4 ~ Muscat, Oman

 March 28, 2023

We were a little late getting off the boat so the last bus was already taking off.  Fortunately, there was one taxi sitting there offering us a ride.  We asked how much and he said 6 euros per hour so we signed up for 2 hours ~ can't beat that price!  So we jumped in the back seat and had our own personal tour guide!  

Muscat is a beautiful City (the capital and most populated city in Oman). It sits on the Gulf of Oman and is surrounded by mountains and desert.  It is one of the Middle East's oldest cities.

Almost everywhere you went you were surrounded by these cliff-like mountains; the houses and other establishments were just built around them. It was a beautiful contrast to all the buildings which were white.

The far right middle picture is the Al Alam Palace where anyone of importance who was visiting stayed (presidents, dignitaries, etc). It seemed like the only contrast to the white buildings were the many blue-domed mosques throughout the city.

We went to the Royal Opera House. It was big and pretty and it would have been fun to get all dressed up and see some famous play while sitting in the balcony feeling important!

The Muscat Gulf was gorgeous with its many forts overlooking it. We did see many people swimming but not so many in these pictures with the rugged rocks meeting the land.

Like I mentioned before, all the buildings are white ~ ALL of them.  After driving around for a couple hours it felt like nothing was that different because you just passed another white building. Don't get me wrong because it was very clean, bright and was brand new looking but after awhile it seemed almost stark in contrast to other countries.

As we were entering the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque parking lot there were Palm trees covered with dates.  Our Taxi driver had some dates in the backseat and told us to have some, we declined because we knew he was fasting.  He insisted and they were the sweetest, most delicious dates I have ever tasted!

There is our taxi driver in the upper left corner.  He was super nice and kind! We didn't arrive at the correct time so only Muslims were allowed to go inside the Mosque during certain times so he stepped inside and took a few pictures for me!

As our 2 hour tour (which ended up being 2 hours and 45 minutes because our sweet taxi driver didn't want us to miss seeing everything) I snapped a picture of our humongous cruise ship (far right) and the Kings yacht (far left). His yacht was very large; about a third of the regular size cruise ship (in the middle) ~ crazy!  We also learned that our driver had said "60 Euros" not "6 Euros" < it was one of those "too good to be true" situations 😂, but we still got an excellent deal and got to see much more than we would have seen on one of the excursion and the price was much less, as well! Overall an excellent day!

3 ~ Cruise on the MSC Europa~ March 28, 2023

March 28, 2023

This was one of the longest slides I've ever been on!  It was so fun and went quite fast!

Such fun food each and every day; the buffet wasn't quite as good as the other cruises we've been on but I loved the sit down dinners! Our dinner partners were two sweet women from Scotland. There was another woman who set across from Billy who was from the Ukraine.  She had lost her son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren in the War.  It was so very sad when we visited with her.
CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE ~ you can't really tell how big these chocolate creatures are but they were huge! I wish I would have had Billy stand by one of them! The ship was so huge ~ it felt like a Mall! I did eat a bunch of Tobler Chocolates!

There were two shows each night; one at 7pm and the other one at 9pm.  They were only 45 minutes each which made it so nice! The Shows were phenomenal ~ they weren't like the other cruise shows; these were really professional  like you'd see on Broadway.

1 ~ Doha, Qatar/ Abu Dhabi ~ Sat 3/25/23

 March 25, 2023

The Schulthess' were kind enough to pick us up bright and early at 6:45am and take us to the Provo Airport! We boarded Breeze Airlines at 8:40am.  I was very surprised at how nice it was; it was a smaller plane but it had a lot more leg room than the larger planes and was very comfortable. Our flight to San Francisco was a little over 2 hours and then we had about a 6 hr layover. Once we boarded the Qatar Airplane we got nice and comfortable for the 15hr flight. I don't mind flying because I get to:

1) relax and sleep

2) read 

3) watch movies 

4) eat fun and interesting food 

5) meet a bunch of new friends and 

5) I get to sit next to my honey the entire time 🥰! 

Fortunately, I have figured out the exact amount of clothes and items to take on the plane; whether it's hot or cold I am well prepared!  The flight attendant accidentally spilled a half a cup of water on my jeans 😳 but even with this mishap I was prepared!

We arrived at the Hamad Int'l Airport in Qatar and had a couple hours layover then boarded the last leg of our flying adventure to Abu Dhabi.  We arrived in Abu Dhabi safe and sound and took a taxi to our hotel!

Our hotel, "The Crown Plaza", is gorgeous ~ Billy was a bit worried that it wouldn’t be very nice because it was pretty inexpensive! Abu Dahbi is the 15th richest country in the world but unlike Switzerland things aren’t expensive. Everything is so clean and most all of the employees everywhere are foreigners (those that are born here get a very, very large pension so they don’t have to work ~ pretty sweet but perhaps a little entitled).

A few different activities to do in Abu Dhabi

It was the month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world (March 22 to April 22 ~ the 9th month of the Islamic calendar).  This is a time where they fast from sunrise to sunset. They abstain from food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes, intimate contact and even taking medicine, to name a few.          

In the above right hand corner picture, at the Jolibee restaurant, you can see how the windows are covered with paper or curtains; all eating establishments do this in the Muslim community to help avoid the temptation of eating. Restaurants and most stores are still open during Ramadan.

A beautiful city and a fun one to visit!

~the love boat (1)

We had a wonderful time on our very first cruise: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto
Vallarta!  We went with Allen and Marie Adams and got to meet and get to know their
wondeful friends! We've decided that this was the best kind of vacation to take - all the
food you can eat, not having to move sleeping quarters, games, elegant dinners each
night, dancing, movies, swimming, etc., all in ONE place . . . . . . .

PLUS going on shore to experience the traditions and customs of Mexico!

Rob, Scott, Billy and Allen

The boys were getting ready to play some ping pong! Jamie, Claudia and Marie

We were surrounded by miles and miles of ocean! 

As you looked out over the water it was calm, soothing and peaceful. 

Food, food and more food!  "Almost" to beautiful to eat!

The service was impeccable!

Our first outing in Cabo San Lucas was in a boat that had a glass bottom 

that we could look through to see all kinds of amazing fish and other sea creatures.

Located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, Cabo San Lucas is one of Mexico’s leading tourist destinations. Its unique combination of beautiful beaches, desert terrain, and mountains are a nature lover’s delight.  One of its most popular eco-attractions for tourists and sea lions alike is El Arco de Cabo San Lucas (or “Lands End, Cabo San Lucas”), a gorgeous rock formation found at Cabo’s southern tip. Renowned for its marine life, diving, and surfing, Cabo also features some of the best fishing on the Pacific Coast, while at night, the city turns into one of the world’s great party places—famous for celebrity sightings and fantastic restaurants. https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/cabo-san-lucas-mexico-cruises 

It was such a blast hanging out with everyone. 

The weather was fantastic and each day just got better and better!

Doing some "Cliff" jumping 😂😂😉!

Here I am, jumping in the water (with my nose plugged), Billy diving and me sliding down the coolest slide ever (we need one of these in our back yard)!

Such a fun resort!

Allen and Billy playing some beach volleyball 
and loving it (check out those amazing calf muscles!)!

Marie and I walked all over and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.

Billy made a new friend who kept creeping up to get closer and closer to his face.

Some of the boys did a switch-a-roo.
Shelley & Scott, Bobby and Marie, Allen and Claudia, 
Bob and Maloni, Billy & Jamie

Each night for dessert I would order a little bowl of ice cream, but as the 
waiter got more familiar with us he would make my portions a little 
bigger until, by the end of the cruise, I had a pretty hefty amount (so 
much for trying to watch my weight)!  It was pretty funny (and great!)

We were transported from our cruise ship to the island by a small cabin boat!


We had such fun as we strolled and shopped along the Malecon boardwalk 
of Puerto Vallarta. The cobblestone streets of Old Vallarta were a perfect 
place to browse and see the flea market and to buy some handmade crafts.
Mayloni and Bobby Edwards, Billy and Jamie Matthews, 
Rob and Claudia Cobabe, Allen and Marie Adams and Scott and Shelly Carter
While everyone played volleyball or just relaxed on the beach, Shelley took 
me in the water for my first real experience in the ocean - it was a bit scary 
for me at first as the waves were so powerful, but after awhile I began to 
relax and enjoy the sand and sensation of the sea!

So much fun . . . to be continued.