Regent Seven Seas Voyager's 2011 World Cruise: Gotta Love Luxor!

Day 127 of 145

I’m back! Actually, I haven’t been away but the world cruise is winding down and there is a lot to do in order to make the voyage finish big – just like a symphony! But more on that later…

Luxor Temple from the street. Across the street is the bank of the Nile where countless numbers of the Nile River cruise boats were anchored because tourism dropped off.

We are now back in the “Med” but the last several days have been especially wonderful for our guests! In Safaga, Egypt I had to stay on board and “mind the store” but Dana was asked to escort a group of 80 guests on an overland to Luxor and then to Cairo.

The Magnificent entrance to the Luxor Temple.

A closer look at the entrance.

Many others did a one day trip into Luxor, but that’s a very long day and I don’t recommend that. Quite a few others and not nearly as many as I would have thought, did the overnight to Luxor and then returned to Seven Seas Voyager the following day which is definitely what I recommend as it’s a long way to travel and there is so much to see!

The desolate "moonscape" dessert on the way to Luxor.

There are several police checkpoints along the way and busses travel ina caravan. This is nothing new.

Even the children were hapy to see the return of some travelers.

Luxor is one of the most amazing places to visit in this great world! I simply love it and am always amazed by it!

The hand chiseled details are everywhere in these temples that were covered 3000-4000 years ago!

Two years ago I painted our porch and this summer it will have to be done again. these colors remain from maybe 3000 years ago!

All this is so much more incredible in real life. Its beyond accurate description.

Situated on the Nile, on the near side you have the Luxor Temple which was pretty much buried in silt from the centuries of flooding of the river, which was one of the reasons for the building of the Aswan Dam.

These Sphinx-like statues once lined the several kilometer path that once connected the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple. As a result of Nile flooding most of these have been covered in silt for who knows how many centuries. However, they are slowly being excavated and someday this path between the two will be repaired.

The entrance to Karnak Temple. Only one fourth of this temple, which has four quarter has been excavated!

Then, just a couple miles down the road from there is the far bigger, but equally amazing, Karnak Temple. Across the Nile is what is known as the Valley of the Kings where the Egyptian kings, including Tutankhamun, were buried below its stark rolling hills.

From the hotel across the Nile to the Valley of the Kings.

Dana wanted to do a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over valley of the Kings, but was not able to. I was fortunate and took advantage of that opportunity a few years ago.

The overland was put together after our itinerary was changed a while back due to the “revolution” (as they call it) in Cairo.

Many solid granite obelisks were cut far up the Nile and were then floated down the river to Luxor. Some of these never made it in one piece. How they cut them and floated them down river is one thing, how they set the perfectly upright and remained that way for thousands of years is another!

As for these pillars, one of the temples has 66 of them alone. How did they achieve this. They think they have a pretty good idea but the experts are not completely sure.

 Later Cairo and the Pyramids was reinstated but in the form of and overland trip where the guests would leave the second day of Safaga (Luxor) and rejoin the vessel in Port Said, located on the Mediterranean side of the Suez Canal.

 

What struck Dana and our guests most were two things. First, there is a very cautious optimism for the future amongst the locals. They really want government corruption gone freely talked about their “Revolution”. The majority of Egyptians are under the age of 20 and these people now have a legitimate chance for a better future, but only time will tell what their countrymen do with this opportunity.

The view from the Four Seasons Hotel on the Nile in downtown Cairo close to Tahrir Square.

Second, the tourist sites were empty! Hotels were empty! Airports were empty! Sites that would normally attract thousands of visitors a day has been reduced to a mere trickle. Tourists are still staying away, especially Americans, even though our State Department has removed the travel warning for Egypt.

Left, you see the big government building that was set ablaze and was seen on the news during the height of the demonstrations. The other building is the Cairo museum where the antiquities of the Pharos are kept. Fortunately nothing was damaged.

Obviously, not having tourists in town makes the struggle for economic survival very difficult for every business that is affected by the tourism industry. A television crew even came down to Port Said to film our ship, I guess because our being there, alone, was newsworthy. Our guests were so glad they went and felt so welcomed by the people!

 

They saw the most incredible sites with unparalleled history. Seven Seas Voyager returns here in the fall and I hope our ships are full and so do the Egyptians! This is, again, one of the world’s must see destinations and the fall itineraries could not be more exciting!

Unfortunately, our current work schedule does not call for us to be here then – we’d sure love to be!  Hope you enjoyed a few of Dana's photos.

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111128/Itinerary.aspx

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY120330/Itinerary.aspx

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Regent Seven Seas Voyager's 2011 World Cruise: Perfect Petra!

Day 119 of 145

Aqaba, Jordan (right) is connected to Eilat, Israel (left).

Petra is perfect! Regent Seven Seas Voyager called at Aqaba, Jordan on the 2011 World Cruise and I was fortunate to be able to escort a trip up to this great site which the locals were touting as one of the “New Seven Wonders” of the world in 2007. I agree.

However, having now gone online to view the complete list I can’t believe that Luxor, Egypt (our next stop) and the Pyramids of Giza did not make the cut! Incredible! Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer) statue and the Pyramids of Chichenitza did? These sites are nice to see but in no way compare, in my humble opinion. Therefore, I demand a recount! Reportedly many millions of people voted these in…Well, maybe I’ll share more thoughts on this at another time.

Back to Petra. The ride from Aqaba to Petra is just over two hours but an interesting ride. Now, granted you are pretty much viewing the dessert but the dessert is both desolate and beautiful.

 Along the way can also see Bedouins, these nomadic people who relocate their giant tent and family four times a year. People who are descendents of these people but are no longer living the lifestyle can send their kids to Bedouin camps in the summer to experience the life that their ancestors once lived.

Next along the way you climb a few thousand feet in elevation where you begin to see what is called Wadi Musa which is translated to the Canyon of Moses. It is believed that Moses and his people did pass through this vast area and that one of the sons of Moses, Aaron, has his tomb located on a mountain which can be seen in the distance.

Once at the site of Petra, below the Village of Wadi Musa, you have to decend about 2 kilometers down to the site. You can walk, take a horse drawn cart or go on horseback. We chose horseback. After one kilometer on hard packed sand you arrive at the siq, or the narrow gorge that you must then pass through.

The gorge is amazing with its natural rock structures rising as couple hundred meters straight out of the ground creating a path that is often only 15-20 feet wide. The path was paved by the Roman’s after they arrived in 106 AD during the reign of Emperor Trajan.

Most of that has been paved over but there are still places where the original road can be seen. Then, all of a sudden the real magic begins when you come to the end of the gorge where you are able to catch your first glimpse of al-Khazneh which is commonly referred to as “The Treasury.”

It got it’s name from raiders who passed through here in the early 1900’s when early raiders arrived and thought that maybe there may be a cashe of gems or gold possibly hidden in the urn that sits atop the structure. It is easy to see the bullet marks that remain from that. This structure was also featured in Indiana Jones “Last Crusade.”

The Nabataean people who were also nomadic and are the ones that get credited for establishing Petra around 300 BC. Evidently they found it and decided not to leave. It flourished for a few centuries as the camel trading caravans would pass nearby and they would conduct raids to. plunder them. Later, they changed their tactic and instituted a toll and in return would promise safe passage that made them prosper even more.

What they did was to carve out tombs, temples, funerary halls etc., out of the soft limestone that is made up of stunning red, orange, yellow and blue rock. Petra, by the way, is translated to “The Rock” which is the  Grecco Roman name. The fist inhabitants called it “Rekem” which has the same meaning.

When the Romans came they certainly added to the rock carving and even built a 3000 person amphitheater. Although Petra became the “lost city” after it disappeared from the historical records after 750 AD until 1812 AD when the first European made it to the site and returned alive (there is a great story about this: search “Account of Burkhart's discovery of Petra”).

A couple of us rented donkeys for a 40 minute trip up a mountain to view another temple called “The Monastery” which is called this because during the Byzantium period this was used as a Christian church.

The Christians came after 324 AD when the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the official religion of Rome. Though we had to hustle up and back it was well worth the trip and both the temple and views were stunning.

This was my third visit and should the opportunity arise I would make the trek again! Our guests expressed that they were thrilled and amazed as they dined at a delicious lunch served at the nearby Movenpick hotel at the end of their journey before heading back to the Seven Seas Voyager.

"The Monestary" located high atop Petra. There is even a nice cafe there.

There is a lot more in depth history about this site on the Internet. Our vessel returns here twice in the fall and the itinerary is absolutely amazing!  Petra is a must see destination and the way to see it is by ship.

Check out Regent's fall itinerary here. Tell your travel agent..."Jamie sent me!"

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111029/Itinerary.aspx

http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY111112/Itinerary.aspx

Jamie Logan, Cruise Director

Regent's Seven Seas Voyager's 2011 World Cruise: Hello and Goodbye Dubai!

Day 114 of 145

Hello and Good-bye Dubai!

 As we ended Segment 4 and began Segment 5 of our World Cruise, Dubai seemed to come and go in a flash and we were only able to enjoy it as a distant view from the harbor. The famed QE2 also sits here in port, looking very lonely, as it has been about three years now since it began waiting to see if there will be a next chapter of her life.

Locals say the QE2 is still destined to be relocated to the Palm Island’s hotel district and become another floating hotel and museum like her predecessor the Queen Mary. The Palm is the world's largest artificial island known and also Dubai’s most exclusive residential area. Though, it is being reported that some of these spectacular homes are being flooded due some sinking sand. The QE2 project is on hold due to the terrible economy and there are those who are doubting it will ever become a floating hotel. 

I look out from deck 12 and compare Dubai to the last time we were here two years ago. Back then the skyline was filled with the world’s largest cranes as magnificent buildings were going up everywhere. Now many of these buildings are completed but are sitting empty. Today’s skyline still has cranes, but far, far fewer and those that still remain are idle. Maybe it was cheaper for the construction companies just to leave them there? What really does stick out is the Burj Khalifa, now completed.

 It was to be named Burj Dubai but after Sheik Khalifa bailed them out of their financial crisis they changed its name. Now it is named for the current President of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s neighboring state and is currently the tallest building in the world. Many of our guests paid the $30 USD to take an incredible one minute ride to the buildings viewing center near the top. Actually, there are quite a few more floors of living space even above the viewing center which must be an incredible place to live! The views were, of course sensational, even on a hazy day like it was this day. Lots of sand was in the air!

The Royal yacht of of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Several of our former crew members are working there.

 Now we have stopped at Muscat and Salalah Oman and are ready for four days at sea as we get ready to sail through the pirated infested Gulf of Yemen, located between the Horn of Africa and pass through Devil’s Gate, the narrow entrance to the Red Sea.

Lots more fun to come!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Regent Seven Seas Voyager Bids Farewell to Sri Lanka and India on the 2011 World Cruise

Day 103 of 145. 

India and Sri Lanka, among others, are great places to visit but as I remind my guests these are not the "usual" destinations for tourists, they are the destinations for travelers. 

Dana and Lilly - one of our lovely guests - dressed in their Indian attire.

 Tourists visit places that get millions of visitors and everyday the same travel scenarios get repeated over and over again, normally, right down to the well rehearsed and delivered scripts of the guides. Now, don’t get me wrong there is certainly nothing wrong with being a tourist because there are times when I am one as well.

Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai's public laundry.

But when you travel to remote places like these that do not get an overabundance of western visitors and where the local people also don’t share in a western way of thinking, you need to be a “traveler.”  Over the years I have often witnessed people getting all upset with things “tourists” hang on to and travelers can just let go. 

India Gate in Mumbai. Built by the British where they came ashore.

 So, rather than let things upset me in these out of the ordinary places, I just go ashore with the mindset of a traveler and nothing usually bothers me…

There are so many things that can potentially upset us…

• The port is dirty and locals have never heard of wastepaper baskets. 
• The local food consumed in that country doesn’t taste as nearly good as it does in the same enthic restaurant located our home town.
• The air conditioning doesn’t work, but the locals say it does, except that its “natural air.” 
• The microphone on the tour bus sounds scratchy and the volume isn’t right, but it doesn’t matter because the guide’s accent is so thick you can't understand them anyway.
• The guide insists that you meet his cousin who happens to own three shops in town.
• The taxi driver says he speaks English but really only knows the words “Twenty dollars” and he really has no idea where you want to go. 
• The Customs and Immigration Officers are obsessed with stamping forms you must fill out correctly and carry with you but they know you'll never ever need once you step ashore....

The Chinese Fishing Nets of Cochin. Other than China, this is the only place you will see these. Brought in the 1400's.

Chennai (Madras) doesn’t get many cruise ships, so they say. Judging by their methods for clearing the ship for guests to go ashore I can see a good part of the reason. There methods would never work with a ship carrying more than a thousand passengers. We had to arrange two full face to face immigration inspections. One for arriving and one for departing. Then each guest had to carry their passport AND also a copy of it , plus each guest had to fill out an Indian arrival card and a departure card. If that weren't enough each had to complete a customs form that that could only be stamped by the one guy at the gangway (Actually I stepped in and was helping him with the task because he was too slow). Guests had to carry this form and declare how many cameras, video cameras, jewelry, cell phones etc.  they were carrying. These authorities litterally drove our Pursers crazy!  But despite all this is, none of it got any of us mad, because this is all part of being a “traveler” rather than a “tourist” and appreciating this chaos for what it is – part of their culture. Everything they had our guests (or Pursers) do made absolutely no sense to us, but made perfect sense to them!  That, to me, is just one more reason why we all just don’t stay home. Were all the hassles worth it? Absolutely!

Sri Lanka was quite interesting for our guests. I went on a tour in the little town of  Trincomalee.  We were the first cruise ship to visit there since the civil war began (which is now over) 30 years ago!  It was a really simple tour but really great!  Just great!  These people were so happy to have us visit too. 

Dana did an all day tour and took the camera.  I only shot video of my excursion. She loved her trip but didn’t shoot much. She did, however,  take a couple nice shots of some very old Buddhas cut out of stone.

We were supposed to stop in a place called Galle, Sri Lanka.  This small city was almost wiped off the map with the 2004 tsunami – 4500 in town died. The weather was bad and we couldn’t tender in which was disappointing. We all would have liked to have shown them some support.  The locals say that since that tsunami the weather patterns have been completely off.  The monsoon rains we experienced, they said, came atleast one month early.

We spent an Easter Sunday in Columbo, Sri Lanka and the locals welcomed us warmly. Easter services were held in the evening due to an early day of touring.

Our final Indian stop was Cochin, a favorite place of mine. We were able to shoot a Jamie’s Journey in Chennai and also here. Thanks to our Broadcast Manager Matthew’s good shooting and editing the Chennai one came out very good and the Cochin video will take a bit more time.

We loved being back in Cochin!  The first day Dana and I hopped a tuk tuk (again) for two hours of sightseeing.  We saw some of our favorite spots and some new places as we staked out our plan for shooting for the next day.

The sign at the entrance to Synagogue Lane (in Jew Town) which has the only one in the city. At one time thousands of Jewish traders lived in Cochin, now only 20 remain and they live on the street. Look at the windows and what do you see? The Swastika is actually a Hindu symbol meaning "Good Luck." Hitler took that symbol and turned it into his symbol for evil.

Cochin is really a number of small villages that have been absorbed by the growth of the city over the years and that has enabled the city to retain its intimacy. The boat tours of the backwaters, which we did not get to this year, is a most wonderful and interesting trip that our guests truly enjoyed.

Now it's on to Arabia!

This sign is in Cochin and is how the locals refer to their state of Kerala.

Goodbye India and Sri Lanka.  It was great fun!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan

Regent Seven Seas Voyager's 2011 World Cruise: Where Were You?

Day 102 of 145.

September 11th 2001 we were on Seven Seas Voyager Navigator in Casablanca, Morocco when the news of the attack came through. We had rust returned from the Arab market and the entire day was eerie for me from start to finish.

This time we are in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates when the news came through just before 7:00am. I had been awake since 6:00am and turned on the news and heard about a big announcement that would come shortly. We all had to wait an hour but was well worth the wait!

All is quiet here and most of our guests are out on tour.

Congratulations to all who made this day possible and to all of our brave men. Our prayer is that it the killing of one man can somehow lead to a more peaceful world... This world is certainly undergoing some kind of shift right now. Let's all hope and pray it does so for the better!

A couple days ago we returned to Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace and Tower where it was on fire in late November 2008 and 195 people died throughout the citywide terror attack. We were served lunch by a man who had worked there 32 years and lost his best friend in the attack.

Notice the metal bars now located at the hotel's entrance.

This is a picture of our LRAD system which will be deployed on the aft of Deck 5 to help prevent an unlikely attack by pirates when we cross the gulf of Yemen (google LRAD to understand what it does).

Our Security Officer Krishna showing off our LRAD -1000.

Then just a couple days ago one of our guests got word that her brother died in the recent Cafe bombing  in Marrakech, Morroco.

Dana and I greatly welcome the removal of the "head of the snake", but understand this our war again all this senseless terrorism has so much further to go and we must remian vigilant. But for now its a great day!

Cruise Director Jamie Logan