Victoria, Seychelles

VICTORIA, MAHE, SEYCHELLES

There are 86 islands in the archipelago of Seychelles. The French claimed the islands in 1770 and the British took charge of the Seychelles after the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. In 1976 the Seychelles gained their independence from the British and became a multi-system republic. The main language is Creole French, but most people speak English.

We spent the day at a spectacular beach, Beau Vallon at a lovely resort. The water is so clear and turquoise, the sand is white and clean and the temperature was 86F and so was the water. We rode the waves and played like children! We were there on a Saturday so we were able to see the weekly market where the Seychellois bargain for fresh fish and vegetables. The people were very friendly and I was able to use my French! Tourism is the main resource followed by fishing, spices and wood carving.

The huge coco de mer is a double-sided nut which grows on palm trees and can weigh up to 40 pounds. It is a native plant of the Seychelles and the shells are polished and made into platters, bowls and art crafts. A fragrant soap is made from the oil of the coco de mer.

A dark cloud loomed over us on this paradise island and that was the frequency of hijackings of ships in this area.According to CNN, there have been 5 hijackings in the past 48 hours. A private yacht with 8 British & US divers was hijacked the day we were there. The divers had just been dropped off on one of the islands and pirates seized the ship and crew and sailed it to Somalia. The cargo ship Maersk which was hijacked yesterday was docked next to us in the Seychelles and left 2 hours before we did and was hijacked several hours later. We are presently in the piracy area but our captain assures us that they are monitoring the waters and are in touch with the US Navy and the Indian Navy constantly. Due to this and political unrest, we had to cancel our stops in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.

Tomorrow we dock in Mombasa, Kenya where we will be for 3 days. Many passengers are going on 2-3 day safaris in Kenya, including Svata and Dick. Since I have been on a safari before, I chose to take a land excursion which I will tell you about next posting.

Muscat, Oman

MUSCAT, OMAN

We sailed east from Dubai through the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to Muscat. This is our last stop in the Middle East on the continent of Asia. It is a Sultanate led by Sultan Qaboos bin Said who took over from his father in a bloodless coup in 1970. He is very forward thinking and has done much to modernize Oman which was at a standstill during his father’s reign. Besides the revenue from one million barrels of oil per day, the economy is boosted by copper, marble, dates, gas and tourism. It was a treat to visit gentle Oman after glitzy, pretentious Dubai.

We stopped at the beautiful, huge Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with a capacity of 6000 inside and 25,000 outside. The enormous Persian carpet inside took 465 women in Iran 4 years to make. It arrived in Muscat in 4 pieces and took 4 months to assemble inside the mosque. We saw the Sultan’s palace, we visited the Mutrah Souk where we bargained for clothes, jewelry and frankensense and stopped at the Bait al Baranda Museum.

We couldn’t help but notice all the car dealerships. The most impressive 2-story, all glass Toyota-Lexus showroom is the largest in the Middle East. There are also many U.S. companies here: KFC, McDonald’s, Baskin-Robbins, DHL, Fedex to name a few. However, Oman has a character of its own: no skyscrapers like Dubai, the architecture is Moroccan, Middle-Eastern and the people are friendly and kind. It was a welcome change from UAE.
We left the Middle East on a southerly course in the Indian Ocean to a new continent: Africa.

The roof has tennis courts and a helicopter pad. You can land on the roof and be in your 3 story penthouse suite in minutes! The cocktail lounge is on the 27th floor was very elaborate. Would you believe my glass of French Riesling was $30? Dinners are from $300 and up.

Our guide told us that most of the skyscrapers they are now building will be torn down in 40 years because they will not withstand the high desert temperatures. Some buildings are already having structural problems. Then why are they continuing to build? Because there is so much money here and they don’t know what to do with it!

It’s hard to believe that we were just across the Persian Gulf from Iran and Pakistan and in the most westerly part of the Gulf was Iraq. It was thrilling to be in this part of the world, but difficult to absorb everything we saw and learned.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Wow! I’m still pinching myself that I was really there! My dream to see this city has come true! It was all I read about that it would be and much, much more. You have to see it to experience it. The tall skyscrapers, the huge malls, the glitzy hotels, the world’s biggest this and that, the planet’s biggest shopping mall, the world’s tallest building Burj Dubai which is not finished yet, they are still adding more floors…it was all over the top and mind-boggling. We felt we were on sensory overload for 2 days.
The contrast between the poverty in Mumbai and the decadent opulence of Dubai evoked so many emotions.

It was hard to believe that right across the Persian Gulf from Dubai was Iran and Pakistan and at the most western part of the Gulf was Iraq. The United Arab Emirates began to exist as a unified body in 1971. There are 7 emirates or kingdoms, each ruled by a sheikh. The total population of the UAE is 2,600,000 and its capital is Abu Dhabi. Due to its vast oil reserves, Dubai has grown into a world class economic and trading center. Most of the country is desert, and Dubai is mainly built on reclaimed land.

We drove through the exclusive Jumeira district where the wealthy have homes. There is a section called “Emirates Hills” copying our Beverly Hills, home to Tiger Woods & many U.S. and European celebrities. I stopped counting the Mercedes cars. Toyota Camrys are also very popular. The dealerships on automobile row have every make represented. We stopped at Emirates Mall and saw the Ice Dome located in the mall. The temperature there is -5C and 5000 tons of ice and snow are produced every night. There is a 4 person chair lift, a luge run, snow boarding. You can rent ski clothes & equipment and there are chalets where you can stay for several days of skiing. You even get a beeper to warn you of an avalanche!

We drove through the Palm Islands, a group of man-made islands with hundreds of condos, which are all sold. Construction on Palm Island Two & Three has stopped due to the economic slowdown, which has effected Dubai. The islands built in the shape of the world are incredible – you can buy a home in Africa or Europe, just choose your island. But these islands are not connected so you have to have a yacht or helicopter to get to the mainland.

One evening we went for cocktails to the famous El Burj al Arab Hotel, the tallest hotel in the world built like a sail boat, also on reclaimed land connected by a causeway.

India: The Taj Mahal, Mumbai

INCREDIBLE INDIA!

On March 22nd we docked in Cochin, in the southern part of India. New country, new customs, new people. The first thing that we noticed was the extreme poverty, rubble, rundown dwellings and beggars everywhere. We saw the Chinese fishing nets, many markets & aggressive street vendors and many tuk-tuk taxis, which is basically a motorcycle with covered back seat for 2 passengers. We tried Indian beer at the elegant Taj Malabar Hotel beach resort in Cochin. Our first taste of India!

THE TAJ MAHAL and MUMBAI

The Taj Mahal was incredible, we kept pinching ourselves to see if we were really there. There have been many breath-taking moments on this trip - the terra cotta warriors and the Taj are some. The white marble building is so beautiful, we had to put on booties to go inside to see the tombs of the Shah Jahan and his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal for whom he built the Taj as a memorial and whom he loved so much.

It was very hot, 95F and humid and lots of people. We had an elaborate Indian buffet lunch at the Mughal Sheraton. Every dish was spicey, flavored with a different kind of curry. After lunch we visited the red sandstone Agra Fort built in 1565 A.D.to protect the Mughal rulers.We shopped at local shops, gorgeous silks & saris, breath-taking jewelry, silk carpets, etc. etc. Then off to the Agra airport which is controlled by the military & lots of security everywhere. There were 97 of us, so we had a chartered 737 Jet Lite Indian airline. The flight attendants wear saris and have their belly buttons exposed - after all it is the center of creation according to Indian custom. We arrived back 'home' after midnight, a very long day but a memorable one.

The next day we spent in Mumbai, visiting the sights including lunch at the Taj Hotel where the bombings took place. Very tight security. Visited Mahatma Gandhi's home. Did you know that the spinning wheel was developed in India in 500 B.C. and was used to make the robes that Gandhi wore while he lived in this house for 17 years promoting his “non-violent non-cooperation” theory for independence from the British.
We saw the Dhobi Ghats where laundry from all over Mumbai is brought to be soaped, soaked, boiled and beaten by 6000 men who lease the stone cubicles from the government and the women do the ironing. We bargained for jewelry, purses and silks in the narrow streets of the Colaba market, were harassed by street vendors and beggars, and watched in amazement as cows took presedence in the streets. The poverty, filth, rubble and beggars everywhere certainly arouses many emotions but I feel fortunate to have been able to experience it.

That evening we had a special “India Night” on the ship. Svata and I wore our beautiful, silk saris (thanks to Denise) and enjoyed a delicious Indian dinner served by the Holland America waiters in their Indian garb. A lovely ending to a memorable visit to this incredible country.

Nha Trang, Vietnam; Singapore, Phuket, Thailand

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM
On March 13th we docked in Nha Trang, in the socialist republic of Vietnam. Its capital city is Hanoi and population is 86 million. In 1954 it was divided into north & south and in 1975 U.S. troops were withdrawn and unification began in 1976. It is a beautiful country with hills and beaches, many rice paddies and agriculture but it is a third world country and there is much poverty. We visited a pre-school in the country and a private home. Our next port was Kemaman, Malaysia. The smell from off-shore oil and gas deposits permeated the countryside and made breathing difficult. It too is a 3rd world country but trying hard to become an important port with its rich deposits of tin, rubber plantations, lumber: teak and oak forests. Much poverty everywhere.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
We all loved Singpore! In August,1963 it gained its independence from Britain and the Malaysian Confederation and became an independent republic. It is a first world country in the midst of 3rd world neighbors, It has the highest income per capita in all of Asia. It is a beautiful city of modern high rises surrounded by areas of neighborhoods of different nationalities including Chinatown, Arab Town and Little India. It is a very clean city and there are many strict rules: no gum chewing (you cannot buy it or import it), no drinking, no smoking, no flammable goods, death to drug traffickers and you cannot say anything derogatory about Singpore. It is a world class financial center and important shipping port located strategically between the east and west. It is competing fiercely with Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing as a world class trading port.We stopped in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel, the home of the famous “Singapore sling”which we enjoyed immensely.

PHUKET, THAILAND
Phuket is a resort island connected by a bridge to mainland Thailand. It is the most visited island which thrives on tourism. There are beautiful resorts on white sand beaches, lush tropical vegetation, temples, markets and Sino-Portuguese architecture. Inland there are rice paddies, cashew nut, rubber, pineapple and coconut plantations. Svata and I ventured on a Siam Elephant Safari on a 35-year old gentle elephant. The ride was rather bumpy through a narrow path in the jungle.
We also saw how rubber trees were tapped for white liquid & how it is treated to form latex and then rubber products. Further on the safari we saw how monkeys are trained to pick coconuts by twisting them with their arms & legs and letting them drop to the ground.
An exciting day in Thailand!