Saturday, March 6, 2010
NOTE:
The top twenty one or so pictures are from Iran. We will post more tomorrow. They include pictures from the Mosque and the Museum and some pictures after we boarded the ship. In the mosque the women had to wear an additional head covering so that is included. There are some pictures of Anne Marie with our friend and travel specialist Lynn and one with Anne Marie, and our friends Lynn and Glo with some of the children who greeted the guests with candy as we came down the gangway this morning. The first picture includes Anne Marie, our friend Lynn and two other friends from the ship.
The last eleven pictures are from yesterday. This included the bottom three pictures that are from before and after the special show we attended last evening. One picture is of the two of us and with our friends Lynn and Allen. The other eight of the eleven pictures are additional ones from Muscat. The one with the carpet is a very small portion of the carpet in the Grand Mosque. This is the largest continuous carpet in the World. We were fortunate that our taxi cab driver took these pictures for us since we were not allowed in the Mosque as it was Friday.
Once again, we enjoyed another magical time on the ship last evening.
We dined with our Travel Specialist and great friends Lynn and Allen at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. We enjoyed one of the specials for the evening, which was a Halibut, and it was truly delicious. We all had a wonderful time. The conversation, the service and the cuisine was all outstanding.
After dinner the four of us went to the special entertainment program that was pulled together for all guests on this cruise only. We are amazed that such an elaborate show can be pulled together for just one evening. A good deal of the music was written by the Crystal Orchestra for this evenings production and the script was written by written by some of the Crystal Entertainers. Likewise, the dancers choreographed the dancing. This is another example of the talent and professionalism that all of these entertainers bring day in and day out. It was a truly wonderful show and we were thrilled to attend. The show lasted about an hour. Believe it or not there was another show at 10:30 PM featuring a comedian but we passed on that one as we knew we would be up early today.
Before going to sleep we moved the clocks back thirty minutes as we were sailing into yet another new time zone.
Today, we visit Iran for the very first time. This is a maiden port of call from Crystal and the reality is that very few Cruise Ships stop at this port of call.
Passengers were encouraged to take a shore excursion at this port of call as well as our upcoming visit to Kuwait and to Saudi Arabia. However, there was a shuttle to take passengers between the pier and the Bazaar. A variety of excursions were offered. One program was a two night overland program, which includes one night in Tehran. There were two other very long one-day programs that also involve charter flights. On top of this were a couple of tours that were in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas.
We picked up our passports yesterday afternoon and had to show them as we were getting ready to depart the ship where they were collected immediately by the local authorities and placed in a box on the ship. They wanted to match the passport picture with each of us.
We were provided with information regarding dress in port. Women were asked to dress modestly and were told that it is mandatory to cover hair with a headscarf. Directions were also provided as to how to wear the scarf including how to tie it to cover all of the hair and also how to put it around the neck. The ideal outfit is a loose, long sleeved shirt worn over jeans or cotton trousers or a full skirt. Closed shoes were also to be worn. Men were asked to wear short or long sleeved shirts, and also long pants.
As it turned out the women didn’t have to cover all of their front hair but we fully understand that Crystal error on the more conservative side. Better to be more conservative so as to not offend anyone rather than earring on the other end and causing problems.
Bandar Abbas is located on the southern coast of Iran. Its population is estimated to total approximately 400,000 inhabitants. This port of call is located in a very strategic position and is the gateway to the Persian Gulf. It is a very busy port city with a history of trade with India. More recently, it has been a draw for visitors who appreciate its many cultural and natural attractions. Off the coast are several islands that provide visitors with an introduction to the area’s ecology and history..
The two main languages spoken are Arabic and Assyrian.
Its known history dates back to approximately 522 B.C. By the 16th century the Portuguese took possession of this area. They were eventually expelled in 1622 by Shah Abbas the Great, with the help of the British. Abbas founded this town which has beared his name ever since. This port became key for the East Indian trade route during both the 17th and 18th centuries and the British and Dutch constructed several different buildings in this city during this period..
Since we had a fairly early tour this morning, Keith took the morning off and didn’t go to the Fitness Center for his early morning workout. He slept a little later and then went over to the Lido Café to bring some coffee back to the room for the two of us.
We had arranged with the Butler to have a relatively early morning breakfast which was to be delivered by the room service crewmember who takes care of this floor during the late evening hours. However, with all of the early morning tours and so many guests ordering breakfast to their rooms the butler ended up serving us breakfast this morning. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast of Oatmeal and Fruit and then afterwards got ready for our shore excursion.
We went out on the Promenade Deck and then also on our verandah as we pulled into port. On the starboard side (right) there were several Navy Ships and on the Port side (left) it was more of a commercial area. We could hear a band playing. We waved to several people on the dock. Interestingly enough the women that we saw on the pier had coverings for their hair but you could see a small portion of their hair. Anne Marie put her head covering on. After wondering for quite some time whether or not we would make it to Iran here we are here.
We realize there are some who do not think that the ship should visit here but we have a different view. We think it promotes our own country for the citizens of other countries to see us first hand rather than to hear about us through their own government. Likewise, we believe the reverse is true. The people who we met today were truly wonderful and we hope that they felt the same way about us.
While many of us were taking pictures as we were going down the gangway some of the locals were taking pictures and videos of many of us. After all, it is not often that a cruise ship visits this country.
The tour we selected for our visit was called Bandar Abbas Impressions.
We sat next to our friends Lynn and Allen on the tour bus and pretty much stayed together for most of the tour.
As part of the tour we visited the Shite Syed Mozafar Mosque which included thousands of finely crafted tiles decorate not only on the dome but also on the exterior and the interior walls.
As part of the tour we also visited the Anthropological Museum. This museum is located in the city’s ancient Hindu temple and this museum showcases relics of the civilizations that were prominent along the coast of the nearby islands. The museum’s collection includes rare old coins, traditional apparel and other handicrafts.
We also visited the historical Galehdari Bath Museum. This facility dates back to the Qajar Empire, which ruled Persia from the historical period between 1830 and 1900. This structure is rectangular in shape and has both small and large domes.
We also visited a fish market. The tour also included time at a five star hotel where complimentary tea and coffee was available. Yes, there was also a place where passengers could purchase a carpet. We don’t believe anyone did that.
Below are several highlights from today along with several observations.
When we went down the gangway there were some women there and there were some children. The children passed out candy to the guests and the women greeted us. Just like we want to take pictures there were several local men taking pictures and videos of us.
We had one lead tour guide per bus and one assistant and a couple of security personnel.
The first name of our male tour guide was Pejman and the first name of the assistant female tour guide was Mehrnoosh. They both spoke English well.
Pejman spent about five year in the United States when he was young as his father was in the Iranian Military when the Shah was still in power. He did have the opportunity to go back to the USA for three weeks a few years ago when they were allowed to bring an Iranian tour group to the USA. Mehrnoosh has never visited the USA but would like to visit.
Pejman very openly expressed views about Iran which we will come to later on.
While the women passengers on our ship were told that they needed to cover all of their hair that was unnecessary. Most of the local women cover a good portion of their hair but the front portion can be exposed. It is also fine to wear makeup; just not a lot of it. The very conservatives won’t but most women will.
When we entered the Mosque the women did have to wear another item over their heads that also covered a portion of the top half of their bodies. Men had to enter one area and the women another area and these two areas were separated by a wall. We all had to take our shoes off before entering the Mosque. There were some ladies there who helped each of the women on our tour put on the additional head covering and they were very kind to the females as they showed them around the mosque. On the female side several local women were praying. On the male side only one or two men were praying while we were there.
The town that we visited today is not indicative of other parts of Iran in terms of the look of the city or the look of the buildings.
Overall unemployment in Iran is reported to be around 12% but the tour guide estimates it to be 20%.
Overall annual inflation is reported to be around17% but the guide believes it is closer to 25%.
He talked about the revolution of 1979 and why it occurred and some of the history from the late 1940’s that led to the Shah and what occurred that led to the revolution.
Pejan discussed that about 10% of the population is indeed very conservative in terms of the issue of the religion but that the remaining 90% is relatively mainstream.
He talked about something that we have read and heard in the past about the issue of what one can to in public versus in private. He said that there is a saying that before the revolution that people prayed in private and drank in public but since the revolution that people prayed in public but drank in private. What he is trying to say is that there are indeed restrictions in place on what one can do in public but that in their own home it is quite different. For example, when one is home most of the women (eg. the 90% who are not so conservative) do not cover their heads and that many people do drink at home.
Keith had spoken to him when we were off the bus and asked if he could talk about the views of what is taking place right now with respect to the uprising and the political situation and he said he would be happy to discuss it which he did on the bus.
Some of what he explained we knew already which is that the President of Iran has very little say and control in the government.
He went on to give the background of what has occurred. He said that the majority of the Iranians did want the President out of office. He went onto say that most of them voted and they knew that not all votes were counted when after a certain number of votes were counted that they announced that he had one. He said many of the people thought that the election was a joke and that it was an insult to many who had voted for one of the opposition candidates. So, he said that set off the start of the riots.
His take on all of this was that there would be another uprising possibly similar to the last revolution. His belief and the belief of his friends was that the next revolution would come in forty years. Why forty years? His answer was that forty years represents one and one half new generations and that this would allow the necessary change to take place. He sincerely believes that a lot of change is in the air.
We realize that we cannot make conclusions based on one persons view but this is consistent to many of the items we have read and researched. What we thought was good was that he was able to talk openly about his views. In contrast when we were on a tour in 2008 in Bahrain the tour guide was clearly speaking for the government. This was not the case today.
During our tour we stopped in some other areas where we were able to talk with some people and we found that interesting as well.
We do believer there is a lot of hope.
We also believe it is important for the folks of this country to have contact with others such as those from the USA so that they can judge us for who we are rather than through say the eyes of their media or those who are the true conservatives in Iran. All of this can help to lead to change.
We learned a good deal more from talking with both the tour guide and the assistant tour guide and from the tour as a whole. We are excited and very pleased that we had our first chance to see Iran through our very own eyes. During the first leg of the World Cruise we spoke with a couple who was only on that leg who had visited Iran for fifteen days last Fall on a land program. They walked away with several conclusions that we reached today.
In the end, the people we met were wonderful as is the people who we know and who are our friends who were born in Iran and now live in the United States of America. It is those running the government and several of the religious fanatical’s who are the problem. But if these people are slowly becoming the minority hopefully in time the tour guide will be right and change will occur in Iran. Let’s hope that is the case.
We arrived back to the ship early afternoon and we had lunch with Lynn and Allen at the Lido Café. As we normally do we each enjoyed a nice salad entrée.
Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine in the afternoon while Anne Marie took a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck.
While Keith was working out he could see all of the military ships. He also saw a military submarine in the harbor that began to go out to sea. We didn’t see this first hand but we were told that early this morning during our arrival that there was a military warship that was fairly close to us.
This evening was open seating in the Crystal Dining Room as many passengers were coming back at different hours. We decided to dine at Silk Road with our friends Lynn and Allen. We’ll post more tomorrow.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY…..
“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”
Keith and Anne Marie
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