MaryW. Woo-hoo - you're off, eh? Have a great time. Who cares about my stories? Fergeddaboudit and have all the RnR you want.

Thanks guys for the info. Of course, I was searching 'devidasa' instead if 'devidasi'. By the way Marija, that's a lovely compliment. Thank you. The next story merely threatens my life, not my morals, mercifully.

I note this post has reached its 100th entry. I'm expecting a letter from the Queen.

The Queen of what? (Considering the topic of this thread, so far.)

Take all the time that you need, Dogster...

Dogster,
Your boat was right behind us (the Nautica) at Port Said. (Another interesting Egyptian town we only glimpsed because we were on a goddamned tour bus speeding past all the other interesting places on the way to kick-back shopping/kick-back stops.)
I have considered writing about it but have begged off because: 1) I fear it would end up being a cranky screed that insults my fellow cruise passengers and their nationalities (i.e the Aussie wanker who'd rather float in the pool that get off the ship)to no real purpose; 2) I couldn't possibly wrte as entertainingly as you; and 3) what forum would it go under? Certainly not "Cruises," whose readers have already drunk the Kool-Aid and don't need someone to tell them there is no God (to mix a metaphor).

Oh, rats! I have misspelled "devidasa" and sent Dogster on a wild goose chase -- sorry! My Hindi/Sanskrit is no good . . .

Dogster
Don't ever get sulky. We lurkers enjoy tagging along on your adventurers. Your writing skills are to be admired and your content is riviting.

LAleslie, please give us more information about your cruise. Have never taken one primarily for the reasons you have hinted. But...was it necessary to have taken the cruise sponsored tours, no interesting passengers?, nothing good? It is an easy way to travel which we keep thinking will be possible when regular travel is too difficult.
Dogster...waiting with anticipation to hear about your cruise.

MauiWendy; those are the best compliments of all when they fly in from outer space like that. Thank you.

Certainly my cruise ranks as one of the oddest experiences of my trip, Elainess. I Think LAleslie should just write exactly the way she feels about it, get it out on paper, everything. Then when it's finished, go back and change a few names, change the name of the boat if you like.Depends if its revenge or thearapy.

Anybody who can write '...drunk the Kool-Aid and don't need someone to tell them there is no God,' can most certainly write a great trip report. Use it as therapy. Take us on the ride. We could start a new fashion.

I have a new story waiting to go.

Elainee, I don't want to paint this experience as a horror story. It wasn't. We soaked rays and let the wind blow in our hair on the sea days. We had memorable moments in exotic ports. We knew going in that the stops would be fleeting, but didn't anticipate just how frustrating that would be.
We hired taxis and took public transportation when we could, and those were the best experiences, to become part of the landscape as much as a tourist can in one day. But some places it wasn't feasible. To get from the Egyptian port of Safaga to Luxor, for example, is a 4 hour drive, and because of security, taxis aren't available. Thus a "coach"--love that term for a bus; where are the horses?--tour was inevitable. Same for Cairo, a long drive, then 20 minutes at the Great Pyramids, followed by 45 minutes at the downtown gold store.
The food, hyped in the brochures as having some culinary connection to the chef Jacques Pepin, didn't. We're adventurous eaters, so for us it was bland, pretentious, all imported from the U.S. I'm sure Mr. Pepin has drawn a fine fat check for the use of his name as a marketing tool. I'm not naive; I guessed that. A cruise ship with 450 people is a mass feeding operation. But the raves on some forums had me nibbling at the bait, and thus disappointed. There were far too few opportunities to sample the local fare ashore.
We had a lovely cabin. We did meet some enjoyable people. But many weren't--OK, I'm going to sound all snobby now, and I don't mean to--very sophisticated. Dinner table conversation often consisted of other diners previous cruises. Many seemed uncomfortable straying even a step or two off the beaten path (read, away from a group). It was clear after a couple of days that these were people who enjoyed a different kind of traveling experience than we do. That's all.
On a cruise this long, it operates like summer camp: keep 'em busy with silly games. But we did get into the daily Trivia competition. On the other hand, the sales opportunities were endless, starting with the bottled water in our room (we paid almost $30,000 for this cruise, they want extra $$ for bottled water?) to the Bad Art Gallery with its own salesman on board, to the amber "lecture" ("buy some junky trinkets from the Baltic (!) in our gift store!"), to the "Wine Boutique" sale ("let's unload all our past-their-prime wines at hugely jacked up prices!"), to the full time salesman at his desk selling....more cruises!)
Maybe when I'm 85 and drooling this will be the most pleasant option. Everyone else seemed to be having a great time. And, actually in many ways, we did too. But we won't do it again anytime soon. But please don't listen to me.
Sorry for the hijack, dogster. I used to be in the news business, so name changing isn't in my DNA. I wouldn't do it as revenge, I'm only mad at myself. And since I retired I don't need the therapy. Can't wait to hear your next tale.

Ditto LAleslie. This is EXACTLY the experience we had on the one cruise we went on a couple of years ago. I will never do one again.

I don't know if I am ready for the new story yet dogster. I am still in need of spiritual heart surgery since the last one.

Great little story LA. I could tell from your words we have had a similar, surreal experience - when all around you are having a GREAT time and you are going 'Get me outta here!'. You and trav will have no issues with the sub-text of my cruising story.

But that's a little bit down the line. First I have to go to Gujarat.

Oh, no, not Gujarat!

I'm hoping Gujarat will etch a new memory though the previous tale will forever be planted.

Travelaw, after reading your India trip report (fabulous) I would have guessed you'd ever signed up for a cruise. But I wouldn't have guessed it for myself, either.

Dogster, I eagerly await all further reports, esp. the surreal cruise. You got my experience in a nutshell.

Moremiles, we really do have to meet someday since we're neighbors. Or at least, we were until you apparently moved.

Dogster
A little while ago there was a series on here in the UK about a TV personality who goes around India and it is of course a travelogue and all weird and wonderful people are trotted out, however he also met with some of the boy/girl/boy types and one episodes followed them around when they were bullying shop keepers into giving them money, he too felt awkward. It was very very interesting and i couldn't tell whether i pitied or despised the "lead" girl (i wish you had posted a picture of the one you met, would be very interested to see if it is the same one!! (am sure it isn't))

As for those poor little boys, i cannot put into words what others have, so much better than I... there really are some heartbreaking stories out there, but you couldn't do anything and i imagine that must have been very very hard for you.