Vietnam: What a Dollar Can Buy You

Vietnam is one of the best places to visit if you like beautiful scenery, friendly and gracious people, rich history, scrumpcious food, and bargain prices. They even accept US dollars everywhere—but you must sharpen your bargaining skills to secure the best deals. I am considering a return trip (along with a visit to Cambodia) with the group with whom I toured Viet Nam and Thailand in 2005.
Here is what $1 (Or 20,000 Viet Namese dong) will purchase in 2010:

• 1 Vietnamese conical hat (non la) (I bought one in Halong Bay last time)
• 7 liters of drinking water
• 2 tickets to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi
• 2 chilled Halida beers
• 1 day of bicycle rental
• 2 Vietnamese coffees with sweet condensed milk
• 15 minutes of air time on a Mobifone sim card
• 1 bowl of pho bo (they consume this at breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• 1 small load of laundry
• 250 grams of candied ginger
• 1 Chinese lantern made of bamboo and fabric
• 40 quail eggs
• 1.25 liters of gasoline

Alexandria--Modern and Ancient

Today, we explored Alexandria, Egypt’s 2nd largest city founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC.

This city, brought to life in history and film classes, is a modern city that continues to excavate layers of its former (ancient) civilizations buried beneath it.

Alexandria formerly houses one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, The Pharos lighthouse. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in the 12th and 14th centuries. Standing in its place is the imposing Fort Qaitbey, built in the 1480s by Sultan Qaitbey. From its elevated position, set back from the grand cornice (long waterfront walkway) the fort has fantastic views of Alexandria and out to sea. This was our first stop.

Next, we headed along the corniche, passing lots of seafront resort hotels, to the Montazah Palace and gardens, the summer home of the royal family.

Pompey’s Pillar and the Temple of Serapris ruins were next. Destroyed by Christians as they commonly destroyed pagan temples, the only part of the temple still standing is one of the pillars, known (incorrectly) as the Pillar of Pompey. We explored the impressive, fully preserved, intricate network of subterranean galleries (long dark passageways) with side chambers that housed statues of Gods, tools and equipment, food, and even the tombs of the revered Apis bulls. These ancient underground galleries survived destruction by the Christians and multiple earthquakes over the years.

Lunch was delectable seafood at a waterfront restaurant.

The highlight of the tour was the Alexandria Library and Cultural Center. More than a library that seats 2000, the modern new complex houses museums of antiquities and photography, a planetarium, a science museum, a children’s wing, and even a museum of the life of Anwar Sadat. His museum contains personal artifacts from his home, his office, medals, documents, photos, uniforms, his pipe, and even the suit he was wearing when he was assassinated in 1981.

Striking in its architecture, the main library is encased in a giant cylindrical building at the northern end of the waterfront. The circular outer wall is made of Aswan granite engraved with letters from world alphabets. The roof which tilts toward the sea is designed to angle sunlight onto the desks of the 7-tier 2000-seat reading rooms. The library contains 8000 volumes, none of which, however, can be checked out. You can download 25% of a volume in 4 sittings in order to read an entire book.

There is also a vast online collection. I will get to know this library better when I return home.

Of course, this library was constructed to commemorate the 3rd century BC library that had been the finest in the ancient world, before it was destroyed by fire.
The last stop on our tour was the Roman Ampitheatre. It was discovered (uncovered) beneath the rubble of a construction project in 1965. Can you imagine living in a city where they stumble upon centuries-old ruins with intact mosaic floors from the 2nd century AD?

We had a great 2 days in Cairo and Alexandria!

Cairo and Giza

Posts coming later..............

Ephesian Splendor

Here is what I tweeted about my day in Ephesus: Spent the day with the Ephesians touring the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey. Now I know why some feel it’s their favorite port of call on this cruise.

Our ship docked at 9AM in Izmir, Turkey’s 2nd largest port and 3rd largest city. (I missed the Ephesus tour last year because I caught the evil 1-day stomach virus rampant on the ship.) Cem, our tour guide, was a gracious host to our group of 9 (4 couples and me) who met online. Our driver headed towards Selcuk.

Today we toured Ephesus, founded in the 6000 BC. It is here they say Paul preached to the Ephsesians and where the “virgin” Mary spent her last days. We even visited the famous “House of Mary”, at Bulbul Hill, a shrine where Christians visit on pilgrimages from all other the world. The shrine is simple and rather sweet. Naturally, the shops outside sell more Mary and Catholic souvenirs than one can imagine.

Next, was our tour of Ephesus that showcases some of the best preserved ancient ruins in the Mediterranean-- some say even better than those at Pompeii. As impressive as the site is, only 1/8 has been excavated.

Our comprehensive tour of the ruins lasted roughly 2 hours. We saw the 24,000 seat amphitheatre, the Marble Street, the Agora, the famous library, baths, the brothel and much more. We even arranged for an exclusive visit of the fantastic Terrace Houses, famous for their frescoes and mosaics, reflecting the housing texture and architecture of their time. (we had to pre-reserve this visit and pay an additional fee).

We learned the big amphitheatre holds concerts for greats such as Elton John and Joan Baez.

Lunch was served in a typical Turkish setting and included multiple cold and hot dishes: salads, hummus, tziki, eggplant, pita, lamb, chicken kebabs, chickpeas, rice, fresh fruits, and more. Service was 5* and the meal was the best I have had thus far on the cruise. 2 in our group wanted to explore purchasing a carpet. After a factory tour and demonstration, they felt overwhelmed with the myriad choices and declined to purchase a rug.

Next on our tour was a visit of St John’s Basilica and Castle, The (remains of) Temple of Artemis/Diana (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world), and the Selcuk Museum that houses an impressive collection of original items from Ephesus and Selcuk.

The weather was perfect, sunny and upper 60s, and there were NO crowds. It must be like an oven here during the summer months.

I was a thoroughly satisfied customer at the end of our tour. We did not even need to rush back to the ship, instead, we took a leisurely ride and arrived 1 hour and 15 minutes before departure. (just enough to shop inside the pier!!)

Again: now I understand why some feel it’s their favorite port of call on this cruise.

Sea Days Are Invigorating-I ove The Sea!!!!!

There is nothing more relaxing than sitting out on deck (or on my balcony) of a cruise ship—whether we are at sea or in port!!

Photos later

Crete instead of Athens on cruise today

Full Article coming soon…………..

Riots in Athens so ship went to Crete instead. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Crete. I took the local bus (2Euros) to visit The Palace of Knossos constructed 6000BC (6Euros). Then, I walked around the charming streets of Iraklion.

I feel bad for people who had Athens on their bucket list. Some had invested lots of time planning Athens tours. Glad I have been many times. I was here several years ago and stayed at the Creta Maris resort on the beach.

We saw young people rioting peacefully here (protesting I guess). Perhaps the are protesting University prices as they are in England.

Perfect day touring Rome from cruise ship

I had the perfect day touring Rome with 6 great folks. Highlights were visiting the inside of the Colosseum; having a guided tour of Vatican City including St Peters and the Sistine Chapel;Seeing Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and The Spanish Steps.

7AM awoke (with no wake up call)
7AM room service breakfast
Dressed, ate, and packed knapsack
Rained hard from 730-755ish
740AM met group in lobby
3 couples + Karla went into a 7-passenger mini-van with Fabio our driver and guide for our full day in Rome.
--Tom and Rosemary-Ottawa rolockett@hotmail.com
--Susie and Joel -Portland, OR suzierue@yahoo.com
--Jason and Mike-San Francisco

It was the perfect day with the perfect group. We all met online on cruisecritic.com where Tom set up the trip and invited others to join. We split the cost of 650 Euros for the van and guides for the day (8AM til 4:45PM). The ship left at 7PM.

We got along sooo well: No conflict, everyone was friendly, everyone was cooperative and punctual----we stuck closely together. They are all frequent cruisers who really like NCL. They all book balconies, suites, penthouses, and villas. Everyone loves the 5 days at sea in between port visits!! They all like the Jade and feel it is the perfect size ship. (there are virtually NO KIDS on this cruise) We paid 1/3 of what NCL tours charged to be in a small van that is easy to navigate and squeeze into tight places. Fabio was awesome; Katerina, our Vatican City guide was awesome and passionate. I will join them on an Athens tour (in 2 days) since we got along so well. (I was going to take the train into Athens and tour it solo). We walked lots, climbed lots of stairs, made only one restroom stop at 1:00, did no shopping, and we chose not to stop for a meal (we munched on snacks we had brought). Since we skipped lunch, we had more time for touring and did not have to rush back to the ship.

Firsts for me:
--Going inside the Colloseum
--Guided tour of Vatican museum, St Peters, and Sistine Chapel.

Everyone had a positive attitude and intellectual curiosity.
No one complained.
Everyone was easy-going and flexible.
We all agreed we were perfect travel companions.
We all agreed it could not have been a better day.

I sat out on the aft deck as we sailed out of the port at 7PM. I watched the twinkling lights fade to darkness. I was one of 3 people out there.
I felt like a master of the sea.

Barcelona-The 4th most visited city in Europe.

Article coming soon

Taking the same cruise on same ship

12-Day Eastern Mediterranean w. Egypt on the NCL Jade

Article coming soon.......

Excited to return to Egypt, Rome, Athens, Malta, & Turkey from Barcelona

November 21-December 3, 2010

I am excited to return to the Eastern Mediterranean plus Egypt Cruise on the NCL Jade!
I will be on the same floor as last year, in a nearby balcony room.

Sunday Barcelona
Monday Day at Sea
Tuesday Rome
Wednesday Day at Sea
Thursday Athens, Greece-Thanksgiving
Friday Izmir, Turkey
Saturday Day at Sea
Sunday Cairo
Monday Alexandria
Tuesday Day at Sea
Wednesday Malta
Thursday Day at Sea
Friday Barcelona---fly back to Miami December 3

Cruised on the Epic for Halloween

I cruised on the Epic for it’s 1st Halloween cruise Oct 31-Nov 6, 2010. The Epic is NCL's newest most innovative, 4,100 passenger cruise ship. Here are some of my notes and observations (I made throughout the trip) followed by tweets and Facebook posts!!

Epic Reflections
• Doesn’t feel like a ship---more like a floating (Vegas-style) hotel
• 2 bowling allies
• 3 water slides
• 21 dining establishments
• REAL SHOWS: Blue Man, Cirque Dreams, Second City, Legends at Sea. Must reserve seats. Pay for Cirque Dreams dinner theatre
• No window rooms (inside OR balcony)
• Swedish Ice bar—they give you parkas and gloves
• Old fashioned candy shop
• Enclosed deck areas—almost no feeling of wind in hair
• Complete Russian/Finish-style Banya Spa with 2 steam rooms/ovens lounge chairs on balcony facing sea with unobstructed view restricted to 60 couples $199 for cruise
• Largest outdoor TV screen
• Large screen in atrium. Great screen saver, NFL, movies, WI games
• Face recognition software compiles all rooms photos and photos are accessed via kiosk with room key (like ATM)
• No grand staircase in atrium with glass elevators
• Blues club—Louie and Roadsters is great!
• Lobster night was OK
• No chocoholic buffet (all other NCLs have one)
• Howl at Moon dueling pianos sing along
• Manhattan Club--Main dining room is super club w. band and dance floor and shows
• Huge state of the art gym
• Forced to walk thru casino
• Casino almost entire 6th floor. Even games by pool and a bar with built in slot machines
• Swipe for entry to 4 main shows
• Balcony rooms small and tight squeeze. Probably smallest in the industry. Advise: Get deluxe balcony or higher category. No desk in balcony room.
• NO FREE in-room movies. Only one off beat TV channel. Must pay $9.99 per movie (NEVER seen THIS before!)
• Lots of storage space in staterooms
• Touch screens with maps, restaurant availability, show schedules etc
• Nice wide aisles in Garden Café
• 3 water slides
• Lots of Jacuzzis
• Separate adults club with great free snacks
• Irish pub with good snacks etc
• Must leave key card in room to activate lights
• Roatan, Honduras: Took 2.5 hour island tour for $25 pp. Marley was tour guide. Lots of development on this formerly undeveloped fishing town
• Cozumel-good shopping
• Best Halloween party ever—more than 100 in the costume parade/contest.
• Lots of babies and obese people
• Second City Comedy was Awesome!
• Cirque Dreams supper theatre has a great menu. Impressive show!! Paid $30 p/p for premium seating.
• Comedy Magician was awesome!
• Michael Jackson in Legends At Sea is VERY talented. Nailed MJ
• Room service good and prompt
• Overall, the SERVICE was excellent!! Everyone was EXTREMELY gracious and helpful

Tweets and Facebook Posts:
Having a great time on the NCL Epic which is like a floating (Vegas-style) hotel. All new technologies onboard this innovative vessel.

The NCLEpic has the largest TV screen at sea, 3 water slides, state of the art gym and spa, 2 bowling alleys, blues club, comedy club and lots more.
Cozumel today.

Cirque Dreams supper theatre tonight. Still in port due to heavy winds in port of Cozumel. Don’t know when the Epic will sail. It’s 11:45PM Thursday and we were supposed to leave at 5:30PM. UPDATE: We finally left at 9AM the next day (today). It was sooo windy that the enormous EPIC couldn’t leave port. Apparently, an unpredicted storm rolled into western Caribbean. We are rockin and rollin today.

Another fun-filled, relaxing cruise with dancing, great dining, watching great Vegas-style shows, lobster night, folded animal towels, trivia contests, visits to exotic ports of call, comedy and magic shows, Blue Man, Cirque Dreams, swimming, poolside games, movies, music, destination lectures, shopping, and the best Halloween party ever!

7 favorite things about Epic cruise
1 Best Halloween party ever—more than 100 in the costume parade/contest
2 Being on a new ship.
3 People watching
4 Being at sea
5 24-hour food choices
6 The fabulous shows
7 No phones ringing.

Going on the Epic’s 1st Halloween Cruise!!

NCL made us an upgrade offer we couldn’t refuse! We are going on a different cruise on a different ship.

We are now leaving one day earlier (Saturday, October 30th) on the Norwegian EPIC instead of the NCL Pearl. The EPIC is their newest ship (it’s only 3 months old) holding 4,100 passengers plus 1,700 crew and has 19 decks and 21 dining venues. We already have tickets for the Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams, The Second City and Legends in Concert.

It’s a one week cruise in the Western Caribbean.
We have a midship balcony room in the newly designed rooms with a separate tub and shower, etc. NCL waived all additional costs (prices) for the EPIC vs the Pearl.

I have added our names to the Meet&Greet party roster on Cruise Critic.

The Halloween party should be fantastic!!!

Epic: Here we come!!

Taking A 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise on NCL

From October 31-November 7,2010, Joel and I will cruise to: The Dominican Republic, St Thomas, The British Virgin Islands and The Bahamas WITH 2 relaxing days at sea. We got a great last minute deal on a mid-ship balcony room! I am connected to fellow cruisers on Cruise Critic and see that there will be a big Halloween Parade the 1st night!

Caribbean here we come!

Stockholm, Sweden from Baltic Capitals Cruise

This was our last port of call on our 7-country itinerary. I decided to take the NCL Stockholm by Land & Sea Tour (my 1st ship tour) because the logistics of going to Stockholm (using buses and trains) are complicated and time-consuming.

I met the group at 7:30AM for our 25 minute tender to the port of Nynashamn. From there, we took an hour drive to the city of Stockholm.

Stockholm is a beautiful city on 14 islands linked by 40 bridges. We began our day at The Royal Palace where we saw the changing of the guards. Then, we took a walking tour of Gamla Stan, the historic old town with cobblestone streets and buildings dating back 500 years. The narrow streets brim with bookstores and antiques and souvenir shops, and medieval cellars are now restaurants and cafés. The streets are so narrow that bicycles could barely pass through. The Noble Museum (of Noble Prize fame is located here).

I munched on a muffin and banana I brought from the ship (for lunch).

Next, the coach took us to another island to see Stockholm’s most popular museum, The Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa was the pride of the Swedish Navy. Commissioned by the King to hold two floors of guns, its maiden voyage was to be a celebration for the entire city. Instead, minutes into the voyage, it sank to the bottom of the harbor. It was 333 years before it was salvaged by a determined archeologist. The whole lifting of the Vasa in 1961, was televised live for the world to witness. More than 1200 objects including weapons, shoes, pottery, and tools. It is considered to be one of the most important events in marine archeology. I watched a 25 minute film on the lifting of the Vasa. I wish we had more time to explore this engaging interactive (new:1990) museum.

We completed our tour with a boat cruise along Stockholm’s picturesque waterways. The weather and sites were perfect!

I was impressed to read that Sweden is one of the most generous countries in the world, donating billions in monetary aid and training to nations in need as well as rewarding achievements in science, literature, medicine, and world peace. Her economy is considered Europe’s 2nd most competitive behind Denmark’s. Sweden is so aggressively developing renewable energy that it hopes to be petroleum-free by 2020.

Stockholm is clean, modern, and the people are very pleasant. Yes, they are very blonde.