Medieval towns of Budva and Kotor, Montenegro

Sea Princess in the Adriatic inlet of Kotor, Montenegro

Montenegro, to the south of the Balkan countries has a population of only 200,000 so it was no surprise to find it was a tender port. 

Sea Princess tender

Tender

In fact, we found three cruise ships in this beautiful port, meaning at least 8,000 people would be descending on Kotor for the day.

Moat at Kotor

Of course, John could not disembark so that was one less person in town.  This was unfortunate since in my opinion it was a better experience even than Corfu.  I had booked a Princess coach tour to Budva, an ancient walled town and beach area about 30 minutes away on the other side of the peninsula followed by a tour of the old walled town of Kotor.  Being very prone to earthquakes, both towns had been extensively restored brick by brick.  Laneways were very narrow as you can see below.

Montenegro was fortunate that the Balkan war was not fought on its territory, although it only gained independence from Yugoslavia which ruled it for most of the 20^th century in 2006.

Church at Kotor

Kotor and other towns are currently undergoing extensive development.  Our guide told us that the vast majority of flights are to Russia so it is probable that many Russians are investing in this lovely region.

Here are some photos of Budva. 

We sailed away at 5:30 pm on a magic summery night, passing two small islands, one of which consisted simply of a church.

  There were many people on the coastal roads around Kotor watching the Sea Princess pass by.  Our ship was probably the smallest of the three ships in town yesterday.

Corfu, Greece

A lovely place, Corfu.  However, although I later found it to have plenty of wheelchair access - the Hop-on,Hop-off bus and the ordinary public buses - Princess Tours knew none of this.  There is only one accessible taxi and it was already booked.  Not that the taxi company answers its phone or its emails.

Not that John could disembark!  The ramps were too short and his wheels just skidded.  I got off.  And that's when I discovered the buses.  So very disappointing for John.  And depressing.

Here are some photos taken around the suburbs and old Corfu town.  The island is a gardener's paradise.  Very lush.

Argostoli, Cephalonia (Greece)

Sea Princess at Argostoli

The other day, we were informed that we wouldn’t be docking at Argostoli but anchoring instead.  This was disappointing, meaning John would be unable to disembark.  We were due in about midday.  

However, at the last moment, a cruise ship given priority over us found the weather too windy to dock, and sailed away.  Meanwhile, permission was given for Sea Princess to dock, the wind having dropped somewhat.

Argostoli

I had booked a tour to the other side of the island of Cephalonia, but John could now disembark.  Our friends Gene and Nancy had already been out, come back for lunch and invited John to go out with them, so he had a good afternoon exploring after all.

Drogarati cave

My tour went to Drogarati cave, to Sami (a pretty town on the other side of the island), to Mellisani Lake where we toured an open underground lake and to a lookout above a famous beach called Myrkos.  The coach was not able to descend to the beach itself due to the very steep hillside.  Here are some photos of the day.

Fridge magnets

Margaret at Sami

At Sami

Mellisani Lake - underground

Mellisani Lake

Petra: one of the great wonders of the world

The Treasury

The Jordanian port of Aqaba is not new to us: we visited this unique place (Jordan’s only seaport) in 2016.  A visit to Petra was available then too, but I was 17 kg heavier and feeling very out of shape.  In other words, I didn’t feel confident of attacking a Petra tour – over seven kilometres of walking required in high temperatures.  And that was in spring, three weeks earlier than this year’s visit.

Still feeling little confidence, I booked a tour this time and am so pleased I did.  Even though I’m running on three cylinders today.  Hazel and Deb had organised a private tour and one of their friends had cancelled so I took her place.  The 22-seater coach (different from our expected four-person car) turned up at 7 am and we were soon on our way. 

Our guide

The 35-year-old English speaking guide looked like a body-builder and he probably was, as he later told us that fitness training was his main occupation.  We also had a non-communicative but careful driver.

Outskirts of Aqaba

On the way, we passed sand mines, through arid mountainous deserts, villages and towns with boxy houses and lonely Bedouin camps. 

Boxy houses

A village

Plus, heaps of goats.  The Bedouin camps are now accompanied by utilities and large standard looking grey and black airy canvases, open to the elements.  In this dry, hot land it is hard to imagine the landscape covered with snow, but so it is in six months’ time.  We could see Israel and are apparently very close to Syria in this southern area of Jordan.

Entrance to Petra

We stopped along the way for the obligatory souvenir shopping – how I detest that – and arrived at Petra some time before 11 am.  But on the drive home, we stopped at even more souvenir shops.

We walked as a group, 3.5 kilometres down through a narrow earthquake-formed gorge or “Siq” to The Treasury, paying great attention to the ground we were walking on since it varied from sand, loose gravel, small boulders set as cobblestones by the Romans to concreted pebbles.  We needed to avoid the donkey carts travelling both ways as we walked through the As Siq.

Map of Petra valley

We were “let loose” when we entered the area of the Great Sacrifice (700 steps up a cliff face), the Royal Tombs and Roman Theatre, and walked back individually, each at our own pace. 

Burial mounds

These Roman soldiers must have been hot

Just as well.  A fit golfer in our group attested to no problems whatsoever, but that wasn’t the experience of most of us.  I was extremely hot and bothered but did not give in to the temptation to take a cart or ride a horse.  Hazel and Deb found it hard going, although they both did amazingly well, Hazel with two ski poles.  They hired a cart for the final uphill section.  I was pleased I had extra water, sun cream, an umbrella and a hat.

Hazel, Deb and Margaret

My Mother's Kitchen

Chicken and rice upside down meal

We gathered as a group at 2 pm and followed the guide to a restaurant called My Mother’s Kitchen.  We climbed some stairs, then more stairs and finally to the restaurant on the roof.  None of us felt like eating, but we did manage to do so, leaving the majority of the food for the poor.  The rice and chicken dish was accompanied by a very tart mint juice, reminding me of a much stronger version of the drink my mother often made in the 1950s. 

Jordanian salad

I did need to mix sugar with it to make it drinkable and most refreshing.

I enjoyed the meal but was too hot and bothered to feel hungry

The tour guide tried to talk us into taking a side tour to the Wadi Rum desert for 30 dinars extra, but although some were keen, others simply wished to return to the ship after a very strenuous day.  As it was, it was not until 6:30 pm until we returned.

Tombs carved into the cliff face

Camel ride, anyone?

I had arranged to have dinner with John, Gene and Nancy at 6 pm to celebrate Independence Day, but I was an hour late, needing a hot shower to soothe my aching limbs first.

Missed ports, making friends and lazy sea days

Neither John nor I left the ship either at Colombo (Sri Lanka) or Muscat (Oman).  “Working ports” rather than cruise terminals are generally not set up for passengers who use wheelchairs – certainly not for those who can’t climb the steps of a shuttle bus.  I had intended to walk around the city of Colombo, but on the day, John was forced to stay in bed as a precaution due to a temporary skin problem, so I stopped in with him.

Those who did go ashore said that the roadways and footpaths were certainly not wheelchair friendly.  Many cruisers hired a tuk-tuk for an hour or three and found that a good experience.  However, Sri Lanka’s decades of conflict is certainly reflected in the country’s paucity of tourist services or citizens’ amenities.  Other cruisers booked tours with varying opinions as to their value.  These tours were to watch elephants feeding or to see a tea plantation, but mostly included a six-hour drive, rather tiring for most.

I had booked a tour to a Mosque and the Suq (market) in Muscat, the capital of Oman, but at the last moment cancelled the tour due to not feeling well.  That has been my only off-day so far.  Neither have I caught John’s cold and bad cough.  The latter is certainly going around the ship.  John is having difficulty getting rid of his cough and spent four days of self-imposed isolation in the cabin last week.

The weather has been extremely hot since Singapore and that is another reason we’ve felt lazy.  I have made use of my new swimming costume in the hot tub: luxurious.

We’ve met lots of people – friends of friends we knew beforehand – as well as others by chance.  We’ve found kindred spirits in a well-travelled American couple now living in Florida but hailing from Buffalo and Detroit originally.  We spend hours and hours discussing books, travel, politics and human rights.  Last night we joined them for a restaurant meal to celebrate their Independence Day.

We’ve also read heaps of books – mostly on Kindle, but also borrowed from the ship’s library.  The best books appear to be donated by guests – too hard to carry home no doubt.

My legs and back are stiff today – I spent the day at Petra, Jordan.  That's a tale for another day.