I intended to “close out” our China years long before now.  I just couldn’t get motivated, and there were so many “spam” comments (22,000, yeah 22,000) to delete, I couldn’t keep up, so I gave up.  Now that we’re about to head out on another “trip of a lifetime”  (we’ve had so many more than we ever expected), I thought I would try to post some comments and pictures for my mom or anyone else who might be interested

Here’s a summation of our trip/jobs in China.  In the fall of 2012, Judy and I were both mentally fatigued from doing basically the same jobs for over 37/38 years.  We spent 25 years teaching in Clovis, New Mexico, and 12 more in Arlington.  I taught one early year in Friona, TX, before we moved to New Mexico while Judy finished her degree at WTSU.  We enjoyed our careers and had great memories, but were tired of the same grind, and going to work was no longer “fun”.

We realized we were eligible to retire and the challenge of teaching overseas and the allure of travel sounded exciting and reinvigorating.  Our two years in Beijing were exactly that, exciting and reinvigorating. Judy loved the challenge of embracing a new curriculum, but making it fit her teaching strengths.  She met some wonderful people and has been enjoying keeping up with them through emails and WeChat, since we left.

I developed a deep respect for the Chinese students and teachers I worked with, and also made some great expat friends.  I still check in on Josie, the PE teacher at BSHFIC while I was there.  She moved back to El Paso, and helps me keep track of some of the teachers and students I had a chance to work with back in China.

In the three and a half years we’ve been back in the US, our lives have continued to evolve.  Judy’s had one knee replaced, and I’ve had both knees replaced.  We feel great and our health is good.  We have found part-time jobs that have kept us involved in music education.  Judy works with student teachers for Texas Wesleyan University, and I mentor/consult with band programs at six schools for Fort Worth ISD.

We’ve continued to travel extensively, visiting Israel, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. We’re about to embark on a six-week trip that includes a 15-night cruise from Rome through the Suez Canal, time in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, over a week in northern India, and two weeks in northern & southern Thailand.  The time in southern Thailand will be “beach” time spent with some of Judy’s friends from BISS in Beijing.  It’s a bit of a reunion, and we’re looking forward to catching up on everything and everyone.

Our arrival into Muscat isn’t early, so our morning begins like most previous sea days, with a relaxing breakfast.  We watched from our balcony as the ship docked, and then began to move downstairs so we would be in position when the ship is cleared for debarkation.  As we exited the ship, we walked through a terminal building, and lined up to get on a bus to transport us to the port gate (they don’t want a bunch of tourists wandering around a busy port with all the trucks, etc.)

 Port of MuscatThe two big ships (yachts) belong to the Sultan of Oman

At the gate, our driver from Memphis Tours, Mohammad, was waiting for us.  We introduced ourselves as we walked to a 4-wheel drive Toyota SUV and loaded up.  We discussed the day’s schedule as we drove.   Our available time for the tour is 4 ½ hours.  We had originally planned for a longer excursion, but we’ll adjust as we go. Wadi Shabb requires a long walk, some climbing, and then working our way through a cave, so we decide to drop that destination.

The drive out of town is interesting as we check out the city and villages.  The road is a wide (6 lanes) interstate-type freeway.  It climbs and weaves through big hills and mountains.  After an hour, we arrive at a turn-off.  A couple of hundred yards off the main road, our road turns to gravel/dirt, and narrows considerably.  Eventually we’re weaving along a river and the road gets more and more narrow, with steep climbs and descents.  There are scattered villages and farms as we go.  This is a rough place to try and grow a crop, much less make a living farming. Four-wheel drive is a necessity in much of the way.

We arrive at Al Arbaeen 30 minutes later.  The drive in was dramatic.  It’s what I would call an oasis, with a small lake, wedged in between the rugged hills and mountains. There are areas where families and groups are camped or cooking. Several swimmers are enjoying the cool water (the sun is hot).  Our driver tells us the water comes from the humidity in clouds on the surrounding mountains and finds it’s way downhill.

I never dreamed I would have the chance to go “off-road” in the mountains of Oman with an Omani guide. Unbelievable!

We depart, taking another road out of the area.  This one seems to follow the riverbed, as it flows to the ocean.  We’re in and out of water-crossings, as we go.  Eventually, we make it to the coast, checking out the really long open beaches.

Our driver pulls into the Hawiyat Hajm (Sink Hole) Park.  We walk in and, sure enough, find a huge sinkhole with water.  There are stairs to the bottom, and swimmers.  We even watched a few brave souls jump from the cliff above.  I checked it out later with “Travel Advisor”.  It said not to make it a destination, but stop if you’re close (and we were).

We began to head back to the city.  We stopped at Quiriyat, a fishing village near the road, just checking out some of the local “color”.  Back in Muscat, we had some time and toured around the city proper.  I had asked to driver to take me by a Starbucks so I could get a souvenir mug.  After my purchase, we made our way back to the ship, in plenty of time to catch our shuttle to the ship.

Homes on the roadside

 Quiriyat – fishing village Muscat Corniche beach area One of the local mosques

I’m constantly evaluating the quality of the tours we’re taking, comparing them to other options. Most of the guests on the ship we talked to were headed into town to shop at the Suok (old style market). Others were busing or taking taxis to the important sites, but as it turns out, because it’s Friday, not much is open.  I felt like we had a really interesting trip to remote area not heavily travelled.  I would recommend this trip to anyone looking for a “different” excursion in Muscat.  It might have even been more interesting if we’d had enough time to get to Wadi Shabb.

Pulling out of the port

We’ve got nothing scheduled for today except seeing the area around our hotel.  We have breakfast in the Club Lounge at 6:30, then returned to the room to shower, catch up on loose ends, and take a closer look at the rest of the week.  Talked to several family members back home via Facetime.

 Views from our room.  There was light rain falling, but it cleared up later

We head out around noon 11:00.  There seem to be lots of malls in the near vicinity.  Sure enough, we found a huge one, Central World, and began exploring. The concierge at the hotel mentioned she kept getting lost in this one and I can see why.  Nine floors, and so many branches make it tough to keep our bearings.

Ready, Set, Go!

 It’s a small Christmas park built outside the mall.

This is a very different looking cake.

A buddhist shrine on the street

We started back to the hotel around 3:00.  High tea is being served in the Club Lounge, and we don’t want to miss free food. It’s a nice place to sit and enjoy the view of the city below.  Around 4:30 we went down to a massage clinic next door for a foot massage. Aaahhhhhh!  Cheap and relaxing.

Christmas tree in our hotel lobby.

After the massage, we went back up to the Club Lounge for Happy Hour.  We’re getting our money’s worth!  We finished the evening prepping for our tour tomorrow.  We’re being picked up at 7:00 am.  It’s gonna be a long day, but interesting.

We started the tedious job of actually putting stuff in the suitcases today.  Six weeks is a long time for clothes planning.  Several nights on the cruise are “chic” nights. To get into some of the restaurants they request guests dress up somewhat.  Of course, everyone has their own opinion of what that means.  For us, we’re shooting for a business casual look. Also, we eat in “Blu”, a specialized restaurant open only to Aqua Class guests, and it requires long pants and collared shirts as a minimum, already.  No shorts, t-shirts allowed, so this dictates packing clothes that can meet this minimum.

In an effort to reduce packing bulk and weight, we’re sticking with a just a few colors in clothing. For me that’s black or dark grey slacks, blue jeans for tours excursions, and navy or black shorts for the warm weather activities.  It also helps us limit our shoe choices.  I’m taking one pair of black dress shoes for slacks, etc.  I’ve also got sport shoes for touring in jeans or shorts, and sandals for the beach week and around the ship in the warmer weather.  I’ve got a few dress shirts for looking nice on the ship. I’ve also packed polos and button-down shirts for warmer weather and casual wear.  I have one sweater and a light jacket for layering when the weather is cooler in Sicily, Athens, and Petra.

Clothes selection, final condo prep, financial details check, and making sure we have all our paperwork fill up the rest of the day.  Finally the suitcases are packed enough to weigh, and begin the final adjustments to what is going where.  For us, limiting our bags to one checked bag and one roll-a-board each, is a challenge. At the same time we’re trying to stay below the 50 lbs. weight limit on the large bag.  Six weeks is a long time to cram into just a few bags.

SUCCESS!  We made the weight.  We’re close to the limits, but have extra room in our roll-a-boards if needed. We get to bed at a decent time, and sleep well, knowing we’re packed and ready.P

Today almost seems like a sea day, since the ship isn’t scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi until 4:00. We eat at our regular time and bounce around the ship looking for the perfect place to read or write.  Finally, around 3:00, we start getting ready for our excursion this evening to the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, followed by dinner at the Emirates Hotel.  For Judy, getting dressed to visit a mosque creates more questions than answers.  All skin must be covered, except the face. Women are not allowed in without a headscarf.  It’s been a hot day, so what can she wear that covers everything that won’t be stifling?

Abu Dhabi on the horizon

Another interesting thing about this cruise has been the immigration process.  When we boarded in Rome, Celebrity kept our passports.  Last night, we had to collect our passports in assigned places.  This afternoon, when we arrive in Abu Dhabi, everyone on the ship has to get off and go through a face-to-face immigration check.  The Abu Dhabi officials kept our passports.  Tomorrow morning, we have assigned areas where we pick up our passports again, this time with visa stamps from Abu Dhabi.  For the ship, handling all the varied disembarkations would be a nightmare.  There are people leaving the ship permanently beginning this afternoon, all the way until Monday morning.

Since we’re part of a Celebrity excursion this evening, we have our own immigration line to pass through quickly.  We board our bus and start the drive to the Grand Mosque.  As we drive up, it’s an impressive sight.  The complex is huge, with roads and parking to handle the 50,000 worshipers they say they can accommodate at any given time.  When we get off the bus, the women are reminded about their headscarves (no shorts or sleeveless shirts for men).  As we near an entry gate, there are security personnel checking the dress code.  One woman in our group didn’t have sleeves that covered her wrist, and was held back until the guides were able to provide a pullover to meet the requirements. They had told us very clearly – no ankles or wrists showing.

The Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque was beyond impressive.  I don’t have enough adjectives to describe the beauty and impressive size and opulence. Under the lights, it’s even more so. I think I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

First view.  Wow!

Shoes removed before we are allowed to go inside.

After the mosque, we drove to the Emirates Hotel.  It’s the official hotel used by the UAE to house visiting royalty.  With the Formula One World Championships in town, there special visitors in town.  The hotel drive-up is jammed with lots of upscale vehicles.  We get off the bus and make our way to the restaurant.  The hotel is huge as we walk thru.  The Arabic food is great, even though there are several items we’re not sure of their origin.  That’s part of the fun!

One of 5 Rolls Royce cars in the parking area.

Back at the ship later, we work on our plans for tomorrow, and how, and if we want to go into the city. With an Abu Dhabi tour on Monday, we we’ve about decided to “low key” the day, while we get ready for the next two weeks in Dubai and India.

We have a 7:00am departure so we’re up early, eating breakfast in the club lounge.  It’s on our floor, only a few doors away, and very convenient.  We meet our guide, Boe, and load into our van.  We’re headed to the Railway Market, a famous town market where vendors set-up on the railroad tracks, hurriedly rolling their stuff to the side when the trains pull in  (seven times a day).  He tells us our drive will be 90 minutes, depending on traffic.  Due to the holiday, traffic is light.  Boe advises us we’re early, and can board the first train about 70km out of the market and ride it in, instead of waiting at the market for it to arrive.

 Waiting for the train.The train pulling in.

It was a great idea. We stopped at an early train stop, waited about 10 minutes, and boarded when it arrived.  The short ride on the Thai train was interesting.

When we arrived at the station, people were jammed everywhere watching the train pull in.  Vendors were everywhere on both sides of the tracks, as well as customers. As soon as the train pulled away, the vendors pushed theirs carts out over the tracks (some had devised small track systems to move quickly).  The vendors also had canopies that pulled back when the train arrived.  After the train passed, they would be pulled out over the booth area providing shade.  All kinds of foods & market items were being sold.  We walked the tracks for a hundred yards or so, then moved down an alley into the regular part of the town.

Check out the canopies that fold out to cover the market booths How about a little beef (or pork)?

Our driver drove up, and we headed for the floating markets.  He takes us to a boarding area where we board a “long-tail boat”.  It’s a long narrow boat with a large engine, attached to a long shaft with a propeller at the end.  Check out the pictures.

There are several floating markets in the area, but this one is supposedly the original.  We start off cruising through a residential area, with families eating, cooking, and cleaning right next to the canal.  We eventually transitioned into the market area, and it’s definitely unique. Everything seems to be for sale – foods, souvenirs, clothes, various creatures for pictures, and too many other things to list.  It’s so entertaining!

Residents buying from the boats that come by.

Chopping up something for dinner.

Coconut ice cream

.

Green sweet sticky rice on top of the ice cream, garnished with an orchid.

Coconut bowl.

Check out the bats pinned in the frames.

Cooking some barbecue.

Want something to take your picture with.  Maybe a Tarsier (look it up)?Or a python?

Rush hour on the canal!

When we eventually climbed out of the boat, we made a tour through the local land-based market.  Our driver met us as we came out to the parking lot.  He moved us to a different, much quieter river market.  We didn’t board a boat at this one, but walked the boardwalk with lots of shops and foods.  I had a chance to try some traditional Thai coffee.  Super strong and thick!

We exited this market at the Rama Memorial Park, built in honor of Rama II, the 2^nd king of the Thai Bangkok era (early 1800’s).  It was a museum with homes and displays built to exhibit traditional Thai homes of that era.  It was a nice quiet park built on the rivers edge.  After our walk through the park, we boarded a boat and headed down river to a local Buddhist temple.  It’s a small temple that’s been swallowed by a Banyan tree.

The Banyan tree is winning this battle.

Inside the temple

After the temple we drove to a riverside café where our guide ordered several traditional Thai dishes. We enjoy Thai food, but it was nice to hear an explanation of the foods from a local.

Checking out the “heat level”.

After lunch we made the trip back to Bangkok.  It was a much longer trip back to town.  Everyone who was out of town for the holiday is heading back into town and the roads are jammed.  Back at the Renaissance, we had nice long rest, and some dinner in the club lounge.

Bangkok is rockin’ at night!

Around 7:00 we headed out to walk to one of the local night markets.  Downtown Bangkok is a flurry of cars, people and noise.  It’s fun to check it out (for a short time) before heading back to the hotel and getting ready for tomorrow.

SATURDAY, 6/6/15

Today’s plan is to begin the sorting of clothes. We need to make the final decision on what is actually going into our suitcases, and what will be shipped. It’s certainly easier for me than for Judy. Cambodia and Thailand involve mostly summer touring clothes and beachwear. The cruise complicates things because of the need to have a few nicer clothes for dinnertime and the evening shows.

We do get a nice break in the evening. Alexis, one of Judy’s closest friends at BISS and her husband Scott are celebrating 15 years of being together. They dated long distance for 6 years (New York/Chicago, China/Chicago, Spain/Washington DC, then DC/China, and several other variations) before marrying. She’s been at BISS for 5 years, and he’s a screen-writer and novelist (as well as a “trailing spouse” like me).

They had a party at their apartment for several of the BISS faculty. As with so many of these get-togethers, I’m amazed at the variety of countries and cultures represented.

SUNDAY, 6/7/15

There was still some more packing planning and moving stuff around, separating the suitcase stuff from the shipping stuff. Judy had an appointment with several of her friends for a visit to Lily Nails. I decided to head over to the TT park for a workout. We got into another doubles match, and I played with several different partners. Someone went over to a nearby store and brought back some ice cream bars. I keep thinking back to what I thought two years ago I would be doing in Beijing. It wasn’t sitting around eating ice cream and playing table tennis with the locals. If I could speak a little Chinese, I’d be a real member of the group, but language is still a struggle between us.

Back at the apartment later, Judy and I scrambled to get ready to meet James and Erica for dinner. James is Canadian, and Erica is from Korea. They’re summer plans included Singapore, Bali, and eventually East Timor, before they travel to their homes for visits before returning in August to Beijing.

What a great evening with James & Erica at TRB!

They took us to “Temple Restaurant Beijing”, or TRB. They had a driver arranged who picked us up, and delivered us to the restaurant. We traveled down several back alleys and eventually arrived at a dead-end where the restaurant had been remodeled out of a courtyard hutong. It was gorgeous, with an art gallery and some interesting art objects in the outer courtyard. Inside, the restaurant was the nicest we’ve visited in our time here in Beijing. The service was impeccable! The food was great, with several courses, and more “samples” brought out from the kitchen than you can imagine. We ordered some desserts to share, but they kept bringing us samples of some of the specialties and then there was a dessert “wagon” with several other items for us to sample. As we left, they handed each of us a small box containing a mug with TRB emblazoned on it. A gift for eating at the restaurant? I’ve never had that before. I wish we’d found this restaurant earlier in our stay here. It’s an experience not to be missed.

We started the tedious job of actually putting stuff in the suitcases today.  Six weeks is a long time for clothes planning.  Several nights on the cruise are “chic” nights. To get into some of the restaurants they request guests dress up somewhat.  Of course, everyone has their own opinion of what that means.  For us, we’re shooting for a business casual look. Also, we eat in “Blu”, a specialized restaurant open only to Aqua Class guests, and it requires long pants and collared shirts as a minimum, already.  No shorts, t-shirts allowed, so this dictates packing clothes that can meet this minimum.

In an effort to reduce packing bulk and weight, we’re sticking with a just a few colors in clothing. For me that’s black or dark grey slacks, blue jeans for tours excursions, and navy or black shorts for the warm weather activities.  It also helps us limit our shoe choices.  I’m taking one pair of black dress shoes for slacks, etc.  I’ve also got sport shoes for touring in jeans or shorts, and sandals for the beach week and around the ship in the warmer weather.  I’ve got a few dress shirts for looking nice on the ship. I’ve also packed polos and button-down shirts for warmer weather and casual wear.  I have one sweater and a light jacket for layering when the weather is cooler in Sicily, Athens, and Petra.

Clothes selection, final condo prep, financial details check, and making sure we have all our paperwork fill up the rest of the day.  Finally the suitcases are packed enough to weigh, and begin the final adjustments to what is going where.  For us, limiting our bags to one checked bag and one roll-a-board each, is a challenge. At the same time we’re trying to stay below the 50 lbs. weight limit on the large bag.  Six weeks is a long time to cram into just a few bags.

SUCCESS!  We made the weight.  We’re close to the limits, but have extra room in our roll-a-boards if needed. We get to bed at a decent time, and sleep well, knowing we’re packed and ready.

The first thing we heard this morning at 5:15am were morning prayers being chanted/sung all over the city. We could hear it easily on the ship. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. It’s a unique sound and definitely adds to the sense of exotic we run into everywhere we go.

We split up our activities this morning for a while.  Judy has a hair appointment.  My first job (after breakfast of course) is to go pick up our passports at our assigned spot.  After passports, I went to Café al Bacio to work and kill time until I could talk to the Future Excursions people.  I’m working on a possible change of our room for our Alaska cruise in May.  We currently have a suite, but since we’ve learned to live comfortably in our Aqua Class cabin, we’re going to try and shift from our Suite to Aqua.  The Alaska cruise also has lots fewer sea days, so we’re going to be out of the room for excursions lots of days.

I’ve also been trying to arrange an appointment with the Excursions Director.  I can save 10% on our Alaska excursions, if I book them on board now.  Wasn’t planning to make these decisions so early, but I can always change them.

Judy and I meet up around 10:00am and exit the ship.  We boarded a shuttle bus for the World Trade Center (WTC).  There’s a big modern mall, but also a traditional souk, with some of the traditional Arabian items for sale.  I can hardly wait to do some bargaining with the vendors.  After spending a couple of hours and making a few purchases, we catch the shuttle back to the ship.  We cleaned up, did some packing, and eventually went down to Café al Bacio for our afternoon tea.

Judy’s view on the shuttle bus (that’s me)

Lunch at a mall Kabob cafe

They can put a lot of people on these little shuttle buses.  Fold down seats fill the aisles.  Hope we don’t have a fender bender.

Judy’s idea of fun….taking my picture as I tried to climb out of the front seat (over the transmission hump).  There’s no door for the front seat passenger?

I finally had a chance to meet with the Excursions Director, and set-up three excusions for our Alaska trip. I went back to the cabin to do some blog work, while Judy went walking around the deck.   She came in talking about the rain.  What?  It’s raining in Abu Dhabi?  Everyone’s probably excited, except it’s going to interfere with the big Formula One Championships.  I’m curious to hear how it goes.

We eat dinner in Blu and head back to the cabin.  As we finalize our packing (luggage has to be in the hall by 10:00pm), I spend time going over finances and making sure all the bills back home are caught up and credited correctly.  We’re scheduled to disembark around 7:30am.  Gotta get to bed so I don’t sleep thru breakfast.

After breakfast, we met Boe and our driver at 8:00am, and made the short drive to the Grand Palace. We arrived just before the 8:30 opening, giving Boe the chance to give us some of the basic info about the Grand Palace.  It’s easy to lose track of which king built what (10 kings since 1882), but I believe it was built by Rama II, the second king of the Bangkok era.

About to enter the Grand Palace.

I can’t imagine anything being more gilded than these temples and shrines.  The Thai people love gold leaf.  Everywhere, gold, gold, gold!  Beautiful buildings with elaborate architecture and it all seems to relate to beliefs and the mythology of the beliefs (as they said).  Along the interior walls surrounding the temple area are 178 murals depicting the history of Thailand since 1782 to now.  It doesn’t sound like much till you see them, with all the intricate drawing and gold leaf.

 Wall mural samples

After the Grand Palace, we took a short ride to Wat Pho, the largest Buddhist Temple in Thailand and the home of the Reclining Buddha.  It’s huge, as you can see from the photos.  While we were in the Temple, we heard singing and came upon a singing contest with small student groups from schools all over Thailand.  There were judges and everything.  It made me feel right at home.  There were also groups warming up in various places around the temple. There was music everywhere!

Student singing contest with judges

 A scale model of Angor Wat.

Judy standing next to her birthday Buddha.  Our guide looked up the day of her birth (Monday), and she was able to put some gold leaf on her own Buddha.  Each day of the week had it’s own Buddha.

 The reclining Buddha

After the temple, we were dropped at the Bangkok Flower Market.  It’s a 24-hour facility with workers hauling lots of flowers, plants, vegetables, and herbs all over the building.  This is the only wholesale site for these items so it’s really busy.

 OrchidsLots of Thai pepper heat!

A few blocks from the Flower Market, we arrived at the river “Chao Phraya”.  It’s the main river of Bangkok, with boats and ferries everywhere. A steady stream of huge barges tied together were pulled and pushed through this segment of the river as we watched.

 Chao PhrayaBig barges

Lunch was good, with a few different Thai dishes picked out by Boe.  It’s hot and humid today, and the air-conditioning feels really good. We took our time finishing.  After lunch, we went down to the pier and boarded our own long-tail boat for a ride across the river to Thonburi, the ancient capital of Thailand.

Lots of chop as we cross the Chao Phraya.

A large variety of residences line these canals.  As we entered the residence canal area from the river, there was a set of locks where we waited as the water level was brought up to match the canal. (The river level was down slightly)  As we cruised through the canals, we had an occasional stop to visit some different temples.

Boe told us yesterday that water monitors were very prevalent in Thailand.  He showed us some “water monitor” key chains and large stuffed animals in the markets.  We saw some big ones today that weren’t stuffed.  They’re big, but apparently not aggressive unless harassed.  They like to climb up on the docks along the canals and sun themselves.

After the last temple stop, we caught a ferry back across the river to Bangkok, near the Grand Palace, and boarded our car back to the hotel.  We’ve had two amazing days of activities and sights.  I’m glad we were finally able to visit the city of Bangkok, and not just the airport as we flew thru headed to other destinations.