Our flight to Phuket doesn’t depart until 2:35pm, and the airport is close by.  We enjoyed breakfast, then walked around the hotel grounds.  It’s a large property and very shielded from the nearby neighborhoods.  There’s little audible evidence that traffic is just beyond the trees.  I left Judy in the room getting ready for the day, and went back to the pool area to spend some time writing about yesterday’s Chiang Rai trip.  As long as I have decent internet, I need to get the pictures uploaded.

 Shangri La Hotel

We catch our taxi at noon and are at the airport 20 minutes later.  Check-in is quick and easy.  Of course, our bags are overweight, and we have to pay extra, but again, it’s around $30, instead of $150 like it might be in the US.  As we wait for the plane, it becomes obvious we’re headed to a beach destination.  It’s like a Spring Break crowd, very young, noisy, and headed for a party.

 Mr. Burger, on our way to the airport.

Chiang Mai City Wall.

On board the plane I managed to get seats near the front, and we had room to spread out (no one in the middle seat).  The flight “fun” began as we neared Phuket.  We knew the weather was unsettled, and as we began to descend the ride got bumpy.  This went on for a while, and then we heard the landing gear come down.  Suddenly, the pilot hit the power and we pulled up beginning to climb.  It took about 5 minutes of hard climbing and we popped out of clouds looking at some beautiful ocean/island views below.  Finally the pilot came on and said the thunderstorms were a little strong, but would clear out in 15 minutes, so we’re circling.  Eventually we started down again, the ride got bumpy, lightning and thunder were popping all around us, the landing gear came down, and suddenly we were on the ground.  Applause broke out from the party crowd in the back.

Phuket, as we loop around.

We collected our bags, and walked out into the sea of people with signs looking for fares.  We found contact I booked two months ago, and were lead to a nice SUV for the drive to Khao Lak.  The drive takes about 80 minutes and we pull up the entrance of resort at 7:15pm.  It’s weird to enter a hotel lobby where there aren’t any doors.  It’s all open-air with a nice breeze blowing in.  They load us into a cart along with our luggage, taking us to our room.  Since it’s dark, it seems like a long way.  The guys haul our bags down some the stairs and show us little about the room. As they are departing, Judy shouts, and when I turn, she is pointing at something.  She thinks she saw a lizard scurrying around.  The luggage guys looked around a little bit, but decided to turn the job over to housekeeping who showed up 5 minutes later.

After pulling out some furniture they finally began to point at something down in a cabinet behind the fridge.  They chased it around the walls and up to the ceiling before finally knocking it down with some kind of spray.  It was a fairly large lizard.

Around 11:00pm, Judy received a text message from Shannon announcing their arrival.  We immediately grabbed our shoes, and searched out their bungalow down on the beach.  We had a nice reunion visit out on their deck. Around midnight, flight fatigue began to set in on them.  They’re flight from Sydney was nine hours.  We made breakfast plans and headed back to our room.

We were the first passengers off the ship this morning at 6:50am.  We had a jammed itinerary with lots of distance to cover and many sights to see.  Jumped in the van with our driver and guide and headed to Corinth.  The guide, Michael, immediately began explaining our options for the day, and how we might have to adjust if traffic became an issue. Basically we had several sites to visit, spread out on both side of Athens.  If we were going to see all of it, it would mean reduced time at each of the sites.  Everyone seemed ok with it.  Michelle, our tour organizer again, had warned us it would be a jam-packed day, and we might possibly have to miss lunch to hit everything.

 Our cabin is on the top floor above the big windows

First stop was the Corinth Canal, a narrow and deep canal connecting the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea. It saved a lot of time for ships traveling from Athens and points eastward to Italy.  Apparently, going around the south of Greece in the Roman period, was a dangerous route with reefs and pirates.  The Corinth Canal was a huge improvement for the merchants of the age.

Next stop was the ruins of Ancient Corinth, one of the great Greek city/states that competed with Athens for dominance.  It’s the site of the Temple of Apollo.  It was also the place where the apostle Paul spent a lot time preaching and working to establish Christianity.  We walked through the museum first and then headed out into the ruins to visit the actual ruins.  One interesting point about the difference between Greek art and Roman art was the statues.  Greek statues mostly looked the same (same head/face, etc.)  Roman statues displayed identifiable facial characteristics, so the statues were designed so that the heads could be replaced when a new caesar took control.  See statues below:

 The Acropolis of Corinth on the top of the hill in the distance.

The Temple of Apollo in Corinth

Modern Corinth with Ionian Sea in the background

We took a short break, and then loaded up for the long commute to Cape Sounion.  It’s the site of the Temple of Poseidon.  It’s the southernmost point of Athens, sitting up on a hill overlooking the Aegean Sea.  The wind is really whipping today, making it cooler than expected.  The views are breathtaking.

The Temple of Poseidon

Looking south at the Aegean Sea

Temple of Poseidon in the distance.

Our commute back to the ship is long, and weaves around and up and down along the Greek coast.  It’s very scenic, but could create car-sick issues if we weren’t careful.  Back on the ship, we grabbed a snack and headed to the cabin to rest.  Later, Judy went to the 7:30 evening show, while I began to catch up on my blog writing.  When she got back, we went down to Blu for a wonderful dinner.  At dinner, we met some wonderful guests from the UK and spent lots of time exchanging stories of our various travel experiences.  One of the things we’re finding out is that most of the people we’re meeting have traveled much more than us, and we feel like we’ve travelled quite a bit.  We’re trying to get as many travel tips and future destination ideas as possible.

Had breakfast and finished up our packing with time to spare.  Went downstairs early (8:15 am), and our driver was already waiting. Traffic was light (it’s a holiday), and we were checking in at the Jet Airways desk before 9:00 am.  It always interesting how each country handles their immigration and security.  We went through smoothly and arrived with an hour to kill at our departure gate.

One last of view of Dubai skyline and the Burj Khalifa

It’s a 3 ½ hrs. flight. The seating on the plane was tight. Before we landed, Judy was getting claustrophobic.  As we neared Delhi, the sky began to turn brown.  The weather app indicated there was fog, but it was more smoke/pollution. We found out later that after the recent rice harvest, they burned the fields, and the smoke is still hanging around. I had our eVisa’s ready and immigration was fast.  After we snagged our luggage we walked through customs, and our driver, Laksme, was waiting for us in the meeting area.  This is when the Delhi experience really started.

It was dark when we started out of the airport.  The traffic was reminiscent of Beijing, with cars jammed together and weaving in and out. We turned a corner as we left the airport, and suddenly, we were in what I would call a ghetto.  People were jammed everywhere, cars were honking, and drivers were yelling.  It was stop & go for 45 minutes until we arrived at our hotel.

All the hotel areas are surrounded with tall walls topped with barbed wire.  As we pulled up, there were armed guards, and the driveway was barricaded.  One of the guards checked under our car for bombs, while another guard opened the hood looking for explosives.  To get into the hotel, they ran our bags through a scanner, and we walked through a scanner ourselves.  It’s a great looking hotel, but the security issues were unexpected.

Up in the room, we begin to unpack and get ready for our tour tomorrow.  I’m trying to figure out the exchange rate for the Indian Rupee. $200 is close to INR 13,500. Dinner is close to 4,000 rupees (or $50).  Our phone app is going be a big help.

We woke this morning to light rain.  There’s no wind and everything seems so peaceful.  We walked to the main dining area where breakfast is served, arriving at 8:30.  Shannon and Dom were already there, saving our table.  The buffet is all-encompassing.

Looking off our deck this morning.  So peaceful.

Another pool, closer to food

This looks like a likely place for us to camp out for the next 6 days or so.

We talked and ate until 10:30 when we moved to a small eats/drinks area nearer the beach.  We stayed there, under the roof, until the rain stopped around 1:00, which prompted our move to a line of recliners at a nearby pool.  We’re waiting for Lara to arrive.  She’ll be the final member of our group, and flew from Beijing this morning.  She finds us around 2:00, and the full-on visiting and catching up commences.

 Lara found us.Judy, Shannon, and Lara, the BISS trio

 Looking out west over the resort property from the lobby.  Andaman Sea is beautiful.

Gingerbread House in the lobby.

The rest of the afternoon involved ordering drinks with umbrellas and taking a dip in the pool or the ocean.  We split up around 5:30 to freshen up with plans to meet again at 7:30 for dinner. The food is great, and the conversation is non-stop as Judy, Shannon, and Lara begin continue catching up on each other’s lives.  We headed back to the room at 10:30 with plans to repeat the whole process tomorrow.

We’re sailing across the Mediterranean today from Athens to Port Said, Egypt, the entrance to the Suez Canal.  Even though we’re crossing more open water, it’s still a smooth sailing.  I played table tennis.  Judy worked to finish up details of her student teachers, and the Killough HS memorial project in Lewisville.  Every time someone reviews the Killough planning, there are revisions, and that work falls to Judy.

I attended a lecture session in the afternoon about the Suez Canal.  There was discussion about the actual construction and how early decisions were made, who got rich, and who went bankrupt.  It was built by the same company that later built the Panama Canal. As might be expected, there was a lot of information about the geo-political impact the canal had, and the turmoil and conflict surrounding it at different times

The entertainment in the Theater tonight is a close-up magician.  He uses a camera to get everyone a good view of what he’s doing. He’s talented and has lots of skills. He managed to spread 6 card productions/illusions out over his hour show.  They were great, but for me, too much talking.  We learned too much about his personal life.  I would have appreciated it if he had showcased his skills and talent more.

We arrived at Port Said at 10:30 pm, queued up, and dropped anchor.  We’re scheduled to start through the canal around 3:30 am.  Outside, it’s raining, and there is a strong smell of smoke, almost like burning tires?  Not enough to keep me from sleeping, though.

We’re in a new time zone now, 11 ½ hours ahead of DFW.  Weird!  Breakfast was nice, but as expected, the food choices had variety, with lots of Indian options, as well as western standards.

We meet our driver at 9:00 am, and start out into the city to pick up our guide.  Traffic is fairly heavy and we picked up our guide Ajit, or AJ, around 9:45.  The drive is revealing as to the poverty and over-crowding.  Everywhere an open spot might exist, someone has spread a blanket or erected a small tent/awning.  Families are jammed together, and in the market area, the pace is frantic.  We spotted a few large monkeys walking along, or climbing on the buildings or roofs.

Traffic is so much like Beijing!

Our first stop is the Jama Masjid or Jama Mosque.  It’s the first mosque built in Delhi way back in the 1600’s.  It is still an active mosque with as many as 20,000 worshippers on holy days.  It’s built on hill overlooking the city.

 Jama Mosque

From the mosque we rode in a bicycle rickshaw in the Chandri Chowk neighborhood.  It a section of “Old Delhi” and the center of the tea/spice wholesale market.  We passed through narrow streets and crazy traffic, with horns honking all the time. With Judy, myself, and our guide, the driver has to work really hard with his one-speed bike.  Everywhere there are small shops, tuk-tuks buzzing around, along with the occasional cow or pig.

Looking over the shoulder of our rickshaw driver.  Check out the wires/cables overhead?

Our rickshaw!

Yep, that’s what it looks like is happening!

We climbed in a Tuk-Tuk next for a ride to the Red Fort.  It’s the first fort built in Delhi, by the same Mogul king who built the Taj Mahal.  It’s built on the same design as the Agra Fort, a site near the Taj Mahal we’ll visit later in the week.  It is still used by the Indian army as one of it’s main buildings in Delhi.

Next up is the “Cottage Industry” exhibition area.  Our guide had been describing it as the place supported by the Indian government for the displaced people of Kashmir to work and exhibit the traditional industries of Kashmir.  It turned out to be more of a Ginseng store, Pearl Factory, Leather shop, or any number of companies designed to get tourists in, display the product, and put on the hard sell.  This shop had handmade carpets, jewelry, scarves, tablecloths, and women’s clothing. The stuff they make is gorgeous, but expensive, and not really anything we need.

We had a nice lunch with the first real Indian food since our arrival in Delhi.  It’s great!  Our next stop is Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Ghandi Memorial.  It’s the site where he was cremated after his assassination.  It’s a quiet, peaceful spot.

In contrast, our next stop was India Gate, a memorial to the 70,000 Indian soldiers killed in World War I. All their names are inscribed on the walls.  It’s a popular place for school groups to visit.  There are buses everywhere, and student groups in uniforms lined up and walking together all over the property.

Qutub Minar is our last stop in Delhi and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It’s a huge tower commemorating a victory of a Mogul King or an invading Moslem army.  It was started in 1199, completed in 1368.

As I said earlier, everywhere we drove, the traffic was crazy and people and animals filled the streets and small shops all around.  Every intersection was filled with beggars, including young children selling various items or outright begging.  It’s a sad sight, and repeated at almost every traffic light.

Back at the room later, we prepare for our flight tomorrow to Varanasi.  We’re anxious to see what India has to offer away from Delhi.

I wish there were more colorful items to discuss today, but there aren’t.  We met for breakfast, and then moved to the small pool loungers where we spent yesterday.  There’s plentiful shade with food and washrooms nearby.  Occasionally someone would decide it’s time to get wet and wander off to the ocean or into the pool where we sit.

 Why are you bothering us?  We’re working!

Is this better?

The weather is very neutral, with a slight cooling breeze.  The sky is partly cloudy and the sun occasionally peeps out from the clouds. This is ideal for me since I have no desire to suffer any sunburn.  The resort doesn’t seem crowded.  I guess things will pick-up as we near the weekend.  We must have arrived ahead of the holiday rush.

Shannon and Dom’s beach bungalow.  The beach is at my back.

We ate lunch around 2:30, then, moved back to our loungers.  As we headed to our rooms around 6:00, we took time to enjoy the sunset.

 We’ve seen our share of beautiful sunsets on this trip

Panoramic

Enjoying the sunset.

We met back for dinner at 8:00, and concluded an evening of food and conversation around 10:00.  Dinner was served out on a deck overlooking the beach and it’s a beautiful evening.  I’m not sure how the day could have been any nicer.

We were up at 5:30 am, checking out the Suez Canal.  As we sail south, our cabin is on the starboard (west, right) side of the ship. There’s lots of development, as well as agriculture visible from our balcony.  It’s a hazy day, and there’s still a strong smoky smell.  I still can’t believe we’re sailing through Egypt!

We have breakfast in Blu. It’s on the port (east, left) side of the ship.  This side of the canal is mostly desert.  A few settlements are visible, but nothing like what we’ve seen to the west.  There are several small ferry docks, and two major bridges we saw as we sailed through.  One of the bridges was stationary, the other was on a center pedestal, and swung out into the canal, meeting the other half, swinging from the west, and meeting in the middle.  There were also lots of barges staged on the western banks that looked like they could quickly become temporary bridges in case the main bridges were knocked out.

Bridge swivels from the center

Barges staged on the shore ready to be pushed into the water, connected, and used as bridges.

Judy and I spent most of the day sitting in the front of the ship in the Reflections Lounge.  It’s an area fronted with windows with great views of the canal as we move through.  There are big comfortable chairs and tables.  We planted ourselves early, avoiding starvation with the occasional snack or sandwich.

 Looking out toward the Sinai Desert Looking back at a large container ship following us.

I started catching up on blog entries.  I haven’t really had time, or felt like writing much before now.  It doesn’t take long for me to get behind and forget what we’ve done, so it’s work to keep up.  Judy spends her time reading some of her digital library or listening to podcasts. She’s been storing up lots of materials, just for days like today.

 The Southern exit of the Suez CanalOff on the horizon, ships lined up to enter the canal.

We sail out of the canal around 2:40pm.  It’s interesting to see the long line of ships queued up to enter from the south. There were several huge container ships following us through.  They can really stack those containers.

Exiting the canal

I attended a lecture session presented by the magician from last night.  He had some easy tricks he could teach everyone to take home and impress their grandchildren, etc.  Naturally, he finished up with a slightly tougher card trick, and the opportunity to really learn it from his two-CD video presentation, available in the lobby for $35.  A guy’s gotta make a buck.

The rest of our day is uneventful as we relax and prepare for a big day tomorrow in Petra and Wadi Rum.

Had an easy departure from Delhi this morning.  At the airport, security guards were checking tickets & passports at the outside doors before we could even enter the terminal building.  Once inside we found the Jet Airways domestic check-in.  It was a long line and took about 20 minutes before we reached a desk.  At the desk, they informed us of a chance for a cheap upgrade to Business Class, so we jumped on it.  It was great, with decent food, lots of room, etc.  It’ll be make it hard to go to the back of the plane on our later flights.

Our tour contact and driver are waiting and we are quickly delivered to the Radisson Hotel. Enroute, it’s obvious this is a more rural & agricultural area, at least on the drive into town.  The hotel, is nice, and we had two hours before we were picked up for our evening activity.  While we’re killing time in the coffee shop, I decided to walk next door to a silk weaving factory, recommended by our guide Delhi (he grew up in Varanasi).  Inside, there were the anticipated sales rooms, and a large room with some very old hand-operated looms for weaving the silk brocade patterns.  One of the looms was a two-man job, but they all looked very complex and time-consuming.

I was by myself, so I had time to watch them work and admire the patterns they were weaving. Eventually a salesman found me and walked me into a sales area where he explained some about their products.  The family had been in the business for 7 generations, and the work is beautiful, but it’s expensive.  I had to leave to catch our guide for our evening tour, but planned to visit again when we returned to the hotel.

We were picked up at 4:30, beginning the trip to Evening Aarti.  We had no idea what we were going to watch.  Our driver worked his way through some crazy traffic, dodging cattle, people, bikes, motorbikes, cars, and buses, as we drove toward the Ganges River. We had to get out and walk the last kilometer because of the huge crowds.  We finally came in full view of the river and all the activity.  It’s impossible to describe the sounds, and scenes on the bank as everyone prepared for the evening prayers.

Varanasi is the place where Hindu believers want to die and be cremated.  Our first activity at the river was to board a small boat which took us up the river to a Ghat (riverbank area) where bodies are being cremated. Cremations are taking place 24/7. As the boat moves closer, our guide describes the activities taking place…..washing the body before cremation, building the pyre and the burning, throwing the remaining bones into the river after the cremation, and so many other significant traditions for the mourning families.  It’s a dramatic sight as the sun sets.

Our next stop was to float off the bank in sight of the evening prayers, delivered by sets of priests in several different sections of the riverbank.  This was all taking place simultaneously, and each group had amplification and big crowds were ringing bells, and taking part.  The colors, the sounds, the smells, and the energy from the whole thing was amazing.

Our guide helped us leave a little before the ceremony ended to beat the crowds.  But the crowds departing were still crazy as we walked out, dodging all the oncoming motorbikes, rickshaws, and tuk-tuks, all going every direction.  Crazy!!!!

Back in the car, our driver worked his way back to the hotel.  It took about 30 minutes.  We went next door, to the silk-weaving factory to check out the products, eventually buying a few beautiful items.  Back in the room, we prep for our early trip out in the morning.  We’re scheduled to be picked up at 5:30 to travel back to the Ganges to observe the Hindu pilgrims bathing in the river.

As we went to breakfast, only a few clouds hung in the sky.  The sun was bright and if I wandered into a sunny area, it was hot. We enjoyed another long breakfast with Dom, Shannon, and Lara, and then headed out to our designated assembly spot. It’s shady most of the day, we’re at a pools edge, (there are five pools on the property), and only steps away from the ocean.  Access to food is too close, actually, requiring thought and restraint from overeating.

 Set-up for a long day Cooling off. The BISS Trio.Working with Dom on sponge balls technique.

Plans were made for massages at 3:00.  As if we knew what would happen, light rain began to fall at 3:00.  After massages, it was time for freshening and prep for dinner.

Dom contacted me and said he was set-up for VR play (virtual reality) in their bungalow.  This was my first experience, and hopefully not my last. It was a blast with the 3-D imagery and total immersion in the digital environment with the goggles and headphones. Dom had set-up devices that look like motion sensors (that’s one of their jobs) on tripods around the room that help define the area of play and movement that takes place within.  He gave me a taste of several different types of games, including shooting games, as well as puzzle games.  As I gained familiarity with the controllers, I improved.

Dinner was great as we experimented with different Thai dishes.  We’ve been here long enough that the restaurant staff is familiar with all of us and they’re having fun with our accents, as are we with theirs.  This has been a nice 3 full days of relaxation. Shannon, Dom, and Lara, are all coming directly from jobs, and the relaxation is total.  Judy and I haven’t exactly been working, although several of our tours have felt like work with the combined educational and physical elements. This Khao Lak segment has been reminiscent of our Phuket visit in February of 2014.