Writing Out Loud
Called the “Hundred-Gated City” by Greek Historian Homer, Luxor is set on the east bank of the Nile River. It is a pretty city with a French flavor. The city was once known as Waset, then as Thebes, now as Luxor, which means “City of Palaces” in Arabic. As Thebes, it served as the capital […]
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Some of you may know that Jessica is working on a new novel called The Goddess Conference. Parts of the book take place in biblical times throughout the Middle East and a sizable chunk takes place in ancient Egypt. This part of the cruise is especially important because writers need to see, hear, touch, smell, […]
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In our opinion, no place better underscores the travesty of relying on news headlines for your impression of a place than Mumbai. You’ve just got to see it for yourself. Take the slums, for instance. They do not fit our preconception of a slum. They are beehives of small industries such as leather tanning, embroidery, […]
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Slightly exhausted from last night’s reveling we woke up early to attend a Mumbai Mela. A “mela” can best be described as a cross between a folkloric and a bar mitzvah. It was great fun! Colorful entertainment, turban tying, bangle making, henna painting, and more. Mumbai Mela performers We rushed back to the ship to […]
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Victoria Terminus We were completely unprepared for how stunning Mumbai is. We’ve read many books about the slums, political and religious strife, gang rapes, hotel massacres, and vast disparity between rich and poor. All of that exists amidst architecture that is magnificent and grand, thousands of trees, a beautiful beach that runs the length of […]
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The state of Goa was the cultural center of Portuguese India for 450 years. Its capital is called Vasco da Gama City. This was the first region in India colonized by Europe, and the last to get its freedom in 1961. Nowhere in India, we’ve been told, is the colonial influence so prominent. About a […]
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Port of Cartegna as we docked The Old City is a marble paved pedestrian zone, lined with outdoor cafes and beautiful art nouveau architecture from Cartegna’s heyday as a mining center. Surrounded by farmland and market gardens, the locals are never at a loss for fresh produce from “Europe’s orchard,” as this fertile corner of […]
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YA-MA (means hello in the Gamilleroi aboriginal language) Family and Friends, As lovers of the written word, we are fascinated by the fact that none of the 250 aboriginal languages have an alphabet or any written language. In addition to their oral tradition of storytelling, they express themselves through dance, music, and painting. This means […]
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It’s official. We love Auckland. It rained again today so we sampled the culinary offerings beginning with a cheese platter at Debrett Kitchens. Dairy products represent 40% of New Zealand’s exports (as compared with 11% for lamb). The cheeses were spectacular. We tried cheddar, Brie, and a local Stilton. We then moved on to the […]
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Did you know the Pacific Ocean is 64 million square miles? It’s twice the size of the Atlantic, a third of Earth’s surface, 46% of the world’s total water surface, and as deep as 35,797 feet deep at the Mariana Trench.
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