CRUISING THE SPICE ROUTE
“Mine are the wind, the stars, and the sea,” a catchy phrase from a French town, Biarritz, couldn’t have been more fitting, as I reminisced our 14night spice route cruise, the second leg of Royal Caribbean International’s 46-day global odyssey of its quantum class, Spectrum of the Seas. Enroute to Shanghai, his pre-inaugural spice cruise covered UAE, Muscat in Oman, Mumbai and Cochin in India, Penang in Malaysia, and Singapore.
Cruising reinvigorates the senses, gives clarity of mind, and calms the soul. These were the predominant pleasures as my husband Rupert and travel buddy David B. Lim entered the royal esplanade with the welcomeaboard music of DJ Frantz. Modern Dubai boasts of their seven-star luxury hotel of Jumeirah–the Burj al Arab. We lounged at the pool sipping Louis Roederer and soaking in the Dubai skyline. Burj Khalifa, on the other hand, is the world’s tallest building, with its majestic 2,716 foot tower and mesmerizing fountain show. The elevator trip to the top thrilled us with its futuristic lights. Shopaholics will go wild with the thousands of retailers at the Dubai mall as well as Bastakia area and souk markets selling spices and Persian carpets.
Our RCI friend, Marla Baybay, arranged a private interview with Captain Charles at the bridge. The captain told us that he had been to Manila as an apprentice. Immensely proud of his ship, he said that the Spectrum, the largest cruise ship in Asia, was built at a cost of $1.25 billion. Indeed, Spectrum is without parallel, with their gold and silver dining with doors that open with your smartphone and the most revolutionary Seaplex with laser tag, bumper cars, and basketball court. I tried the virtual reality sky pad bungee jumping. He mentioned the new artwork at the main dining room, which hangs two floors high. He praised the 451 Filipino crew members for their loyalty, dedication, and friendliness. Two Filipinos we met at the restaurants were specialty teppanyaki chef Orlando Zoleta and hibachi chef Roy Asilo.
Oman has preserved its nostalgic charm and particularly impressive was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with its contemporary Islamic design. At Muttrah souk, Rupert and I foraged through the colorful, traditional market selling spices, antiques, silver jewelry, and Omani khanjars or daggers.
Bait Al Zubair museum is rich in cultural heritage with paintings, maps, weaponry, and other artifacts. In Mumbai, heralded by its IndoSracenic archway, is the 1911 Gateway of India. Other landmarks were the Mumbai High court and historic Victoria Terminus railway station inspired by London’s St. Pancras station. Most inspiring was the Mani Bhavan museum, which has carefully preserved Ghandi’s 1917 to 1934 mementos. At the Crawford market we browsed through the linens, local foodstuffs, and gifts from bazaar.
We visited Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest outdoor laundry where washers boil, beat, press, and fold heaps of laundry. In Cochin, “Queen of the Arabian Sea,” were the Chinese fishing nets from the court of Kublai Khan.
We strolled to St Francis Church, the oldest European church in India, and there were more markets that sold ginger, coconut husks (coir) betel nuts, and peppercorns. No visit to Penang would be complete without tasting the New World Park local hawker food, where we whiled away our time tasting various Penang specialties cooked by vendors in small stalls. Indeed, nothing is more fulfilling than expanding our horizons and learning to appreciate our world.