31st March
MUSCAT
Woke up at just gone 5am to a dreadful smell which had me up sniffing everywhere to try to find out where it was coming from! Definitely wasn’t Phil so put the kettle on and watched our sail in to Muscat on the balcony. Turned out to be fumes from the oil stations here which was coming through the air conditioning which the Captain informed us of. Following us in was the Aida ship which we saw in Dubai so will be quite busy later.
Today was a Dolphin watch trip out into the gulf and we had a beautiful morning for it. Left the port by coach and travelled 20 minutes along the coast to a small marina where two speed boats were waiting for us. Sat up the front and off we went in search of Flipper. Skimming over the sea was quite exhilarating and the sea so clear. Everyone had their eyes peeled as we went further and further out and along the coast. After over a hour we hadn’t seen a single thing! Our Captain was on his phone and GPS trying to find them but they just did not want to come and show themselves. After another 1/2 hour we turned to go back and returned nearly an hour late due to him trying to find the dolphins. Loved the speed boat ride though but you can’t make the wildlife show themselves if they don’t want to. Saw lots of fish from the boardwalk round the marina when we eventually got back and once on the coach asked to be dropped off by the Souk on the way back.
Walked the narrow labyrinth of alleyways with shops selling everything from pots and pans, children’s toys, carved wood and pashminas to perfumed oils, handmade rugs and lots of Arabian long dresses for women and men!
Love Muscat and saw some lovely hotels along the coast I wouldn’t say no to staying in. On the way back to the ship we saw two HUGE yachts that belong to the Sheik docked in the harbour which were absolutely stunning.
We now have 5 days at sea as we make our way through pirate waters towards the Suez Canal.

1st - 5th April
AT SEA
We've been on pirate watch for 2 days now with black outs at night and no outside lights on on deck. Weather is still hot and humid so spending days out on the deck and watching for dolphins. 2 huge whales passed by yesterday and the day before a massive pod of dolphins which were obviously feeding as they were going berserk!
Next stop is Haifa in Israel on Saturday.