Posted by: gardner310 | June 1, 2013

Mediterranean Summer 2013

As luck would have it we are back in the Mediterranean for the entire summer on the ms Noordam.  Sales are tough but the ports are as welcoming as ever.  Each one is unique in its own right and if I can’t a tour, I grab my walking shoes and camera, happy to spend hours wandering the streets.  Last year my focus seemed to be windows, doors and laundry.  This year I seem to be drawn more to street scenes and faces, if I can get that close with a few windows and doors still thrown in.  Be prepared.

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Waiting in Alexandria, Egypt

We reached Istanbul after seeing the world it seemed with 3 flights.  Our hotel for the night was out by the airport thus my plans to meet a friend in the city were thwarted this time.  Michael and I wandered down the street to the mall for a bite to eat and found a nice open air cafe on the 4th floor of the mall.  On the way home we passed a number of trucks with their drivers sitting on stools, cooking  in their little kitchens in the bottom of the trucks.  We were invited to dinner and/ or tea by three of them.  Despite their non-existent English and our Turkish being on the same level, the hospitality spoke loud and clear.

Dinner Invitation in Istanbul

Dinner Invitation in Istanbul

Posted by: gardner310 | April 15, 2013

Petra by Night

The optional excursion, Petra at Night, is a personal choice and something to consider. It’s $18 and for me was worth it. You walk a mile downhill to the gorge on gravel/rock path and then through the gorge with its walls of up to 500 feet over more gravel and Roman paving stones in darkness lined with luminaries. It is advisable you have a flashlight and I must say in spots the flashlight could save you a sprained ankle or worse.

Looking up through the opening the walls create you will see the desert skies with billions of stars. It is stunningly beautiful. Viewing the walls and rounded stone I thought it resembled clouds at the top but that is an illusion. The moment the opening to the Treasury is reached the site of hundreds of luminaries on the floor in front of the facade is awe inspiring. The candles are the sole lighting for the performance. There is chanting and flute playing, then a narration by a local. I wish I could tell you what he said but it was difficult to understand. That did not diminish the sight in the least. I took a small tripod and set it low to the ground so the crowd would not hang me but since it was low I shot a lot of heads. The shots are not great but they will let me remember the moment.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 15, 2013

Middle East Magic

Well, I have been to the promised land, at least my promised land. Checked off Petra from my bucket list but I would return anytime.

It lives up to its reputation and more. My photos are but an attempt to catch the flavor and majesty of the site. It is much larger than anticipated. The photo we all see is of the Treasury, the huge facade from the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Indy gets to go inside but there is no inside. Hope I didn’t spoil anything for anyone.

The thing is you walk a mile to get to the Treasury and that is just the start of the site. From there you walk downhill past the theater, possible domiciles and shop areas, past the Royal Tombs on high, the Great Temple to the church and yet another giant wall with chambers. That’s just what has been uncovered. As with most archeological sites, there is much more below the surface than we see. From my hotel, the Petra Guest House, which is at the entrance to the site, you walk 5 miles round trip and that doesn’t count side trips up to the tombs, the great temple, the high place or the 900 plus steps to the monastery. If you did everything in a day your pedometer would max out before you finished.

These shots will give you a glimpse of the wonders.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 10, 2013

It’s the Right Thing to Do

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This husband knows what he should be doing to help his wife in the mosque in Abu Dhabi. What a guy!

Posted by: gardner310 | April 10, 2013

Journey to Jordan

flyDubai is a local low cost airline that flys in the Middle East, in my case from Dubai to Amman. The online process was pretty easy although the payment process was awkward. On the other hand the check in process was a nightmare. It took an hour and a half for them to check in about 20 people. We passed through security quickly and immediately boarded the plane with no time to spare.

Watching the map was fascinating in that all the names that appear in the news were there- Baghdad, Riyadh, Mecca, Kuwait. Still hard to believe I am really here.

We had a walk around the area where the Kempinski hotel is located, found ourselves a local restaurant and enjoyed a lovely dinner highlighted by hummus, tabouli, fresh bread, baba ganoush (sp?) and a lemon mint drink that is becoming a favorite. I must say I’m not impressed with the hotel. Kempinski properties are usually much better than this one. Just an FYI.

The city awaits tomorrow along with Jerash, Petra and Wadi Rum. It will be an exciting week.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 8, 2013

Abu Dhabi Do!

Having endured a real sand storm and RAIN in Dubai last night our tour today was a full day trip to Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE. It rains about 3 days a year in Dubai. It felt like I was back in Chicago during a snow storm with the sand blowing across the road and drivers slowing down.

The morning was still very overcast with sand making everything look an old sepia photograph and the rain mixed with sand on the bus windows made it tough to get a decent shot. Fortunately as we neared Abu Dhabi it stopped raining but we still had the sand in the air to contend with.

Our guide, Robert, was from Germany and excellent! Our first stop was the mosque which looked totally eerie in the light with the sand filling the air. This mosque is the largest in the Arab world and can fit 40,000 in prayer. It is only 5 years old and constructed like the Taj Majal in India with marble inlaid with semi precious stones.

From the mosque we visited Heritage World with its display of artisans and a lovely buffet lunch. It is right on the waterfront looking across to the capital city. The tour bus crossed the bridge to one of the many islands being developed by the sheik into residential and commercial properties. These sheiks have a grand vision and the money to make it a reality. I envy them since in our country try it takes forever to get major infrastructure projects finished. More on that vision in another post.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 7, 2013

Dune Bashing in the Desert

Dune bashing in a 4×4 is way more comfortable than in a dune buggy but not quite as exciting. Still it made for a fun evening in the desert and was followed by a dinner in a Bedouin camp along with some camel riding. Can’t do this in Chicago.

Enroute to the desert we ( group of 6 friends) stopped at the premier camel racing tack in the area. Racing season is over but we did see some camels being trained. Muslims can’t gamble but they can be given gifts so there is a fleet of cars that are given to the winners. Interesting way to solve that little problem. Next stop was the camel ranch in the Al Awir area. This neighborhood is also home to the the country palaces of the royal families. One has his own zoo. Gorgeous homes and magnificent grounds from what we old see from the road.

Camel riding preceded the dinner which was quite good and more than enough food. A belly dancer provided evening entertainment along with a man who I can best describe as a whirling dervish in his dance style. He was moving so fast I couldn’t get a decent photo.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 7, 2013

Modern Dubai

I’m on vacation from my cruise ship job and here for a conference. Holland America does call here periodically and I’d recommend you consider one of those itineraries just to see this city.

This city is 42 years old this year and it is mind boggling to see what’s been built in that time. It is one huge construction. the say if you see a sand area in the city, it just means it isn’t finished yet? Dubai is one of 7 emirates in the UAE, United Arab Emerate, the second largest following Abu Dhabi. Each is run by a sheik and this emirate took off after discovering oil in the late 1960’s. the Maktoum family is the royal family here and have done an amazing job of developing not just the construction but the infrastructure of the society with a huge focus on education.

Our tour took us to see the Burj al Arab hotel, the only 7 star hotel anywhere, the Marina area with its thousands of apartments and restaurants, and the largest mall in the world with 1200 shops. Pick a designer, any designer and they are here. There are amazing malls here that include aquariums, skating rinks and ski slopes.

Some photos here will give you a taste of this amazing city in the desert.

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Posted by: gardner310 | April 7, 2013

Dubai Awaits

Tuesday, April 2, and I’m off to Dubai for the ASTA International Destination Expo. I’ve wanted to see this new city and the IDE provided the perfect reason to go. Adding a week in Jordan to the end of the conference and not sure which destination I am more excited about. First world problem, as the say.

United Airlines flys through Washington where we experienced a 2 hour delay making a 13 hour flight into a 15 hour flight. Thank God for movies and airplane TV.

It’s April 3 and here in my hotel, Crowne Plaza Festival City, I have a view of Dubai Creek and the city skyline with the Burj Khalifi in the distance. This is the tallest tower in the wold- at the moment. What has surprised me is the hazy sky. I thought it was pollution but turns out its the blowing sand. Now that’s a problem we don’t have in Chicago!

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Posted by: gardner310 | February 8, 2013

Half Moon Cay

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#HollandAmerica private island
#wordaweekchallenge#Island

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