Oman - The Other Part of Arabia

Prepared August 24, 2012 at home Kona, Hawaii

April 14 in port Khasab, Oman:  Why Are We Here Exactly?

Map of Oman and Arabian Peninsula 

Not easy to find a map with Khasab--practice your German

We sailed from Dubai at 10:30pm the night of April 13.  That evening, before we sailed from Dubai, for the first time in 14 years of cruising with Silversea, J & E (along with ALL previously-embarked passengers) were required to participate in the embarkation life boat drill.  Prior to the grounding of the Costa Concordia, only embarking passengers participated in the drill.  Embarked passengers could if they wanted to but nobody did.

Silver Whisper docked at Khasab, Oman at 8:00am the next morning.  Khasab is an Omani exclave (geographer's word) on the Arabian Gulf that includes the Arabian Peninsula fronting western approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.  The following description from Wikipedia will probably provide you more information than you need about the Norway of Arabia!

Khasab (Arabic: خصب‎) is a city in an exclave of Oman. It is the local capital of the Musandam peninsula. Khasab is located 500 kilometers (310 mi) from Muscat and is dubbed the "Norway of Arabia".[1][2][3][4] The Portuguese built Khasab at the beginning of the 17th century at the height of their naval presence in the region. The natural harbor gave shelter from tough seas. Unlike many forts, which were built on high ground for defensive purposes, Khasab was designed as a supply point for dates and water for Portuguese ships sailing through the strait. Today, Khasab is protected from floods by three large dams.[5]

Access to the area by land was virtually impossible until a modern coast road was built, which allows fast access from the United Arab Emirates, making Khasab a popular weekend destination for people living in the Emirates. The new road also allows access to the village of Tawi, where prehistoric drawings of boats, animals and warriors can be seen in the rock face.[5] Khasab also has a number of modern shopping areas with imported Irani goods and locally created pottery, and a few hotels, including the Khasab Hotel and Golden Tulip Hotel, which sits on a cliff overlooking the gulf.[4]
Khasab has an interesting trading position, which hinges on its proximity to Iran. Iranians import sheep and goats into the local port, from where the animals are dispatched to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in trucks. On their return trip to the Islamic Republic, the sailors load their boats up with electronic goods and American cigarettes, arriving in Khasab after sunrise and leave before sunset to conform with Omani immigration laws. Since the trading is illegal under Iranian law, they must avoid the Islamic Republic's coastguard as well as all other shipping in the busy waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The crossing is hazardous since the vessels, piled high either with livestock or with numerous boxes must avoid the path of the scores of oil-tankers which pass through the Strait in a transverse direction daily.[5] Recent increases of United States sanctions against Iran have increased the amount of smuggling done through Khasab.[6]

The Airport of Khasab, located few miles inland from the coast, on 27 June 2011, recorded the world calendar day highest minimum temperature of 41.2°C (106.2°F) until Death Valley, California broke the record by 0.5°C (about 1°F) on July 12, 2012.[7][8]

After the excitement of Dubai and the lack of a local horizon due to blowing sand, J & E decided that a trip to the souk to inspect illegal Iranian trade goods was not a high priority for either of us.  We had already seen Iranian-bound dhows stuffed and stacked to the gills with forbidden fruit at Port Rashid, Dubai.  (The port authorities of Dubai all have small, three-monkeys patch on their uniforms.)  Also, we were not keen to visit Bassa beach, especially with the warning -- "swimming  is at your own risk." So you will be spared amateur images of Khasab and Bassa beach just as we were spared another five-mile ride on a Silversea shuttle bus.  If you are heartbroken about the lack of images, google Khasab and Bassa beach on the web; there are numerous ones there.

At 4:00pm we sailed for Muscat, Oman and shortly thereafter, the Captain held an all-hands security briefing.  We were returning to the developing world of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden, where the local entrepreneurs are called Somali pirates and don't work for Bain Capital (or maybe they do)!  We were each provided with a two-page letter of instruction concerning our transit through the Suez Canal in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).  It gave us great confidence to know that a total of four different agencies were overseeing our safety -- the MSCHOA, UKMTO, EUNAVFOR, and MARLO.  We were probably fortunate that they could not speak the same language or they might have got in each others' way!  It looks like their major weapons system deployed against the pirates was the strong letter in multiple copies!  As they say, entrepreneurs create jobs.
After the lecture and many assurances of our complete safety, we went to dinner in the La Terrazza and soothed our nerves with an excellent Italian meal.  Now, there is something they really do well on Silversea!  In the late evening, we started our transit of the Straits of Hormuz.  We hoped that the Iranian Navy and whoever else was armed and dangerous in the area were sleeping off the smuggled wine they had acquired in Khasab!

April 15, 2012 in port Muscat, Sultanate of Oman:  Arabia at Its Best!

After the overdone glitz of Dubai and the barren desert of Khasab, it was a pleasure to make port in Muscat.  Muscat has long been J & E's favorite port in Arabia.  The desert mountains surrounding the bay, the old Portuguese and Omani fortresses that loom above the bright white traditional architecture of the city, provide visual impact that is not soon forgotten.

Muscat, Oman

The Mutrah corniche with the souk in the center of the frame behind the dhow.

Thanks to the leadership and tastes of the Sultan of Oman (Qaboos bin Said Al Said), the 71 year old ruler and the 14th generation descendant of the founder of the Said Al Said dynasty, Muscat has not succumbed to the sterile and banal western urban architecture that typifies most of Arabian Gulf cities.  Much of Muscat's modern construction was forced by the Sultan to adhere to the traditions of Arabic architecture; therefore, one experiences a much greater exposure to the culture and history of Arabia and Oman.

Portuguese-Built Fortress Overlooking Muscat

From Muscat, the Omani's empire extended around the Indian Ocean to modern Pakistan and Zanzibar.

Since we had visited Muscat before, we did not want to do another city tour, but to re-visit (mostly at J's insistence) "The Sultan's Armed Forces Museum" (www.safmuseum.gov.om)  located in Bait Al Falaj Fort just inland from Mutrah and a short cab ride from the port.  The fort was constructed in 1845 at the narrow end of the Ruwi plain on the site of a falaj (well/irrigation system), from which the fort takes it name.  Until the 1980s, it was the headquarters of the Sultan's Armed Forces, and then it was converted into a museum.

The Sultan's Armed Forces Museum - Bait Al Falaj Fort

Built in 1845 by Sayyid Said bin Sultan as a summer house.

Falaj /Well at Site of Bait Al Falj Fort

Water is so beautiful in the desert!

Grounds and Outbuildings of the Museum

Desert, what desert?

We had invited our friends, Charlie and Kathy, to join us.  So, the four of us set out from the port by cab and 10 minutes later were at the museum's parking lot, walking among the manicured lawns of the museum's grounds.  At the museum door, we were met by a senior Omani soldier and escorted to the entry desk where we paid a nominal fee and were introduced to our guide.  Visitors are assigned a guide to escort them through the museum and to answer any additional questions not explained by labeling on the exhibits.  Our guide was a Royal Omani Navy yeoman who spoke (in addition to Arabic) Swahili, Buluchi, Persian, and English.  And, he quickly demonstrated an extensive knowledge of the museum's collections.

The museum is organized into a series of galleries on two floors of the fort.  The Gallery of Oman and Islam presents early military history up to Oman's role in the spread of Islam throughout Arabia and Persia.  There are Galleries devoted to the Portuguese in Oman, the Al Ya'aribah Period, the Al Busaidis (the Royal Family's history), Establishment of the Armed Forces, and the modern Omani Armed Forces, especially the insurgencies along the Yemeni border during the 1960s and '70s.  Because of the desert climate and local preservation of many weapons and other military artifacts, the exhibits are of the highest quality with very interesting items on display.  Regretfully, J did not take more interior images because he was too busy asking questions of the guide.  For detailed views of the exhibits and other collections at the museum visit the web site. (www.safmuseum.gov.om).

Fort's Original Canon, ca 1845.
Canons appear much older and may date to the 18th Century.

20mm  Russian AA Gun

Captured by Omani forces during Yemeni incident.

After two-hours in the air conditioned fort converted to a museum , with our guide explaining the history of Oman and its military, we were escorted outside to see Oman's obsolete military hardware that was too large for the interior of the building.   Another hour was spent looking at aircraft, patrol boats, tanks, and missile systems, mostly British.  Finally, we were escorted back into the fort, and a cab was called for us.  We had spent three and a half hours touring the museum (in our recollection, the most time we have ever spent on a single museum tour) and gained many interesting insights into the Sultanate.  E got the t-shirt.  J already had one.  The Arabic characters sometimes puzzle the neighbors when we wear the shirts on our morning dog walk in Kona.

Royal Omani Army Command Post

Omani Armor (Obsolete) on Display

Royal Omani Air Force Aircraft

Royal Omani Navy Guided Missile Patrol Boat

Not in water, mounted as a display!

Kathy and Eloise Pose with the Sultan's Armored Cadillac

Has been superseded, but appears to be in excellent condition.

On the way back to the port, we decided to stop at the Mutrah Souk to pick up a few local items for the upcoming Arabic dress dinner.  J and E are not fond of these kind of events, but they seem to be greatly in favor with certain cruise passengers (think British).

Mutrah Souk -- Scents and Footballs
Each shop seems to have the same things and no fixed price!

Almost every non-food item could be purchase in one section or another of the souk.  Of course, there were no fixed prices, except for gold which is always sold by weight based on a daily quote, and tourists were obligated to pay more.  J bought the makings of an Omani head dress (mussah), and was given lessons by the shopkeeper in folding the dishdasha and positioning it over the skull cap.  All quickly and neatly done by the shopkeeper, but not so by Jerry.  He needed a lot of practice.

Notions and Bangles for the Ladies
Leads one to suspect that under the burka may be a different world.

After about 30 minutes in the souk, we decided to return to the ship for lunch and a long afternoon nap.  Because that evening, after sailing from Muscat for Sufaga, Egypt on the Red Sea, we were invited by the Captain and Officers of the M/V Silver Whisper to dine in the Officers' mess.

At 7:30pm, eight of the world cruise passengers gathered at Reception on deck 5 and were escorted by the Food & Beverage and Hotel managers to the Captain's salon for pupus and drinks (cranberry juice for J&E).  Then, it was on to the Officers' Mess for an excellent dinner "below the water line."  All-in-all, a fancy Italian-style dinner for 12 -- 8 passengers and 4 officers, including theCaptain.  Needless to say, it was an Alka Seltzer night for J after that dinner.

Capt. Corsaro, J & E enjoy the pasta course, of course
Photo by Norman Rafelson, Hotel Director

The Land Common Sense Forgot

Fujairah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Prepared August 20, 2012 at home Kona, Hawaii

April 9 and 10 at sea northern Indian Ocean enroute to Fujairah, UAE:  Back in Pirate Waters

Silver Whisper departed Mumbai at 11:00pm on 8 April heading west northwest.  We were back in pirate waters with the ship darkened and additional security in place.  Our next destination was the UAE port of Fujairah on the northeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula.  There were, of course, the usual lectures, entertainments, and special meals to distract passengers during our two-day crossing.  And, there was the rumor mill, which was busy with pirate adventures.  About the only real event was the Hotel Director Norman and F&B Manager Sujith's wine and cheese event to introduce a collage of images which they had taken during the cruise.  The collage was well done, and we have a copy somewhere in the house of mementos.

Our cruise across the northern Indian Ocean was uneventful and we docked in Fujairah, UAE at 8:00am on the morning of April 11.   One does wonder what would happen if pirates did board a cruise ship.   It would probably play out a little like John Hughes' novel, "A High Wind in Jamaica," with the pirates returning to their assault boats in a state of shock after being nearly heckled and nagged by the Mad White Women who make up most of the cruise passengers.  Remember, these women are experts; many of them have heckled and nagged at least one husband to death, and no small number have put down more than one.  No wonder pirates avoid cruise ships like the plague.  Note:  A movie version of "A High Wind in Jamaica" is available for the more image-oriented reader.


April 11 in port Fujairah, UAE:  A Visit to Lulu's

As described in the one piece of tourist literature provided to the passengers before disembarking, Fujairah is "the authentic Emirati city nestled between the Haja Mountains and the Arabian Sea."  The visual impact is of a number of modern buildings stuck in the desert.  Fujairah's primary function is to support tankers and other ships waiting outside the Strait of Hormuz to charter and load cargoes in the Arabian Gulf.   There are probably between 50 and 100 hulls anchored off Fujairah at any one time.

Fujairah's Skyline

Sorry about the sandstorm.

J & E's big adventure in Fujairah was to take the ship's complimentary shuttle bus to the Lulu Mall, City Centre.  The approximately 10 minute (five mile) trip from ship-side in the port to the mall was essentially a complete city tour without a guide's description.  Not a building looked over ten years, the streets were not congested, and the parking lots were so big you could get heat stroke walking from the lot to any of the buildings.  There may be some traditional Arab souks and forts in the area, but they are lost among the new buildings, roads and parking lots.

Lulu's is Walmart of the Arabian peninsula, and provides a shopping opportunity for ship's company and passengers to stock up on junk food and other "essentials" at reasonable prices.  This is where the local expats and foreign workers come to shop and to buy presents to sent back to Pakistan, Bangladesh, or the Philippines.  The amount of luggage, electronics and saris for sale was amazing.  No photos inside the Centre!  After taking in this local adventure in modern Gulf shopping, (J used an ATM machine and bought a box of pencils for the trivia team) we reboarded the shuttle and  returned to the harbor.  

Much of the rest of the day was spent observing activity in the port.  The most interesting point was speculating about the submarine, apparently under repair, tied up across the harbor from us.  I doubt if there was a single male passenger who didn't check it out with the binoculars provided in the stateroom.  Consensus  guess is that it was a British Navy nuk-boat undergoing some kind of repair or reprovisioning.  Here's an image -- make your own guess!

Name That Submarine

Tankers laying-off in the background.

At 5:30pm, we got underway and sailed north along the coast toward the Strait of Hormuz, and onto Dubai, UAE.

A Sandstorm Sunset on the Arabian Peninsula

Sorry about the spots on the image, a camera sensor problem.

April 12 and 13 in port Dubai, UAE:  Welcome to Cloud-Cuckoo Land

At 8:00am, the Silver Whisper docked at the Port Rashid Cruise Terminal in Dubai.  We had not planned any tour activity for Dubai, since we had been in the city many times since the 1980s when J advised a UN-supported project there.

Our big event in Dubai was to have high tea at At.mosphere Restaurant on the 121st floor of the Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building.  With our friends Kat and Don, we left the ship about 2:00pm  and were driven to the Burj Khalifa.  After passing through several checkpoints, we were allowed to enter the building.

Burj Khalifa, World's Tallest Building

(Wikipedia stats.)

Skyscraper

Burj Khalifa

United Arab Emirates

Dubai

829.84m

2,722.57ft

2010

25°11′50.0″N 55°16′26.6″E

Since we were early for our reservation, we were "invited" to wait on the floor above the concierge desk until it was "time" to take the express elevator to the restaurant.  The floor above turned out to be the lobby of the flag ship Armani hotel, and old Georgio had done himself proud.  The lobby was all pale grays and other what E calls "Georgio colors."  (E is a big Armani fan.)

Escalator to Burj Khalifa Main Entrance

Yes, it is all glass and stainless steel.

Kat, Eloise, Jerry & Don, Armani Hotel Lobby

Glass, stainless steel, and Armani colors.

Precisely at 3:30pm, we were summoned to the entrance level, escorted aboard a very high-speed elevator, and shot up into the sky 120 floors.  If you were a religious person, you might have started praying about 30 seconds into this elevator ride.  About 60 seconds after leaving the lobby, we arrived on the 120th floor, and  were introduced to At.Mosphere's maitre d'.   She checked our reservations and led us to a table on the 121st floor, and tea was served.  Tea was very heavy, with two large tea trays filled and refilled with goodies until waddling was all the movement possible.

Decisions, Decisions!

Eloise faces the tea tray (one of two) at At.mosphere

Sadly, Dubai was in the midst of a sandstorm, so visibility was not great; however, the image that follows will give you some idea of how high up in the air we were.

Looking Down from At.mosphere

Covered area at left is the Dubai Mall

See, Guinness Says So!

World Record Certificate for "highest restaurant."

Back on the express elevator and the fun of falling like a rock for 120 floors - that could have unsettled all the food, but it didn't.  Then, the building concierge called for our car.  (We doubt that they would let you in  if you drove a private car!)  While waiting, J took a few more images of the Burj Khalifa's interior.  And then it was back in the car and on the streets to the Mall of the Emirates to watch some skiing!

Glass Panels and Louvers, Burj Khalifa's Lobby

Yard Art, Burj Khalifa's Lobby

You have to wonder whose cousin did this!

Back in the van, we were driven southeast toward the Mall, a super-sized, enclosed shopping center whose major claim to fame is that it houses the "Only Indoor Ski Slope in the Middle East -- Ski Dubai."  No foreign tourist worth their passport could possibly miss seeing an indoor ski slope in the middle of a desert during a sandstorm!  Our driver dropped us off, and after assuring us that we could find our way back to the pickup point, we began the trek through the endless cornucopia in this temple to excess consumption.  After walking for at least 15 minutes, we arrived at Ski Dubai.  Yes, a little Swiss Alpine village with ski and sled runs, lifts, and people in ski clothes.  All that was missing was Julie Andrews singing "Edel Weiss."   There were enough children about that no more were needed to sing the chorus.

Interior View, Mall of the Emirates

We have anything your heart desires for a price.

Looking into Ski Dubai

Think of it as a zoo for snow things.

Part of Ski and Sled Runs

Where is Julie Andrews when you need her.

Ski Dubai, Yes You Can Rent the Clothes

One suspects these outfits are not part of most locals' wardrobes.

After inspecting this triumph of engineering over common sense, and watching some attempts by paying customers to ski (not very well) down the run, we walked back through the mall and returned to our car just in time to participate in Dubai's rush hour(s) traffic, thereby enjoying an extended view of blowing sand from the car window. We eventually made it back to Port Rashid, tipped the driver, and walked up the gangway to the relative sanity of the Silver Whisper.

Our second day in Dubai was Friday the 13th.  Of course, we paid no great notice to this long-standing superstition.  After breakfast, we decided to join in what appears to be the singular most important recreational activity in the UAE -- visiting a mall! -- and boarded the Silversea shuttle bus to the Dubai Mall.  It is another super-sized enclosed building (acres under roof) located adjacent to the Burj Khalifa.  (The building where they serve tea.)  After a 15-minute bus ride from the port to the mall, the bus parked across from it in a vacant, very large bus-parking lot.  We were pointed across the street and told to walk until we found an entrance.  So much for Arab hospitality.  It doesn't extend to anyone not in a chauffeured limo (certainly not a bus).

The Dubai Mall is reputed to be the largest mall in the world with 1,200 plus shops.  However, one mall is very much the same as any other.  Except for lots of corridors with little foot traffic, thus facilitating a leisurely stroll, a stop for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and buying some birthday cards, the whole experience was like Ala Moana in Honolulu, less crowded.  There was one challenge.  The structure is so large you can get lost!  We didn't, but we came close!

Dubai Mall Exterior

The number of people queued up to enter is amazing.

Botero Fat Horse, Dubai Mall Plaza

Not for sale!

The area between the mall and the Burj Khalifa consists of a courtyard and an artificial lake with waterfall.  This courtyard contains a piece of yard art by Botero.  Botero must have made a fortune doing yard art for new, "up scale" shopping areas.  There also is one -- a fat chicken -- in Singapore near the Fullerton Hotel and several fat nudes in the new Rupungi District of Tokyo.  Anyway, while J was taking his photo, one of our fellow passengers approached and explained that he had two Boteros.  J, ever the wit, said, "They must take up most of your living room."  Probably the humor was lost, but sometimes you can't resist!  J also holds that Botero is largely responsible for the growing number of fat people in the world.

Dubai Mall, Water Feature

Always hearing about the "Lion of Judah," this must be it!

Dubai Mall, Shopping Arcade

Please form orderly queues to enter the shops.

Dubai Mall, Curio Shop

It's not easy to get a stuffed camel aboard, but the live ones are two doors down!

With all our urge to shop gone, we trekked toward the shuttle bus in the noonday sun.  Taking our life in our hands, we crossed the street, entered the dust bowl parking lot, and boarded the bus for the trip back to port.  On return to the port, four (or more) additional cruise ships were docked, bow to stern.  There is a lot to be said for "build it and they will come."

The Silversea Shuttle

Cruise passengers' worst nightmare!

Cruise Ships, Port Rashid, Cruise Terminal

Which one is ours?

After lunch and a nap to recover from the "crowds" at the Dubai Mall, we played cards and went to tea.  At 10:30pm, we sailed for Khasab, Oman.

Mega Cruise Ship (Pacific Princess) Underway

Departing Port Rashid

Sunset Over the Arabian Gulf and Peninsula

Gao and Mumbai

Prepared July 22, 2012 at home Kona, Hawaii

April 6, 2012 at sea eastern Indian Ocean enroute to Mormugao, Goa, India:  So Many Lectures, So Little Time

Silver Whisper departed Kochi, India about 11:00pm and sailed northward up the coast of India.  It would be about a 30 hour cruise to Mormugao, the port for the Indian province of Goa, which was our next stop.

J & E used most of the day to complete and post the account of their overland trip to Dien Bien Phu and northwestern Vietnam.   This included using a hand-held portable scanner to scan maps of the little-visited region of northwestern Vietnam and of the battlefield.

Sea days are often enlivened with lectures by notable people, especially authors or academics whose disciplines are of interest to the literate, well maybe semi-literate, cruise audience.   On this cruise, lecturers had included James Bradley, "Flags of Our Fathers", and Bill Bryson, ""A Walk in the Woods", and numerous others.  Usually, J & E had forgone these lectures because they conflicted with bridge, but today two lectures were in the morning, while bridge was in the afternoon. Both lecturers were speaking on interesting topics.  Diana Preston was to speak on the sinking of the Lusitania, based on her book "Willful Murder? - The Sinking of the Lusitania," and Philip Hurst on modern India's geopolitics, "A Tiger with a Bomb: India Facing the Future."  The lectures normally last 45 minutes, are profusely illustrated, and keep one's attention, even in a darkened theater. (Well, for most guests anyway; on occasion, there can be heard light snoring.)  Lectures also can provide background knowledge for the area where we are cruising and going on shore tours, as Mr. Hurst's did on India. 

One additional aspect of the lecture program is that cruisers can invite the lecturers to lunch or dinner, and it gives you an opportunity to raise related topics and ask further questions.  All-in-all, it is a very positive aspect of the cruise experience, and on long cruises with numerous sea days provides for an interesting intellectual experience not often associated with the halcyon life of cruising.

We were again sailing in pirate waters.  All of the Indian Ocean  north of an east west line of latitude from the coast of Mozambique west south of Diego Garcia to the longitude  of Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari),  India is currently considered pirate waters, called the "Extended Risk Zone" by international maritime authorities.  (See Chart)  So even though sailing well within 200 miles of the Indian coast, the ship was blacked out and extra watches and security were in place.  It was, as a minimum, good training for the ship's crew, for the upcoming crossing of the northern Indian Ocean from Mumbai to the United Arab Emirates and on to Safaga, Egypt.

April 7, 2012 in port Mormugao, Goa, India:  India's Christian Enclave

We were docked at Mormugao by 8:00am, but both of us decided not to go on tour (we had been in Goa in 2009 and toured extensively), and the port area of Mormugao has very little to offer.  Mormugao is a major coal port -- need more be said.  We stayed on board and worked on the blog, read, and played cards.  E won again, and it was getting very tiresome for J.

Mormugao from Seaward

Self-Propelled Coal Barges, Mormugao, India

Focusing on the port city of Mormugao does not do justice to Goa.  Goa was a Portuguese colony from the 16th through most of the 20th Century and the Vatican of Asia during that time.  There are three major 16th Century cathedrals and other important historic sites related to Roman Christianity spread in Asia and Africa.  Also, there are the normal number of tourist beaches and resorts.   But not around the port!

N.B. -- If any of you desire to see images of the the catherdrals or the dead saints entombed there, let me know and I will add them to the blog.  They are from a earlier visit in 2009.

That evening, after sailing for Mumbai, the Captain hosted a special Asian dinner for World Cruise guests.  It was, of course, exceptional, adding even more weight to J's ever-expanding waistline and other body parts.  So you can appreciate the meal, we have scanned the menu, but no images.  J was too busy eating to take any pictures.

Captain's Asian Dinner Menu

All this on the last day of Lent, and near the most holy site in Asia!

Bacchus wins again!

When we returned to our room, we found that the Easter Bunny had visited, and we had received an Easter basket with E's annual chocolate rabbit.  Surprising new knowledge, Indian rabbits can swim and climb  aboard cruise ships.  Let's hope the pirates don't find out.  Actually, the basket was from the Officers and Crew of the Silver Whisper.

Easter Basket and Orchid

The Orchid was our "house plant;" it traveled most of the voyage with us.

April 8, 2012 in port Mumbai, India:  A Day at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya


We were not participating in an organized tour of Mumbai and intended to spend the day at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Western India Museum, and still normally referred to by its original English name (Prince of Wales Museum).  (Interestingly, the city's English name, "Bombay," seems to have been largely replaced in the local English vernacular by the new Indian name, "Mumbai."  But, it is easy to see why the Museum's new Indian name has not really caught on.)

We did not go ashore until about 10:00am, because the Museum was a short taxi ride from the pier, and we did not want to find ourselves outside a locked museum and the subject of unwanted attention by Mumbai's street people.  Walking up the pier, we passed the INS Viratt (R22) one of the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers.  (It was formerly the HMS Hermes.)  Then, we passed row-on-row of newly-imported Japanese and Korean trucks and buses until we reached Green Gate and the taxi stand.  Gone are the days of the yellow and black Ambassador taxis with their Sikh drivers who took you where they wanted to go.  In new Mumbai, the taxi is a new, clean Marrudi/Suzuki, with a driver who takes you to your requested destination at a prearranged price and even offers to return for you at your convenience.  See, change does happen.

After a short drive through the old Imperial Bombay section of Mumbai, best known to Western tourists for the Gate of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel, we arrived at the Museum to purchase our ticket.  In the long- cherished tradition of Indian bureaucracy, it was not "a" ticket but three tickets, and the lines were so complex that if it were not for the help of a retired Indian Army Sepoy (now museum guard), J & E likely would still be in line (probably the wrong one!).

Museum Tickets -- General Admission, Camera Pass, Audio Tour

Note:  Convenient string to attach Camera Pass to camera.  Provided WITH ticket!

The Museum is sited in a large garden near the Gate of India, and the garden (The Crescent) is still maintained as originally designed.  The building itself, designed by George Wittet, is considered a model of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture typical of British India in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.  At the core of the collection are the donations of Indian miniatures by Seth Mavji in 1915, the Major Art collections of Sirs Ratan Tata and Sir Dorab Tata, and the antiquities collection of Sir Akbar Haydari in the 1920s and '30s.  The Museum's collections contain over 50,000 pieces of art and artifacts.

Needless to say, we had to limit our viewing to a small number of even the items currently on display.  We chose those from the 42 items which were described in some detail in the Audio Guide.  Since J had his Camera Pass (with string), he was allowed to image some of the interior and art works.

Central Hall, Key Gallery

Hindu Statuary, Key Gallery

Ivory Box, Mughal Tradition, 1903

J & E spent most of their time in the Miniature Painting Gallery.  The Museum's collection of miniature paintings is one of the best we have ever seen.  It encompasses most of the Indian schools of miniature painting from the 14th to the early 19th Century, including numerous examples from the Sultanate and Mughal periods.  No imaging was allowed in this Gallery even if you had a chitty (with string).  But you can view some of the Museum's finest miniatures and other items at www.themuseummumbai.org.  The web site   also will give you access to many other galleries of the Museum's collection.

About three hours into viewing the collections, and long before we had finished the 42 Curator's Choice items on the audio tour, we were suffering severe museum fatigue,  Also, the Museum's main spaces are not air conditioned, so it was getting very hot.  A stop at the museum shop for J's de rigueur t-shirt (Gate of India with stamp), and we returned to our waiting taxi.    The taxi was both on time and in the place where the driver said it would be, so with a short drive by the Gate of India and the Taj (accompanied by numerous attempts to entice us to visit tourist shops), we returned to the port and Silver Whisper.  Then, it was lunch and a long nap.  Culture is very tiring.