Dawn Princess - 104 Days - Around the World
Click here to see Itinerary (this will take you to Princess website)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
BIG APOLOGY OWED HERE.....
Guess I really need to apologise for abandoning my blogspot........ it just became a little too difficult to keep up with especially when we had several consecutive days in Port. However I did keep up my journal entries so will post them here now that we are home. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed the Adventure. In time I will eventually add some photos too.
Several days at sea......
Wednesday, 16th JUNE – AT Sea
Very heavy seas. Pools closed. Formal night tonight to meet new Captain. Ship broke down again last night and we drifted for 3 hours.
Thursday, 17th June – At Sea
Pools still closed. Captain says he may have to cancel Safaga – Bugger!!!
We had booked a tour to do the Valley of the Kings and a Felucca Ride on the Nile.
Swam in little pool at back this morning and then had a spa.
Friday, 18th June – At Sea
Woke at 7.30am. Seas very calm. Within 20mins wind blew up and white caps everywhere.
Temperature is 31C. Pools are open.
Today we transverse through the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Aden between Safaga and Yemen.
Ship’s speed is slow.
We are definitely not stopping at Safaga . Princess are talking compensation. Now we have 7/8 days at sea.
Many passengers are complaining about noisy cabins. Most seem to be located at either Front or Back of Ship on all decks. Nothing wrong with Caribe C505 though - we love it.....
Saturday, 19th June – At Sea
9.30am – 32C. In Red Sea between Yemen and Ethiopia
DARN..... Red Sea is not red!!!!! Very hot on decks. Usual routine planned today.
Walk AM. Work on laptop or knit while Ray swims before lunch then we both go to the pool in the afternoon. Drinks at 5 – 5.30pm till whenever.......................
Sunday, 20th June – At Sea
Swam, walked Deck 7, Watched Movie Under the Stars – shared popcorn.
Early afternoon we were in the middle of the Red Sea
Monday 21st June – At Sea
Longest day of the Year.
Walked this morning then went for swim before lunch. We will be entering the Suez Canal in the early hours of the morning and arriving Port Said about 6pm tomorrow.
Currently we are still in the Red Sea (at the northern end). Seems that they are going to re-assess the problem with the ship and hopefully fix it while we are in Port Said.
Looking forward to the Pyramids, Sphinxes and our Nile River Cruise.
Been told to be wary of Rides on Camels because after they will not let you off the camel (or worse still, lead you off into the Sahara Desert) unless you pay more.
Rumours have been spreading rapidly as to the likelihood of us continuing our journey in view of the technical problems onboard the ship. For two days we didn’t have any access to Maps showing our location which are usually available on our Princess TV channel. Leaves you feeling very uneasy - felt like we were just drifting aimlessly.
Hoses have been removed from decks – Pirate hazard seems to be over.
12 NOON Announcement
We have cruised 2724 nautical miles since we left Dubai. We are cruising at an average speed of 17 knots (31 kms per hour). We are in the far north Red Sea – 70 nautical miles off Egypt. Soon we will be in the Gulf of Suez.
Celine Dion concert tonight on big screen (Movies under the Stars) – probably watch 5pm session while having our drinks with Karen and Julie. As it turned out – Karen hates Celine Dion and the sound was dreadful. Drinks were good though.....
GREAT EXCITEMENT – This afternoon, our 7th day at sea and we have just sighted land – our first glimpse of Egypt. A sand haze blankets it. Several oil wells are located between us and the coastline and there are lots of ships going to and fro past us. Most of them are carrying oil. Mood on the ship is much cheerier. About 4.15pm – a helicopter flew low over the deck of the ship............
Very heavy seas. Pools closed. Formal night tonight to meet new Captain. Ship broke down again last night and we drifted for 3 hours.
Thursday, 17th June – At Sea
Pools still closed. Captain says he may have to cancel Safaga – Bugger!!!
We had booked a tour to do the Valley of the Kings and a Felucca Ride on the Nile.
Swam in little pool at back this morning and then had a spa.
Friday, 18th June – At Sea
Woke at 7.30am. Seas very calm. Within 20mins wind blew up and white caps everywhere.
Temperature is 31C. Pools are open.
Today we transverse through the Arabian Sea into the Gulf of Aden between Safaga and Yemen.
Ship’s speed is slow.
We are definitely not stopping at Safaga . Princess are talking compensation. Now we have 7/8 days at sea.
Many passengers are complaining about noisy cabins. Most seem to be located at either Front or Back of Ship on all decks. Nothing wrong with Caribe C505 though - we love it.....
Saturday, 19th June – At Sea
9.30am – 32C. In Red Sea between Yemen and Ethiopia
DARN..... Red Sea is not red!!!!! Very hot on decks. Usual routine planned today.
Walk AM. Work on laptop or knit while Ray swims before lunch then we both go to the pool in the afternoon. Drinks at 5 – 5.30pm till whenever.......................
Sunday, 20th June – At Sea
Swam, walked Deck 7, Watched Movie Under the Stars – shared popcorn.
Early afternoon we were in the middle of the Red Sea
Monday 21st June – At Sea
Longest day of the Year.
Walked this morning then went for swim before lunch. We will be entering the Suez Canal in the early hours of the morning and arriving Port Said about 6pm tomorrow.
Currently we are still in the Red Sea (at the northern end). Seems that they are going to re-assess the problem with the ship and hopefully fix it while we are in Port Said.
Looking forward to the Pyramids, Sphinxes and our Nile River Cruise.
Been told to be wary of Rides on Camels because after they will not let you off the camel (or worse still, lead you off into the Sahara Desert) unless you pay more.
Rumours have been spreading rapidly as to the likelihood of us continuing our journey in view of the technical problems onboard the ship. For two days we didn’t have any access to Maps showing our location which are usually available on our Princess TV channel. Leaves you feeling very uneasy - felt like we were just drifting aimlessly.
Hoses have been removed from decks – Pirate hazard seems to be over.
12 NOON Announcement
We have cruised 2724 nautical miles since we left Dubai. We are cruising at an average speed of 17 knots (31 kms per hour). We are in the far north Red Sea – 70 nautical miles off Egypt. Soon we will be in the Gulf of Suez.
Celine Dion concert tonight on big screen (Movies under the Stars) – probably watch 5pm session while having our drinks with Karen and Julie. As it turned out – Karen hates Celine Dion and the sound was dreadful. Drinks were good though.....
GREAT EXCITEMENT – This afternoon, our 7th day at sea and we have just sighted land – our first glimpse of Egypt. A sand haze blankets it. Several oil wells are located between us and the coastline and there are lots of ships going to and fro past us. Most of them are carrying oil. Mood on the ship is much cheerier. About 4.15pm – a helicopter flew low over the deck of the ship............
Tuesday, 15th June - Bad start to Sector 2
Well what a day we had today. Captain Todd McBain departed the Ship in Dubai yesterday and we have a new Italian Captain onboard. I think Todd will return in Los Angeles to bring us home. We left Dubai yesterday and are at sea for the next five days. We are retracing our path back past Oman on our way to Safaga, Luxor and then the Suez Canal.
Pirate Drill at 9.30am – required us to all hide in our rooms away from doors and windows but with our cabin doors open so that we could gain instructions from our Cabin Stewards. Outside on the decks , large hose systems have been installed and were tested. We have been told that a sonic boom discharger has been placed somewhere near the Bridge. [We heard of another Passenger Ship cruising in this area, when it had had a Balcony Door damaged by some sort of a ''rocket'' being discharged through it -thankfully it didn't go off. So guess all these precautions relating to Pirates do have some merits, and aren't just about amusing the passengers]
Our Drill went well and after a time we were all told we could continue our day at sea and that any alarms we heard in future would NOT be a drill but the real thing.
ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS:
In the afternoon we headed up to the pool although today is a little cooler 31 degrees with a nice seabreeze. About Beer O’clock time when we had arranged to gather by the pool with some friends, Captain Vincenzo Lubrano announces that we have a problem. We have broken down and are adrift at sea. We were located somewhere off Oman and not so far from Iran. For the next few hours the Captain apologised for the problem but “what can he do, it is not fixed yet”. What an adventure to tell – we felt like sitting ducks with all these pirates in the area. Anyway finally about 8pm, he announces that the problem is fixed and we are on our way. From the back deck it looked like a storm was heading our way so although lots of fun do be drifting in the Arabian Sea, we were sort of thankful that we were at least going to have some engine power. Apparently this little hiccup might have upset our arrival into our next port but the Captain is going to give us more information about that tomorrow. I would have thought that 4 more days at sea would give him a chance to catch up but time will tell. Anyway I am writing this about 11.30pm and all is well – seas are a little rougher but nothing of any great concern – there have been no pirate attacks.........
Pirate Drill at 9.30am – required us to all hide in our rooms away from doors and windows but with our cabin doors open so that we could gain instructions from our Cabin Stewards. Outside on the decks , large hose systems have been installed and were tested. We have been told that a sonic boom discharger has been placed somewhere near the Bridge. [We heard of another Passenger Ship cruising in this area, when it had had a Balcony Door damaged by some sort of a ''rocket'' being discharged through it -thankfully it didn't go off. So guess all these precautions relating to Pirates do have some merits, and aren't just about amusing the passengers]
Our Drill went well and after a time we were all told we could continue our day at sea and that any alarms we heard in future would NOT be a drill but the real thing.
ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS:
In the afternoon we headed up to the pool although today is a little cooler 31 degrees with a nice seabreeze. About Beer O’clock time when we had arranged to gather by the pool with some friends, Captain Vincenzo Lubrano announces that we have a problem. We have broken down and are adrift at sea. We were located somewhere off Oman and not so far from Iran. For the next few hours the Captain apologised for the problem but “what can he do, it is not fixed yet”. What an adventure to tell – we felt like sitting ducks with all these pirates in the area. Anyway finally about 8pm, he announces that the problem is fixed and we are on our way. From the back deck it looked like a storm was heading our way so although lots of fun do be drifting in the Arabian Sea, we were sort of thankful that we were at least going to have some engine power. Apparently this little hiccup might have upset our arrival into our next port but the Captain is going to give us more information about that tomorrow. I would have thought that 4 more days at sea would give him a chance to catch up but time will tell. Anyway I am writing this about 11.30pm and all is well – seas are a little rougher but nothing of any great concern – there have been no pirate attacks.........
Monday 14th June - DUBAI
MONDAY, 14th June - DUBAI: (End of first sector)
Today's Bridge Report:
17 knots = 31 kmph, 2724 nautical miles from Sydney. 70 nautical miles off Egypt, far north Red Sea, soon into Gulf of Suez.
Temperature today reached 50C
Booked a Princess Tour that took us up the tallest building in the world – Burj Khafir.
Guide is Mohamad. Said he is like a young Sheik Mohommad, and told us they don’t wear anything under their kandora (head wear for men is called qetra).
Dubai is amazing – although the financial crisis has hit badly. Mohammad told us that there is still enough oil in Abu Dhabi to support the whole area for another 40 years. Evidence of their wealth is everywhere – from the air conditioned bus stops to the amazing man made Island developments.
We visited the Burj Al Arab (the building shaped like a sail– voted world’s most luxurious) for a photo shoot and at the same time dabbled our toes in the Persian Sea at Jumeriah Beach. Sand was so hot and water was also too hot to swim in for long.
Then we drove onto Palm Jumeirah, one of the Palm Frond Islands for a photo shoot of Atlantis (a 7 star hotel). Rooms are all suites at least 750 metres (bigger than our block of land at Safety Beach) and they have an Aquarium that holds 65000 fish and
We visited the Mall of Emirates (a shopping centre with indoor ski dome with fresh snow all year round and five ski runs and amazingly a dining area with an open fire burning (pretend). .
Then we moved on to the Burj Dubai Downtown. We couldn’t park the bus close by so had a walk to the Shopping Centre and then onto the Burj Khafir, tallest building in the world (188 floors, 818 metres, 2680 feet).
We entered the high speed elevator- high tech sound and light show played on the walls as we sped to the Observation Deck on the 124th floor. There are 57 elevators which travel at 10 metres per second. Then as we reached our destination, the music reached a loud crescendo as the elevator doors sprung open to a totally glassed in Observation Deck with a breathtaking view of the city, desert and the ocean (and palm frond islands).
In both Oman and Dubai there was a haze which we were told was a sand haze . This made photos interesting especially first thing in the morning. [Camera lens immediately fogged up so we had to get into the habit of taking our camera outside for a few minutes before actually opening it to use]
But here at the Burj Khafir, they have telescopes for you to look through and you can select day, afternoon or night and see a clear view through the telescope without the haze.
We finished our tour at the Dubai Mall Downtown (a shopping mall too amazing to describe) and also visited the Souq (market). I bought a gorgeous little Aladdins Lamp that I am rubbing each day in hope the Genie might pop out.
Today's Bridge Report:
17 knots = 31 kmph, 2724 nautical miles from Sydney. 70 nautical miles off Egypt, far north Red Sea, soon into Gulf of Suez.
Temperature today reached 50C
Booked a Princess Tour that took us up the tallest building in the world – Burj Khafir.
Guide is Mohamad. Said he is like a young Sheik Mohommad, and told us they don’t wear anything under their kandora (head wear for men is called qetra).
Dubai is amazing – although the financial crisis has hit badly. Mohammad told us that there is still enough oil in Abu Dhabi to support the whole area for another 40 years. Evidence of their wealth is everywhere – from the air conditioned bus stops to the amazing man made Island developments.
We visited the Burj Al Arab (the building shaped like a sail– voted world’s most luxurious) for a photo shoot and at the same time dabbled our toes in the Persian Sea at Jumeriah Beach. Sand was so hot and water was also too hot to swim in for long.
Then we drove onto Palm Jumeirah, one of the Palm Frond Islands for a photo shoot of Atlantis (a 7 star hotel). Rooms are all suites at least 750 metres (bigger than our block of land at Safety Beach) and they have an Aquarium that holds 65000 fish and
We visited the Mall of Emirates (a shopping centre with indoor ski dome with fresh snow all year round and five ski runs and amazingly a dining area with an open fire burning (pretend). .
Then we moved on to the Burj Dubai Downtown. We couldn’t park the bus close by so had a walk to the Shopping Centre and then onto the Burj Khafir, tallest building in the world (188 floors, 818 metres, 2680 feet).
We entered the high speed elevator- high tech sound and light show played on the walls as we sped to the Observation Deck on the 124th floor. There are 57 elevators which travel at 10 metres per second. Then as we reached our destination, the music reached a loud crescendo as the elevator doors sprung open to a totally glassed in Observation Deck with a breathtaking view of the city, desert and the ocean (and palm frond islands).
In both Oman and Dubai there was a haze which we were told was a sand haze . This made photos interesting especially first thing in the morning. [Camera lens immediately fogged up so we had to get into the habit of taking our camera outside for a few minutes before actually opening it to use]
But here at the Burj Khafir, they have telescopes for you to look through and you can select day, afternoon or night and see a clear view through the telescope without the haze.
We finished our tour at the Dubai Mall Downtown (a shopping mall too amazing to describe) and also visited the Souq (market). I bought a gorgeous little Aladdins Lamp that I am rubbing each day in hope the Genie might pop out.
In the afternoon we swam – it is very very hot. We wanted to phone the girls but there were no phone cards left dockside and none of the phones would take cash.
Sunday, 13th June – OMAN
Sunday, 13th June – OMAN
Shore Excursion Today – Mytical MUSCAT [Early start – need to meet at 7.30am in Princess Theatre]
In OMAN today and the ship’s position has been notified to NATO because we are in an area notorious for pirate attacks. We will be having Pirate Drill soon. The Captain has access to all NATO Intelligence reports. Today a naval vessel monitored our departure from Oman and this afternoon a fighter jet flew over. In the next hour or so we will be turning towards Dubai and will be close to Iran.
OMAN is very interesting – totally undemocratic – run by Sultan – no crime, everything clean and modern although their history dates back centuries. The Scenery was dramatic with huge stark mountains of rock surrounding the shoreline.
Very modern buildings – great roads, drive on RHS
We visited the Grand Mosque – enormous, built of marble and sandstone – we had to do the full cover up thing to go in but well worth it. Guide said they don’t put a monetary value on it – whatever it requires is done – but someone else said it has cost them $6 billion so far. The inside has magnificent stained glass, fantastic mosaics, handwoven carpet that we weren’t allowed to walk on, gold everywhere, gigantic chandeliers that guys climb into and walk around when a light bulb needs changing. Reflecting now that we are home - this Mosque was truly amazing - I still can't get over the opulence of it all.
Temperatures were 43 deg plus. Shopped in Muttrah Souq – bargained for everything and had lots of fun.
Also went to Private Museum where Oman’s history is chronicled. Interesting - most of the exhibits were open, not enclosed in glass. Very interesting artifacts.
Also saw Sultan’s Palace (one of his five). The Palace is sandwiched between two forts. This Palace looked even more amazing as we sailed out of Oman and we could see its full extent. One of the Sultan's yachts (more like a liner) was parked next to us in the Harbour.
Only short stop here because we are heading to Dubai tomorrow. Due to depart at 1pm today – although it probably ended up nearer to 2pm. Near midnight tonight we make a turn and will pass close to IRAN.
Hose nozzles have been installed dockside in preparation for Pirate Attack. Apparently there is something near the front of the ship that is capable of making a sonic boom.
Shore Excursion Today – Mytical MUSCAT [Early start – need to meet at 7.30am in Princess Theatre]
In OMAN today and the ship’s position has been notified to NATO because we are in an area notorious for pirate attacks. We will be having Pirate Drill soon. The Captain has access to all NATO Intelligence reports. Today a naval vessel monitored our departure from Oman and this afternoon a fighter jet flew over. In the next hour or so we will be turning towards Dubai and will be close to Iran.
OMAN is very interesting – totally undemocratic – run by Sultan – no crime, everything clean and modern although their history dates back centuries. The Scenery was dramatic with huge stark mountains of rock surrounding the shoreline.
Very modern buildings – great roads, drive on RHS
We visited the Grand Mosque – enormous, built of marble and sandstone – we had to do the full cover up thing to go in but well worth it. Guide said they don’t put a monetary value on it – whatever it requires is done – but someone else said it has cost them $6 billion so far. The inside has magnificent stained glass, fantastic mosaics, handwoven carpet that we weren’t allowed to walk on, gold everywhere, gigantic chandeliers that guys climb into and walk around when a light bulb needs changing. Reflecting now that we are home - this Mosque was truly amazing - I still can't get over the opulence of it all.
Temperatures were 43 deg plus. Shopped in Muttrah Souq – bargained for everything and had lots of fun.
Also went to Private Museum where Oman’s history is chronicled. Interesting - most of the exhibits were open, not enclosed in glass. Very interesting artifacts.
Also saw Sultan’s Palace (one of his five). The Palace is sandwiched between two forts. This Palace looked even more amazing as we sailed out of Oman and we could see its full extent. One of the Sultan's yachts (more like a liner) was parked next to us in the Harbour.
Only short stop here because we are heading to Dubai tomorrow. Due to depart at 1pm today – although it probably ended up nearer to 2pm. Near midnight tonight we make a turn and will pass close to IRAN.
Hose nozzles have been installed dockside in preparation for Pirate Attack. Apparently there is something near the front of the ship that is capable of making a sonic boom.
Friday, June 25, 2010
On our way to INDIA
Now us – we are at sea today – crossing the Arabian Sea and will be in Oman tomorrow and Dubai on Monday. We are 6 hours behind your time. Our position has been notified to NATO because we will be entering the Gulf of Aden shortly – with pirates active in the area. Our Captain has direct access to Intelligence Reports. The area is being monitored by NATO helicopters and planes. We will be having “pirate” drill on the ship (probably today). All very exciting.
I could write a book on India – absolutely a land of contrasts. We did a Princess ship tour in Cochin but it got a bit tedious towards the end and the weather is very hot. So we cancelled our tour for Mumbai and decided to go it alone. We ended up sharing a cab with a couple from San Francisco – cost us $US30 for 2.5 hours for four of us – Patsy did the negotiating. In both places there was rubbish everywhere – in Cochin they have introduced a program for women to sweep up the streets but all they do is sweep it into piles and no one ever collects it. The main streets were better than the side streets – you could hardly walk down some of them for the rotting rubbish. The traffic is amazing. Very few traffic lights – everyone just goes and toots continuously. At one point we were on the inside lane of a roundabout with four lanes and somehow we crossed over all of them and out of it. But no one lets you in – if there is a space they go for it. Two cars in one lane and a motorbike passed us on the inside..... We saw incredible architecture, the Gateway to India, the Railway Station and the Taj Mahal Hotel; (I am having trouble describing next bit) – then absolute slum conditions like I have never seen anywhere – only the photos can give any appreciation of how bad it is; people hanging out of trains – 10 a day die from falling or wandering up the tracks; local buses – no windows, no air conditioning, women up the front, men up the back – squashed in. But in Cochin, education is free and the children were all at school and dressed in uniforms. Not so in Mumbai, and this was the most shattering part – as we stopped, small children were pressing their faces against the car window – one in particular, a beautiful little boy made gestures with his long fingers to his mouth and throat for food. But our driver told us not to open the window – that is a picture I will never forget. Apparently they all have a pimp and anything they get is taken off them. Our driver – Imran Khan had a little five year old and it was costing him 80000 rupees to send him to school – only about $2500 but to them it was a fortune. There are 60000 cabs in Mumbai. As we got out of the cab to go back to the ship – women and children were all begging for chocolate – still don’t have an explanation for that...
Waiting for the ship to leave Mumbai, we watched rats running all round dockside – and skinny stray dogs were everywhere. An amazing experience– so glad we were on the ship and able to see but not stay because I could never stay there. Captain gave a speal yesterday about how he would gladly negotiate the Gulf of Aden and pirates than have to deal with Indian Immigration authorities. How they demand food, drink, cigarettes from the staff always with the veiled threat of delaying the ship. He said he will not stand for his staff being threatened and this time they had come very close to being booted off the ship. Everything is negotiable. Even when I called you from dockside – it was at a phone with a guy sitting there – initial charge was $US1 for 3 minutes (good deal) but when none of you were there – he only charged me $US1 for the 3 calls I made. I went back later and another guy was there – I did exactly the same thing and he said that will be $US2 – so I told him that previously I was only charged $US1 and he said OK $US1 – everything is totally negotiable. Except for a little china camel and elephant that I wanted to buy from a stall and the guy said $US10 each (no way) so I walked away and went back later and another guy said the same thing – so I said no, I will give you $US10 for both and he said NO – bad luck, I am sure there will be more along the way. It all just becomes a game.
I could write a book on India – absolutely a land of contrasts. We did a Princess ship tour in Cochin but it got a bit tedious towards the end and the weather is very hot. So we cancelled our tour for Mumbai and decided to go it alone. We ended up sharing a cab with a couple from San Francisco – cost us $US30 for 2.5 hours for four of us – Patsy did the negotiating. In both places there was rubbish everywhere – in Cochin they have introduced a program for women to sweep up the streets but all they do is sweep it into piles and no one ever collects it. The main streets were better than the side streets – you could hardly walk down some of them for the rotting rubbish. The traffic is amazing. Very few traffic lights – everyone just goes and toots continuously. At one point we were on the inside lane of a roundabout with four lanes and somehow we crossed over all of them and out of it. But no one lets you in – if there is a space they go for it. Two cars in one lane and a motorbike passed us on the inside..... We saw incredible architecture, the Gateway to India, the Railway Station and the Taj Mahal Hotel; (I am having trouble describing next bit) – then absolute slum conditions like I have never seen anywhere – only the photos can give any appreciation of how bad it is; people hanging out of trains – 10 a day die from falling or wandering up the tracks; local buses – no windows, no air conditioning, women up the front, men up the back – squashed in. But in Cochin, education is free and the children were all at school and dressed in uniforms. Not so in Mumbai, and this was the most shattering part – as we stopped, small children were pressing their faces against the car window – one in particular, a beautiful little boy made gestures with his long fingers to his mouth and throat for food. But our driver told us not to open the window – that is a picture I will never forget. Apparently they all have a pimp and anything they get is taken off them. Our driver – Imran Khan had a little five year old and it was costing him 80000 rupees to send him to school – only about $2500 but to them it was a fortune. There are 60000 cabs in Mumbai. As we got out of the cab to go back to the ship – women and children were all begging for chocolate – still don’t have an explanation for that...
Waiting for the ship to leave Mumbai, we watched rats running all round dockside – and skinny stray dogs were everywhere. An amazing experience– so glad we were on the ship and able to see but not stay because I could never stay there. Captain gave a speal yesterday about how he would gladly negotiate the Gulf of Aden and pirates than have to deal with Indian Immigration authorities. How they demand food, drink, cigarettes from the staff always with the veiled threat of delaying the ship. He said he will not stand for his staff being threatened and this time they had come very close to being booted off the ship. Everything is negotiable. Even when I called you from dockside – it was at a phone with a guy sitting there – initial charge was $US1 for 3 minutes (good deal) but when none of you were there – he only charged me $US1 for the 3 calls I made. I went back later and another guy was there – I did exactly the same thing and he said that will be $US2 – so I told him that previously I was only charged $US1 and he said OK $US1 – everything is totally negotiable. Except for a little china camel and elephant that I wanted to buy from a stall and the guy said $US10 each (no way) so I walked away and went back later and another guy said the same thing – so I said no, I will give you $US10 for both and he said NO – bad luck, I am sure there will be more along the way. It all just becomes a game.
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