Business was brisk at the cruise liner terminal last week as the quays were chock-a-block with huge cruise liners calling at Malta.

This included the wonderful Voyager of the Seas, which was so long it extended beyond the two ends of Viset’s quays, and so high one could look down on the Floriana bastions from its decks.

But outside the carefully controlled Viset quays, all was mayhem and chaos.

On Friday, long lines of karozzini owners queued, along with their non-protesting horses, in the blazing sun hoping that some of the tourists streaming out of the ship, and foolhardy enough to venture out on their own, would take their quite expensive trips around Valletta.

And, of course, there were literally hundreds of taxis, with their drivers all milling around and each and every one of them harassing the tourists.

At one point a squabble broke out between the lone ADT officer and some taxi drivers and they had to be pulled apart by the police.

A wonderful welcome to Malta.