Days 84 to 89 - Dodging Pirates!

We have 6 days at sea between India and Safaga, Egypt, since there is nowhere really to stop inbetween India and Egypt!  We are all glad of the time as we are all very exhausted.  That doesn't mean it is easy to recover as the agenda is full at sea as well.  I am behind ALOT on my blog, so thanks to Jane again, I am closer to being caught up!!!  

First on the agenda was Jonathan cooking his Indian curry.  It's not enough that he has to drive the ship, be on the look out for pirates, navigate the heavily trafficked seas, attend cocktail parties, but now he has to cook!  What a guy.  He used the spices Jane bought for him in Mangalore and showed us his expertise in the kitchen.  He acquired a taste for spice when he first was at sea for 15 years with Indian crew.  His beef curry was hot but excellent.  The spice market woman's curry spice was deemed to be "kill your mother-in-law" hot, so it wasn't used.  

We had high Indian Tea, on Friday and caught up with Jane, Barry and Maxine about their time in India.  Maxine did the Palace on Wheels train trip for 7 days and raved about it! That is next on my list!

We attempted to catch up on our blogs, but it is even more difficult than usual as the days start to blur together if you leave too much time in between.  

Saturday was our Indian formal night - and what an extravaganza this was.  Many women bought sari's to wear, and there was a demo on how to wear one, as well as a henna painting demo, and fashion show. Some men also went all out and bought Indian garb and everyone was in high spirits in the Crow's Nest before dinner and at dinner showing off their finery.  The colours of India were everywhere - pinks, oranges, turquoises and you could see that everyone truly enjoyed their Indian selves.  The evening was topped off with a Night at the Opera with 4 superb singers. 

I have been in the Lido one whole day, since breakfast, with Jane, typing, typing, typing.  

We are in dangerous waters now, near Somalia and the Pirates!  We actually have the ships officers walking the deck 24 hours a day with binoculars and night vision making sure no boats get near us. There are also many other security procedures taken on the ship, but I can't give it away! Before we left India, our ship was wrapped in razor wire to keep anyone from climbing aboard. Also, we will pass Yemen and be close enough to see land!

We have more beautiful flowers around the ship!

There was a pool party one day with fun activities for us to partake in!  

Day 83 (Part 2) - Even More Mumbai!

We got back to our ship and then we were off again to spend the second part of the day and evening exploring even more of Mumbai!  We had a very comfortable car and a very knowledgable tour guide. Together her and I planned the must see sights of Mumbai so that we could see everything we possibly could in the time we had.  Our tour began with another drive through the city seeing the incredible streets of Mumbai.  

We stopped again at Victoria Terminus but this time we viewed the terminal from the street then went underground to see the movement under the city.  

I wanted everyone we were with to see the Dobi Ghat! Not everyone was on board, they couldn't understand why you would want to see people doing laundry! But I was more than happy to visit it again! The guide said this is the largest laundromat in the world with over 1 million pieces of clothing being washed daily!

And we did go back to Mani Bhavan - Gandhi's house and I had more time to explore this wonderful house!

We drove once again by Chowpatty Beach.  

We then went to visit the temple complex of Banganga, one of Mumbai's holiest sites and oldest surviving structure in the city.  Near the edge of the Arabian Sea, at the southern tip of Malabar Hill, several small, crumbling, stone-turreted temples and flower-garlanded shrines surround a rectangular pool of holy water - an oasis in an area of encroaching urbanization.  Rital bathers believe the pool's mossy waters have healing powers. The source of the spring is said to be an underground offshoot of the Ganges, and the waters are considered just as sacred as those of the great river itself.  Its tolling bells and chanting pujaris draw devotees to worship.  

Then we were off to Crawford Market, which is one of the famous markets in Mumbai. Crawford Market is also known as the Jyotiba Phule Market but it was originally named after Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of the city of Bombay. It is housed in a building that looks like something out of Victorian London, but is overrun with a crazy riot of local color, including the chaotic wholesale cloth market with a tremendous variety of fabrics at hundreds of indoor stalls.  There were also mangoes galore. Since they were in season, everyone was selling mangoes!  I have never seen so many! 

We had about an hour to kill until our dinner reservations so we stopped again at Colahba causeway to do some stall shopping! The vendors are relentless and everyone wants you to buy their wares! One stall wanted $20 for a pair of sandals, I offered $2…. They took it!

Next we went to the Prince of Wales Museum. This white Mughal style dome was designed by architect George Wittet.  Inside we saw displays of Jade, Mughal Empire weapons, 3rd century BC terra cotta figures from Gandhara - a former colony of Alexander the Great. The main attraction was the superb collection of Indian paintings, illustrated manuscripts and exquisite miniatures. The two people who were with us decided not to go into the museum because you could not take pictures inside, but you were able to take pictures if you paid $2.00! So I paid the money, and took pictures! 

People on the streets!

The restaurant Khyber had been recommended and so we went there for dinner!  There were 2 floors and lots of smaller rooms all decorated with paintings on the walls.  We feasted on Indian food - Mango Lassi, Yellow Dal again with Garlic Naan, this popper thing with dips, Chicken Kabobs, and a rice pudding thing for dessert, YUMMY! 

Outside on the sidewalk, I met a guy who was eating something made by a man with a lot of potions set up on a tray! He was mixing up betal leaf concoctions! So I talked to the guy and he had the potion man make me one! He said it was good for digestion and cleansing your palate!  I was a little scary because I had no idea what I was about to eat! He added so many things to it! A little nervous, but I ate it and it was surprisingly good!