Sunday 5/4/2015 Day 89 Second day in Port Rashid Dubai

Happy Easter to all who celebrate Easter. Enjoy the bank holiday week-end in any case. Hope the sun shines and the temperature continues to rise for everyone back in the UK.  It's time! The weather was beautiful in Dubai this morning, not too hot to sit in, and warm enough to expose the arms for a few minutes without spf, so we have taken a light breakfast on deck 9 before moving on to the gym for cardio split between treadmill, rowing machine, arm cycle and recumbent cycle (30 minutes for me and 40 for Khachik) and for me a good yoga practice to follow.   Our deck walks are curtailed on port days because of the setting up of secure zones. My experience of walking on the treadmill instead of walking round the ship is that the treadmill is boring, so I feel as though I've had enough very quickly.  I just want to step off it after 10-15 minutes and do something else. Luckily there are other cardio machines.  The rowing machine is hard, and also a bit boring so I stop it after about 3! The arm cycle is hard, and boring so I stop it after about 5, but the recumbent bike feels remarkably good, so I stay on that until the total cardio completed is 30 minutes. I had to rest my arms for so long because of my shoulder injury  anything army feels so hard and I know it will take time to rebuild.  Is this cheating? Probably, but for now by swapping over quickly it’s the only way I can keep my heart rate up for 30 minutes.  The good thing is that these bits of equipment all monitor everything, so the science is interesting and a bit distracting. For deck walking (and of course other reasons) I do hope all the pirate drill will stop soon (thinking after Yemen and Suez canal when we’re back in the Med. I would just like to add that Yoga is never boring, so to practise after cardio is quite joyful, and to finish in savasana with a towel over my eyes is bliss.

We are enjoying the peace and quiet today, no trips, no shuttles no souks, no malls, just a little walk off the ship and stay in the port terminal using the wifi and coffee facilities. sometimes it's got to be done

Just after 4 today we will be setting off for Muscat, Oman, arriving early in the morning  Already 700 people are embarking for this sector, I feel for them trying to navigate for the first time.  I also feel for the 600 who have disembarked as they have come to the end of their adventures.  We have 18 days left, and we will slowly aclimatise over that time, and have a word with ourselves!

So next up all the new embarkers will have to do the obligatory safety exercise, and then we'll have a sail away party, and then it will be time to have dinner again. I will see you all in Oman tomorrow x

Saturday 4/4/2015 Day 88 Dubai “The Golden City”

We woke up sailing into Dubai, first the skyline was minute but still impressive and within an hour the ship was making those very impressive circling and sideways manoeuvres to get into the port and berth between the Costa Serena and a Celebrity ship whose name escapes me., but good job! Warm but not too warm, promises of 25-29C today.  The port building is unbelievable – instead of makeshift buildings that look like aircraft hangars, or even marquees Dubai boasts something more luxurious than the average international airport with marble everywhere, VIP lounges, prayer rooms, currency exchanges, stores, free wi-fi and coffee shops.  This is the way to go for countries with an essential tourist industry.  It is so welcoming and comfortable.

Breakfast at 9, gym again at 10 and then a leisurely morning preparing for the excursion Dubai, The Golden City, which included ancient, old and new lifestyles and buildings, took us over the Dubai Creek in a water taxi.  We finished up in the Spice and Gold Souks. We were actually both still really tired and when, we got to the gold souk, passed on any window shopping in favour of sitting on a park bench and letting the feet recover. Nevertheless there was a lot to learn, smells to smell and museums to see, and our tour guide was very willing to let us have all the information and history we could get into a 4.5 hour trip. Who knew all about the impact of discovering oil had in the 1960’s, and how a pearl diving, fishing and farming economy could change to such a wealthy oil producing nation.  I hadn’t even considered the age of the UAE, and definitely didn’t appreciate that it began in the year that I started at Manchester University.

It was good to get back into the terminal, and to eat, Skype and sleep (and in Khachik’s case to watch a good portion of the match between MUFC and Aston Villa, thankfully won 3:1 by MUFC.  BTW he would have had room service and watched the lot with a bit of forethought!)

OK, we are done for the day.  Maybe still a little jet lagged, but happy to be on the ship and on sector 5. Back tomorrow.

Friday 3/4/2015 Day 87 - back on the Arcadia

 The Ramada in Abu Dhabi was luxurious with a rooftop pool and a gym on 18^th floor. Lovely welcome.  We both slept really well and after another hearty hotel breakfast made good use of the gym “in the zone” for 30 minutes. After 6 consecutive days of Thai yoga I have committed the stretch component to memory and have kept up with my flexibility promise, today no exception.

We could see the Arcadia in the distance at the port from the hotel dining room and the gym. It must have arrived around 8. We were picked up at 11:30 and transferred beautifully, with commentary about our surroundings all the way back to ship by midday, issued with new cruise cards, declared we’d not got any infectious diseases or been to an Ebola infected area and retrained in safety procedures in the event of the emergency signal. 

Then we chatted to other passengers some we knew and some we didn’t and it seems that the 7 days we spent in Thailand doing what made us so very happy, were not so happy for the remaining 2000 or so back on the ship or in port in Mumbai on 30th. The sea days were marred by Pirate Drills, deck closures, patrols and hailers, and what can only be described as curfews (doors locked to the decks, and instructions to keep curtains closed at night and room lights off)  This was clearly an indication of the mood around passenger safety and security.   Then it seems that Indian immigration caused chaos, massive queues and late trips off the ship. Most we spoke to (but not all, some were thrilled by the diversity) have given it the thumbs down.  So on reflection, and on the whole,  we feel that our luck was definitely in last week. 

Our port day in Abu Dhabi has been a quiet one on the ship, unpacking, launderette, eating and then another 30 minutes in the gym and the hot tub before dinner.  We’re back!  I was so tired at dinner that I went straight to bed.  Khachik went to the Beatles tribute band in the Palladium and reports that he too fell asleep, but in the theatre seats instead  ;)  the band was good though.  I slept!

When we sleep tonight we will be transported a short distance along the coast to the port of Dubai, where we plan to spent the afternoon on the golden City excursion.

That’s us for the day.  Back again tomorrow.

Thursday 2/4/2015 Day 86 Travelling time again - feeling a bit of pressure!

Alarm went off just after 4 a.m. on the last morning in the Doubletree Hilton in Bangkok. Agghhhh! Nevertheless we were without objection up and about, cases closed and down in the lobby in time to check out, pick up our breakfast boxes and get our taxi to BKK international airport.  If anyone is travelling to and from the airport here’s a tip from Richard:  if it’s not rush hours then ask for a taxi without toll.  We didn’t on the way out and it was 500 Baht, but on the way back in we asked for no toll and it cost 250 Baht.  This only works if you have checked in on line and are not late, as traffic can be a bit unpredictable.

No delays. A little wobble when we were asked at check in about our UAE visa, when we'd only got one for Sri Lanka,  but all was well because if you have a European passport. A 30 day visa-on-arrival is free. A bigger wobble when we lost both the Thai immigration departure cards, and then the second lot of boarding passes. However these weren’t as major as they felt at the time. You know what I mean, when your heart starts exploding up into your neck and the heart rate goes really high!  Thai immigration must have met people like us before, as they had spares in their pockets, and someone kind found the boarding passes and handed them to a member of staff. “Would Barbara Hastings and Khachatur Asatourian make themselves known to a member of staff” – a bit of a wake up call.  So a big up for Sri Lankan Airlines. A comfortable experience with very good food and service, and lovely understanding staff! We had a long wait in Columbo, 8 hours so we made the most of the wifi and time went a bit more quickly that way, and captured a few items of cultural interest...  It was also interesting to read after the flight that Sri Lankan Airlines had been found to be "Corrupt" - we, of course, were oblivious and just enjoyed the flights.

Queues and behaviour in the queues for immigration were not really suitable for midnight!  There was queue rage, people shouting about pushing in, officials speaking to visitors as if they were being well “naughty”.  It was best to keep a sense of humour and stay detached, it was over in about 90 minutes. We were actually in transit for 22 hours, but it didn’t feel quite as tiring because we had to put the clocks back 3 hours and got to bed at the new time of 01:30.  Our holiday taxi had waited for us too, which felt like bliss. and breathe.....

So here we are in Abu Dhabi, in the Ramada Corniche, room downsizing bit by bit, so we don’t feel the impact of returning to a compact cabin when tomorrow at midday we are picked up to rejoin Arcadia for sector 5, the final part of our world cruise.  Back soon x

Wednesday 1/4/2015 Day 85 Siam Care Seminar (#siamcare2015 on Twitter)

At last it was time for Siam Care 2015, the seminar where everyone got together for the day, including UK donors, trustees, other donors, the Thai CEO and Thai Board, speakers, Thai sponsor children now studying in college and several like-minded organisations.  I really learned a lot from all of the speakers, although some were more harrowing (the UNODC for example) because there was video footage of some abused children, the police dealing with the cases and the cultural barriers to reporting and appropriate management.

I have posted the programme on Facebook and live tweeted the topics covered yesterday @BarbaraHA with the hashtag #siamcare2015, if you’d  like to have a look.  In summary it was a comprehensive look at abuse including trafficking , sex tourism and cyberabuse (shame on the UK! One UN slide highlighted how the UK was responsible for 30% of the sex tourism offences which were uncovered and dealt with in one recent 10 year period.   There is absolutely no excuse anyone could come up with and the international news reinforces how huge and endemic the problem is in the UK as the horrific cases of  high profile entertainers’ and politicians’ are slowly being revealed and at last reported . 

Siam Care UK donors provide scholarships for young people in three centres in Thailand, and help to fund home visits, counselling and emotional support for anyone on the programmes.  Siam Care also provides crafting opportunities, and the chance for programme participants to train as volunteers and gain valuable independence skills.  Everything is intended to help young people have a better future, with safer life choices.  It is a great thing to learn how many of our young people are now staying in education, and what their longer term plans are. Two fellow speakers Rebecca and Ilya took the following two souvenir pics when I was presenting, and Khachik the last two! Always a blessing to know that I still can present and have a bit of a smile on my face at the same time..

After the seminar we collected our haut couture items and are very happy with them, we ate our last spicy Thai dinner for this trip, and I had my 6^th Thai Yoga massage in as many days.  I will miss this intensive physio!  But I am quite ecstatic that such reliable and skilled work can be carried out with such concern and commitment at such an easily affordable price.  I will always remember Lillies, and their staff La and Ong who worked so hard to remove any blockages, and that took a lot of intuitive work and time!

Wednesday finished with packing, and an early morning alarm set for 4 a.m. How quickly the week has passed. Next up is an adventure via Columbo in Sri Lanka to Abu Dhabi to re-embark the ship in Abu Dhabi. Bye for now xx

Tuesday 31/3/2015 Day 84 Meetings, fittings, tweakings

Today we had our Siam Care trustee meeting in Bangkok which went very well and got me feeling incredibly excited for the 92 Siam Care Children, and all the Thai and English trustees and volunteers heading for the S-C camp.  There's going to be so much laughter on "English can be fun day" with typically English games, baking, singing, and sports activities.  I wish we could be there.

While the S-C meeting was taking place Khachik found the gym and went on the treadmill for an hour, making Sarah and Asa who were sitting near the pool full of admiration for this athletic performance in the heat! The gym has A/C luckily.

Just before lunch today we had a Skype call with Izzy in the UK, it was 8 a.m. there, so we had to keep it short so we didn't mess about with the school preparations.  Warm fuzzy feelings all around Bangkok!

Our afternoon ended with a fitting of our haut couture items, and a little adjustment here and there.  Tomorrow they will be finished.

I have finished tweaking the presentation which I'll be doing around 3 tomorrow.  How exciting. since "retiring" I haven't been doing many presentations like this,  and even though I teach yoga every day, when the opportunity to present with props comes up I do have a very much "at home" feeling.  I shouldn't really be surprised at the comfortable fit, I started formally teaching groups in 1985, and was always doing health ed sessions in schools from 1976.  I do love teaching, but it's good riddance to all the meetings, admin and marking.

Why is the time here going so quickly?  It feels like we have just arrived but we have already had 5 days.

Tomorrow is the seminar, so we need an early morning start so we don't miss registration. This will be the first time we have all been together, and these times are always full of love and generally very emotional. So time to brace ourselves .  Back tomorrow xx

Monday 30/3/2015 Day 83 Settling happily in Bangkok, loving the prices!

Funny how quickly we settle in and become familiar with our immediate environment, and share our knowledge of the outside world with new arrivals from the UK, so they can fast track. We can find a good place to eat and daily Thai Yoga without much planning, and have also successfully navigated the local shopping areas,  sky train, water taxi and night market. A pity they're not all on Trip Advisor or I'd be recommending them to't interweb with 5 stars too.

By the way, not very spicy food means really hot (three chillis!) and "soft" Thai massage means "it will hurt".  Best not mess with the people from Thailand if these two measures are extrapolatable. e.g. A soup of coconut and chicken sounded like a bland one to me. It was a throat heater!  Khachik asked for a soft massage and said he was still hurting the day after.

There's a very Chinese breakfast I was first introduced to in North East Thailand a few years ago, and have also had in Hong Kong in 2013 consisting of irregular shaped doughnuts dipped in condensed sweetened milk. Thought I'd gone to heaven every breakfast then so I am on a mission to see if the hotel does these.  I have found doughnuts shaped like the letter K, next to a pan of hot soya milk, so suspect this is an alternative. this is good, but condensed is better ;)  I will keep searching.

We went for lunch in a "corner shop" today, the building is just 2 walls and the rest made up of canvas awnings. Fold away tables the size of card tables back to back, seating of around 200.  A full noodle lunch with a drink is about 50 baht (£1) and the place is chock a block with Thai people, so we know the food is good and freshly prepared. It all gets prepared in front of you.  This gets 5 K&B  traveller stars!

This afternoon we paid a visit to a local tailor's shop called the Emporium.  Both measured up for 2 custom made items, trying on for size tomorrow and ready to collect the night before we leave.  I have done this twice before.  In 2002 I went to the tailor in the Merchant Court hotel and had a silk suit made, and then in 2008 I took a suit into a tailor in Mukdahan and asked her to copy it for me.  I still have, and wear both of these.  I have also seen many colleagues get suits and shirts made here in 24-48 hours, and never been disappointed.

Tonight we had a much bigger meal with Dr Dee, Dr Will, Laura and Carol, taking them to one of our pad Thai/fried rice haunts, we also had mango sticky rice for afters. This came to 1200 baht for 6 people including drinks. (About £4 each! More than one main pp)  Afterwards we headed off on the sky train to the Night Market called "Asiatique" two different train lines and a complimentary water taxi away (an hour).  Fake copies of everything galore in the massive market, but not an old style market, much more modern and clean.  The night was so hot we all got a bit dehydrated and had to work hard at getting all the fluid back in before bed time.  So easily done,but fortunately soon sorted.

The return journey also went like clockwork, including tickets from the machine, successfully negotiating all the barriers, and going in the right direction. Just to compare the public transport costs the sky train starts at 15 baht per station and increases slowly so that our single journey of around 12 stops was an astonishing 45 baht, less than £1.  So we are rather surprised by the enormous difference between our regular prices both at home and on the ship.