Istanbul to Bombay by ship 2000: 2

Paul Jensen and I stayed up to see the ship into Port Said, where we anchored for the night before transiting the Suez Canal. We were up again at dawn to watch the convoy form up and start off through the center of Port Said where the canal begins. We were second in line, with one smaller cruise ship, the "Song of Flower", ahead of us. After leaving Port Said the area on both sides became agricultural, then gave away to desert. A little over halfway through we had to stop to let traffic through the other way. It took the entire afternoon, requiring us to do the last part of the transit in the dark. The canal is double for some distance, but at the end of that stretch ships cannot pass. We arrived late at the port of Suez, where we tied up for the night.

The next morning twenty buses of passengers headed off to Cairo and the pyramids. Marilynn & I decided to go our own way, so walked to the entrance of the docking area where taxis are allowed, and found a driver with half a dozen words of English and away we went. We explored Suez first, while getting the necessary pass to go to Cairo. From Suez to Cairo it is all military country, with hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in various bases - thus the pass.

Once in the chaotic city of Cairo we had a look at Anwar Saddat's tomb, Mohammed Ali's fort (which is huge - and no relation to the boxer, by the way) and the new and old cities. Not a lot to recommend the place - very dirty with low visibility due to smog. It is one of those places where breathing is harmful to your health!

When we arrived at Giza where the pyramids and Sphinx are we were taken to a rent-a-camel place, where we climbed aboard a camel each for a two hour tour of the area. The police patrols in the area, of which there are many since the hijacking of tourists last year, are also on camels. It was a great way to get around, but I had trouble sitting down for the rest of the day due to a very sore backside! It was a lot of fun, and we arrived back at the ship in good shape before the buses, whose occupants complained of delays, crowded conditions and poor organization.

We are currently heading up the Gulf of Aqaba, where we will spend the night in the Jordanian Port of Aqaba. In the morning we will fly to Amman to pick up a rental car and head off to check out the Israeli-Palestinian problem. We will be tight getting back to the ship on time, but it should certainly be an adventure. I will be back in touch!