A day at sea, pt 1 - before lunch

We've had five sea days and have built up a little routine for ourselves. In spite of some late nights, we wake early and enjoy the quiet mornings outside before it gets too hot and everyone else is up and about.

First thing, choose a couple of sun loungers for ourselves - there are plenty, but in this heat, we prefer to sit in the shade, so are particularly choosy about where we sit. Bearing in mind my fear of being bored, I take along needlepoint, knitting, book, ipod...the lot!

Next, bearing in mind the delicious food we are being offered at every turn, it's up onto the top deck for seven laps of brisk walking - a pleasure in the cool breeze and time to chat and mull over thoughts about the day ahead.

At this time of day, there are few of us up there.

But soon, breakfast calls. I'm trying to keep to healthy options, unlike others...but the blueberry pancakes are very good indeed (and I haven't put syrup on, yet!)

At 9.30, the needlepointers get together to sit and stitch - and share gossip of course.

I'm working on a small project which I chose from a selection on offer here - a case for my sunglasses. Mindless stitching but fun and a chance to meet other likeminded people.

Whilst we are enjoying a relaxing morning, our little housekeeping fairy, Farida, is busy in our room.

Getting towards lunchtime, as the temperature rises, the pool is inviting and a short dip is very refreshing.

Then, as if by magic, two Singapore Slings appear...oh my goodness, is the sun really over the yardarm already?

A day in Oman

We didn't really know what to expect of Oman, though things we'd read and learned from one of the onboard lecturers led us to think it would be an interesting day. The principal advice offered at every opportunity was that women should dress appropriately and in particular, anyone hoping to go inside the huge Sultan Quaboose Mosque needed to observe especially strict rules.

We set out in long sleeved shirts, long trousers and I had a large scarf for later. Ironic that this was the hottest day so far - 42C around lunchtime!

Our guide, Said, began by offering a lengthy explanation why our departure was so prompt at 8.45am, muttering something about trucks and roundabouts and traffic jams. All became clear as we took the main road out of Muscat - traffic was heavy and though each roundabout was made easier by having a flyover for traffic going straight on, these flyovers were restricted to cars - lorries and buses had to manouevre the roundabout, and lorries were prohibited before 9am. That head start meant that we were able to reach the mosque on the other side of the city with relative ease.

The modern Sultan Quaboose Mosque is described in superlatives - the largest carpet, the largest chandelier, perhaps the largest mosque full stop. It is huge and we looked forward to seeing it ourselves. Before we did, however, we women had to be reminded of our status as second class citizens and have our clothing assessed by both male and female controllers. Each one of us was inspected - clothing needed to cover both ankles and wrists and a headscarf must be worn. My hair was showing on my forehead, so adjustments were made to my scarf to bring it forward. Then, it was decided that a V neck and necklace could be seen, so my scarf had to be wrapped around more carefully to cover them. I carefully pulled down my sleeves to full length as I was given the once over and at last...I was allowed inside.

Of course, there were inevitably - unbelievably - those who had not read the advice, hadn't heard or simply hadn't listened. One woman had crop trousers and a t shirt on, didn't even bring a scarf. Somehow, everyone pooled resources and got her in - she pulled her trousers down to her hips and wore a kagoule that someone found, over the top - walked around in searing heat with hood up in her own personal sauna! Of course, it caused huge irritation amongst those of us who had followed the advice and who simply wanted to get in there and see what we'd come to see!

The whole mosque complex was a treasure trove of pattern and decorated surfaces and was quite breathtaking. It is said to be able to accommodate 20 000 people - though thankfully, today we were rather fewer in number. Being there early meant we had a clear run and didn't have to wait at all and we soon found ourselves in the main, mens, mosque.

Of course we had to take our shoes off and leave them outside - and needless to say, there were several who couldn't find their own shoes again later...

First thing to catch everyone's eye was the chandelier. Absolutely enormous, weighing around 8 tons it was surrounded by several more of similar design.

Remarkably, there was not one light bulb in need of replacement!

Next, the carpet. Handwoven by Iranian women in 57 pieces, apparently. This was just one of the patterns in several panels, all in a rich palette of ochre, turquoise, ruby red and dark blue.

We marvelled at this amazing room for quite a while and were thankful that Said had told us not to rush, for in every corner, every doorway or window, there was another feature to point out to one another, to gaze at and admire.

Outside once more then, to the smaller, plainer, women's mosque

and a last look at one or two small features en route to the gate. Oh, and one final reminder of the less favourable status of women - the joy of visiting a squat loo dressed in so many clothes and nowhere to put them!

As we were leaving, we spotted a friend and shipmate in distress - she had been denied entry because her long sleeves were made of transparent fabric! We did some quick thinking and made our own little demonstration of rebellion there and then by swapping shirts, much to the disgust of the clothes police. She got waved inside as we headed back to our coach and away.

Driving back to the old city, we stopped briefly at the souk before going on to the Bait al Baranda museum where we could learn more about the dress and jewellery of Omani tradition. We did a drive by of the Sultan's Palace, built in the 1970's and stopped just long enough to hop out for a photograph.

We chose to spend the rest of the morning in the souk and sailed away from Muscat later in the evening feeling pleased we'd been to this interesting and friendly place. As we left, the Captain did a short detour to sail past the Sultan's Palace, allowing us a view from the other side, and also a fine view of the incense burner, which stands at the entrance to the harbour.

Next stop, Aqaba, Jordan.

In the Souk

Mooching through the souks of Dubai and Muscat was far more fun than we'd anticipated. Expecting to be hassled at every step, we imagined that a brief dip into the dark alleys would be more than enough. As it was, there was no pressure, no tugs at our elbow or much more than a "wanna pashmina, Madam?" from the occasional stallholder. Indeed, most of the sellers were so laid back and relaxed, we were able to absorb the atmosphere of the place at our own pace.

In Dubai, it was the "spice souk" which held our interest. The gold was yellow, overwhelming and not at all to our taste (or pocket); it was the scents and sights of the rather quieter area just around the corner which drew us in.

Bags of dried rosebuds, bay leaves, sunflower petals, lavender and chillies, together with heaps of frankincense, sandalwood and sulphur made a colourful sight on both sides of the aisles. Stepping inside the shops, there were jars of vanilla, sugary aniseeds, dried lemons and curry mixes. Good natured greetings made buying fun - we didn't feel inclined to haggle too aggressively when prices were so low and we brought a little bag of goodies back with us.

Just around the corner were a few more colourful stalls, with cotton tops, pashminas and twinkly slippers.

I'm not sure that these pointy toed dazzlers would be quite right in a Cotswold lane, but couldn't resist the colours of these beauties alongside.

As for other products in the shop windows...well, the mind boggles! (no purchases here, needless to say!)

In Muscat, Oman, the following day, the souk beckoned us once more because of course, we wished we had bought just one more pashmina, one more cotton top or that pair of shoes we saw but forgot about till we saw a woman wearing them at dinner that night. This souk was better geared to attract the magpie in me and though some items were very similar to things we'd seen in Dubai, many things were peculiar to Oman.

Here there were a myriad of patterned kummar hats, worn by the men to top off their outfit of dishdasha and sometimes covered with a tightly knotted turban. All different patterns, densely embroidered and folded in a specific way, there were walls full of them, folded flat.

Much silver here, many daggers - the khanjar is a symbol of Oman - but these things are not for us and we moved swiftly on to more interesting displays.

Finally, this magpie's sweetie shop - where women restricted to wearing black from head to toe might indulge themselves with a little brightness, even if it is only for their ankles and wrists.

So, quite an interesting collection from today's souk - a couple of pashminas, some silver braid, silver thread and a pair of pretty shoes.

And Mark? Well, he was relaxed!

Into the Desert

Mid afternoon, we turned up for our "adventure" early as usual. It bore rewards however, for not only were we assigned seats in the first convoy of vehicles, in car #1 indeed, but we were in the care of Dinar, driver in chief and leader of the pack! There were three convoys of ten vehicles taking different routes but meeting up later for drinks and supper.

We set off down an unassuming motorway, like all areas of Dubai there was some building work going on everywhere we looked. 20km down the road, we took an exit slip road and voila! no road!

First thing to do was to let air out of the tyres - 50%. We all scrambled out to have our first step onto the sand and to marvel at the sights around us.

I could not believe the patterns created by the wind on the soft sand and the shapes and soft curves of the dunes, stretching off as far as the eye could see. This was a magical place.

The fun was just starting however, for no sooner had we set off on the sand, driving surface as slippy as ice, than Dinar gave a little chuckle and whoops! over the dune we shot - WOW!

We slid sideways down some, drove along the side of others at 45 degrees, bounced up and down and giggled like children as we did so. We stopped to look at others in the convoy, watching with amazement as they took the route we had just created, sometimes hovering on the brink of the top of the dune and creating an almightly sand cloud behind them as they slithered down the other side.

We stopped at a camel farm to take pictures but really wanted to play some more - and Dinar was only too happy to oblige!

After another hour (seemed like ten minutes) we met the rest of the convoy for drinks "at the Sunset Bar" - a carpet on the desert - and drank champagne as the sun went down. Absolutely amazing.

But there was one more surprise. Over the dunes, about ten minutes away, a "village" had been set up and as the darkness fell, we left the cars and walked down into a spot lit by oil lamps, with carpets and music playing.

A barbecue had been set up and there was supper on offer, wine to drink and activities to try - camel rides, hubblebubble pipes, dressing up (!) and henna painting.

After supper, the belly dancers came on and put on a fantastic show and surprisingly, unbelievably and thankfully, we didn't get to make fools of ourselves by having to join in!!

Dubai Morning

We didn't really know what to expect from the place, even though we'd attended a lecture earlier in the week and seen slides of some of these amazing buildings which are appearing here. So opening the curtain this morning to find a kind of Emerald City in the mists on the horizon, we looked forward to getting into this amazing city to see what's what.

Arriving in port is always exciting and there was a buzz of anticipation during breakfast time. We'd booked an orientation tour and jumped on a coach with about 30 of our shipmates and set off with Samir, our guide, along what must be the fastest-changing roadside collection of skyscrapers in the world. All the superlatives were here - the fastest built skyscraper, the tallest, the most expensive, the highest number of cranes in the world, alongside banners advertising the sale of apartments in one or other "sold out in 1 hour"!

First stop was the Burj al Arab hotel - 7 stars and not for the likes of us. We simply stopped by the promenade and took photos. Onto a mosque and more photo opportunities - losing one of the bunch along the way. Seems as though this particular elderly gentleman has a habit of wandering off and "has history" - in spite of a lengthy search he was nowhere to be found and we left without him!

Next stop, the Dubai Museum - a really interesting collection of life size sets of shops and scenes from everyday life. Dimly lit, it gave a really good impression of how things were before the transformation into the 21st century city began and we thought it great.

Not everyone felt the same though: "Jim, Jim...it's dark in here, I can't see anything!! I don't like it..." Oh, for heaven's sake!

Final stop was the souks - the spice souk and then the gold souk. Once again, a few souls made unintentional bids for escape by not listening to instructions - I think this was the most tiresome aspect of the morning and once or twice, Mark had to do a little rounding up of little grey haired old ladies who then followed his every step to make sure they didn't get left behind again!

Did we buy? No gold jewellery, that's for sure. But we were pleased to grab a bag of cashews, a box of sandalwood incense, some sweet aniseeds and a pot of sweet curry masala. Oh, and 10g of saffron, too. We prefer the edible gold!

Next adventure - wadi bashing as we head out into the desert this afternoon in a 4WD. We're headed for a bedouin camp and fun is promised...