Live, Terry/Ohio, India to Signapore, Silver Moon Rising, Pix’s!

[Downunder55]

It is with a little reluctance I write this …… had dinner at Kaiseki this evening …. It was really great ….. need to get some more booking before the rush.

 

The presentation was beautiful, food very tasty and more than ample, tuna was so good I had it for desert as well 🙂

 

highly recommended, even with the extra $40 pp.

[Herman The Cat]

Terry, great commentary and photos! 

Do you remember the name of the Goa excursion? Looked interesting. 

[Herman The Cat]

And...any feeling from the Captain/crew if these voyages will be continuing? I have friends on May 5-23, Singapore to Mumbai and they are concerned it's going to get cancelled due to the Red Sea mess.

 

[TLCOhio]

18 hours ago, Herman The Cat said:

Terry, great commentary and photos! Do you remember the name of the Goa excursion? Looked interesting. 

 

That Goa tour we did was titled with this background: "GOA HIGHLIGHTS with LUNCH at SPICE PLANTATION: 7 hours, An overview of Goa. Visit some beautifully preserved Catholic churches with impressive old architecture as you are taken back in time to the 16th century. Proceed to travel away from the city through small towns and villages. Amidst lush green surroundings visit a typical Hindu village dedicated to Goddess Durga and later a spice plantation. Take a guided walk through the trees as you smell, taste and learn about the myriad spices for which India is renowned. Points of interest seen on this excursion include: UNESCO World Heritage churches and convents, Hindu temple, spice farm, local lunch.  Start: 9 am till 4 pm. Difficulty: Moderate Activity.  $99 value."  Excellent question.  Keep 'em coming!!

 

That tour worked fairly well, especially compared to some of our other, later excursions that had some aspects of "average", too much riding time in a bus and/or being a little disorganized.  More on that later.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 250,568 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

 

[TLCOhio]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:03 AM, Downunder55 said:

It is with a little reluctance I write this …… had dinner at Kaiseki this evening …. It was really great ….. need to get some more booking before the rush.   The presentation was beautiful, food very tasty and more than ample, tuna was so good I had it for desert as well 🙂   highly recommended, even with the extra $40 pp.

 

Appreciate these great comment and follow-up regarding this Kalseki dining venue..  We'd like to try it later in the cruise, especially since after doing the added two days in Singapore, we will return to the USA via Tokyo and American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles.  We will have two and a half days in and around Tokyo.  

 

From Feb. 18, our first day in Sri Lanka, the Silver Moon had as entertainment a fun, colorful and exciting musical/dance group on the ship to perform.  How did things look?  See below: We always love and appreciate when the ships brings on "local" color and entertainment.  All of those attending were very impressed.  Do this visuals reasonable summarize the variety of costumes, dance styles, etc.?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio   

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 249,047 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

 

Titled "Expression of Sri Lanka", these various dancers and drummers gave us an upbeat sample for local entertainment that goes back hundreds of years on the former island/colony of Ceylon.:

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[HPfoodie]

Was that a photo of your trivia team? If so, hi to Penny. 
And I know the 3 people left in Mumbai due to Visa problems (well, for 2 of them, the other stayed as it was her husband) managed to join in Cochin. Thank goodness for them. Very stressful I believe. 

[TLCOhio]

14 hours ago, HPfoodie said:

Was that a photo of your trivia team? If so, hi to Penny. And I know the 3 people left in Mumbai due to Visa problems (well, for 2 of them, the other stayed as it was her husband) managed to join in Cochin. Thank goodness for them. Very stressful I believe. 

 

Sorry, neither of us have had a chance to play Trivia, yet, on this sailing.  Been busy, busy with other "things".  Will share your friendly greeting with my wife, Penny. 

 

For our first ship's tour in Sri Lanka in the later afternoon on Feb. 17, we did "LIFE & LORE in COLOMBO":  4.5 hours.  Explore the religious and cultural history of Colombo during a tour of this capital and major port city. Your half-day excursion features a scenic drive through Colombo City, and tour of the National Museum. Next, stop for refreshments at a high-end, beach front hotel, then visit the Gangaramaya Temple."  Many details and visuals to share.  The first challenge was the heat, 90+F, including having over an hour at the National Museum.  Nice interesting collection, but it required lots of time/patience to go through BOTH levels of this un-air conditioned building. Below is an exterior view of this impressed structure built by the British in 1970, plus a small sample of their large collection..

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 111,257 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

From their National Museum, with an 1870's British-era exterior, below are also a few examples of their wide-ranging collection.:

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Their collection including historic items such this "olden days" fabric loom.   

 

The highlight, in my view, might have been  this "throne chair" used by their past Kings.  Pretty fancy?  Just like what you have in your home when you give out the orders?:

[TLCOhio]

In Colombo, Sri Lanka's largest city and center for much of their commerce and government, it is varied mix of traditional, Colonial architect combined with many news, innovative, dramatic high-rises, etc.  

 

Shifting from India's Hindu-focus, Buddhism is practiced by about 70 of the population here in Sri Lanka.  BUT, there were also Christian, Muslim, etc., churches, temples, etc., that we saw.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados on the Silver Cloud for 26 days. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 74,284 views:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/

 

Below is a small sampling for the old and new in Colombo, the top city in Sri Lanka.  The curved building was wrapped in unique, diagonal lighting.:

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The older Colonial government and commercial building are mixed in with newer high-rises.  Lots of building and construction happening here.:

 

 

Our late afternoon "refreshment stop" was at the Galle Face hotel overlook a large park and beach area.  This iconic and colonial-style hotel, was built in 1864.  Below was our sunset view from the patio where we had our tea, little sandwiches, desserts, etc.  The interior flowers give a sample for the class and style of this location.:

 

[TLCOhio]

The top highlight/star for our first afternoon/evening in Sri Lanka was visiting Gangaramaya Temple.  It is one of the most important temples in Colombo, being a mix of modern architecture and cultural styles. Located near the Beira Lake, it was completed in the late 19th century.  The temple's architecture demonstrates a mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles/architecture.

 

In addition to being behind schedule and hitting this temple as it was getting dark, the big surprise/bonus was hearing a bunch of drummers and marchers approach the temple in the street.  What was happening.  Pure good luck!!  It was a part of welcoming ceremony for new priests.  Many colorful costumes.  Wonderfully exciting!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 63,423 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

From Colombo, Sri Lanka, here are a few sample for the wide variety of styles and designs in this large Buddhist complex.:

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During this special ceremony at this famous temple, here are just samples of the various items worn and used by those participating.:

 

 

Below is my attempt to export this video with one of the participants doing dramatic somersaults, back and forth as a part of this ceremony.  Just click on the pointed right triangle to start the video.   Hope technically this works OK.  Let me know your feed-back.:

 

[TLCOhio]

 

The Lotus Tower is Colombo's best known landmark.  At 1,153 feet tall, it is symbolic of Sri Lanka.   As of 2019, the tower was the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia and the second tallest structure in South Asia.

 

As we departed the temple, we had a perfect angle view of this landmark as it change colors from green to red to blue.  AND, the sky was very perfectly clear that night offering an excellent photo opportunity to cap our first visiting time there in Colombo. During the day there, the "hazy" and/or air pollution limited it viewing quality.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[Herman The Cat]

Hi Terry, great visuals!! Are you still onboard? 

Wondering if you might be able to ask guest services a question.

The Silver Moon will be docked in Mumbai the night of May 22nd. If you have a flight at 4:30am or 6:30am and need to disembark at 1:30am or 3:30am, can you disembark at that time??? Can the ship accommodate people getting off at that departure time? I suspect we may have to drag our own luggage but before booking a flight want to make sure they can  handle it. 

Very grateful if you might be able to ask that question. Tried Silversea reservations but of course they don't know. 

I know security is manned 24 hours a day when in port. 

 

[drron29]

I would definitely hold off booking flights out of Mumbai in May. The next voyage is Mumbai to Athens through the Red Sea. Doubt if it will be that much safer in 3 months time.

The Whisper's Singapore to Mumbai cruise in March has already been cancelled.

[Herman The Cat]

11 minutes ago, drron29 said:

I would definitely hold off booking flights out of Mumbai in May. The next voyage is Mumbai to Athens through the Red Sea. Doubt if it will be that much safer in 3 months time.

The Whisper's Singapore to Mumbai cruise in March has already been cancelled.

Thanks DRRON29. Trying to hold off as long as possible. I was under the impression the Whisper situation was a bit different because it has to get to dry dock so it cancelled voyages and is deadheading to the Med for the most part. (Though I haven't followed it that closely so I could be wrong.) The Moon is not due in Athens until June 9.

 

The cruise is May 5-23 from Singapore to Mumbai. Not sure what they would do because the ship needs to get to the Med for the summer season. Cancel the cruise and go straight from Singapore to the Med? 

 

It's a mess but Silversea needs to decide and let passengers know asap.

 

[drron29]

But the Moon took 30 days to sail from Athens to Mumbai. The ship is to leave Singapore on May 5th and it's first cruise in the Mediterranean is from Athens on June 6th just 32 days apart.

Now they could cancel the first 2 Med cruises instead of the Singapore - Mumbai cruise. The problem is those 2 cruises although less days are both selling for more than the Singapore Mumbai cruise. Beab counters being what they are I think I know the cruise that would be cancelled.

[TLCOhio]

11 hours ago, drron29 said:

But the Moon took 30 days to sail from Athens to Mumbai. The ship is to leave Singapore on May 5th and it's first cruise in the Mediterranean is from Athens on June 6th just 32 days apart.

Now they could cancel the first 2 Med cruises instead of the Singapore - Mumbai cruise. The problem is those 2 cruises although less days are both selling for more than the Singapore Mumbai cruise. Beab counters being what they are I think I know the cruise that would be cancelled.

 

Great question/concern from Herman the Cat!  And Dr. Ron has done an excellent job for summarizing the potential challenges and choices for Silversea in getting the moon back in position for the later Spring/Summer Med schedules.  Not easy or simple decisions.  There is also considerations as what cruises are how fully booked, revenue yields, etc.  PLUS, maybe the Yemen situation will calm down.  It has been less danger most recently.  That, however, can change quickly.  

 

Getting ready to enjoy two straight sea-days.  Below is current sailing position of the Silver Moon (circled in red).  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

[TLCOhio]

From this morning's lecture, the speaker was Gustavo Cruz, the S.A.L.T. Chef with a MA in Food and Anthropology.  He spoke on "More than Food:  How Food and Cooking Made and Define Us."

 

Interesting history, insights and background, with "fire" being one of the key factors as to how human development evolved.  Clearly "food" defines us in many ways, but also outlined recent society changes as to how people want it "faster" and now always willing to invest the time required for its fixing with many families being smaller, etc.  

 

As mentioned earlier, Silversea had cancellations and visa challenges in getting speakers scheduled and re-scheduled for this sailing with ALL of its various logistical challenges getting to Mumbai.  Missing that intellectual "stimulation"!!!   Silversea has had many excellent speakers and experts in the past who have added so much for the enjoyment and learning during such sailings.   

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 55,815 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

 

From last night's evening entertainment program, it was titled "Casino" with much from the Vegas scene with Elvis.  Not much of the "Rat Pack" hits were done as promised, but they had the main focus being on the James Bond 007 music and hits.  Love that music, too!!  Here are the two singers in action.:

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[texanaust]

17 hours ago, Herman The Cat said:

Hi Terry, great visuals!! Are you still onboard? 

Wondering if you might be able to ask guest services a question.

The Silver Moon will be docked in Mumbai the night of May 22nd. If you have a flight at 4:30am or 6:30am and need to disembark at 1:30am or 3:30am, can you disembark at that time??? Can the ship accommodate people getting off at that departure time? I suspect we may have to drag our own luggage but before booking a flight want to make sure they can  handle it. 

Very grateful if you might be able to ask that question. Tried Silversea reservations but of course they don't know. 

I know security is manned 24 hours a day when in port. 

 

 

We are on this cruise and I do not expect it to sail unfortunately.  They cannot make it to the Med in time rounding Africa without cancelling this itinerary.  SS will certainly not want to cancel their more expensive cruises as Drrron29 mentioned.  The only hope would be if Silversea pulls a Crystal and sails through the Suez empty. 

 

The problem is that the Silver Moon is a lot more expensive than the Crystal ship and is owned by a large corporation, not a private investor.  

[TLCOhio]

13 hours ago, texanaust said:

The only hope would be if Silversea pulls a Crystal and sails through the Suez empty. The problem is that the Silver Moon is a lot more expensive than the Crystal ship and is owned by a large corporation, not a private investor.  

 

Not very confident that I would want to bet my wife and/or huge mega-million-dollar, fairly-new ship to take that "RISK" in sailing through that type of danger zone.  Then, there are insurance restrictions that Silversea and Royal Caribbean must consider seriously.  If something bad or tragic would happen, the law suits could be many and long.  It still takes a number of key crew members to be on-board if attempt to navigate those waters.

 

Need more visuals?  Below are a few from La Terrazza at lunch.  Next more from time and locations in and around Sri Lanka.  Then, back to "catching up" from our earlier travels in India's Golden Triangle.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit.  Now at 34,619 views.  Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

 

At lunch on the Silver Moon, La Terrazza is popular for both breakfast and lunch.  It ia mostly a variety of buffet option, but also some custom orders are available, including in the mornings for eggs, including such specialties as Eggs Benedict.  At lunch, special carving are offered, including for this kingfish being offered.  As shown below, many dessert options.  And, we have dining outside to enjoy the weather and sea breezes.:

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[TLCOhio]

On Sunday, Feb. 18, got up early, early to depart from the ship at 6:25 am for doing a Silversea tour titled  "GALLE'S GEMS--THE FORT & MADU RIVER".  This includes exploring various waterways, mangrove-lined passages, seeing flora and fauna of Sri Lanka, many birds, etc..  The bad news?  It required a two-hour drive from Colombo for the nine of us on the bus to reach this waterway and then more to see the old Portugal and Dutch history in Galle, etc.

 

While I was not able to capture a picture in the thickly-wood trees, the highlight was seeing a group of about six to seven monkeys playing up and down, back and forth among the tree limbs, etc.  But, they moved too fast and were hidden from my camera lens.  
 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 32,889 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

 

Here was a typical river view that morning in southern Sri Lanka.  Nice white bird with its image reflecting in the water below.  Plus, this wild lizards that was small, but did not seem welcoming to us.:

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Here was a sampling of bird observations, including this black cormorant spreading its wings to dry them out after firing for fish.  As I recall, the blue bird is a kingfisher.:

 

 

 

There were a variety of religious set-ups along this waterways.:

 

In the middle of one large lake was this mini-fruit market.  Float up and shop?  A couple of ladies from France wanted to stop and purchased some of their offerings.  The young lady supplied back with a friendly smile as the bag of goods were delivered into our boat.:

 

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

Keep loving life Terry. Loving following along through this incredible part of this amazing world we live in.

[TLCOhio]

We are now more than half-way across the vast Bay of Bengal on our way to Thailand.  Soon to enter the Andaman Sea.  Sound exotic?   

 

Sailing speed at 17.4 knots.  Good, solid pace across this vast distance in two and a half days. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 22,457 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

 

Circled in red shows the good progress as we approach our port in Thailand.  Lost an hour with the time zone change.:

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From last night's excellent program with this Italian baritone opera singer, here are a few visual highlights, including when the assistant cruise director joined in for two different songs.  Nice sound track by the orchestra in Sicily.  Sorry no recorded video.  He was really first-rate!!:

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

On 2/20/2024 at 10:51 AM, Herman The Cat said:

Are you still onboard? Wondering if you might be able to ask guest services a question.  The Silver Moon will be docked in Mumbai the night of May 22nd. If you have a flight at 4:30am or 6:30am and need to disembark at 1:30am or 3:30am, can you disembark at that time??? Can the ship accommodate people getting off at that departure time? I suspect we may have to drag our own luggage but before booking a flight want to make sure they can  handle it. Very grateful if you might be able to ask that question. Tried Silversea reservations but of course they don't know. I know security is manned 24 hours a day when in port. 

 

YES, still on-board the Silver Moon and did check as to your good question for getting off of the ship early, early morning in the middle of night.  As an example, in Singapore on the 28th and early, early on the 29th that can and will happen by certain passengers.  BUT, in other ports, such as Mumbai, that is very much, maybe, a different situation.  WHY???

 

In Singapore, they have local immigration and customs staff there and on duty . . . 24-7.  In many other Asian and Middle East ports, however that is not always the case.  In most of Europe's port, they are like Singpore in being fairly flexible. The bottom line, in addition to the serious question of whether that Singapore to Mumbai sailing will happen, is the degree of local staffing/hours provide by Indian officials there for being able to depart the ship.  Hope this helps clarify??  You know more now, but not with 100% certainity.  

 

Keep the good questions rolling along.  Don't be shy!!  The only "dumb" question is the one you do not ask.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Early 2020, many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia.  This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc:  Live/blog:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/

 

[TLCOhio]

To continue with more of the highlights from our second day in Sri Lanka, below are added visuals.  Pretty, nice country.  Cleaner and less litter than seen in parts of India.  This island nation only has a population of 22 minion. 

 

From the Lonely Planet travel book, they summarize Sri Lanka with a few of these highlights: "Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, rolling surf, cheap prices, famous tea and flavorful food make Sri Lanka irresistible.  It may only be small, but thanks to its jungle-clad mountains, golden sandy beaches, abundant wildlife in their natural habitats, and spice-laden cuisines, the island nation ensures visitors are never bored."

 

About Galle, it is on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast and displays its long history proudly. Windswept beaches and nodding palms surround its colonial-era showpiece, a 16th-century Portuguese-built fort, that is walled around for over 3 km around its outer walls.  While the rest of the city is trimmed with Dutch-style houses, shops and whitewashed mansions, churches and buildings.  Given the long, long drive back to Colombo, our time was very limited for Galle.  Next there will be a sammpling of visuals from there in historic Galle. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas!  Now at 20,825 views. Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

 

Here are a couple of more views from the river/lake cruise, plus the Sri Lanka flag that features the Lion symbol and then a visual where the river approaches and goes into the Indian Ocean.:

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How does Sri Lanka produce some of the world's best cinnamon?  Slowly!  Very much of a hand-process, peeling off a thin slicing of material right below the bark that is scrapped off.:

 

Just south of Galle, the stilted fishermen are an interesting highlight.  AND, while here, one of these fisherman got a catch!!  A big fish?  Sorry, not exactly.  But, it was fun to see this local color and action that goes back hundreds of years.:

 

 

Here is one of the colorful temples in Galle.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Below is added visual sampling for more of Galle, especially its historic fort dating back to the 1500's.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island).  Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City.    Visual/Info Summaries:

www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

 

At lunch in the Galle area, here is the beach view of the Raddison Blu hotel where we had a buffet.  Here we sampled the local beer (in large bottles) called Lion.  The Lion is the symbol for this country, but they do not have lions here.  Go figure?:

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Here is a sample within the walled area for the mostly white buildings, churches, temples, etc., in Galle.:

 

 

 

Here are some visuals samples from the impressive, large and major Galle Fort.  In the second photo, you can see how a cannon overlooks what is now their local cricket stadium.  As in India, the sport of cricket is BIG, BIG here, too.:

 

 

 

This is another beach example for the excellent shore views in this area of Sri Lanka.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Catching up to our earlier "Golden Triangle", pre-cruise exploring in the Delhi areas, below are some of visuals that focus on the amazing market areas of Old Delhi.  Much of it is wholesale that supplies companies all across India.  A few supply local retail buyers.  What do they offer?  Almost everything, including brass, crafts, wedding dresses, food, spices, etc., etc.

 

More from this fascinating area in a later posting from Old Delhi.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 258,043 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

 

In this historic area of Old Delhi, there are many old mansions converted to retail, first-floor locations with varied housing in the floors above.   This first picture illustrates the quality/class of the designs/style when many of these areas where occupied earlier by those of the Muslim faith. Also, shown are the challenges with having tangles of wires and more wires running up and down the passages.:

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This shows the wide variety of brass options displayed in just one store window.  Plus, there are many, many brass shops and such a range of other sales options.  Second illustrates that a wide variety of "services" are offered in the market areas.  This one is "while you wait" shoe repair.:

 

Many small, individual stands are open and offering a wide variety of street foods.:

 

 

The passageways are very narrow and do not allow cars and trucks.  Scooters, carts, porters having bundles carried on tops of heads, etc., are utilized to move merchandise in and out.   You see it ALL here in this famed part of Old Delhi that is busy, busy, busy.:

 

 

Some doors and buildings in these markets are both old and needing repair and upgrading.  The history is real and long here in Old Delhi.:

 

In this fabric/embroidery small shop, the hand-crafting was taken up to an amazing new level.  Different patterns and colors were created on each of the two sides of these light-weight cashmere items.  These are machine produced, nor just printed on a design.  Very finely detailed!!:

 

 

Here my wife is greeted as we prepared to enter the restored mansion that served us an amazing lunch in their open, historic interior courtyard at a location that is also a hotel.  Notice the design details around the doorway?: