I’ve been looking forward to our Petra visit as much an anything we’re visiting this entire trip. We scheduled a private tour to ensure we’d get everywhere we wanted in the short time we have.  It took a few minutes for our driver to show up, and I was beginning to get anxious.  Never fear! We were quickly rolling out of the port for our day of adventure.  Our driver, Ramd, is Bedouin, born in Petra, but living in Aqaba.  He has six kids, with the oldest 20 years old.  Ramd said he himself had 7 brothers and 4 sisters.

Departing Aqaba.  Across the water is Aiyalat, Israel.

Roadside camels

Looking across Jordan

The drive is two and ½ hours.  The first section is a major freeway that climbs up from the port.  It’s very reminiscent of Tijeras Canyon coming out of Albq., only a lot longer.  It’s the main road to Amman.  We hit a more gradually climbing section, with occasional small villages on the roadside, as well as several small groups of wandering camels.  We finally turned off the main road and began a serious drive up a two-lane road to Petra.  Near the top of the drive, we took a rest stop at a gift shop, bartering with sales staff, etc.

“Modern” Jordan

We arrived at the Petra Visitors Center around 10:30am, where our driver bought our tickets.  He then walked us to the Petra Guides office, where we were introduced to our English-speaking guide.   He’s responsible for a two-hour walking tour downhill into Petra.  It’s somewhat over a mile going in, then, obviously, an uphill climb coming out. Our walk in was leisurely, with numerous stops to discuss the history of the development of the area, first by the Nabbateans, and later the Romans.  The first segment was a gravel, rock-filled road.  The entrance to the Sig, the narrow canyon that hid the site for thousands of year was dramatic.  The road through the Siq was mostly limestone pavers, brought in by the Romans.  It wasn’t too hard to negotiate, but Judy and I both are nervous about sprained ankles, etc.

For us, one of the most interesting notes of the ancient city was the handling of the clay pipes on one side of the path for the water for humans, and open irrigation canals carved into the walls on the other side for animals and more basic needs.

Water Channels carved into the side walls.

When we finally arrived at “The Treasury”, the iconic façade of Petra, it was especially dramatic, bathed in sunlight as we came out of the shade.  We wandered around the area with lots of other tourists and hawkers selling camel rides, etc.  Then we continued to walk down to the main city section and “The Theater”.

First view of “The Treasury”

“The Theater”

The exit from Ancient Petra

After admiring the carvings and buildings, we began the long ascent out of Petra.  It took us about 50 minutes to make the walk, with a few short breaks.  It’s beautiful going in, and equally beautiful coming out.  Back at the top, we met our driver, who took us to eat at a Jordanian buffet, with a nice variety of foods common to the area. After a relaxed lunch, we began the drive to Wadi Rum, a national reserve area a few kilometers off the road back to Aqaba.

About 70 kilometers out of Aqaba, we turned off the main road, headed to Wadi Rum.  I didn’t know much about the area except that it was where much of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed.  We also were told that more recently “The Martian” was filmed in the area.

Train used in “Lawrence of Arabia”

Words or photos can’t describe the beauty or vastness of the area.  It’s gorgeous, and empty.  There were so many wide-open areas with huge mountains of rock jutting out of the ground. No words……….?

We had a driver hired for two hours to take us out into the area to discover some of the more picturesque views.  We effectively had only a little over an hour before darkness, but we made the most of it. There weren’t really any roads. Our driver just took off across the desert headed to our next destination.  I regret that we didn’t have more time to spend here.  We were told the area is home to the world championships of rock climbing.  Not hard to believe.

At dusk, we left Wadi Rum, heading back to Aqaba port.  As we neared the city, I asked a question about the nearness of Saudi Arabia, I should have looked closer at a map.  Israel is 3 kilometers away.  What I thought was more of Aqaba across the harbor was really the Israeli City of Aiyalat. Further south on the east the coast became Saudi Arabia, and about 20 kilometers south, the coast on the west turned into Egypt.  There are a lot of borders around here.  Aqaba is Jordan’s only port.

We made it back to the ship around 7:00pm. We were both dead!  I was so tired, I couldn’t get the energy to go eat. I went down for some ice cream for both of us, bringing it back to the room.  I tried to stay awake for a little longer (not sure why), but gave up fighting it around 8:30, and the snoring began.  We were barely out of the harbor before I was out of it.

This is the earliest departure on our schedule for our India segment.  We meet the driver & guide at 5:30am.  We drive, then walk back to the Ganges for morning prayers and the bathing ritual of the Hindu pilgrims.  The closer we get, the more crowded it becomes.

 Pilgrims praying in the nearby shrinesMorning prayers

Our guide tells us the priests get water out of the river at 4:00 and take it back to their temples/shrines where they wash and clean the building.  Then around 5:00am, morning prayers begin while the Hindu faithful begin to bathe in the river.  There are priests available to receive gifts and pray for people.  We saw a few instances of women mourners who were having their heads shaved for a loved ones memory.

Early morning bathersPriest praying for a pilgrim

We board a boat again and paddle along the riverbank, observing the different “ghats” or defined riverbank areas where different sects or groups regularly bathe.  All I can think about is the sanitation issues related to bathing in water where ashes and bones are dumped, as well as all the other things effecting the water purity.  After the baths, believers take water back to their homes (in every possible container) to add to their shower/bath water at home to “wash their sins away”.

After touring downriver, we turned around and went back upriver to the site of the cremations.  There are none currently taking place since a memorial service must be held before the cremation, and few families are scheduling funerals at 2:00 or 3:00am, for a 5:00am cremation.

Morning on the Ganges

We’re let off the boat a hundred yards upriver from the cremation site, and begin a walk through the old section of town.  The paths are so narrow, in places I can touch the walls on both sides at the same time. We meet motorbikes, bathers, beggars, priests, and locals as we walk.  We had an encounter with some cattle spooked by a dog.  Judy and our guide had to scramble up a small wall to avoid a minor trampling.

 Cremation site we visited last night

Pilgrim washing a shrine with water from the Ganges

Much of the area is on the verge of collapse and the government has decided to widen and improve the access to a “Golden Temple” site that has significant meaning to the pilgrims.  There are long lines of people with water, flowers, and other gifts for the priests of the temple.  Military/police security is everywhere, and I’m told not to take pictures?

These are the cattle that provided Judy’s “close encounter”

We eventually worked our way out of “old town”, found our car, and went back to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we finished packing, and met our contacts at 10:30 for our 1:00pm flight to Khajuraho.  The short flight departed a few minutes early.  The airport in Khajuraho is small, and by 2:00pm we were checking into our hotel for a quick freshen up.

Our guide meets us at 2:30 and we begin the tour of the temple complexes in Khajuraho.  Population of the town is only 20,000.  It’s very small, accessible and quiet.  We start our visit at the largest complex, which is a UNESCO site.  It’s calm and peaceful, with beautiful landscaping, and some impressive temples built in the 10^thand 11^thcentury.  Our guide gives us some the basic facts on Hinduism and the significance of these temples.  To us, they resemble Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which he later mentioned were built at about the same time.

The carving on the exterior walls is very detailed and has survived the years in amazing condition. The temples are all sandstone, but built on granite.  Along with the standard elephant, camel, and soldier carvings, there are many erotic scenes portrayed.  Our guide keeps telling us the artists wanted to tell the entire story of the people of the time, including the sexuality of the times.  It’s pretty graphic.  One of the thoughts that keeps rolling through our minds is how great the architecture and design are for the temples, and how ramshackle everything is outside the walls of the complex.  Not much of what exists in the area away from these temples will be here in 800 or 900 years.

Our guide offered us several opportunities for evening activities (light show, traditional dance, etc.), but we decided to relax back at the hotel.  The early morning visit to the Ganges is beginning to wear on us.

Today is just a repeat of yesterday, without the massages.  Thought we were going to get a rain shower for a while, but it drifted away, leaving us with a light breeze.

There are things to do in Khao Lak besides being super lazy.  This area is a well-known diving area.  I’m not interested in boarding a crowded boat with a lot of people I don’t know, for what might be a hot ride across a rolling body of water.  There’s an elephant sanctuary nearby, where the tourists participate in feeding and bathing the animals.  This is different than our last visit four years ago when we watched elephants paint and kick a ball, and then rode one around a trail on a mountain.  If there were kids along, this would be a required visit, but for us, by ourselves, it doesn’t seem interesting enough to leave our loungers.

Hard at work at my Moracea job!

Lara wandered out of the resort and into town Tuesday afternoon, and reported back that it didn’t seem too interesting.  Since we spent a week in Thailand this trip, and a total of 15 days spread out over two vacations in 2014 and 2015, the town of Khao Lak holds no allure.  The night market in Chiang Mai would be a hard act to follow.

Lunch on the beach.  The sun was brighter today so I had to break out the hat!

Evening dinner provides a chance for us to experiment with some different Thai foods.  I’m beginning to enjoy the different curries, although I’m not sure I can taste the difference between the yellow, red, and green varieties.  There’s a Thai guitarist/singer tonight in the restaurant.  As we came down the stairs to eat, we could here him singing Johnny’ Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.  He had a couple more Cash favorites, as well as Eric Clapton, the Beatles, and the Eagles. He handled it all pretty well, and added to the evening experience.

Now for some serious lazy time!  Today is the first of 5 consecutive sea days.  We’re almost 3,000 nautical miles from Muscat, Oman, our next port. We received a letter last night in the rooms discussing an emergency drill for pirates. Huh?  Pirates?  I always wondered how the cruise ships handled piracy in this area of the world. I guess we’re about to find out.

We went up to the Reflections Lounge at the front of the ship to watch the Red Sea go by.  I’ve got a lot of blog writing to do.  It’s been hard to squeeze it in between meals, naps, and table tennis.  Around 10:00, the morning announcements came on followed by our “Safe Haven” drill for pirates.  Everyone had to move away from windows to the interior of the ship.  Outside cabins have to move to the hallways, etc.  The drill didn’t take long, and we were soon back in our seats, enjoying tea, Diet Coke, etc.

Later in the afternoon, I met some of my table tennis buddies and had a good workout.  There was another tournament, and I placed 2^nd.  It’s humid and hot in the game area, and sweating is way too easy.  Judy spent most of the day searching out the best place to read, and access the occasional snack.

I’ve begun to attempt to post some of the blogs on our website, but things aren’t showing up. It’s been three years since I posted anything and the site has had some updates, so I’m not sure what’s happening. Later in the evening, I began to figure it out, and posts began showing up.  There are a couple of extra steps I have to do that weren’t necessary before. Next, I’ll tackle procedures for posting pictures.  The internet is really slow, so pictures don’t load quickly.  I’ll keep looking for shortcuts.  However, if you’re reading this or seeing any pictures, I must have figured it o

We met our driver for the day at 9:00am and began the drive to Orcha, and ultimately Jhansi, where we’ll catch a train to Agra.  On paper it seems like a mild drive of 4 hours, enjoying the rural scenes of India. We had a chance to observe the rural scenes, but the drive was way more than “mild”.

 Kinda narrow Gotta share the road Where to go?

The road was narrow, paved, and two-lanes.  There wasn’t a shoulder, and the pavement edge was ragged and dropped off sharply.  The traffic consisted of bicycles, motorbikes, buses, tuk-tuks, cars, industrial trucks with big loads, and lots of tanker trucks.  We even had to wait on a wooden cart pulled by two horses to cross a narrow bridge. The driving technique consisted of pulling up close behind whoever you need to pass, honking to warn them we’re coming around, then racing around before we hit the oncoming traffic.

Passing through the villages and towns was eye-opening.  We see lots people living in the worst conditions, and begging as we drive by. We could tell when we were nearing a school because there were students everywhere, walking and riding bikes (on the same roads as all the traffic).  All along the road we passed tuk-tuks jammed with people (8 to 12) sitting on top of each other.  Cattle are walking everywhere and stopping traffic.  It’s everything I’ve seen portrayed as India, but I assumed it was exaggeration. It’s exactly as you’ve seen it portrayed.  India is expected to pass China for the largest population in the world in 2023.

We arrived safely (whew) in Orchha.  I had never heard of it, but there were several elaborate palaces and temples built in the area.  There’s a river nearby, and the setting is beautiful.  It’s no wonder the Moghul rulers of the time selected this site. We had a nice lunch, met our guide around 2:30, and began our tour.  The palace was built in the 15^thcentury.  It’s amazing they were able to design and build palaces and temples with so much detail 600 years ago.  After our tour, we walked the town before loading up for our short drive to Jhansi.

 Where we ate lunchThe river from our lunch site.

 Looking out from the palace over the valley

One of the other temple areas

Sights from walking around town.

Jhansi is a city of several million.  The train station is a hub of activity, with taxis, tuk-tuks, and motorbikes whizzing everywhere.  We meet our train station escort and head into the station.  Our driver has to make the long drive back to Khajuraho, in the dark. Our escort gets the tickets, and stands with us while we wait for the train.  We’re an hour early, so I always enjoy watching the people moving in and out of the station.  Out on the platform waiting to load, beggars are working the crowds.  The whole station is grimy and dirty, much like the city we saw as we drove in.  Orchha is such a contrast!

 Waiting for the train

We board the train, find our seats, and stash our luggage in the overhead.  It’s no small feat since our big bag weighs nearly 50 lbs.  The train trip is close to two hours.  It’s far different from the high-speed trains in Japan and China.  Porters actually tried to serve a meal in the midst of all the passenger activity as we passed through several stations.

We arrived in Agra around 9:30.  Laksme, our Delhi driver, greets us as we get off.  Shaym, our guide for tomorrow is with him.  They take us to the Jaypee Palace Hotel.  It’s a huge hotel, and the nicest of all our hotels up to this point.  We’re worn out after a day of crazy driving, walking some palaces, and a grimy (but interesting) train ride.

The weather forecast was for thunderstorms all day, but nothing ever materialized.  Around 6:00pm it sprinkled lightly for 10 minutes, but stopped.  We spent the day in our regular spot, in loungers around the pool nearest the beach, wandering between the ocean, the pool, and the food hut.

 Looking north up the beach

 Looking up the hill.

 Looking over towards Dom and Shannon’s beach bungalow

Looking south

Restaurant.

The resort is beginning to fill up.  We had our first encounter with kids today, who were bouncing around in the water, knocking beach balls around.  It wasn’t a problem, but I laughed at myself for being a little irritated about the noise and activity, after days of tranquility.  I could hardly get in a good nap.

The sun was bright much of the day, so my hat has been out.  I’m working to avoid sunburn.  There’s no problem around the pool, but the ocean is warmer and fun, and there’s absolutely no shade today.  I picked up a bit of reddish tint, but it doesn’t seem too bad.

At the end of the day, everyone scheduled another trip to the spa for massages.  Judy and I went up to our room and dipped in the pool.  We have a “pool access” room but hadn’t used it because everyone else was down at the ocean, and the nearby pool.   It’s a beautiful setting, and if the others hadn’t been around, we’d have used it more.

 Our room and our access to the pool

My attempt at some “artistic” touches.

Tomorrow is our heading home day.  It’s been a long trip, but we’ve had a blast.  Check-out time is noon, but our airport transport isn’t scheduled until 9:00pm for our 1:00am flight from Phuket to Incheon, South Korea, and then on to DFW.   We finished the day with dinner near the beach.

 Time for dinner

Yesterday, we began to figure out our best “sea day” options.  We like an early breakfast at Blu.  I like to head to Café al Bacio where there’s a nice view, and assorted coffees & teas, and I can catch up with news and sports from home and work on the blog.  I usually like to follow up with some table tennis till I get ready for a late lunch. Back in the room after lunch, I go to work figuring a way to post pictures with really slow internet. Eventually, a nap wins out.

Judy has been experimenting with the Reflections Lounge for her hangout to read and listen to podcasts. There was a little piece of excitement for her today.  The captain had mentioned that we would be meeting someone this afternoon?  Around 3:00pm, the ship began to rapidly slow down and turn.  From Judy’s vantage point, she saw a small boat speed away, toward a larger ship. Several of the guests around Judy said they saw guns being loaded onto our ship?  Guns??  I guess they’re serious about the pirates.  I had also played table tennis with a guy in some type of military security uniform (before the maneuvers).

My conspiracy theory is that the captain was practicing some type of evasive maneuvers.  Apparently we have a fast ship, so out-running the pirates is also in the playbook.  I think the guns were loaded at sea, because it wasn’t allowed in Aqaba.  I wonder if they’ll have to be taken off before we get to Oman?  Oman and the UAE are not friendly with each other right now.  Yemen is totally at war with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.  Lots of geopolitical intrigue these days (mostly in my mind).

Tonight is the first of three “L.O.V.E. nights” (Lights Out Virtually Everywhere).  It’s their creative way to deal with blackout procedures.  The top decks are totally closed.  Curtains are closed in all cabins, restaurants, lounges, etc.  Lights are dimmed everywhere.  The blackout runs from 6:00pm (dusk) to 6:00am.  We are nearing the Gulf of Aden where most of the pirate activity has taken place in the past.  Sudan and Somalia are to our west, and Yemen is to our east as we cruise this section of the Red Sea.

I’ve been able to keep up a little with the Cowboys and Mavericks.  I guess all is well in DFW with recent big wins by both teams.  Of course, since we’re 9 hours ahead, I don’t get the scores until around 6:00am.T

Had a great breakfast and wandered around the grounds of the hotel (Jaypee Palace Hotel) this morning before going out in the city.  It’s a huge hotel complex with gardens and a convention complex.

 Garden outside our roomA few Christmas decorations

Laksme picks us up at 9:00. We pick up Shaym, our guide, on the way. He gives us some of the basic info about the Taj Mahal.  It took 22 years to build from 1631 to 1653.  It was built by the 5^thMughal Emperor Shahjahan in honor of his wife who died during childbirth of their 14^thchild.

We’re driving thru fairly heavy traffic, and suddenly it’s time to get out.  I’m really surprised because it’s seems like we’re in the middle of the city, honking horns, etc.  Every picture of the Taj Mahal I’ve seen had me thinking it was sitting out away from the city in the countryside.

The walk along a peaceful paved road (no traffic) took about 10 minutes, before we arrived at the ticket area and security.  The crowd was active but not overly large.  The lines to get in weren’t long and moved quickly.  Security is heavy with bag and body scanning.  The temperature today is around 65 degrees, and comfortable.  This would be a miserable place in the summer heat with large crowds, but today, it couldn’t be nicer.

Entrance Gate

Our guide has great knowledge about the design and building of the monument.  It’s all marble and all the floral decoration and writing on the gates are inlaid stones.  The amount of delicate work to piece it all together on such a huge building is hard to imagine in this day and age.

 Looking back at the entrance

The advantage of having our own guide is he really knows how and where to go to get the best pictures.  He had us posing all over the property.  He basically took over our camera.  We’ve never had so many pictures of ourselves.  It’s digital overkill.

When we finish, we walk out and climb in a wooden cart to ride out to the edge of the property to our car.  We get great information wherever we go, and our transportation is ready and waiting at the end to whisk us to our next destination.  This is a great way to see India.

We’re delivered to a marble factory to watch some of the local craftsmen as they work to cut and shape pieces of various stones to make the inlaid designs on the building and now, some of their own designs.  We’re told that some of the workers are descendants of the original stone artisans that built the Taj Mahal.

Our next stop is Agra Fort. Yeah, yeah, what’s the big deal? When you get inside it becomes apparent why it’s a big deal.  This fort was built and improved by three different Mughul emperors.  They ruled India during the 15^thand 16^thcentury.  Each emperor put his own architectural signature on the building.  75% of the building is still in use by the Indian Army. Tourists are only allowed in the 25% of the fort where the families lived.  It’s built on a hill above the Yumana River, looking out over the countryside, with a great view of the Taj Mahal in the distance.

 Agra Fort entrance Pavilion where the Moghal rulers held court

 More digital overload

After the fort, we had a chance to eat lunch.  After lunch, we opt to go back to the hotel to relax and enjoy the amenities of the hotel. We’re looking forward to some rest time. We’re moving from city to city so quickly and seeing so much, I can barely keep up with the writing.  The occasional slow internet makes the photo uploads drag.  If I miss a day, it’s hard to catch up, we’re so totally involved in traveling and touring sites.

My sea day routine is settling in.  Enjoying the early breakfast, then tea/coffee in Café al Bacio, followed by table tennis. Had a burger for lunch and time in the room to work on loading pictures to the blog (can’t wait for faster internet). Moved from the room to the Sunset Deck for a beautiful sunset.  There were a few small fishing boats in the area and lots of dolphins playing around them. After a light dinner, we both headed back to Café Bacio for reading, etc., while we listen to an entertaining acoustic duo.  Will probably end up with dessert somewhere.

As Judy and I settled in at Café al Bacio this morning, I could see land on our starboard side, and was reminded what the captain had said about passing through the narrows of Aden. Somalia is off our starboard and Yemen is in view off port as we pass headed south.  The Red Sea doesn’t look that big on a map, but we’ve been sailing over two days from Aqaba, and are just now getting to the Gulf of Aden. Like many other things I’ve experienced in the last few years, I never thought I would be here.  Unreal!

Somalia off our starboard side

Yemen in the distance off port side

Had a message today from the Excursions Office that our short trip Sunday in Abu Dhabi for “High Tea at Jumeirah” has been cancelled (not enough guests).  They gave us an option for another excursion at a 10% discount, so I jumped on it.  Now, Saturday, when we first arrive, we’re going to visit the Grand Mosque at night, then have dinner at the Emirates Palace.  This is a nice substitute.  We’ll get a short visit in Abu Dhabi at night, before our bigger tour during the day on Monday.  Depending on how we feel on Sunday, we could always take the Hop-On Hop-off Bus and get a wider experience of the city.

The Jaypee Palace Hotel was great, except for the slow internet.  I spent too much time waiting on photos to upload, etc.  Met Laksme at 8:30 to begin our drive to Jaipur.  Today will be our last day with a site tour in India. Tomorrow is just the drive from Jaipur to Delhi.

 Traffic, traffic everywhere A Hindu shrine by the roadside.

As we drove, we began to notice more farms and agriculture.  We’re told it’s potatoes, mustard, some wheat, and some rice. Several places I noticed stacks of disks piled up or laid out.  It was cow dung drying out to later be used as fuel for fires..

We also began to see camels more frequently.  Where there was grain being grown, the camels were being used to pull carts hauling the grain to market.  Almost every animal we see is used to pull or haul something.

 Just another camel pulling a grain container

Many of the villages we passed had a centralized area where water was available for bathing.  It’s a common sight to see someone standing at one of these areas taking a bath on a raised platform, 50 ft. from the road.

The highway to Jaipur is mostly 4 lanes, and seems to be new.  The median has flowering plants.  Only as we pass thru the villages does it get dusty, and the traffic stacks up, especially at an intersection.  Even on a big highway like this, cattle can bring traffic to a halt if they get stubborn.  We stopped after two hours at an Indian version of “Stuckey’s” with a restaurant, gift shop, washrooms, and a place to buy snacks.

Jaipur is built in the hills.  As we get close, the road begins to climb.  First stop in Jaipur is lunch at a small restaurant.  After lunch, check-in at the hotel, meet our guide, and by 2:30, we’re driving to the Amber Fort.

We thought the Amber Fort was named for it’s color, but it’s something entirely different.  Shiva, the Hindu goddess of destruction has 1000’s of names.  The most commonly used name during the time the fort was built began with Amber………. (didn’t quite get the whole name), but evolved into Amber.  It had nothing to do with color?

 The drive to the gate

The fort is just another amazing palace built by a Maharajah with lots of money, who spared no expense getting everything he wanted.  There seems to be a lot of that going around 500 to 600 years ago.  The views of the valley below were great!

The drive back down

After the Fort, we had a short picture stop at the Water Palace.  It was built as a summer palace for the obvious reason it would be cooler.

Next stop was a place where we watched a “block printing” exhibition.  It’s an ancient version of screen printing, with anywhere from 3 to 12 different blocks to add colors to a design.  After the colors are added, a dip in a vinegar and water concoction brings out the colors.

Last stop of the day is the Palace of the Winds.  It’s a façade built to resemble a palace.  It has 953 windows with lattice-work designs that allowed royal ladies to observe life on the street below without being seen.  We’re dropped off at the hotel to eat dinner and get ready for our final full day in India.