IT'S OVER

In 111 days we visited 35 destinations, 6 different continents, 2 iconic canals and at least 19 different bodies of water.  It's been an adventure filled with unexpected delights, unforgettable sights and unbelievable experiences.  It's been the trip of a lifetime.  We weren't even sure we could last 94 days and then enjoyed it so much that we extended it to a full World Cruise of 111 days.

There are 170 passengers still on board who did the full World Cruise from Los Angeles to Los Angeles.  Many are already booked for 2017 and just waiting for 2018 to open for booking.  We've seen a big change over in staff and another 54 leave with us in LA.

We've made friends who I'm sure we'll stay in contact with.  Because this is such a small ship you meet almost everyone including the entertainers.  Some entertainers stay on for only a short time between ports but the Pacific Princess singers and dancers have been with us since Sydney and we've got to know them.  They are a joy to watch perform and fun to visit.

And so it comes to an end Wednesday morning.  It will be a shock to start cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and even driving after almost 4 months of having everything done for us.

PUERTO VALLARTA and LA PAZ, MEXICO

3 sea days from Puerto Quepos.   There was a spectacular lightning storm during dinner as we sailed from Puerto  Quepos.

PUERTO VALLARTA -   Day 107 - pop 256k, average temperature 86

We docked right across the street from Walmart and Sam's Club.  I think it was a popular destination for a lot of passengers especially the crew.  We didn't do a shore excursion, just wandered down the street until we could access the beach through the Hilton Hotel.  The beach is nothing compared to the Maui ones but it was cooler walking along it than on the streets.  A local group of Folkloric performers came on board for a late afternoon show.  They were really good.

LA PAZ - Day 109 - pop 200k,  winter temps average 77, summer 95 and humid.  About a 90 minute drive from Cabo San Lucas.  The area became a popular destination for stars like John Wayne and The Rat Pack to go fishing in the 60's.

We docked at Puerto Pichilingue which is about 10 miles of desert from La Paz.  A mariache band welcomed our arrival and played for a couple hours.  There was a shuttle running into town about every 30 minutes.  We passed what looked like a very challenging golf  course developed by Gary Player.  A waterfront promenade called the malecon had several statues along it.  Many bars, restaurants, jewelry stores and small shops lined the main street.  Ice cream stores were very popular.  There were some street vendors but they didn't pester us as we walked around.  La Paz is one of the nicest towns we've visited in Mexico.  Due to it's location on the peninsula it does not appear to have the problems that plague so much of Mexico.

Pictures - 1 - leaving La Paz, 2 -  waterfront clear water in downtown LA Paz, 3 - some of the entertainers at the terminal

PUERTO QUEPOS, COSTA RICA

Day 103 - a tender port.  Pop. 14k,  climate 90 degrees and 90% humidity.  Today was over 100.  The town where the rain forest meets the sea.  World famous national park Manuel Antonio with wild life and ecosystems - 1700 acres and 136,00 acres of marine reserve containing rain forests, white sand  beaches and coral reefs.

The ships tours went really early so we opted to get our excercise, have breakfast and tender in around 9 am.  We caught a cab and  went to the national park where we spotted numerous white-tailed capuchin monkeys, small black spined iguanas, raccoons,  bats, chameleons. The world book of records list the speed of the black spined iguanas as 21.7 mph.  We didn't see the 3 toed sloths but others did.  Big butterflys were supposed to be abundant but the guide said we were a couple weeks early for them.

The town was about a 20 minute walk from the port and very small but we saw numerous resorts and condos along the road to the park so tourism is alive and well.

Pictures -1 - some of the monkeys - note the baby on the back of the mother, 2- Len at one of the beaches in the park

CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA AND PANAMA CANAL

CARTAGENA - Day 100 - 1 sea day and an early arrival to Cartagena.  Sitting on the north coast of Colombia with a population close to a million.   Near the equator with an average temperature of 82 and high humidity  (85% today).  Colombia is the only South American country with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  95% of the world's emeralds come from Colombia. 

We were in port for a very short time and as we will be back in January didn't do a tour.  We walked around the terminal where they have pink flamingos, brightly colored parrots, peacocks freely running  around the grounds and a variety of other birds in cages.  There were also small monkeys in the trees.

We left port by 1 pm to get in the cue for the transit of the Panama Canal early Saturday morning.

PANAMA CANAL -   It was an early morning.  We picked up the first of 2 pilots and a person who described the transit by 6 am.  We were through the Gaton locks by 8:30 and anchored for at least an hour.  I know most of you have either done the Panama Canal or been subjected to videos taken by relatives or friends so I'm not going to bore you with descriptions.

There are about 35 ships that use that Canal each day at a cost of over $100,000 each.  The new locks are not yet open but they have an inauguration of them planned for June 16th of this year.

Pictures - 1 - coastline of the new city (Cartagena ), 2 - parrots at the terminal, 3 -  Coral Princess following us through one of the locks

FT. LAUDERDALE and CURACAO

Our 6th and final leg of the world cruise.  Available cabins became very cheap for Florida people so the ship is pretty full - 629 passengers with 62 Canadians.

FT. LAUDERDALE - we've been there many times and had to change cabins so we didn't plan a shore excursion.  We moved to a  mini suite and, although quite a bit smaller, is certainly adequate and much smoother than the front of the ship.  We now have 2 sea days until Curacao.

CURACAO - an island about 40 miles from  Venezuela. Dutch is the official language but English was widely spoken.  US $ were accepted.

There are big celebrations today for the King's birthday.  We arrived at lunch time and there was a 32 cannon salute.  Not sure what it was for or why the odd number of volleys.  Once again we seem to be docked in the boonies.  It was about a 20 minute walk to downtown Willemstad across a pontoon bridge (built in 1888) which swings open to allow boats to pass.  The city is very colorful with the buildings painted mainly yellow, blue and rust.  Green, pink and red are also seen.

As we were warned the city was jammed with people -almost impossible to walk the downtown area.  Everyone must be given a holiday to celebrate the King's birthday.  Orange was the color to wear.  There were flea markets, all sorts of food and drink booths, musical stages and masses of people.

Pictures - 1 - I think this is similar to a sun dog that we sometimes see in Alberta but the officers called it a rainbow around the sun
2 - brightly colored buildings across the pontoon bridge.

BERMUDA

Day 91 -Arrived in Hamilton, Bermuda after 2 calm and 4 ugly days at sea.  Last night was the
worst with gale force winds and 25 foot swells.  It was almost impossible to sleep.  Our phone went flying with such force that the cord broke - it didn't just come unplugged, the cord broke.  Desks turned over, glasses broke and doors slammed in other suites at the front.

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda and home to a lot of celebrities and wealthy people.  Some have their own islands.   There are a lot of white buildings mixed in with bright colors like yellow, purple, blue and rust.  The city is very clean and people are very friendly. We took a local bus to the popular Horseshoe Bay beach and when a local got on they greeted all the other riders and wished us a good day when we got off.  It's not quite warm enough for the beaches to be busy but it was one of the nicest we've ever seen with really fine sand -they advertise it as pink sand and you can see a hint of pink when the sun shines on the wet sand.

Bermuda  $ and US $ are equal and both are accepted everywhere.

We now have 2 days at sea until we get to Ft. Lauderdale and we expect that they could be pretty rough.  Around 450 people are disembarking in Lauderdale and they say it's fully booked for the cruise through the Panama Canal to LA.

CEUTA, MOROCCO and MADEIRA, PORTUGAL

CEUTA - Day 83 - On the tip of Northern Africa and considered Spanish Morocco  - across the Strait from Gibraltar.  Average income is 600 Euros per month, 45% of the population are Muslim.  Average temperature is 80.  The port welcomed the ship with flags of the different nationalities aboard.

Washed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and boasting a stunning coastline of blue seas the fortified city of Ceuta watches over the Strait of Gibraltar - it is the meeting point of 2 continents, 2 seas and 4 cultures - Christian, Muslim, Hebrew and Hindu all living side be side.

There was a brilliant red sunrise as I was walking the track.  I only saw it because I was walking the wrong way (which only 1 person mentioned today).

We did a city highlights tour and it was the first ship excursion which was a waste of money. With the exception of a viewpoint high above the city, everything was within walking distance of the ship and some of the stops were not yet open for tours.  We could see the Rock of Gibraltar but pictures turned out quite hazy.

Morocco  border is just 3-4 kilometers away and a passport is required for entry.  One of the busses from the ship picked up an extra passenger as it was returning.  The stowaway was a young Syrian refugee trying to get into Europe.  We understand Syrians have no problem getting into Morocco and then they attempt to get into Europe via Spanish Morocco by catching rides under the tour busses. This appears to be a daily occurrence but they check  under the busses with mirrors and have dogs so it's not too successful.

MADEIRA - Day 85 - After sailing past the Rock of Gibraltar, we had a sea day.  Located in the North  Atlantic Ocean, an island about 550 miles from mainland Portugal and about 370 miles from the coast of Morocco.  Pop. 268K, climate averages 67 degrees.

We've been in Funchal a couple times and have done the wine tasting, toboggan ride and cable car.  The toboggan ride is known as the snowless sled ride.  The sled is actually a wicker basket for 2, set on runners with 2 local guides running along side as it slides at high speed along narrow roads (also used by vehicles) down the steep slope.

We were a couple days late for the flower festival and parades but there were plentiful displays of the flowers on the streets and we saw an exhibition of flowers entered in a competition and the winners.

Entertainment - Karen Grainger from Toronto did two different shows this week.  She does her impressions of a great number of singers from Celine to Shania to Willie Nelson.  She was very good and some of you from the Lethbridge area may have seen her since she has appeared there twice.

Pictures -1 -Cueto,  2 - Rock of Gibraltar, 3 - a clearer picture of the Rock, 4-6 - flowers on the street and some winners

We will now be at sea for 6 days heading for Bermuda so no posts for a few days.

PALMA de MALLORCA and CARTAGENA, SPAIN

PALMA -Day 81 - a day and a half from Malta via heavy, rough seas.  It's another Sunday and there's another marathon that's taking most of the day.  No taxis or hop on hop off bus to city center as a lot of roads were closed for the race.  Len had a bike tour booked but it was cancelled due to lack of interested people so we walked to the old town.  The cathedral supposedly has great stained glass  windows but we couldn't get in to see them unless we went to Mass.  It was certainly impressive from the outside.  The old town again had narrow, cobblestone streets with a lot of small cafes and bars.  I don't think we've ever been in a city with so many boats - several marinas just jammed with sail and motor boats.  It was a beautiful day with blue skies and warm temps.

CARTAGENA - Day 82 - Pop. -217K, average temperature is around 70.  Another beautiful day.  There are 2 other ships in port with us - Costa and Silverseas.  The city was only a short walk from the pier.  The streets of the shopping area are all tiled - no cobblestones here.  Cars sometimes drive down the tiled streets but they are mainly for pedestrians.  Many old buildings, all are well cared for.  Again many sidewalk cafes and bars. There was a big military presence on the streets.

Pictures -1 & 2 - Palma, 3 - Cartagena

KORCULA, CROATIA and VALLETTA, MALTA

We have now started the 5th segment of the World Cruise.  It should be our final leg but Princess gave us a good deal to go from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles - another 17 days so we will have completed the full World Cruise (111 days).  There are now 620 passengers on board with 73 Canadians.

KORCULA - Day 77 - A small island off Croatia - only 29 miles long with a population of 15k.   $1 US = 6.35 Croatian Kuna  - few places accepted either US $ or Euros.

What a picturesque setting!  Imagine sitting in a boat in clear blue waters surrounded by miniature Rockies. The mainland is on our left and the island of Korcula on our right.
We anchored in a calm bay and have a 10 minute tender ride from the ship.  Marco Polo was supposedly born here and as we walked through the old city we saw his home.  Again, many small cafes and souvenir shops along narrow cobblestone lanes. There was a nice shoreline path - the water was clear and a pretty color.  Tourism started to expand in the 60's but we were still in the off season.

It was one of the prettiest sail a ways we've seen on any cruise - we sailed by many tiny little islands.

VALLETTA - Day 79  Capital of Malta one of 4 islands that make up the archipelago of Malta.  Located in the middle of the Mediterranean just a mile south of Sicily.  Pop - just over 420k - language -Maltese and English.  Currency - Euro.   Mostly Catholics but a few other religions also exist.

After a very rough ride we arrived on the Island of Malta.  I can tell you that the Captain's cure of a couple of cocktails does not curtail seasickness.

We visited Rabat where the Catacombs are located.  They've done a lot of excavating and put in narrow pathways so you can tour the burial places.

We also toured Medina and St. Paul's Cathedral - what an ornate place!  Beautiful frescos on the walls and ceilings.  During our walk we tasted a Maltese snack called pastizzi which is puff pastry filled with ricotto cheese.  Then we went to a glass blowing factory.

Malta is a beautiful area with many churches, cafes and bars.

Pictures - 1 - old town of Korcula, 2- some of the islands on the sail away, 3 - coming into the Malta harbour early morning, 4 - inside St. Paul's Cathedral

BARI & VENICE, ITALY

BARI - Day 74 - located in the southeastern heel of Italy.  We sailed into Bari in thick fog (they say they've not had fog for at least 3 years).  It was a Sunday so most places were closed - only a few cafes were open  A marathon was on so there were some street closures and congestion. There was a nice walk around the seawall but otherwise Bari was not a great port.
I think we must have missed something as other people thought it was a great port.

VENICE - Days 75 & 76  Because we're a small ship we were able to approach Venice via the Lagoon.  Our on board destination expert narrated the last hour or more of the sail-in.  It was an amazing experience and made our front of the ship cabin and balcony worthwhile - similar to the Suez Canal as we saw everything on both sides of the ship as she described them.  The only downside of the day is that it's cool and cloudy.

We took a water bus to St. Marks square and wandered for a few hours.  The crowds were big and the pigeons plentiful.  There were lots of restaurants, little sidewalk cafes  high-end shops and souvenir booths.  We ended our day at St. Marks with a pizza, had a gondola ride, picked up some wine and headed back to the ship (we knew that pistachio ice cream was on the dinner menu).  As a lot of you know, Venice has 420 bridges and 170 canals.  The Venice Chamber Orchestra along with a tenor and soprano came on board for a couple performances - what a great concert.

On our second day in Venice we did their version of the hop on hop off bus - only on a boat.  Stopped in St. Marks again to pick up some wine and then carried on to the islands of Lido and Murata before heading back to the ship.  There was local entertainment - 3 Gondolieri singing and playing guitar and accordion - not as good as the night before but interesting.

Pictures - 1 gondola ride, 2 - St. Marks, 3 - start of the Grand Canal, 4 - along the Lagoon as we sailed into Venice

RHODES, GREECE and CHANIA, CRETE

RHODES - Day 71 - One sea day cruising the Mediterranean Sea and we arrive in Rhodes, the largest in an island group in Greece and only 11 miles from Turkey.  There are 2 seasons on Rhodes - rainy winter and hot summer - summer starts the day after we visit.  They average 300 days of sunshine.

It is a Greek custom to spit after giving someone a compliment.  This supposedly protects the recipient from the "evil eye".

Pop 60,000, currency  Euros.

We did a tour covering the old and new cities.  The old city is surrounded by walls and there are large pebbled, narrow streets.  There are around 5000 people living in the old city and you must be a resident to drive a car or scooter on their streets. We spent quite a bit of time in the Palace of the Grand Master where the floors are made of marble and small mosaic tiles.  At the Acropolis  (which just means the edge of the city) we had a great view of the island and Turkey.  There were a lot of peacocks strutting around (it is mating season).

Cafes are numerous and some shops are not open as tourist season will start towards the end of April.  At this time of year the Mediterranean Sea is warm enough that people were swimming but as temperatures rise the snow in the mountains of Turkey will melt and the water will become colder.  There are lots of beaches but most are small pebbles instead of sand.

CHANIA - Day 72 - pronounced with a silent c (or maybe not - it seems to be a personal preference).   Pop around 200k,  language -Greek but English is widely spoken.

Sailed in and anchored around 7 am -saw our first snow since Christmas. This is one of our few tender ports and it takes about 10 minutes to reach land from the ship.  This is a highly unionized country and we expected that Crete would supply the tenders but we did use our own life boats.

Again, this is an old city with narrow streets.  There are lots of restaurants and small shops - several not yet open for the tourist season.  It seems that the ship passengers can't wait to get ashore to eat and drink.  Today people were not only eating ashore but bringing things like Greek salads and baklava back on board - the amount people can consume boggles the mind.

Pictures - 1 & 2 - Rhodes
                    3 & 4 - Chania

SUEZ CANAL

Arrived at the staging area around 11 pm where we anchored until about 4 am.  We travel in convoys throughout the canal.  Since expansion was completed in 2015 the canal can handle 97 ships a day compared with 47 previously.  There are 3 convoys per day - 2 southbound and 1 northbound.  We appear to be the lead in our convoy of 15 ships and are the only passenger ship today.  Cost to transit the canal averages  $259,000 per ship - quite a good money maker for Egypt.  Most ships are tankers or container vessels .  We have a local pilot on board who determines the speed we travel -  between 5 and 9 knots depending on our location.  He also prevents the ships from hitting any of the many markers in the canal - if a ship were to hit a marker a fine of $40,000 could be assessed.

The canal is 102 miles long with a couple bridges across it and 1 tunnel under it (1 lane in each direction).  There are numerous ferries throughout the canal traveling from one side to the other.  It is quite interesting that on our left is the continent of Africa and on our right is Asia.

As we exit the Suez Canal we enter the Mediterranean Sea.  There are numerous ships anchored awaiting the next southbound convoy.

Pictures - one of the monuments celebrating the 2015 expansion and the north land bridge

JORDAN 2

Day 67 -  After 4 days of travel through the beautiful, narrow channel of the Red Sea with Saudi Arabia to the east and Africa and Egypt to the west we arrive at Aqaba,  Jordan

If you saw the movie Lawrence center of Arabia, you'll never forget the sea of riders thundering out of the desert to capture a port called Aqaba - a beautiful resort area with sandy beaches, clear blue waters and an Interesting coral reef.  A few hours north is the ancient city of Petra, one of the absolute must see sites of Jordan. 

Jordan is about 38000 square miles.  Pop. 6 million.  Currency $1 US = .71 Jordan Dinar.

We sailed into Aqaba early Easter Sunday past Egypt and Isreal.  The Israeli border is 9 miles from the port and some passengers went there independently.  We could see all 3 countries from our docked ship.

We did the tour to Petra which is a long day - 2 hour bus ride both ways.  The name a Petra comes from the Greek word for rock.

The walking tour of the lost city of Petra covers around 5 miles, strolling through a narrow gorge called the Siq which is the entrance to Petra.  Carved in red sandstone this ancient city has numerous  monuments and royal tombs.  It is hard to describe Petra.  The buildings were all carved out of the sandstone formations but most in no way resemble caves.  There was a lot of elaborate work on the facades of the buildings.  It rained the night before we arrived so water was running freely down the cobblestone and rocky pathways.  The pathways are very uneven and you must watch each step you take while also watching out for camels, horses, horse drawn buggies and mules.  We hoped to hike to the Monastery but didn't make it all the way to the top.  There are 800 steps leading to the Monastery and, due to time constraints, we turned around when we had  climbed about 300.

The scenery is outstanding but there is a lot of garbage along the highways and even in Petra.
Our tour guide was very proud of his country but knew that a lot of the people trying to sell us souvenirs would try to rip us off.  A lot of their souvenirs are made in China or India and anything made locally was quite expensive especially when you realize the Jordan Dinar is worth more than the US dollar.

JORDAN

We are now in the 4th segment of our cruise - Dubai to Venice.  There are 615 passengers  on board with 96 Canadians.

We left Dubai at 6 in the morning and have since passed Oman again - so close but yet not able to visit.  We are now in the Gulf of Aden passing between Yemen and Somalia heading to the Red Sea.  Warships can sometimes be seen on the horizon as they patrol the restricted security zone we are traveling.  We will have been at sea for 7 days when we reach our next port of Jordan.

A new Captain joined us in Hong Kong.  He is from the UK  and looks too young (which he attributes to the good genes he got from his Malaysian mother) to hold such a high position.  He gave a short talk today about himself and was very entertaining.  He is very open and friendly - qualified for the  Seoul Olympics in swimming (butterfly) and is a qualified fitness instructor besides all his training in sailing.  His solution to seasickness is to have at least one cocktail of the day.

A few interesting passengers we've met: 

A fellow from Sun City paints by the pool every sea day.  For the Lethbridge people he and his wife are similar to Peter and Olive Green - one quickly sketches interesting places they visit, the other snaps pictures so he can always look at the photo if he's having problems getting the scene exactly right.  He never sells his original paintings but instead sends them out to be copied and will then ship it to the purchaser.

There are a lot of single people on the cruise which, as you know, means they pay a premium for their cabin (usually double the single price).  One woman who we think is in her late 50's decided to advertise on a website such as Cruise Companions and is now bunking with a young fellow who has applied for a job at NASA.  He will not hear for several months if he is accepted so is traveling until then.  He is taking a Celebrity cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to LA and then plans to travel up the West Coast, across Canada and, if he has time and finances, will cross Europe.

Pictures: 1 - with the Captain at Burj Khalifa, 2 - the camel ride

DUBAI

Days 59 & 60 -arrived 5 hours late but earlier than the Captain expected after the deviation in plans.

Points of interest  -

Burj Al Arab Hotel- this 5 star (some call it a 7 star), 321 meter high luxury suites only hotel built on an island in the shape of a towering sail is the tallest all suite hotel over water.

Burj Khalifa -it's the tallest building in the world (2680 feet) - observation deck on floor 124 with a high elevator and nightclub on floor 144.

Pop. 2 1/2 million, situated in the middle of the great Arabian  desert on the southern end of the Persian gulf.  Dubai is the second largest of the 7 United Arab Emirates (an emirate is merely a political territory ruled be a Muslim monarch.  Language -Arabic but English is widely spoken.  1$ US is 3.67 Dirham.  Built on pearls and oil  Dubai has moved to shop til you drop tourism.  One Dubai mall boasts over 1200 shops - the worlds largest  shopping mall with an ice rink and aquarium.  A ski slope is in another mall.

What can we say about Dubai?  It is excess to the max.  We saw no old buildings, everything is new.  New cities are popping up in anticipation of a World Expo in 2020.

We did a morning tour of the city.  Highlight of the tour was a visit to the observation deck of Burj Khalifa.  It takes the elevator 1 minute to go from ground level  to floor 124.  Your ears pop but you have no sensation of movement.  The views are fantastic.  Out in the sea they are building what is referred to as The World - many different islands they are making  -again for 2020.  The building that had the bad fire a few months ago is being restored.  One hotel which is part of the complex comprising Burj Khalifa and Dubai mall has a water show similar to that at the Bellagio in Vegas but bigger - fountains reach the 50th floor.   We didn't go to the aquarium but did see the ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates - people were skiing and snow boarding.  There was something similar to a luge track where people were flying down the track on their backs.  One thing we noticed in both malls was the huge number of restaurants -many of them upscale.

We got back from the morning tour just in time to go on  4x4 desert safari.  Over 100 ship passengers climbed in Toyota Land Cruisers for the hour long drive out to the desert.  They then deflated the tires to about 15 pounds and off we went flying over the dunes.  Our driver almost tipped us once but just went off the path and circled around to regain the track.  It was not fun for people with weak stomachs - one women with us kept her eyes closed for the duration.  Once this was completed, we went to the camp with a huge tent for a barbecue dinner.  The tent had Persian carpets over much of the floor space, low tables and pillows for seats.  Dinner consisted of several appetizers, salads with barbecued beef and lamb chops, chicken satay and curried fish and vegetables.  All very tasty.  Beer and wine were available even though we were in a Muslim country.  Before dinner we had a camel ride - quite an experience.  After dinner entertainment was, of course, a belly dancer -a very agile woman.

We now have 7 sea days - time in the Arabian Sea and Suez Canal so no posts for a while.

Pictures:  1 & 3 - views from the tower, 2 - navigating the sand dunes, 4 - Burj Khalifa towering over the other buildings 

OMAN AND DUBAI

2 sea days from Mangalore to Mina Qaboos, Oman.  We've had a medical emergency and are now diverted to Mumbai,  India which is about 200 miles from where we're currently located.  A ship contractor fell around the smoke tower and it took a couple of hours for rescue.  He is being evaluated and the ship is awaiting confirmation of a helicopter removal.  It will, apparently, take about 8 more hours until the evacuation can be carried out.  No idea what this will do to our arrival in Oman.

The independent contractor apparently fell 60 feet inside a shaft  (not sure why no safety  harness was in use).  He has 2 broken legs ,a broken pelvis, a broken arm and head injuries but when removed from the ship around 1 am this morning he was alert, in serious but stable condition.  A helicopter evacuation did not happen and we were met by a tug (some people say it appeared to be a raft) with medical staff on board.  The operation took over 2 hours.

This means our stop in Oman has been canceled and we'll arrive in Dubai 5 hours late.  There have been many adjustments made for shore excursions.  It's a big disappointment as this is the port we were excited about.  We'll just have to cram as much as possible into the hours we have.

More on Dubai in a few days.

The picture we're attaching is of the Maitre D and head waiter dressed in their Indian finery for the Sunday brunch.  The Maitre D is a real hoot - wears different costumes depending on the Brunch theme (the previous week he was dressed as a Geisha).

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA AND MANGALORE, INDIA

4 calm sea days from Singapore - slow speed makes for a smoother journey.  We are getting close to an area with heightened security levels so we had training today in procedures that would take place if pirates were to approach the ship.  The strait of Malacca makes the region very accessible to piracy.  The strait is on the route between Europe, the Suez canal and the busy ports of East Asia - it is the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  The Captain assures us that there is not much pirate activity these days.

COLOMBO - day 52. Located on a small island on the west coast of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean.  Pop 753k  made up mostly of people from Northern India.  80% speak English.  A hot and humid day.  There was not much of a choice in tours so we did a city tour - only 4 stops - a Hindu Temple, a museum built by the British over 100 years ago, a refreshment stop (and good restrooms) at a hotel and a short shopping stop.  $1 US = 144 Sri Lanka rupees.  The traffic was heavy and, if there are laws such as seat belts being used, we didn't see much inforcement.   The cars are mostly small, there are a lot of motorcycles and the cabs are a combination motorcycle/golf cart.  No one seems to have the right of way - it's whoever is the bravest and has the loudest horn.

We were in  Colombo on a Saturday and got caught in  a traffic jam with people celebrating a cricket match.  The students were hanging out of their vehicles - sitting on the roof, sitting in the windows with their bodies outside the vehicle, sitting in the trunks - all a recipe for disaster but any police we saw just ignored them.

MANGALORE - DAY 54.  Located on west coast of India.  Pop 480k.  Supposedly, the ninth cleanest city in India (we'd not like to see the 20th).  We did a city tour with stops at a Hindu Temple, a Catholic church and college and a cashew factory.  Women do the majority of the work at the factory and make from $3 - $4/day.  They do have free child care but it's not a job I can imagine any of us doing.  Women still wear saris but the modern dress of leggings and long top are becoming more popular.  Traffic is similar to Colombo - cabs are the same and there are a lot of scooters.  We were warned that beggars and street vendors would be abundant but we didn't find this to be the case.  There is an 85% literacy rate in the area.  US $ were widely accepted.  Prices seemed to be better than Colombo.

Picture 1 - Sri Lankan cabs, 2 - statue inside the Hindu Temple, 3 - women at work in the cashew factory

SINGAPORE

2 slow, calm days at sea from Vietnam.

SINGAPORE - day 47 -very close to the equator so temps are hot and humid.  Located off the southern tip of Malaysian peninsula, between the North China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Pop 5.3 million. Singapore is made up of 59 islands.  Home of Raffles Hotel and the famed Singapore Sling which costs $28 plus tax in The Long Bar in Raffles Hotel.   In 1915 etiquette dictated that ladies could not drink alcohol in publc so a cocktail that looked like fruit juice but contained clear alcohol was invented as a way for the ladies to have a cocktail with their escorts.  Thus, the Singapore Sling became a socially accepted punch for the ladies.  There is also a dress code to go to the Long Bar - no shorts or flip flops.  $1 US is about $1.4 Singapore.  Chewing gum, jaywalking, and failing to flush the toilet are against the law and can incur hefty fines.  The Great Singapore Duck Race, an event that raises funds for charity, set a new world record when more than 123k toy ducks floated on the Singapore River .  The symbol of Singapore is a creature know as a merlion, a beast that's half fish and half lion.

We did the hop on hop off bus - there are 5 different routes but we only had time to complete 2.  There are a lot of awesome buildings throughout the city.  Prices are high - many houses are over $25 million US.  80% of the citizens live in government housing which average
$300k.

In order to buy a new car you must apply for a permit which can end up costing $50k before you even step into a dealership.  A car must be deleted from the country's inventory before a permit can be issued.  As a result, Singapore exports more used cars than any other country except Japan.  The permit is only good for 10 years.

There is a 73 story hotel which hosts a perpendicular marathon every year.  They average 2000 entrants and the fastest time is under 7 minutes.

We found out that there really isn't a dress code in the Long Bar at Raffles.  Len wore shorts and,  of course, we had to test them.  When we were welcomed, we splurged and had a Singapore Sling and a beer.  They have peanuts in the shell on all the tables and you are expected to throw the shells on the floor.  The hotel has just over 100 suites and you're not allowed in the lobby unless you are staying ($1400./night).

Pictures - 1 - The iconic Marina Sands hotel - the structure on top is an observation deck for the general public and a water park for guests.
2 & 3 - a sample of some of their interesting buildings
4 - Len enjoying peanuts in the Long Bar