Transiting the Suez Canal

Pirate talk

Uros, one of our favorite photogs is from Serbia. There was a discussion about the ship being taken over by pirates and someone calling the Serbian embassy to ask for a ransom to release the two Serbians  for theirs any days.

Pirate Party

Turns out it was a Hawaiian themed party and I didn’t get the memo. There weren’t many people to start but gradually more and more came and there were the looky loose on the deck above watching it all from above. I left after about 40 min. and I heard it got pretty lively after Ileft. No details to be shared. Ha.

What a night!

racket around 2:30 am! We had been at anchor awaiting our turn to transit the canal and they began the ship’s preparations with lots of racket like the anchor chains perpetually scraping the sides as they were raised. Icould see the ship turning to face the entrance to the canal and still all those lights of other ships in the distance. I did get a few winks at some point but all of us are exhausted as the noise was more than I recall at any other port. We know we are in the canal but not much more when daylight arrives and then various speakers give us more details as we continue along.

We are #1!

How lucky can we be? Our ship led the convoy of 30 ships through the canal at 8 knots per hour, the mandated speed limit there. We were the only passenger ship; others were tankers, car transit, cargo, one research vessel: Polaris something (long way from cold weather I’d say).

Well being #1 in the convoy and being on the front of the ship was the best of all worlds.

Let me digress a minute and tell you that about 18 mos ago, the canal added a second lane for much of the transit. So near the middle, north and southbound use separate lanes separate by a sand dune berm. It is so sensible and a great boon to transit. The ones from the north had to leave much earlier than we did but the only vessels in our lane, other than those behind us (smug smile here) were small fishing vessels, faluccas (local craft that use a long triangular sail) and such. We could see people occasionally along the sides but one wonders how folks survive out here. Lots of incredible construction of new apartments, assorted buildings of unknown use, much dredging of canal and connecting waterways: you name it almost.

We invited randy and Frances to join us in the cabin and we ordered breakfast in as we went along. It is cool by now and you definitely need good jackets. The wind started out very mild but picked up as we got farther along on our journey. Mercifully the sun was never directly ahead of us still our faces feel windburned and sunburned.

We saw an angel statue and a monument on each side of our canal to the Suez and it’s renovations. One was quite pretty and while we couldn’t figure it out from a distance, I got some photos and it turns out to be a lovely, Egyptian themed, monument to the history of the canal.  There were lots of fisherman along the way. We wondered what kind of fish they could be capturing. Many white birds in large flocks joined us periodically and the captain at one point warned us about dive bombers from them.

We ordered lunch in and ate it on the balcony as we continued our transit. So tourist pamphlet perfect. No champagne though: just iced tea and cokes.

We finished the transit a little after 4 and with satisfaction but some disappointment that it is over, got back into our routine.

Trivia

No threat here. Supper we caught up with everybody.

Show tonight

Was a repeat but these folks are so good the house was packed. There are other activities around the ship but we are all still pooped so it will be an early night for most if for no other reason than:

We have to give one hour back???!!! So less sleep? Well anyway we’ll get it back soon enough.

We are at sea tomorrow: Yeah! And then we begin a marathon of a new port each day between the Dalmation coast, Greece, and Italy before we reach Venice in a few days.

At anchor in the Gulf of Suez

We are tired

Those who went to Petra were dragging today. We are getting too old for this. I loved Petra and am glad I did it but that is my last trip there this way. I feel it is well done by this time.

Bari

Our destination of Bari Italy in the boot of Italy. There are some UNESCO sites there I think we’ll hit. Who knew how unique it is!

Three stories

The speaker is a cultural anthropologist and her talk this morning would make an excellent dissertation: well thought out, theory driven, hermeneutics, structure, etc. She wove in a lot of Joseph Campbell. The topic was The Hero’s Journey and she discussed the Odyssey, Aeneid, and the Divine Comedy. Each has beginning, tragedy, wandering, arrival. (how awful that I can’t recall her exact terms: must be the results of the dehydration as we were pretty bad at trivia this am too!). Very cool as I’ve known nothing about any of them though of course  I’ve heard of them my entire adult life.

Catching up

We organized our newsletters, downloaded pictures and such a good part of the afternoon. I have moved onto a new book about how detectives work. We were no danger to anyone in trivia this afternoon.

As usual our waiter was pushing food again. He’d be great at selling furniture or cars.

At anchor

We have gradually seen more and more watercraft as we have advanced up the Gulf of Suez. It seems odd as it is rare for us to see other ships except near ports. We are at anchor until 4 am when it is time to join the convoy through the Suez Canal.

Local officials came on board quickly earlier to check out the ship and  clear it to continue. We are anchored at “Echo 5” but do not yet know which number we will have in the convoy.

There are tankers, car carriers, other passenger ships, and Lord knows what other craft out there of all sizes and descriptions. As dark came upon us, the sea seemed to light up with the lights from the adjacent craft and the shore line.

Funny happenings

I have had some quiet power plays with the room steward and he always won of course. The first was over the space under the bed. I wanted to use it for luggage; he stores Lord only knows what in a huge plastic bag under there.

So they had to change our couch to one that will make into a bed when Lisa comes. I have been trying to configure that space so that she will have a dedicated space for her luggage in the corner near the couch/bed. So we rearranged the furniture for this eventuality. When we returned this afternoon, everything was where it had originally been placed.

Another funny event

Ed had taken some photos at Petra yesterday of Frances and one of the photographers, Daisuka. So I air dropped them to Diasuka and then found Frances. She got her iPhone ready and when I began the airdrop, the only one I could find was one for Randy, her husband; one without any identification, and one for someone with another name. So Randy got it and it downloaded to his phone. We tapped the one without a name attached hoping it might be Frances. The little icon swirled, someone accepted it, and that was it. EXCEPT it wasn’t Frances’ phone! So someone on this ship accepted and downloaded those pics. We have no idea who it is.

Pirates party

How appropriate that we are about to enter the Suez Canal and we are having a pirates party upstairs tonight. We won’t stay long as we want to see what the Canal has to show us. Rumor has it that it costs the ship $150 K to transit the canal.

Petra

PETRA

I didn’t sleep well; not sure of why. I often don’t sleep well when we have an early call for a tour. But I also don’t recall the usual noise of the ship getting ready for the pilot to come onboard and the mooring lines being prepared on the front of the ship.

Immigration

Nothing Nada. All we need is our cruise card. We saw no border officials’ anywhere. We saw a few here and there at Petra and at stops along the way but nothing like the presence we have seen in other countries. You have a sense of a pretty open country.

And we are off!

There are 3 ships in port: a Holland America ship and a Russian ship. Both are larger ships than ours. Our ship alone had 9 busses going to Petra. There was another tour of Wadi Rum but I don’t know how many busses went there. I just know the pier looked like a sea of busses.

The desert

The terrain changes somewhat along the 2 hour journey to Petra. It is all desert of course but near the port it is sharp, high, craggy mountain peaks with winding ways through the valley part. Almost no vegetation here unless it is manmade. The highway is modern and easily travelled but there are occasional police cars to each side. After less than an hour, we reach a customs point. Aqaba is an economic development area where there are no taxes so they control what goes in and out since the prices are lower in Aqaba.

Along the way, we see various herd animals here and there as there becomes some very sparse vegetation: sheep, goats, now and then a donkey (so cute). No dogs ever seen but I did see a very pregnant cat and probably one of her previous litter in Petra begging for food.

We begin to climb as Petra is in excess of 5000 feet. I had feared the heat, but the weather was actually cool which I loved as while my arms were cool, my torso and head were sweating nonetheless.

First stop

For “squeezing the orange” (our guide reminded us to never miss this opportunity) and window shop in this small shop. A few folks bought a few things as our time was very short here.

Then were are off again. We saw more Bedouin tents along the way sometimes with a pick up nearby and a donkey grazing. As we reached the top of these mountains, we did see some areas with new sprouts. It snows up here in January and February and some people now plant tomatoes and grains for personal consumption. And of course occasional herds of sheep or goats tended by a shepherd usually in native dress.

We begin winding up and down mountains with houses clinging to hillsides, usually in a white material. The stones have changed from granite near Aqaba to more sandstone here. These people must be sturdy to traverse these steep hills.

Clothing

You see everything from very traditional to more modern dress (I’m excluding the tourists who do not dress very appropriately for the weather or the treks. Our guide was a small woman, 38, who could not have been more than 4’11”. She has never married: she is waiting for King Abdullah to ask her to marry him. She has her full head covered, her arms and her legs. But she is quick to say any choice is tolerated.

We arrive at Petra

The city has grown and the visitor’s center is far removed from where they now drop you off from the bus. There are now two large bus lots and you must pick out your bus from among the thousands (Ok I exaggerate a little but it does take a while to find yours).

We gather by the visitor’s center, Salam gets our tickets and we go through the turnstile (also new) and we begin our descent into Petra. The landscape looks hardscrabble and uninviting and tough. You see nothing that looks like the Treasury, the landmark façade for Petra. The path is dirt, with rocks everywhere and rifts where the water has cut through. I brought my trekker stick and hang on to Ed, but it is still difficult. And people crowd around you and push especially in the very narrow areas of which there are many.

First we pass

The old Nebatean tombstones and learn the meaning of many of the bas relief. This earth is now sandstone. We pass the horse drawn carriages (now this is REALLY gilding the lily! Surrey with the fringe on top is only mildly descriptive). Those poor horses and mules look very mistreated and in fact there was a sign to report such mistreatment. I fear it goes ignored. There are also horses for hire on the side. A horse ride was included in our ticket but a $5 tip is demanded at the end. We trudged on. Down and Down we go stopping to view some of the water works they made, the bas relief of camel caravans, the rock formation that looks like a fish from one angle and an elephant from another. I had remembered this one.

And then it peeks out of the sandstone walls (think Grand Canyon) and you gradually see the Treasury emerge. It is impossible to descry e it adequately. The worksmanship and symbolism are remarkable and they have never found any tools to explain how it was made.

Weather

We got so lucky as the temperature was cool; still we sweated with the hot sun (long sleeves, scarves to cover what your hat did not) and the exertion. We also carried water and drank regularly but you still get dehydrated. Forget about a toilet: as any regular traveler will tell you: use the toilet every chance you get as you never know.

I decided to sit in front of the treasury and shooed Ed on to take the camera and shoot pics up near the Coliseum and the other sites beyond the Treasury. My back was hurting and I strained a muscle in my upper leg. I saw lots of the ship’s crew here too. And the passengers from the other two ships and other tourists from all over the world. Natives were also visiting with family I tow. I was surprised when a young boy sat down next to me and I saw his father taking a photo so I scooted over. The father signaled for me to get closer to his son so I did. Later a man asked if his daughter could have her picture taken with me. Her name was Amar but she didn’t seem to speak English though the father clearly did. Amar was dressed as a conservative Muslim woman including well made up face and sun glasses. I was used to this in China but it surprised me here.

A couple from the HA ship sat next to me and said the tour guide had not shown up so they rented a cab for the trip to Petra ($70 USD one way) and so they knew nothing about the site. So I gave them a mini-lecture on it including explaining the various things to look at on the façade of the treasury.

The trek back

Soon enough Ed with Frances and Randy in tow, arrived and we began our trek out of the canyon. Randy and Ed drug along way behind us but Frances and I keep up our pace higher and higher. It was less crowded going out (about 1 pm) but you still had to plaster yourself on the side of the canyon wall so the buggies didn’t run over you as they blitzed past. Cost for that 2 scream ride was $30 USD one way.

We stopped now and then to catch our breath and rewater ourselves, and then continue on past the vendors trying to get us to take the horse ride, buy postcards (10 to 4 for $1USD depending on where you were in the trek), purchase silver bracelets: “1 dollar!” Yeah right. It was $1 USD per 3 or 4 grams and I’d it isn’t silver.

(One of our table mates bought a “leather” belt in a souk in Dubai and not until the ship Dubai did he figure out—because it started to crumble—that it wasn’t leather.

Lunch finally

We had lunch in the same Movenpick Hotel as last time and were escorted to exactly the same table in this huge eating hall. What are the chances of that? A full bottle of water was provided. The food, as it was last time, was Arabic and excellent and you could have as much as you wanted.

Back on the bus

We had to wait for one couple who was: one guess here! SHOPPING! And made some lame excuse about thinking the time to be on the bus was 30 min later and thus they were early! I have no patience with people who do that but there is always one everywhere in the world where we have been.

The trip back

No stops this time. The sun was going down and the mountains and desert look entirely different with the low sun on them. Again many goats, sheep and donkeys along the way with traditional herders with them.

Dinner

We were so tired it really didn’t matter much what they fed us but Francis is a superior salesman when it comes to food and we did our part along with rehydrating.

To bed

There was a movie in the lounge for those who were interested but we did manage to stay awake until 10 pm and died right away.

Aqaba Jordon tomorrow

Tomorrow Petra! Yeah

We are all excited at the fun we will have going to Petra. Most of the ship is going. The photography department will all be there. The ship is sending several bus loads of crew so they can experience it as well. We are all delighted with thship is sending several bus loads of crew so they can experience it as well. We are all delighted with this.

My hat and back pack are ready along with a scarf for the sun and any sandstorm. We have heard that the temps are in the 70s. that would be marvelous as my one concern has beenabout the extreme heat we experienced last time.

My camera is ready including back up battery and SD chip.

Destination talk

Zanthuykos of something like that is an island in the Greek archipelago that we will be visiting when we hit the Mediterranean. Not much there but we’ll enjoy it.

Israel and Egypt

The speaker made comparisons and contrasts about the history and current status of these two countries separated by a canal and border.

Lunch

People are interesting. A British couple sat with us and are not going to Petra. We’ve seen enough “ruins”. I didn’t try to persuade them this one is different. I don’t put it in the same category. Another lady is 80 and travelling with her 30 yr old g’dtr. That conversation was interesting. She also has many complaints about the ship. I smile and move one with these stories. Some people will never be happy. They should stick to larger ships.

Interview with the dancers

These “kids” (probably the oldest is in his late 30s or early 40s I’m guess, are in such good shape and are so fun to talk to. Several from the Urkraine and Britain. Alex: “Sasha” hurt his foot/ankle/leg? In the late performance last night so he is on crutches and estimated to be out of service for 10 days. He is the one who danced with me at one of the parties. So cute. Many have been dancing from preschool ages. And their path to this job is remarkable.

Trivia

No threat to anyone today. They have a Happy Hour and Frances got a drink and a second for $1 so she gave me the second Beverly Hills Iced Tea (no tea in it). Well I know it had alcohol because I was giddy for hours afterwards. No more of that for me. But we did have fun.

Dinner

Francis, our waiter, was telling us about a drink he has had as a kid. It is essentially a Bloody Mary with beer to top it off. We asked him what it was called: he smiled and said: A bloody Indian. My Lord we all roared.

Variety show

Was the singers and the comedian from Canada. He reminds me of George Carlin. The singers are permanent but the other entertainers we’ve had since Dubai leave the ship tomorrow and we pick up some new ones for the next leg through the Suez. The entertainment alone has to cost the company a small fortune.

Yeah! One more hour

We set our clocks back again tonight. But don’t gloat: we have to give back that hour when we get into the Mediterranean, and then before Venice, we get it back again. I just do what they tell me.

My latest book

Is about Eugenics. I’m about half way through. I think I’ll listen to it one more time. It is fascinating going from the beginnings of the idea of eugenics to (the part I’m at now) blood types and recessive genes. Many of the names along the way are ones I’ve known for other topics and research. Of course the Nazis applied it in appalling ways but today’s society does it too. In the interest of not stepping on touchy political  toes, I’ll not mention the ways we do it now.

So be aware: there are positives and negatives to eugenics.

Red Sea to Gulf of Aqaba

We are now passing Medina, Mecca and Jiddah on the starboard (right) side of the ship.

Sun is our alarm clock

The ship is running fast and the wind is ferocious in the RedSea. It is 84 outside with a clear sky.

Interdenominational service

There is a couple who each time. The husband reaches out and holds his wife’s hand holds it throughout all the Bible readings and the sermon. He always dresses in a fresh shirt and business slacks. She is more casual in her dress.

The sermon today revolved around Eve and the apple. It occurs to me that the gender of the snake is never mentioned yet snakes are phallic symbols and thus male.so now who is the culprit?

Monotheism

This presentation was a brief comparison of the three major religions and their histories. I thought the speaker was less than objective when discussing Islam. I learned things I hadn’t considered.

Trivia

Again we are no danger to anyone.

Pirates Lunch

So appropriate a theme for this part of the world at this point in history. The chef featured a station with Arabic food: shwarma, hummis, baba ganoush, pita, etc. Very good. He is a great personality and is seen allover the ship. There is always so much food and I can’t imagine anyone not finding their favorite.

The staff all dressed up like pirates and I think they were having more fun than the passengers. One had a (faux) Ax that he was wielding liberally. A handful of passengers came in pirate garb too. And some of the men are still wearing Arab head gear; its getting a little tiring by now. Give it a rest.

And along those lines we have some really eccentric folks on board whose dress certainly gets notice. The fellow who looks like Truman Capote, wears odd colored sports jackets, a matching lei around his neck and either a fedora or a baseball cap. The guy who wears a scroungy, broken down cowboy type hat with pins all over it, and lays by the pool a lot. But here’s the part that gets the notice. He comes into trivia with only a shirt to about mid hip and speedos on. And it ain’t a pretty picture! Interesting that most of these characters are men.

We have some ladies on board who are very charming and always dressed beautifully whether casually or for formal events.

Formal night

We got our formal gear on and went to Trivia that way. Good thing we did as our trivia partners forgot about it so when the questions were done, they ran to get gussied up while we found out the bad news about ourscore. Then we went to…

Captain’s circle party

We always enjoy this as we can find out who has travelled the most days, something about the staff and crew, See all the officers and such in dressed up uniforms, and they draw for a bottle of champagne for 3 winners whose names are drawn from those who attend.

There are now almost ½ of the passengers who are Elite and thus get free laundry but it hasn’t slowed the laundry down. We are the beneficiaries of this wonderful perk and are oh so grateful. Unlike years ago when we had to wait until the end of the whole cruise to graduate to elite status, folks now are given that status at the end of the leg in which they reach the criteria. Good for them. So the longer the cruise goes, the more people who qualify.

Amour

This was the title of the major show this evening. The singers are great. But those dancers are absolutely amazing. So talented and athletic. We have two new guys: Yuri and Sergy. The guys are all tall; the gals so tiny when you see them up close yet they don’t seem so when they are performing. Since they call the trivia, we get to know them a little more and their personalities come out. We are especially amused about the girls who are Brits and wsho has mastered the American pronunciation so they do it “the proper way’ and then say the words as we would. So hilarious and it puts a mirror up to us.

Scratchy throat

It seems every time we get a new batch of passengers, I get a fresh sore throat. Sigh. This too shall pass but I’m running low on the lozenges from the clinic.

One more day at sea

Tomorrow is packed with events and we turn back our clocks tomorrow night for an extra hour. The next day is Aqaba where probably half the ship is going on this excursion. I think only a skeleton staff will remain. Talk about ship if the desert. I am dreading the heat but so looking forward to seeing Petra again. I suspect this will be my last time.

Still looking for Moses on the Red Sea

Going through the gulf of Aden into the Red Sea

So we have Ethiopia and Dijobuti on the left and Yemen on the right. We haven’t been any of these places and we cannot see land from the ship though occasionally a bird. Also I’m surprised not to see more water craft in our sights.

Chanai Crete

This is our stop after Rhodes and not one we’ve visited before. Not a very large island and while it used to be  a tender port, we will be able to dock always a convenience.

Crew Staff Safety drill

These are held regularly and do not involve anything on our part except that the ship comes to a “nothing going on” feeling as all of the staff participate. We aren’t required to do anything.

Alexander the Great

I had read a children’s book about him earlier in the cruise and this was a good review and visual appreciation of how amazing a life he had (died at 32 after conquering most of the known world at the time).

Trivia

No danger this morning or this afternoon. But do you know what “perry” is? A pear alcoholic drink.

Lunch

Ed and I ate alone. He doesn’t much like this. I find it nice for a change.

Casual portraits

They have us doing crazy things and we know the photographers well enough now that they try things a little differently. I’ll miss them when they are gone. Uros leaves us in Venice. All of them are going to Petra to photograph the over 200 passengers who are doing that trip.

Entertainment

Mickey Finn and his banjo playing wife and Sonny Charles who was also a nice singer. Nothing spectacular but nice hour.

The experience of the Red Sea

Which of course looks like any other ocean/sea. There are several little islands along the sides now and then. We see convoys of big tankers. Staff and passengers speculate on what they must be thinking. This ship is doing over 19 knots on average as we have a lot of sea to cover.

Staff appreciation night

The captain and upper staff are serving dinner for the crew tonight in the Panorama Buffet so it is off limits to us. It’s a nice gesture. Last we heard, the Captain was carving the pig. The Cruise Director was serving the drinks and clearing tables. What a nice tribute to these folks we never see and those we do who work endlessly and tirelessly to make this cruise great for us.

Many of them who have never seen snow tell stories of the captains making a special effort to see that they get off the ship and get a chance to experience snow. That’s terrific.

In the Gulf of Aden

Suez Canal

This discussed the history and the development of the Suez Canal including new information about some new channels recently built. It reduced the transit time from the old 11 hrs to a potential 3 hrs now. It is a little over 100 miles through it.

Africa Safari

The speaker told of their experience touring Africa many years ago. They transited through many of the same areas we did but they also went to some new to us.

It was a nail biter!

Our team tied with another for the win and the stakes were higher, that is, the ship has new prizes for us so we were even more energized to win.

The first question Was about the play rent and the name of a song in it. Both teams gave the same (wrong) answer. The second question was for the dancers thesis paper did she write about the Phantom of the Opera or Les Miz. Both of us said Les Miz and we were both wrong. Next how old is her mother: both teams guessed 53 (we were not given choices so what are the chances?) Well this kind of a tie had never happened again and since she had only enough prizes for one team, we had to keep on. Next question was how old was my great-grandmother when she died. I said 93 but my team chose 83. The other team said 86. The winner was the one the closest so they won. Boo Hoo

In the afternoon trivia, we were not threat to anyone except ourselves.

Photo contest

Ed and I both decided to enter a pic. The theme is Landscapes, Seascapes and nature. Ed’s is the photo of the two antelope in the desert. Mine is of fishermen in front of the mosque in Mumbai: their reflections are on the water and the mosque looks luminous. So many folks on here are serious photogs so our chances are nil but it is funny anyway.

Wine Tasting

I am not a wine afficianado but we are invited to this periodically and I almost always “donate” my samples to Ed. Today Francis was there too and she and Ed shared their critique of the wines. They buy bottles of wine to share over dinner.

Comedian

He was fun. 62 years old and reminisced about childhood things which most of us can find amusing. We do have some young people on board but he brought them into it also.

Star Gazing

We had a conflict tonight with the scheduled Star party with the second officer so we decided to go up on the top of the ship by ourselves. It is absolutely amazing the number of stars you can see, the clarity, and such. The longer you stay the more your eyes adapt and you see even more. There will be other star parties along the trip so we’ll go again.

Majority Rules

I had told Ed about this fun game and so he agreed to go with me. Any number of people can be on a team from 1 to infinity. So we played together, just the two of us. I think the largest team was 5 or 6 people. Well son of a gun, WE WON! We each got a magnet of the Pacific Princess ship which we are putting on our wall to hold things up like a bulletin board. You see the walls are metal. J

Off the coast of Yemen at the moment

Boy that sun is bright

I woke after 5 and the sun was already high in the sky. The ocean is a dark, almost black, blue color. The wind isn’t that bad but it is ;howling at the cabin door: must be the angle.

Rhodes destination lecture

This was a memory jogger for us as we have been here before.

I’m amazed at some of these people who seemed obsessed with the wearing of shorts. Really now? It’s that crucial? First of all, the sun is brutal and your pasty white flesh will burn. Secondly, the loose cotton clothing of this area (which you probably purchased in a previous port) is perfect for capturing the best of the breezes.

We will be on the Euro probably from Rhodes until we hit the atlantic. That will be convenient. Checking out our supply of currency gets pretty boring after a while.

Interview with the Captain

This guy is British with a wicked way of expressing ideas. Very diplomatic but funny often. Pretty straight forward. We learned of his career which didn’t start on the sea. Some of the anecdotes are quite funny when he describes the personalities of various captains and pilots.

One lady had a communication from her husband in the states who asked why our GPS was turned off as he couldn’t exactly identify where we are right now (sailing close to the coast of Oman actually). This awkward moment was made quite funny and the question was never really answered. But

Pirate party

We are sailing through pirate country and so the Captain has agreed to a pirate party by the pool one evening. I think that’s a howl.

Suez Canal transit.

Ships travel in a convoy and we enter the canal in late afternoon. We will arrive earlier and will lie at anchor until the convoy is put together.  Last time this ship was the first in the convoy which is easier as the first ship determines the speed. Like they say: if you aren’t the alpha dog, the scene never changes.

Apparently there have been some changes in the canal since we last transited and they have added some visual arts along the sides.

Portrait raffle and trivia.

Didn’t win either but it was fun. Did you know that Dublin means “black pool”? we didn’t.

There were four of us for the afternoon trivia and we made 18 out of 20. Drats! One other team got 19!!! So close.

Texans on board

We’ve sat with two separate couples from Texas: one from Houston and one from Dallas. Both have remarked that the government is going toconfiscate land along the border by eminent domain to build the “Wall”. We were all laughing because none of us can imagine Texans Surrendering land without a battle.

More Pirate talk

The anxiety of many folks comes out in these discussions. The ship for several weeks now (perhaps the whole trip for all I know) has staff patrolling the outer decks. We have long had lights on the deck out at night. There was speculation about water cannons and heavy artillery on board. Now none of these people have actually SEEN any of this you understand! I just find the focus on this discussion to be silly: like the National Inquirer version of our situation.

Hoedown

They had a C&W party upstairs so Ed and I went. They had some line dancing; all the styles were different but we simple and they are patient. Some folks are very good as they have line dancing classes on sboard and they are used for exercise classes too.

They are so clever about the games they play too. They are always related to the theme and are very nonthreatening and get everybody in the right mood. Tonight there were a lot of people up there, but like us, many left after an hour. We are not a midnight crowd.

Zipping along at 19 knots

New Cruise director

I had heard nothing but good things about Sammi and her bubbly personality and they were all right. She gave us a good overview of what to expect on this next leg and expresses herself in delightful prose. As an example, she was discussing the Suez Canal and said thing of the canal as the cleavage between two sand bosoms. It’s a good analogy as the banks of the canal rise high above the water of the canal. If you are on shore and you look toward the canal, you cannot see any water and it looks like the ships are gliding along the sand.

Forgive me for laughing

People are asking about the locks on the Suez Canal. It doesn’t have any as the water on both sides is at the same level and they dug the canal between these two bodies of water: The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. There had always been small inland routes but nothing like this canal. We enter from the south and during the night we will be stalled in the middle where it is wider. The craft going from north to south will then have a direct and unobstructed transit to the Red Sea: they do not have any delays.

I know the cost to transit the Panama Canal costs more than $400 USD per person to the ship and I don’t know what other costs. I have no idea how much the Suez costs but it, along with tourism, are the major sources of income for Egypt.

Destination lecture

This was about Aqaba the port about 2 hrs from Petra which is the tour we will be taking. It is our second time but we feel so lucky to be able to do it again. I am dreading the hot weather but am psyched up for it. I have my trekker stick, long socks and closed toed shoes, scarf, hat, and water laid out for it. Deb gave us a lot more information than I’ve ever known about the city of Aqaba as my focus has always been on Petra.

Dr. Livingston I presume

This was a very interesting lecture about Livingston and Stanley. I knew a few of the details but these story tellers kept one’s interest to the very end. The man/husband has a master’s in Journalism, and the wife is a PhD in Anthropology. I suspect she does the research and he writes the script and they take turns presenting. It is spoken well but is text is all prepared; this is not off the cuff and no questions at the end.

We won!

Amazing. Only 5 of us. The champagne bottle appeared again, and again I asked if there were other options. Ramona was interested in the keychain flash lights so Yuri (he just came on in Dubai and is a new dancer) brought back 4 and said that was all there was and he said the bottle could be given to the 5^th person (who had already left). I called and left a message in his cabin about our win and he said to keep it so we gave it to Ramona and Craig, the other two players, at dinner.

All the Way

This movie was playing in the Lounge this afternoon. I went because Brian Cranston was playing in it and we had seen it before. I really liked his performance and through he captured LBJ perfectly. But I had other things I wanted to do, like listen to the economist. I am several issues behind because, for reasons we cannot figure out, I cannot download them when we are out of LA. So Ed downloaded them on his phone and I am using his phone to listen to them.

We didn’t win trivia in the afternoon but we had fun.

Afternoon task

I have been saving all our Patters, my puzzles, our tour papers and info, with the idea that when we get home someone may be interested. I have the blog and such from 2008 and looked at it a few times but put it away as the print is too small for me. Maybe this is all a waste of time but we’ll see. The hardest part is that I didn’t bring brads along so I’m trying to find ways to secure the sections in such a way that they will go into a 3 ring binder easily later.

Formal portraits

We had fun with these using the bottle of champagne and a rose. The photographers are used to our craziness by now.

Ed wore his black shirt with red bowtie and cumberbund. He looked like a Mafiosi. When Oscar came around, he explained to us that the story is not real. He’s such a howl. Forever more when I hear a cheery “HOw—loh” I’ll remember him.

At dinner we laughed ourselves silly again. All of us went to our rooms to get out of the formal attire before the entertainment.

Ed went to the singer: I wanted to catch up on stuff including my reading.

Yeah, another hour!

So we turn our clocks back again by one hour. But it won’t last indefinitely: at some point we have to give it back for a few ports, and then again, we’ll go back by an hour before Venice.

leaving Dubai

Dubai Day 3

Something woke me a little after 5 and I stayed in bed and listened to a book. Ed had said we were going to have rain around 2 am. Well it came a little after 5 and a lot of it. It was in puddles on the dock. When I went into the terminal there were buckets under leaks (this terminal isn’t that old. Tsk tsk). We had room service and caught the

8:30 am hop on hop off bus

We bought our ticket later in the day yesterday so this was still part of our 24 hour package. It took a little less than an hour to get to the dubai mall which surrounds the foot of the Burj Khalifi that incredibly tall building.

It was good sprinkles getting to the bus but at the mall, we were under coverings the whole way. By this time we know how to walk the several blocks distance to find the beginning of the escalators to upper floors.

We went a different direction this time and ran into the aquarium. I’m sure it is larger than the one in Long Beach and we walked around it and enjoyed the two story tall windows and tanks of every imaginable kind of fish. A group of school children were being taken around and discussing the fish.

Souk

There is a section called the Souk. We are talking gorgeous! There is a dinosaur skeleton in the central atrium which was found in Wyoming and is the only fully intact dinosaur skeleton every found. Of course it would be here! We asked the kind man in the cheesecake factory if we could use the restroom and it is just like you’d find in US except there is that small hose to the side of the commode. No I didn’t try to sort it out. Wasn’t ready to emerge with water all over me.

Ice rink

Then we wandered around to find the ice rink and since Ed just mastered posting panorama pics on FB he had a ball. We were reveling in the superfast FREE WiFi to download our apps and such as we wandered around.

Stores

Any store you can find in any of our malls is here. Rich and middle income. Well no payless shoes or dollar stores but you get the jist. The floors are all highly polished marble, not good when your feet are wet.

Dress

The Muslim ladies of course dress very modestly. But I guess I was surprised and very chagrined at the young women wearing very short, very tight shorts. Really girls? Really? How in your face must you be? Tacky Tacky. No wonder we get such a reputation as these were English speaking “girls”.

You see all manner of clothing in a mass of people.

Ice rink

So then we went in search of the indoor skating rink and went to the floor above it for a better view and another panorama from Ed’s phone.

Along the way we wandered through the section with all the shops for kids. Boy any kind of dress for a kid is here and gorgeous. Toys too. You name it.

Food court

We went here and found a Burger King where we both got a Coke lite. It was 10:45 am and we turned into pumpkins if we didn’t get the return shuttle at 11 am. So I didn’t ask Ed, I just started heading back and, smart man, he followed. We just made the shuttle back to the ship.

More shopping

Ed got off at the larger cruise terminal (where the German ship was) because there is a larger mall there and he wanted some sucking candies. He also had not seen the models so I told him about them. As I expected, he also bought dates and other stuff in addition to doing more window shopping.

I came directly back and tried the WiFi in the terminal (no help: it has been on the fritz the whole time we’ve been here) and gawked at some baubles and came back through the gamit of magnetometers, and other security checks.

Lunch

Ed wasn’t back and I left him a note. We didn’t have much time as we had a safety drill (mandatory for everyone!) pretty quickly. Pretty soon Francis and Randy came too and we caught up on today’s event. We had found them buying tickets to go up the Burj Khalifi. Randy was skeptical because it was raining but Francis was determined. So they did and the view downward was a good one and worth the effort in their opinion.

We have so much fun together that we will go to Petra together as Frances says she wants to laugh.

Safety drill

So seven short and one long whistle and you go to your stateroom, get your lifejacket and your cruise card (however did you get into your stateroom without it?) and go to your muster station. There are only two on this ship: A (that’s us) and B (the other half). The larger ships have all the higher letters so Simon says if you’re letter is not A or B you’re on the wrong ship! He has a very dry sense of humor and says things no one else could get by with.

So you listen to the bridge with instructions about fires and such, then the lifejacket routine and stepping off the ship. But don’t abandon ship just because the whistles are blasted (I can just see it now: some of htes folks can’t find their staterooms much less….). Then you have to demonstrate you know how to put the jacket on and find the whistle (the light will come on automatically when you hit the water: ha)

Sail away

The German ship (huge) which has been in port as long as we have is leaving just ahead of us lending credence to the idea that the slot for the Suez Canal is a part of the decision about time in port.

The Old Queen Mary (? Elizabeth?) is here. It is supposedly being refurbished but it is in horrible shape such an ignominy for such a lovely vessel.

The rain had stopped but the overcast is thick. The weather is cold for these folks and so all morning we saw folks bundled up as if on a ski slope. And speaking of the ski slope: that is at the mall of the Emerites and we didn’t get there but some of the staff did go skiing.

Trivia

Not even close. We were 5 and we don’t have to hang our heads in shame…yet

Dinner

We laughed so hard! There’s a lady at the adjacent table who watches us closely and looks like she so wants to be a part of our fun. Her husband is pretty somber. Everyone recounted their experiences while in Dubai as we had gone our separate ways. Two went to Abu dhabi and the woman said the guide on the bus had 20 freshly washed abaya for the women to wear in the tour of the mosque, which they said was gorgeous. Most mosques here don’t allow non Muslims in so that was a treat.

We all discussed the Dubai Mall and what we saw there and how remarkable it is. Ramona and Craig were the only ones of us who had gone to the Mall of the Emerites where the ski slope is. Randy thought we were lying when we told him about the sky diving place.

How sad for them…

We heard the 4 w drive desert safari had to be cancelled last night so those folks missed out on a wonderful experience. There was a very bad sandstorm. One lady said she didn’t even know they had sandstorms here. I found that amusing.

Tonight’s show

Remember Mickey Finn? He has had (maybe still does have) a restaurant in LA. Used to be on TV. Well anyway he and his wife Kelly O’Reilly who is the first woman to be inducted into the banjo players hall of fame, were the show. It was fun and they played a range of music and had a few laughs along the way.

New Cruise Director

A woman named Sammi. She is very different than our previous one was. He was the old MC type. Certainly nothing wrong with what he did but this lady is far more genuine. Others have been on ships with her before and had much good to say about her.

We have several sea days now until we go to Aquaba, Jordon where we join most of the ship to go to Petra. Peter and Francis, our table servers are also going so we were threatening to make sure they were on our bus. I am so happy for these people when they are able to get off the ship and have fun as they work so very hard.

Day two: Dubai

Breakfast

We had a quick breakfast and then made our way to the other terminal when we found that the WiFi in our terminal wasn’t working. The other terminal is probably a 20 min brisk walk down the pier. But along the way is construction and other challenging obstacles. Finally we got there.

WiFi is paultry. I finally asked a lady at the information desk and she said it’s slow because the terminals that embark new passengers are busy. There must have been at least 30 such terminals.

This building is huge with many displays and probably 30 stores. I wandered around a little bit while Ed tried some of his devices.

When we finished, because of time and the obstacles walking over, I suggested we take a taxi back to our ship. The taxis have to drive a long way around to get to the other terminal so this was probably a 2 mile ride.

We endured the two security checks again, dropped off the laptop and iPads and had a quick lunch.

And then we’re off to the

Hop On Hop Off bus

It turns out this was just a shuttle bus from the ship to the exchange place which is at the bottom of the Burj Khalifi in the Dubai Mall. So we decided to go check that place out.

It’s enormous and they are adding 1 million more squarefeet. We wandered around, had a pan du chocolate, iced tea and espresso in a French place and connected to their superfast WiFi (I got a welcome email later in the day).

Red route

We made this one just in time. We got the top, front row seat. Yeah. Great for views and photos. The wind had been sharp and vicious all day and it sure was up there. Since it was overcast, the sun was not so much of an issue. But my poor hair was destroyed many times over. At times the wind was so fast that you could feel all the redundant skin on your face flapping like a dog’s jowls when it’s head is out of the car window.

Sand was everywhere: hair, clothes, shoes, packages, and especially in your eyes. I am so glad I had my eye surgery because I could not have made these trips with contacts. OMG it would have been like cut glass under those lenses.

We felt a drop of water now and then but no more. We went around so many interesting places and discussed returning to see them for a longer period of time. (alas that was not possible). The Dubai Museum, the Mall of the Emerites, the folk museum, riding a dhow on the river, so many more things. But we enjoyed seeing the old and the new. This Route took us over two hours.

Green line

So we switched to the green line which took us to the beach and the Ali Burj or whatever it’s called: that sail type 7 star hotel on the ocean. Then to the Jumeira Palms. At the end of this is the Atlantis, quite impressive. As we returned, we saw roach coaches all along the beach side.

Before this we also went across the river to Deria an area I had visited last time while Ed went to the top of Burj Khalifi. I went through the Gold and Spice Souks there and recalled those experiences to Ed.

We went through older areas and saw so many beautiful mosques that I lost count. Each different and prettier than the last. Villas (I wouldn’t mind that) and large apartment buildings everywhere.

About 4 pm you could feel the temperature drop dramatically. Some folks were wanting jackets but I thought it was perfect. The wind made it so much more tolerable.

Then it got dark and we got to see so many pretty things lit up beautifully. It is a different city at this time.

Pretty soon it was time to catch our shuttle back to the ship. We got back after 7 and had dinner. Ed went to the comedian. I would have enjoyed that but had things to do so I passed. He came in after 10 and we hit the sack.

Read THIS post even if you don't read any others

It is hazy and in the  80s outside. You can see the wake of ships who passed long ago. I saw a white object floating on the surface that looked like a ping pong ball but about the size of a tennis ball. I wonder?

We went through the Strait of Hormuz in the night and another passenger said there search lights off of the ship all night long.

While we haven’t seen them, there is a large US military presence in this area. I am amazed that people do not remember that.

Interdenominational service

I think it’s interesting that it’s called that and not nondenominational as is more common. Nice service with some songs I knew. My lung volume is not adequate to carry a phrase at this point and my vocal cords are rough with results of asthma and such. What a disappointment

Photo raffle

A guy came up, very confidently put tickets in the box and announced to the rest of us that we just as well leave because he was going to win. And he did: the first prize. A lady who is leaving the ship in Dubai won the second prize which was 10 of the postcards with great shots from the trip.

Trivia

I ran up and was able to help with at least one question. We did better than the adjacent team by two but the winning team had two more points than we did.

The dancer who called it is hilarious with her British and then (long a) American pronunciations of words. So cute.

Lunch

We ordered room service as we were coming into port. Cheeseburger for me; chef salad for Ed.

I can’t say the sail in was dramatic. It was hazy and everything looks the color of sand. The terminal is new and in the local style.

There are 3 large ships on the pier (the two others, one Royal Caribbean, are both much larger than ours)

Immigration

We tapped our fingers until it was our turn. Passport in hand, cruise card at the ready, we checked out of the ship and straight into the terminal where three desks manned by two traditionally clad (how do they keep those things so white?) men. I don’t recall him even looking up at me (I know they wouldn’t look a woman in the eye in the old days…and visa versa). Opens passport, stamps it and I’m off.

Except there’s the ship staff to retrieve my passport.

I feel naked. No passport, no photocopy stamped. Only my cruise card.

So we go back onto the ship: this entails going through metal detector at exit from terminal to ship and then again as we enter the ship. Our gear in hand, we eventually go down to the meeting place for our afternoon tour. The place is packed. I think there were probably 200 shipmates going on this same tour.

ow do they keep those things so white?) men. I don’t recall him even looking up at me (I know they wouldn’t look a woman in the eye in the old days…and visa versa). Opens passport, stamps it and I’m off.

Except there’s the ship staff to retrieve my passport.

I feel naked. No passport, no photocopy stamped. Only my cruise card.

So we go back onto the ship: this entails going through metal detector at exit from terminal to ship and then again as we enter the ship. Our gear in hand, we eventually go down to the meeting place for our afternoon tour. The place is packed. I think there were probably 200 shipmates going on this same tour.

Desert Safari 4 wheel drive

We are herded to our vehicle and meet Bashir Ahmed who is our driver for today. It’s about 4 pm by this time and sunset is after 6. This is important to the experience of the day. There are 6 passengers in this Toyota SUV but that doesn’t describe it well. Very comfortable with AC. Each time we get back into the car we are asked to be sure our seat belt is tightened. This isn’t just a law here. It becomes important later as well.

Bashir was born and raised here in the UAE but he is Pakistani. He is considered an expat even though born here. He will never have citizenship. This is pretty common in these countries where over half of their population are expats who come to work. He has 4 children and has to pay for their education since he is not a citizen.

Getting out of the port

The gate of the port is probably 2 miles from the ship along this reclaimed land. We are asked to hold our cruise card up as we come to the exit. A local port police visually sights all of our cards along with the special permit the driver has, and we are off.

Exiting the city

Dubai is a modern city in almost every respect. The height of the buildings is astonishing and of course the most famous is the Burg Khalifi. You don’t see old vehicles here. Gas is about 50 cents a liter: $2 USD per gallon roughly and it is subsidized.

We wiggle through the traffic and are soon on a superhighway. The highways have buffers of low native shrubs to keep the sand from overtaking the roadway. It is, as you would expect, in excellent condition and a very good ride. No one violates the traffic laws here as they have cameras everywhere and they don’t tolerate violations.

Soon we are diverted to a camel racing track with a camel hospital for them on sight. In the distance we see tents where their caretakers stay with them. They are crossing the road with camel drivers on some here and there, the rest strung along behind with ropes.

Camel racing

A popular sport here held a few days a week. But here’s the funny part: they don’t have riders! They carry robots whose weight mimics a rider and who is controlled by the owner wirelessly. They have a little stick to tap the camel along. We didn’t see it but it sounds like a riot.

We continue along and eventually all of the vehicles from our ship, we estimated about 30, stop and the drivers begin to let air out of the tires. Ordinarily these Dunlap tires hold 35 psi and the pressure is reduced to about 16 psi.

Beginning the real adventure

We enter a desert conservancy site of about 10 miles square. Our trek to the campsite seemed to take us over a hundred.

WHEE!

And we begin our E ticket ride over the dunes. And they don’t just crawl over them: you find yourself hanging onto the hand holds to keep your balance. They warn about folks with neck and back issues (Ed did stabilize his neck and he had brought his cushion).

Disneyland has no ride to match this one. You see other cars ahead pop up and then disappear just as quickly on the top of the dune. We would testify that the side angles were at least 45 degrees and going over and down a dune, it had to be much more. And we aren’t crawling: we’re doing it gonzo style. I was astonished at how good the drivers were (none turned over but the roll bars were as big as my wrist) and how amazing the vehicles were!

And it wasn’t over in 120 seconds either. At the top of each dune, we raced on. There were stops now and then to see the sunset for example and just to stretch and get ready for the next lap as there was no turning back. (big laugh here).

One lady tried to slide down the dune but this isn’t snow! I gained a very great admiration for the camels who traverse this sand. It is more like powdered confectioner’s sugar feel, dirt, not sand as you think of on the beach. I dug my toes in going up and my heels going down.

Local wildlife

This is a conservancy and so some of the wildlife is visual occasionally including a delicate antelope: I didn’t catch it’s name.

We saw braced trees here and there being fed with drip lines. This is part of their plan to create this place to the design. But clearly there is water some distance down as there were large trees here and there which indicates the availability of water if you dig (though I never got the distance). There is a shortage of water overall and Dubai is the Queen of desalination.

Wind

The wind was wonderful but he had sand everywhere. My mouth still has grit never mind the other orifices. The temperatures were in the high 80s but this temperature with those winds, made it absolutely wonderful.

Sandshapes: you walk in the sand and your impression is there but almost before your eyes, the sharp edges smooth and soon the dune is nothing more than waves that look like horizontal rivulets on the surface. I’m sure the sands change shape daily.

At one stop, the drivers took out small rugs and we saw them saying their prayers under an adjacent bush behind all of us. No big deal: just doing their duty.

In Asia and beyond, we are called “Sir” and “Madame”. Our waiter said he’s poor at names and so this is easier. But it often feels very odd.

After a long while, we reach a campsite. There are camels we can see and thanks to Ed’s quick feet, we were early in line before many others figured out the routine.

Camel ride

Ed did it this time. These beasts are never ending amusement for me. All had little crocheted nose bags on I suppose to keep them from spitting. Ed mounted in back with me in front. The locals are all in their pristine white robes and scarves (no kefair—spelled wrong: all white here).

You are told to lay back as the camel raises it’s hips first and you’ll fall off if you don’t. The saddles were terribly uncomfortable and you have a small rigid circle of hard rope to cling to. The when the camel raises it’s front legs, you are forward leaning but this one is easier.

And off we go. I don’t recall my previous camel rides being this hard to stay upright. Perhaps I had stirrups before but certainly the saddles were much more accommodating and I was riding alone. People who ride camels a lot certainly have my admiration. I was glad to get off. The instructions when the camel goes down again are also explicit and were it not for that nice Arab man who didn’t mind catching my shoulder as we went down, I would have wound up face first in the sand. He took a few very good photos of us on the camel with our camera: clearly he was knowledgeable about how to use it. At the end, all they expected was a tip. Delightful.

Henna

Next stop: getting a henna design on my hand. This small lady (there were several in the tent) was scrunched up and had a pad to sit on before her (more about the pads later). She had a small device that looked like an icing bag with a small tip. She was quick, sure, and created this amazing design. I don’t know what I expected but when she told me in clear English to keep it straight until it dried, I was surprised. Ed got a few shots. This experience was included in the cost of the trip as was the apple tobacco hooka and having your photo taken in native dress (there was a small charge for this).

Arabian coffee was also offered. Ed declined.

Alcohol

This surprised me. Red and White wine were available. You can drink in private venues here but I’m sure the men serving it were not Muslim.

There were several large areas to sit and eventually we found some long tables with pads about the size of a pillow on your bed. The tables were only about 1 ½ ft off the carpet which was of course on top of the sand.

These pads were not comfortable at all. I wondered what was in them as they were very heavy and it didn’t seem to be reeds or animal hair. It is frankly dark by now and the camp has areas with large carpets over the sand and low lights on stands here and there.

Toilets

I wasn’t sure what to expect but nature calls. Wow! Clean, Western toilets, sinks, ran out of soap, and paper to dry your hands. The area around it is sequestered by tall reed fences.

Dinner

Ed went for the appetizers. By this time I can see nothing and need to stay put. Across the table from us was a young man from Kenya who does business in Dubai and two young ladies from Malaysia. Along the way, several other caravans have met up with us and there are probably 500 people in this camp by now. The food smells wonderful; they called it a BBQ.

I can’t tell you what I ate but it was good. There was meat, rice, vegetables, delicious dan like breads. A wonderful experience but it was dark and I have no idea what I ate. Definitely no pork I’d bet.

Belly dancer

Eventually they lit up this large area in the middle fully carpeted with these gorgeous red carpets. The belly dancer emerged from the dark in a red diaphanous skirt low on her hips and long dark hair with a red bra top and bling decorating both. (We found out later she is from Brazil). She was very good and had a figure to die for: slim, flat belly (usually not the norm for belly dancers), elegant and tall. She did a sword dance that was impressive (yes, the blades are sharp), and balanced a cane at her waist while she continued to shimmy and shake.

And then it was all over. And we had to find our vehicle among the thousands. Ok not thousands but they all looked alike and we had been depending on the light blue color of ours (the only one to help us). Forget that: it was pitch dark. Eventually after bleeting out Bashir’s name repeatedly, another driver took pity and guided us to our car where we were the last ones.

One other man had done the camel ride; his wife passed (too bad). I’m the only one with henna too. Moment

Exiting is less Rambo on the sand highway with few whee moments. Eventually all the vehicles line up in about 10 lines for the air pumps to reinflate the tires to their proper pressure.

And we are off to the familiar freeways. We pass the sky diving place (not a clue). Bashir hasn’t done it. Past the “international modern hospital”, past the skyscrapers. BUT along the way, another car of our caravan is on the side of the road. So we stop and Bashir helps the other driver change his tire and we are off again. Some in our car groused mildly as it was almost 10 pm by now, they had to say goodbye to folks leaving tomorrow and they had a 7:30 am tour to Abu Dhabi. But we all understood why this was the right thing for Bashir to do.

Back to port

Bashir lit up the interior of the car and we all hoisted our cruise cards and he his permit, and the guard waved us on. We were quickly by the terminal and out.

Internet

It had been down earlier in the day so we had our cell phones and called Lisa. We’ll go back tomorrow to catch up we hope and then go on tomorrow’s adventure.