Today, we enjoyed a lazy day at sea, spending the better part of the day relaxing on our sumptuously oversized balcony. It would be a perfect, secluded oasis were it not for the chain-smoking Germans in the cabin next door. But, such is life. The sea day is a nice break, as weâve been pretty much âgo, go, goâ this entire trip. Unfortunately, Brilliance offers little in truly interesting or educational âenrichmentâ activitiesâitâs the usual mix of âhow to make towel animals,â belly-flop competitions, and bingo, whereas weâre more of the lecture-going sort. In any case, I donât have a lot to report on todayâŠ
So, Iâll turn a little more reflective on the experience to date, as Libby and I have conversed at length about it.
We always viewed this trip as a bit of an adventure. While itâs certainly not unheard of for Americans to travel to countries in the Gulf (especially Dubai in the UAE), itâs clearly not a popular or common tourist destination for those from the USA. In general, Americans (us included) are fairly ignorant about the countries and peoples that make up the Arabian Peninsula. Thereâs a tendency to view them one-dimensionally and as a group, often in less than flattering ways. Iâm sure this has only become worse since September 11, 2001, becauseâletâs be honestâprior to that date few Americans even gave the Middle East a passing thought on a regular basis and those events certainly werenât going to engender goodwill from the âaverageâ American. So, itâs little wonder that we consistently heard messages of âyouâre going where on vacation?,â âwhy would you go there of all places?,â or âarenât you worried about insert concern?â prior to our departure.
Interestingly, our British compatriots seem to view this destination as âjust another holiday in the sun.â On the one hand, thatâs refreshing to see. Clearly, they got the memo that Oman isnât Yemen, and the UAE isnât Saudi Arabia. The British generally strike me as more globally aware (look no further than whatâs ânewsâ on the BBC vs. CNN). Perhaps, itâs a function of the Commonwealth and/or other vestiges of their colonial past. On the other hand, their blasĂ© attitude (Iâm, of course, generalizing here) about the cultural norms in these more liberal Gulf states has left me unimpressed. Weâve also noticed theyâre as prone to whining about differences and expecting things to be like they are âat homeâ as Americans (which is ironic, since RCI is predominately a North American cruise line). In general, while we love visiting Britain (especially London), I prefer being ashore with the Arabs on this trip. Needless to say, we wonât be sailing on P&O anytime soon. 
But, I digressâŠ
When we first started contemplating this travel project there were countries we assumed weâd âneverâ visit, including whole regions that we presumed that weâd skip (the Middle East, along with other parts of central Asia and most of Africa, featured prominently). With more and wider travel experiences, weâve learned toâas the clichĂ© goesâânever say neverâ again. Iran, Somalia, North Korea? Certainly not now, but why not some day? One neednât look further than Russia, countries in Eastern Europe, or Oman as places that wouldnât have been practical (for real or imagined reasons) within our lifetime, which weâve already visited.
Yet, going into this trip, our expectations were modest. It seemed like such a foreign destination. It reminded me our first visit behind the former âIron Curtainâ to Prague. Growing up at the end of the Cold War, I sort of half expected the Czech Republic to be in shades of gray, colorless like concrete. Of course, Prague is charming and beautiful (as well as rendered in vibrant hues).
Now that weâre here, Libby and I find the UAE and Oman one of the more comfortable places to travel. Weâre not rule-breakers or hard-partiers. We feel utterly safe and welcomed. While our politics lean to the left, weâre basically conservative people in our lifestyle: a traditional, married couple. Nobody will confuse us with cast members of Jersey Shore. We try to demonstrate respect and goodwill, and weâve had it returned to us ten-fold.
All in all, itâs one of the most enlightening trips weâve ever takenâŠ
Clearly, this handful of days wonât make us experts about this region. If anything, Iâm more aware now of what I still donât know. But, I suspect that knowing the magnitude of my ignorance is a step in the right direction.
