the weather looked nasty (and indeed it began to rain shortly thereafter), so the guys and I ended up talking and having champagne all afternoon. Another fun day!

That night I had dinner plans with one of the entertainers and the piano player/musical director and we ate outside under the stars as we sailed along to Safaga, Egypt. That evening their was a "mentalist" who performed a show for us and to be honest it was very impressive, if not a little creepy.

At any rate, it was an early night since tomorrow morning will be an early one!

Transiting the Suez Canal & Sharm El Sheik, Egypt

Yesterday (11/15), we began our transit of the Suez Canal bright and early. Too early for me to catch the beginning of it, but since it took about seven hours to go through the whole thing, I did catch the majority of the crossing. I had taken a book out to the main deck, but it became apparent very quickly that flies were going to be a major problem, so I returned to my cabin and watched from my window.

I also decided to brave the flies and eat outside on the pool deck and watched as our convoy of ships slowly made our way through the canal. We passed massive container ships and tankers all along the way, and it was interesting to see where are the ships were from and guess where they were going and what their cargo was!

We eventually got through the canal and slowly made our way to our next port. I ate dinner at the chic French restaurant on board with new friends, and afterwards enjoyed the Motown show the entertainers put on for us. It was a great show and afterwards I got another chance to hang out with the cast. It was a fun evening, but ended far too early due to the fact that I had to be up early the following morning.

As I got up the next morning, we were arriving in Sharm El Sheik, the capital if the Egyptian Red Sea Riviera. I had pre-booked a private transfer and tour of St. Catherine's Monastery. The driver and guide were waiting for me and we were off! The drive to the monastery, one of the oldest in the world, and built at the foot of Mt. Sinai and Mt. Moses, took about two and a half hours, and the rocky landscape along the way was more than enough to keep me interested and occupied. We arrived and walked to the monastery. Once inside you could see the alleged "burning bush" and a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church which housed some extremely impressive icons.

Most of the monastery was off-limits to pilgrims and tourists alike, but what was open was very nice. On the way out I saw an interesting site: a monk, in full monk attire on a tractor. I quickly snapped a picture because that was a site I didn't expect to see and probably won't ever see again in my life!

On the way back we stopped at another town to do some shopping and have lunch. We then continued back to the ship where another dinner and Cabaret show by the performers in the evening kept us entertained for the rest of the night!

Tomorrow we head to Aqaba, Jordan where most people will get off the ship to see Petra. Since I have already visited Petra, I will hang around Aqaba. I have been there before and had the best shwarma of my life, so I am going to try to retrace my steps and find the little hole in the wall restaurant again!!!

To Alexandria, Egypt

During an enjoyable day at sea, we sailed from Athens to Alexandria. It was a nice enjoyable day, and I spent a majority of the day becoming aquatinted with the ship. I also spent time at the ballroom dance class learning to kuduru and another dance. It was a lot of fun.

The following morning we arrived at Alexandria, where I had made arrangements for a private tour of the city. We were only there for a short time, but we definitely made the most of our time there. My guide met me at the port, and we climbed in the van for the ride to the catacombs, which were an extraordinary set of tunnels and tombs with amazing carvings. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures. It was really incredible down there, though. Our next stop was a massive garden complex that also housed the summer residence of the former king of Egypt.

We then made our way to the impressive new library of Alexandria, which was probably the nicest library I've ever been in. The outside was impressive, as was the inside.

We then made our way to a delicious place for lunch where I was able to get some delicious hummus, tabuli, babaganoush, etc. the main course was a delicious white fish. Just a great meal overlooking the ocean.

After a little bit more driving around it was time to return to the ship. After another dance lesson (the cha-cha!), we set sail again for the Suez Canal, that we will pass through tomorrow.

This evening I had a great dinner with the cruise director and my new friend Jean-Pierre (en Français), and afterwards we went to the cabaret night where one if the performers sang several of her favorites, and afterwards, all of the performers were having drinks at the bar and we began talking about our experiences and after I told then I had written a musical they all wanted to hear a piece I had written.

We went to the stage and on the piano I played one of the songs I had written and sang another and the rest of the night we talked about what we've done, what we are doing and what we want to do. It really was one of those nights that you see things clearly. It was so nice to meet so many young performers at the beginning of their careers and to be included it really reminded me of what was important. I really can't tell you what an amazing time we had together. But eventually the night had to come to an end. Thankfully we had many other nights together, and I was greatful to meet a bunch if young people so happy with what they were doing... Truly refreshing. Who knows what awaits the rest of this cruise!

Leaving Athens

This morning I was up for a delicious breakfast, made more delicious by the massive amounts of pork I consumed: namely bacon and a ham and mushroom omelet. You don't realize how much you miss pork until you're in a country where it's not allowed...

I walked around Athens a bit before my transfer to the ship. I was hoping to run into my friends Darla and Roy, who I knew were disembarking the ship on which I was embarking, but no such luck. Embarkation went smoothly, and all my luggage (significantly heavier after three weeks in Iran) arrived at my cabin, I unpacked and hung up my nice clothes, and got familiar with the ship. I had a delicious, albeit late, lunch on board. No telling how much weight I will gain in the next 23 days (the food really is delicious)...

We had our mandatory safety drill, and then a gorgeous sail away from Athens. I also had a few cocktails, champagne, and wine (again, after three weeks in a country where alcohol is verboden, you kind of go ape-shit), and had a nice time at the sail away party where I met some of my fellow passengers. I figured there would be no one else my age on board, and was pleasantly surprised that that was not the case! I think this will be a very nice cruise!

After the sail-away party, there was a welcome party where the cruise director introduced crew members, and after that I went to the "singles mingle" where I met some fellow passengers who are traveling solo. I met a nice lady from NYC, but my new cruise bestie is a guy from France named Jean-Pierre. I was lucky enough to get to practice my French most of the evening and we fought about who spoke the other's language better. I still think he speaks better English than I do French, but I think I taught him just as many words in English as he taught me words in French, so perhaps it was a draw. Mme Jolly would have been proud.

After a late evening with new friends, it was time to turn in. Again, I think I'll have a great time on this cruise!

Athens: Marathons, and Temples, and Protests! Oh My!

This morning I was up to meet my guide for a walking tour of the city. Today was the day of the annual marathon here in Athens where they run the actual historic path of the original marathon, so many of the streets were blocked off. There was also a Special Olympics 5K today, which I saw the start of, but the city was pretty much shut down, at least the streets were.

We started our walk and saw the remains of the Temple of Zeus, a massive structure of which only several columns remain. We then visited the Acropolis museum and then the actual Acropolis, the remains of the Roman Agora and the Roman Forum, and the Library of Hadrian. It really is amazing how you can be walking along the street in a modern city and then walk around the corner and BAM! Ancient ruins! After the walking tour, I had a delicious lunch. As I was sitting outside, I could see the people who had finished the marathon hobble by. I honestly can't see why anyone would want to put themselves through the agony of one of these things: everyone who went passed looked like they were in severe pain and were wrapped in these shiny silver aluminum foil looking things... I suppose if you were to do a marathon, this would be the one to do since it actually retraces the route of the original runner who ran from the battle of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greeks had won the battle against the Persians. Still, why someone would do that to themselves is a mystery to me...

The rest of the afternoon I walked around the Placa, or old part of the city. After walking until I couldn't walk anymore, I headed back to the hotel and on the way ran into a huge protest. HUGE! There must have been at least 20,000 people marching. I could see as far as about four city blocks packed full of people chanting something (don't ask me what; it was all Greek to me!). I watched for awhile and then decided it was time to head back to the hotel since the police were starting to gather in force...

The rest of the evening was spent getting my bags all situated and ready for my departure tomorrow. I will be boarding my cruise ship tomorrow, which will be my home for the next 23 days. It will be nice to be in the same bed for that long, as the longest I've been in any one hotel in the past three-and-a-half weeks has been 4 nights.

I am not sure how good the internet connection will be on board, or how often I will be able to blog, but I will be cruising to Egypt, through the Suez Canal, to Jordan, then to Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. I am very excited for this next leg of my trip and will be sure to blog when I can!

Leaving Iran, Arriving Greece (or, Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire!)

This morning just about everything in Esfahan was closed due to Friday prayer. So instead of just walking or riding around we decided as a group to have a restful morning. It was nice to lay in bed after 8am (for the first time this whole trip!). Afterwards I got everything all packed up for our flight to Tehran. We met for a quick lunch in the hotel's coffee shop, and then it was time to load up the van for our trip to the airport.

We arrived and got all checked in for the flight, and a little later went through security. After a short wait we boarded the plane for the 45 minute flight to Tehran. By the time we got to baggage claim, the bags were already on the belt, so the flight was smooth and everything arrived on time. We drove to the hotel (the same hotel we had stayed previously) and got checked in. My flight to Dubai leaves at 4:10am and I have to leave the hotel at 12:10am so I don't get to have too much time in my hotel room!

Since I had left a bag at the hotel, I spent some time reorganizing in order to distribute weight evenly between bags. Before long it was time for our farewell dinner, which we had at the hotel restaurant. After saying our goodbyes, I returned to the room to kill the four hours before it was time to leave for the airport.

My driver was waiting for me at the appointed time, and after the 45-minute drive to the airport, I was thrown to the hustle-and-bustle of the early morning chaos that was the Tehran International Airport. Security checks, check-in counters, passport control and eventually a nice comfortable lounge with decent internet access. Before I knew it, it was time to board my flight, which was on time. After a little under two hours, we arrived in Dubai.

I had a three-hour layover in Dubai, but was lucky enough to find a vacant lounge chair in the lounge, had some breakfast, and before I knew it, it was time to board my flight to Athens!

I had a row to myself and an extremely nice and attentive flight attendant who was from Korea. Yes, the flight was at 9:55am, but that did not stop me from having both red and white wine before lunch. The one major drawback of Iran was the illegality of alcoholic beverages, so it had been three weeks without wine, so I had some catching up to do.

The flight was on time and when I arrived in Athens, my driver was waiting for me. He drove me to my cute little boutique hotel in the heart of Athens, and I got checked in, shaved showered and generally felt a ton better after a long day of traveling.

I then took to the streets, passing by the parliament building, the tomb of the unknown soldier, and just missed the changing of the guard (by 5 minutes). I kept walking along crowded pedestrian streets. The unemployment rate in Greece is 25.4%, and this is noticeable as you walk along. There are homeless people begging on just about every street corner. Not only that, there are large groups of policemen stationed all along the really crowded streets. I'm sure this is response to the riots they had here earlier this week in response to the new austerity measures. It is a very different Athens to the city I visited in 2000 and noticeably worse off than when I visited last summer (although there were strikes then as well, so things were definitely moving in this direction).

At any rate after walking all over I decided I wanted some Indian food (even though Iran and India are close geographically and do have a shared culture to a certain extent, the food is nothing alike, and I had been craving some chicken tikka masala. I found a very nice restaurant near the hotel where I had a yummy meal and then gingerly made my way back to the hotel. I've only gotten about 3 hours of sleep in the last 36 hours or so, so I turned in early, excited for my tour of the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum tomorrow!