Monday 1 April
No April fool jokes from the Captain, unlike another cruise we were on, and after our port talk on Haifa we relax for the rest of the day following the 24 or so birds that fly with us for virtually the whole day – they must be exhausted.
Another dressing up day – 3 more to go after today – and entertainment by Wayne Denton with his tribute to John Denver. I am sure we have seen him before but another viewing was well worth it.
Tuesday 2 April
Our 2nd of 6 consecutive sea days although one of these will be going through the Suez Canal. Dolphin watch revealed one dolphin to me but others saw more.
Headliners was a tribute to Queen.
Wednesday 3 April
Early morning we enter the Red Sea at the point where Djibouti and Eritrea in Africa are opposite Yemen in the Arabian peninsula and possibly the closest to land we get in the pirate danger area.
We are probably under 3 miles from land on the Yemini side and 8 miles from land on the African side.
We had previously been given “training” to ensure we knew what to do in the event of pirates boarding our ship and many of the passengers were out with their cabin’s binoculars looking for small boats but us, we watch a film, The Green Book, about a black pianist in the early 1960s Deep South of the United States of America, the prejudice he suffered and his friendship with his white driver.
Based on a true story, I think, and well worth watching.
An absolutely fascinating talk by Lieutenant Commander Ted Bath a Royal Navy Liaison Officer on the security systems in place as we progressed through the High Risk area of the Yemeni coast.
He had the audience in stitches some of the time with his tales from earlier trips but it was too much for one passenger who somewhat disgustedly asked why, if cruise ships were so low priority on the pirate’s radar (because of the numbers of people on them) why did we have to have the lights dimmed at night, because as a result he couldn’t drink his G & T on the balcony as his want. The trouble was, I think he was being very serious in his questioning!
Entertainment tonight is from Duo Free Action, an Acrobatic Duo with some stunning circus acts. Very flexible people.
Thursday 4 April
Another calm sea with little wind as we chug up the Red Sea, Africa on our Port side and Asia on our Starboard side.
An afternoon show for a change, Wayne Denton again with his tribute to Neil Diamond and evening entertainment from a trio of female Scottish singers, The SwingCats with their 50s and 40s music.
Friday 5 April
A bit cooler on the balcony this morning and sea a bit rougher as we approach the upper reaches of the Red Sea which is so named due to the Red Algae present at a certain time of the year.
I have a head cold getting to me, hope I have stopped sneezing and using so many tissues by Sunday.
Comedian tonight is Mike Doyle with even more comic take on life on Arcadia – very funny.
Saturday 6 April
Entering the Suez Canal at about 5:30 am, it seems there is no fanfare, no signage to start with and no locks.
Egypt is now all around us with the Gulf of Aqaba having left us on the Starboard side a day ago.
The transit is in a convoy northbound at about 8.5kts and we have one cruise ship and at least two big freighters behind us whilst little boats criss cross behind us with anything from cars, people, goods and livestock on them.
What was noticeable however were the guards who all seemed to have weapons deployed on the Eastern side, with some of their barracks nicely camouflaged and looking inland as we pass.
Some were quite friendly, waving to us as we pass slowly on our way northwards, others not so with trained eyes spying on us through their probably very powerful binoculars.
There is a distinct “brown” feel to all the buildings and soldier’s uniforms, not surprising as we are in the desert.
The Western side is far more populated than the Eastern Side although the Egyptians are building a concrete jungle near the Bridge on the Eastern Side for about 1 million people; an Egyptian Milton Keynes!
Ismailia, on the Western bank seems to be largish settlement although judging by the wall, the residents have difficulty in freely accessing the canal.
The ferry across the canal is still in use despite the construction of a bridge a few years back which strangely is not shown on Google maps.
We pass a monument built to commemorate the workers who built the canal which is somewhat huge.
My photo doesn’t do justice to the size as there was nothing around it for comparison.
Strategically placed buildings are in evidence all along the East Bank, presumably the soldier’s quarters and set back are one or two settlements with a few ferry crossings in evidence.
By about 2:30pm, the pilot disembarks and we are out in the Mediterranean Sea after our 12 hour transit and on our way to Haifa in Israel having probably used a whole box of tissues for a very bad head cold.
More Travels with the Reads II 