SUEZ CANAL

Arrived at the staging area around 11 pm where we anchored until about 4 am.  We travel in convoys throughout the canal.  Since expansion was completed in 2015 the canal can handle 97 ships a day compared with 47 previously.  There are 3 convoys per day - 2 southbound and 1 northbound.  We appear to be the lead in our convoy of 15 ships and are the only passenger ship today.  Cost to transit the canal averages  $259,000 per ship - quite a good money maker for Egypt.  Most ships are tankers or container vessels .  We have a local pilot on board who determines the speed we travel -  between 5 and 9 knots depending on our location.  He also prevents the ships from hitting any of the many markers in the canal - if a ship were to hit a marker a fine of $40,000 could be assessed.

The canal is 102 miles long with a couple bridges across it and 1 tunnel under it (1 lane in each direction).  There are numerous ferries throughout the canal traveling from one side to the other.  It is quite interesting that on our left is the continent of Africa and on our right is Asia.

As we exit the Suez Canal we enter the Mediterranean Sea.  There are numerous ships anchored awaiting the next southbound convoy.

Pictures - one of the monuments celebrating the 2015 expansion and the north land bridge

JORDAN 2

Day 67 -  After 4 days of travel through the beautiful, narrow channel of the Red Sea with Saudi Arabia to the east and Africa and Egypt to the west we arrive at Aqaba,  Jordan

If you saw the movie Lawrence center of Arabia, you'll never forget the sea of riders thundering out of the desert to capture a port called Aqaba - a beautiful resort area with sandy beaches, clear blue waters and an Interesting coral reef.  A few hours north is the ancient city of Petra, one of the absolute must see sites of Jordan. 

Jordan is about 38000 square miles.  Pop. 6 million.  Currency $1 US = .71 Jordan Dinar.

We sailed into Aqaba early Easter Sunday past Egypt and Isreal.  The Israeli border is 9 miles from the port and some passengers went there independently.  We could see all 3 countries from our docked ship.

We did the tour to Petra which is a long day - 2 hour bus ride both ways.  The name a Petra comes from the Greek word for rock.

The walking tour of the lost city of Petra covers around 5 miles, strolling through a narrow gorge called the Siq which is the entrance to Petra.  Carved in red sandstone this ancient city has numerous  monuments and royal tombs.  It is hard to describe Petra.  The buildings were all carved out of the sandstone formations but most in no way resemble caves.  There was a lot of elaborate work on the facades of the buildings.  It rained the night before we arrived so water was running freely down the cobblestone and rocky pathways.  The pathways are very uneven and you must watch each step you take while also watching out for camels, horses, horse drawn buggies and mules.  We hoped to hike to the Monastery but didn't make it all the way to the top.  There are 800 steps leading to the Monastery and, due to time constraints, we turned around when we had  climbed about 300.

The scenery is outstanding but there is a lot of garbage along the highways and even in Petra.
Our tour guide was very proud of his country but knew that a lot of the people trying to sell us souvenirs would try to rip us off.  A lot of their souvenirs are made in China or India and anything made locally was quite expensive especially when you realize the Jordan Dinar is worth more than the US dollar.

JORDAN

We are now in the 4th segment of our cruise - Dubai to Venice.  There are 615 passengers  on board with 96 Canadians.

We left Dubai at 6 in the morning and have since passed Oman again - so close but yet not able to visit.  We are now in the Gulf of Aden passing between Yemen and Somalia heading to the Red Sea.  Warships can sometimes be seen on the horizon as they patrol the restricted security zone we are traveling.  We will have been at sea for 7 days when we reach our next port of Jordan.

A new Captain joined us in Hong Kong.  He is from the UK  and looks too young (which he attributes to the good genes he got from his Malaysian mother) to hold such a high position.  He gave a short talk today about himself and was very entertaining.  He is very open and friendly - qualified for the  Seoul Olympics in swimming (butterfly) and is a qualified fitness instructor besides all his training in sailing.  His solution to seasickness is to have at least one cocktail of the day.

A few interesting passengers we've met: 

A fellow from Sun City paints by the pool every sea day.  For the Lethbridge people he and his wife are similar to Peter and Olive Green - one quickly sketches interesting places they visit, the other snaps pictures so he can always look at the photo if he's having problems getting the scene exactly right.  He never sells his original paintings but instead sends them out to be copied and will then ship it to the purchaser.

There are a lot of single people on the cruise which, as you know, means they pay a premium for their cabin (usually double the single price).  One woman who we think is in her late 50's decided to advertise on a website such as Cruise Companions and is now bunking with a young fellow who has applied for a job at NASA.  He will not hear for several months if he is accepted so is traveling until then.  He is taking a Celebrity cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to LA and then plans to travel up the West Coast, across Canada and, if he has time and finances, will cross Europe.

Pictures: 1 - with the Captain at Burj Khalifa, 2 - the camel ride

DUBAI

Days 59 & 60 -arrived 5 hours late but earlier than the Captain expected after the deviation in plans.

Points of interest  -

Burj Al Arab Hotel- this 5 star (some call it a 7 star), 321 meter high luxury suites only hotel built on an island in the shape of a towering sail is the tallest all suite hotel over water.

Burj Khalifa -it's the tallest building in the world (2680 feet) - observation deck on floor 124 with a high elevator and nightclub on floor 144.

Pop. 2 1/2 million, situated in the middle of the great Arabian  desert on the southern end of the Persian gulf.  Dubai is the second largest of the 7 United Arab Emirates (an emirate is merely a political territory ruled be a Muslim monarch.  Language -Arabic but English is widely spoken.  1$ US is 3.67 Dirham.  Built on pearls and oil  Dubai has moved to shop til you drop tourism.  One Dubai mall boasts over 1200 shops - the worlds largest  shopping mall with an ice rink and aquarium.  A ski slope is in another mall.

What can we say about Dubai?  It is excess to the max.  We saw no old buildings, everything is new.  New cities are popping up in anticipation of a World Expo in 2020.

We did a morning tour of the city.  Highlight of the tour was a visit to the observation deck of Burj Khalifa.  It takes the elevator 1 minute to go from ground level  to floor 124.  Your ears pop but you have no sensation of movement.  The views are fantastic.  Out in the sea they are building what is referred to as The World - many different islands they are making  -again for 2020.  The building that had the bad fire a few months ago is being restored.  One hotel which is part of the complex comprising Burj Khalifa and Dubai mall has a water show similar to that at the Bellagio in Vegas but bigger - fountains reach the 50th floor.   We didn't go to the aquarium but did see the ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates - people were skiing and snow boarding.  There was something similar to a luge track where people were flying down the track on their backs.  One thing we noticed in both malls was the huge number of restaurants -many of them upscale.

We got back from the morning tour just in time to go on  4x4 desert safari.  Over 100 ship passengers climbed in Toyota Land Cruisers for the hour long drive out to the desert.  They then deflated the tires to about 15 pounds and off we went flying over the dunes.  Our driver almost tipped us once but just went off the path and circled around to regain the track.  It was not fun for people with weak stomachs - one women with us kept her eyes closed for the duration.  Once this was completed, we went to the camp with a huge tent for a barbecue dinner.  The tent had Persian carpets over much of the floor space, low tables and pillows for seats.  Dinner consisted of several appetizers, salads with barbecued beef and lamb chops, chicken satay and curried fish and vegetables.  All very tasty.  Beer and wine were available even though we were in a Muslim country.  Before dinner we had a camel ride - quite an experience.  After dinner entertainment was, of course, a belly dancer -a very agile woman.

We now have 7 sea days - time in the Arabian Sea and Suez Canal so no posts for a while.

Pictures:  1 & 3 - views from the tower, 2 - navigating the sand dunes, 4 - Burj Khalifa towering over the other buildings 

OMAN AND DUBAI

2 sea days from Mangalore to Mina Qaboos, Oman.  We've had a medical emergency and are now diverted to Mumbai,  India which is about 200 miles from where we're currently located.  A ship contractor fell around the smoke tower and it took a couple of hours for rescue.  He is being evaluated and the ship is awaiting confirmation of a helicopter removal.  It will, apparently, take about 8 more hours until the evacuation can be carried out.  No idea what this will do to our arrival in Oman.

The independent contractor apparently fell 60 feet inside a shaft  (not sure why no safety  harness was in use).  He has 2 broken legs ,a broken pelvis, a broken arm and head injuries but when removed from the ship around 1 am this morning he was alert, in serious but stable condition.  A helicopter evacuation did not happen and we were met by a tug (some people say it appeared to be a raft) with medical staff on board.  The operation took over 2 hours.

This means our stop in Oman has been canceled and we'll arrive in Dubai 5 hours late.  There have been many adjustments made for shore excursions.  It's a big disappointment as this is the port we were excited about.  We'll just have to cram as much as possible into the hours we have.

More on Dubai in a few days.

The picture we're attaching is of the Maitre D and head waiter dressed in their Indian finery for the Sunday brunch.  The Maitre D is a real hoot - wears different costumes depending on the Brunch theme (the previous week he was dressed as a Geisha).

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA AND MANGALORE, INDIA

4 calm sea days from Singapore - slow speed makes for a smoother journey.  We are getting close to an area with heightened security levels so we had training today in procedures that would take place if pirates were to approach the ship.  The strait of Malacca makes the region very accessible to piracy.  The strait is on the route between Europe, the Suez canal and the busy ports of East Asia - it is the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  The Captain assures us that there is not much pirate activity these days.

COLOMBO - day 52. Located on a small island on the west coast of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean.  Pop 753k  made up mostly of people from Northern India.  80% speak English.  A hot and humid day.  There was not much of a choice in tours so we did a city tour - only 4 stops - a Hindu Temple, a museum built by the British over 100 years ago, a refreshment stop (and good restrooms) at a hotel and a short shopping stop.  $1 US = 144 Sri Lanka rupees.  The traffic was heavy and, if there are laws such as seat belts being used, we didn't see much inforcement.   The cars are mostly small, there are a lot of motorcycles and the cabs are a combination motorcycle/golf cart.  No one seems to have the right of way - it's whoever is the bravest and has the loudest horn.

We were in  Colombo on a Saturday and got caught in  a traffic jam with people celebrating a cricket match.  The students were hanging out of their vehicles - sitting on the roof, sitting in the windows with their bodies outside the vehicle, sitting in the trunks - all a recipe for disaster but any police we saw just ignored them.

MANGALORE - DAY 54.  Located on west coast of India.  Pop 480k.  Supposedly, the ninth cleanest city in India (we'd not like to see the 20th).  We did a city tour with stops at a Hindu Temple, a Catholic church and college and a cashew factory.  Women do the majority of the work at the factory and make from $3 - $4/day.  They do have free child care but it's not a job I can imagine any of us doing.  Women still wear saris but the modern dress of leggings and long top are becoming more popular.  Traffic is similar to Colombo - cabs are the same and there are a lot of scooters.  We were warned that beggars and street vendors would be abundant but we didn't find this to be the case.  There is an 85% literacy rate in the area.  US $ were widely accepted.  Prices seemed to be better than Colombo.

Picture 1 - Sri Lankan cabs, 2 - statue inside the Hindu Temple, 3 - women at work in the cashew factory

SINGAPORE

2 slow, calm days at sea from Vietnam.

SINGAPORE - day 47 -very close to the equator so temps are hot and humid.  Located off the southern tip of Malaysian peninsula, between the North China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Pop 5.3 million. Singapore is made up of 59 islands.  Home of Raffles Hotel and the famed Singapore Sling which costs $28 plus tax in The Long Bar in Raffles Hotel.   In 1915 etiquette dictated that ladies could not drink alcohol in publc so a cocktail that looked like fruit juice but contained clear alcohol was invented as a way for the ladies to have a cocktail with their escorts.  Thus, the Singapore Sling became a socially accepted punch for the ladies.  There is also a dress code to go to the Long Bar - no shorts or flip flops.  $1 US is about $1.4 Singapore.  Chewing gum, jaywalking, and failing to flush the toilet are against the law and can incur hefty fines.  The Great Singapore Duck Race, an event that raises funds for charity, set a new world record when more than 123k toy ducks floated on the Singapore River .  The symbol of Singapore is a creature know as a merlion, a beast that's half fish and half lion.

We did the hop on hop off bus - there are 5 different routes but we only had time to complete 2.  There are a lot of awesome buildings throughout the city.  Prices are high - many houses are over $25 million US.  80% of the citizens live in government housing which average
$300k.

In order to buy a new car you must apply for a permit which can end up costing $50k before you even step into a dealership.  A car must be deleted from the country's inventory before a permit can be issued.  As a result, Singapore exports more used cars than any other country except Japan.  The permit is only good for 10 years.

There is a 73 story hotel which hosts a perpendicular marathon every year.  They average 2000 entrants and the fastest time is under 7 minutes.

We found out that there really isn't a dress code in the Long Bar at Raffles.  Len wore shorts and,  of course, we had to test them.  When we were welcomed, we splurged and had a Singapore Sling and a beer.  They have peanuts in the shell on all the tables and you are expected to throw the shells on the floor.  The hotel has just over 100 suites and you're not allowed in the lobby unless you are staying ($1400./night).

Pictures - 1 - The iconic Marina Sands hotel - the structure on top is an observation deck for the general public and a water park for guests.
2 & 3 - a sample of some of their interesting buildings
4 - Len enjoying peanuts in the Long Bar

VIETNAM

We are now in the 3rd segment of our cruise -Hong Kong to Dubai.  There are 601 passengers with 93 Canadians.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - day 44 - 2 sea days from Hong Kong.  The city (still called Saigon) has a population of 7.5 million and lies along the western bank of the Saigon River.  Climate - 80 degrees,  humidity 75%.  Language - Vietnamese, currency - $1 US is about 23200 Dong - most places and street vendors gladly accepted US $.  Population is 80% Buddhist.

Getting around the city - hop aboard a pedicab , a small pedal operated vehicle, or climb in a cyclo, which is a 3 wheeled bicycle with a large passenger seat in the front -we didn't see any of these as we didn't  go to the city.

All the shore excursions were long as we, once again, docked in the boonies.  As it was at least one and a half hours each way to go to Saigon, we chose to visit Vang Tau which is a resort village on the coast used for R&R during  the war.  We did several home visits along the way.  I tried making rice paper at one home and we also stopped at a home where they made rice whiskey.  Vietnam is very poor -we had street vendors follow us from our first stop to our last one.  As you will see from one of the pictures we'll attach they pack all their wares on motorcycles  or bikes.

Motorcycles are the main choice of travel - there are more than 4 million in Vietnam.  Most cyclists wear full masks, long sleeves and gloves as they are trying to keep their skin as white as possible.

Vietnam is the world #1 producer of cashews, #2 for coffee, followed by pepper.

Pictures -1 making rice paper, 2 bamboo being transported by bike, 3 temple where fishermen pray for success in their nightly fishing trips.

HONG KONG

HONG KONG  - days 40 & 41 - 2 rough sea days from Malaysia.  A great approach to Hong Kong under brilliant blue skies.  As we walked through the terminal everyone was asked to remove their hats.  There are some sensors in the ceiling that can check your temperature as you walk under them.  If your temperature is not normal, I guess you are not allowed to disembark.

We did the hop on hop off bus which included a tram ride to Victoria Peak.  Absolutely fantastic 360 degree views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island with no clouds or smog to block the vista.  Located 1800 feet above sea level, the peak tram is one of the world's oldest railways.  We went past Stanley Market but were running out of time so carried on to the village of Aberdeen where we had a sampan tour of the many small boats used as living quarters. 

Hong Kong is located on the SE coast of China facing the South China Sea on the east, south & west.  The territory comprises Hong Kong Island, the New Territories, over 200 off shore islands, and the Kowloon Peninsula.  Victoria Harbor is centrally located separating Kowloon from Hong Kong Island.  Climate - winter -65 degrees, summer -85 degrees.  Currency 1 US  $ is 74 HK $.  Pop 7.07 million.  Hong Kong known as Asia's world city is an exciting, cosmopitan metropolis with stunning and beautiful skylines.

It was very hazy on our second day in port.  Glad that we got such great pictures from Victoria Peak under clear blue skies.  We did a couple more routes on the hop on hop off bus and a harbour tour.  Same buildings but you get a different perspective from the water.

Skyscrapers - currently has more than any other country - a whopping 8000 skyscrapers with more than 14 floors which is almost double when compared to  to New York.

Healthy living - maintains the highest life expectancies globally - female - 86 years, male -80 years.

Automotive - it's home to the most Rolls Royces per capita.  To this day, Hong Kong remains one of the world's most car dependent the cities.