Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
We enjoyed another nice evening on the ship as we were sailing to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Before dinner, we attended a classical concert given by internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Robin Hill. It was a wonderful concert and he played a wide range of songs on the guitar.
Following the concert we dined in the Main Dining Room. The theme for the dinner was Neptune Dinner. We each enjoyed a nice sald, followed by Pistachio and Caper-Crusted Black Cod Filley. Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Risotto with Roasted Tinkerbell Peppers, Squash and Meyer Lemon Sauce accompanied this entrée. We also had steamed vegetables and fruit for desert. There were many entrees to choose from including a popular one, which was Surf’n’Turf. This entrée included Grilled Black Angus Filet Mignon, which was accompanied by a Broiled Lobster Tail and served with Sauce Choron, Wild Mushrooms, Broccoli and Fingerling Potatoes. We enjoyed a delicious meal, and the wonderful service and ambience of the Main Dining Room. Dress for this evening was informal (eg, semi-formal).
After dinner we attended another wonderful concert. This concert began with Virtuoso Violinist Nicola Loud. She has to be one of the most wonderful violinists we have ever heard on land and at sea. West End Vocalist Robert Meadmore who sang several songs gave the second half of the concert and he was wonderful.
When we returned to our room we received some information about our next World Cruise event, which will be held in Israel. Between our tour that day and the evening event this should be an eventful day.
We awoke early this morning with great anticipation for our first visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This is a maiden port of call for Crystal Cruises.
Keith began his day with a wonderful workout at the Fitness Center and worked out on the Elliptical Machine. Yes, he was the first passenger to the Fitness Center and he was there quite early. Anne Marie worked out in the afternoon since we took a morning shore excursion.
We had breakfast delivered to the room at 6:30 AM and enjoyed a quiet breakfast as we got ready for our shore excursion.
We arrived to port a little after 7:00 AM.
Before it was time to go to the excursion Keith went down to the Promenade Deck to take some pictures and then ran into the Protestant Clergy, Pastor Ed Voosen. We had met the Pastor on a shore excursion and from time to time say hi to him but we have never had a lengthy discussion with him. Keith ended up walking with him for about thirty minutes and had a great conversation. One of the very nice aspects of this cruise is the opportunity to get to know so many people quite well from passengers to crew to those from the enrichment and entertainment area. We look forward to additional conversations with the Pastor during this adventure.
All women were asked to wear the Albaya that was provided to them the other day. In addition they were required to wear a head scarf (Hijab), which was also, provide to each women. The requirement for gentlemen was that they wear long pants. In addition for any guest staying on board the ship who was doing sunbathing they were asked to avoid the ships side facing the port if they were in swimwear.
Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia and has a population of approximately 3.5 million inhabitants. It is located on the coast of the Red Sea. It is considered the gateway to Mecca, which is Islam’s holiest city.
It is also considered a cosmopolitan commercial hub and actually an artsy city with various types of art on display. In fact, this city is the largest open-air art gallery in the entire world. It is also known for its shopping and includes an array of upscale department stores and boutiques. This city also includes beautiful beaches, and a picturesque corniche, where both locals and tourists and visitors can enjoy beautiful views all around them.
This city was first inhabited almost 2,500 years ago. Many began to arrive here in 647 A.D. in order to reach Mecca which those of the Muslim faith are required to visit at least once during ones lifetime.
The modern state was founded in 1902 by King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. The major driver of the economy is oil which was first discovered in this area in the 1930’s.
The law of the land is Islam, with very strict rules. There is no constitution and the land is ruled by the King and Council. Women are segregated from men in the workplace. It is a crime to bring alcohol into Saudi Arabia and importing drugs is punishable by death.
In order to visit this city a shore excursion was required and even if it were not we would have signed up for one anyway. The shore excursion we took was called Jeddah’s Camel Market and Old City.
After departing the pier we drove to one of the largest camel markets in Saudi Arabia. This is not only a camel market as sheep, and goats are also sold in addition to camels. Other goods that are sold include saddles, lalters and blankets.
We then visited the old city, which houses the oldest buildings and monuments of the country. Some of these sites date back 2,500 years. We also visited the Al-Alawi Souk, the largest and most traditional souk in Saudi Arabia. This is considered to be Saudi Arabia’s most spectacular market. The Souk winds its way through the old city.
As part of the tour we also had the opportunity to view the Corniche, which is located to the western part of Jeddah on the Red Sea.
Following are some observations/comments about our tour and day in Jeddah.
After going off the ship we were welcomed by the locals and then escorted to our buses. When the bus was fill we were taken to the terminal area where we had to go through passport control and a security check.
The passport control area where they checked our passports and stamped both passports and the landing card was tedious for some. It took us about a minute each to go through the check but for some it took five minutes or more.
The drive from the pier to the Camel Market was far from scenic. We drop on roads that needed a lot of work and had many holes in them and in a few cases drove on dirt roads and the areas we passed looked extremely poor. There was littler everywhere, which was the case for some other areas of the tour.
The Camel Market included Camels and other animals and is where these animals are bought and sold.
During the drive from the Camel Market to the Old City we passed many poor areas and there was trash all around those areas. There were some people begging in the streets. There were people who came to Saudi Arabia from other countries for the MECCA pilgrimage and who did not leave Saudi Arabia afterwards.
The tour guide told us that we are the first cruise ship for them this year.
The Old City was nice enough and the tour guide showed us some of the buildings and also took us to some of the nearby stores. We had thirty minutes on our own and wandered around.
Afterwards they drove us around the nicer part of the city. We saw beautiful buildings, an open art area with beautiful works of art, parks, the King’s Palace from a distance and a variety of other buildings including federal office buildings and even chain restaurants including McDonald’s.
Upon our return from the bus we had to go back into the terminal. The men and women were put in separate lines to go through security. For the women it was much more of a lengthily process as each of them was patted down by a woman from security.
We each had to go through Passport Control where our passports were once again checked, and stamped and the other card was stamped and then we had to go through one final check before we left the area. Upon entering the building we were given some type of religious CD.
We don’t want to draw too many conclusions from today’s tour. The tour guide was nice enough and answered many questions for us. Clearly tourism is still very new to them and they have a ways to go to develop this aspect of their economy.
When we arrived back to the ship we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Lido Café. We each had a nice salad entrée.
This evening is open seating in the Main Dining Room so we decided to have dinner by ourselves at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant.
After dinner we plan to go to what’s called the Pharaoh Phil’s Flin-Kian Fair, which is being held for everyone on the Lido Deck. We will post more about dinner and the fair when we post tomorrow.
The good news is that we will be setting the clocks back one hour as we sail into yet another time zone.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….
“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.”
Keith and Anne Marie
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