The ship is in position 13*30'N, 058*18É, making 16.5 knots on course 280*. SS2, a few clouds, nice day. We're most of the way across the Arabian Sea.
D did her jewelry making and Indian dance instruction while O tried to get the trip diary uploaded. Too many people on internet to upload.
So we did trivia, with poor results.
Then came the Cocktail Party by the Captain for those who have cruised Azamara previously. We chatted with Ed & Cathy while in the waiting line. The winner was a couple who have spent 365 nights on Azamara. The Captain, as always, was humorous and self deprecating. Cruise Director (CD) and Booking director gave notes on the benefits of booking your next cruise while on this one. The entertainers did a special song-dance routine for us.
As we were leaving, Apollo told us the entertainers have named the pigeon "Tony".
The Patio was doing an Italian night, so we jumped on that. Good minestrone, good cacciatore, good tiramisu. D chatted with a table neighbor she knows - the lady from Toronto who has been everywhere.
D was working on getting out a wine stain while O went to the show - an Aussie comedy magician named Brendan Dooley. The magician's accent was hard for O, and then a person took a seat that killed O's view of the stage - so he quit and returned to the cabin.
At 2100, we're north of the island of Hadiboh, south of Salalah, Oman. Tonight we'll enter the in/out assigned corridors for the Gulf of Aden.
O started the upload to the trip diary server that included three large files and then went to bed trusting the laptop to finish sometime in the night.
16 May Tuesday
Picture above shows the Gulf of Aden and the lower Red Sea.
The upload finished in the night. All's well.
Up at 0700 (one-hour time change last night). Quest is in 14*05.3N, 051*49.65E making 16.7 knots on course 250*, going into the Gulf of Aden. SS2, partly cloudy. Nice day.
D did her jewelry, and then her picture coloring classes. Came back with more bracelets. O did the laundry but had complications doing it. The dryer spun but had no heat. O finally spotted the circuit breaker and it was tripped. Reset it, then ran the dryer cycle again, this time successfully. Then back to his 950-page book.
What with all the traffic that goes through the Suez, we should see other ships today. Some will be in our channel, others outbound. But we're on the starboard side of Quest and the outbound channel is to port, so we'll have to move to the other side to see them.
From the Living Room we saw a couple of tankers meeting us and overtook another.
Trivia on Oceanography we did well but didn't win. Pub Quiz trivia was mediocre (e.g. who shot Reagan?).
Dinner in the Patio; D had rib-eye, O had hake. Some female ship's officer was trying to trap Tony the pigeon but didn't succeed.
The show was singing and dancing the music of Movies, one of which required dancing in underwear. D enjoyed it.
17 May Wednesday
0800 ship's position 12*02'N, 044*49E, making 17.7 knots on course 292*. SS1, Mostly sunny. Thin clouds above us, larger clouds to the north, over the land near Aden, Yemen. We're 90 miles or so from the narrows separating the Gulf of Aden from the Red Sea.
We loafed in the cabin with coffee until D went off to her jewelry class. Overtook a tanker going the same way. O doing research on Safaga area TTD, since we're not doing Luxor. Doesn't look good. Might have to get to Hurghada to do things. Very definitely a beach and water oriented locale.
We took a light lunch in the Patio. No sign of Tony the pigeon so they must have trapped him.
Approaching the narrows mentioned above, land became visible on both sides - at left looking north is a picture of the coastal mountains of Yemen.
O while returning to the cabin shared an elevator with CD Amanda, who can barley talk. We told her to rest, she replied it was against her nature but she's trying.
At about 1300 we made the turn in the narrows, now making 18.8 knots on course 323* into the Red Sea.
We did our trivia events, scoring highly in Nautical, respectably in Pub Quiz, very poorly in Music of the 80's.
Took dinner in the Dining Room at a table for two. Adjacent on one side were ladies from MN and ND (now AZ) that were nice to chat with. Then the other side was taken by an Aussie couple from NSW. He's a retired shipyard person so we had things to discuss.
Up to the Cabaret for the Bruce Mattiske guitar player's show. He's very fast but also speaks rapidly, which is hard for O to get.
Then up to the Living Room where D & Shirley got into conversation. A large couple were dancing, very well coordinated. D spoke with them and found they've been dancing since age 8. Both love dancing and will do any type of dance.
O had one more drink than he should have - a Black Russian.
Then off to bed.
Photo Link O for 15, 16, 17
Position at 0700 was 17*46.65'N, 040*11.15'E. Making 17.3 knots on course 329* up the middle of the Red Sea.
With our course roughly NW, the morning sun is now on our verandah, where all prior mornings have been shaded. The window glass is very hot, so we're leaving the drapes closed until the sun gets more overhead and the glass becomes shaded. At 0930 the glass became shaded so we opened the drapes. SS0, barely a ripple. No clouds. Sounding 315 fathoms.
Ordered pot of coffee to drink while O doing laptop backups to external disk. They ran successfully - put the disk away.
Received invitation to the Chef's Table at 1900 in Prime-C. Six courses with wines - should be interesting. Eating lightly till then.
Trivia results were mixed - ok on Pub Quiz, D did Disney Musicals well.
Then we went to the Chef's Table. The Head Chef described the dishes in the Italian menu. Silas the sommelier described each wine and how it complimented the dish; the wines were all Italian, of course.
Service was excellent. We were the only Americans at this seating - the rest were all Australians. Wallter sat next to Owen, Katie next to D and Frank beyond her. Frank from Queensland turned out to be the "character" there with jokes and sayings. Walter & Katie live in Perth WA, so we told them of our times there.
We started at 1900 and appreciated each dish, its wine, and the companionship. The party ended at 2200. We decided we''d had enough alcohol and returned to the cabin.
Chef's Table Menu
Photo Link O
19 May Friday
Underway at 14 knots on course 329* from 0700 position 23*10.26'N, 036*57.21'E. Whitecaps show Sea State 3.
Breakfast in Windows cafe, normal. Captain passed through looking at things. D off to 1000 Saree draping and 1100 jewelry making, while her iPhone does a backup to the cloud (completed 1038).
After lunch in the Patio D attended Napkin-making class. But she had a none-rectangular napkin so nothing came out right until it was exchanged.
Trivia went well on Colours, less well in the Pub Quiz. We bought a couple of things in the shop after noting we have a non-refundable credit balance. Blouse for D, Polo for O. Also signed up for the voyage Photo Collection thumb-drive.
Then we did the India Night presentation which included dances with the on-board passengers who took classes over seven days from the professionals. D started in this but could not keep up with the quick moves. D's friend Shirley and acquaintance Katie were very active in it. D took a video of it. The audience was very supportive - a full house. The pro's were spectacular.
It was Greek night in the Patio, and the menu didn't thrill us in the Dining Room, so we took selections in Windows.
We did the show of the evening, the Signature Singers & Dancers in the Cabaret with the theme Travel. Good. Then a nightcap in the Living Room with Joseph - very few people there, they probably went to bed early to get up at 0515 for their Luxor trip. Then to bed.
20 May Saturday
Ship is moored port side to the dock at the cruise terminal at Safaga, Egypt. Temperature is mild, stiff breeze, sunny.
Typing this, I noticed an inbound ship and stopped to watch. Poseidon Express out of Limassol appears to be a Trans-Red Sea vehicle and passenger ferry, quite large.
He slowed, then dropped his starboard anchor. He rotated to the right on the anchor and a tug. Then he cautiously backed to the dock wall. A skiff took lines to the dock while backing. He dragged the anchor with him backing in - he'll use that going out and to hold the bow in position while at the dock. Classic Med-moor.
We went to breakfast by way of the deck to take a few pictures. O started a laundry sequence. People are power-washing the verandas today, starting with our deck and side. Very wet outside.
We decided to take it easy for a while, thinking that things ashore wouldn't yet be open. And that we'll gather more information from those who've gone out before we go out.
O brought home the laundry at 1130. We grabbed lunch in the Patio, very comfortable. We loafed and read books until Trivia time. Ridiculous. We won both sets against a vastly diminished field - I believe there were three.
Later we chatted with Customer Relations. We were told there's nothing locally they would recommend. No shopping places like ours, Duty Free nothing like ours, only American-like places are in Hurdagha, 35 miles northwest. If you want to see what's here you strike an agreement with a taxi driver for a run around town. A friend of D's said this is high-risk as they try again and again to jack up the price, even after an agreement. Another couple said they had a very satisfactory ride with stops at shops and return.
We received our passports, stamped for entry into Egypt so we'll at least put our feet on the ground on the dock tomorrow, maybe take a ride.
We did the dining room and chatted with Aussies at the next table. Then the nightcap with Joseph & Glenn at the Living Room bar. Then bed.
Photo Link for 5/19 & 5/20.
21 May Sunday At Safaga, speed 0.0, course 050*. Calm. High Clouds.
O has an uneasy tummy today so we took it easy all morning. Lunch in the Patio. Then we gathered our passports and left the ship. We formally entered Egypt through the security station in the cruise terminal, then walked outside. A few people tried to get us to take their taxis but we declined - partly because of communication difficulties and partly because there isn't much here.
We strolled the dock area taking pictures, especially the bulk carrier Maple Express getting underway from her berth astern of us. Her hatch covers were down and she was taking in her lines to the dock.
Then we came back aboard, having officially visited Egypt.
Link to Safaga Development web (perhaps never finished - it's dated 2017 so the Covid scare is yet to come.
We did a couple of trivia events - did respectably but no winners.
Dinner in Windows (Mexican buffet). As we finished the ship got underway, turned using the thrusters, and raced out of the bay toward Aqaba, Jordan. We took some pictures during the egress, including pictures of Geoff & Monica. Ran into Ed & Cathy as we entered the elevator to our deck.
D went off to the show - a vocals and cello thing we've seen on another voyage that O didn't like. Skipped the nightcap in favor of bed, tomorrow could be a long hot day.
22 May Monday Aqaba, Jordan
Tied up starboard side to the cruise terminal at Aqaba, Jordan. Sunny, warm. Terminal looks like it could hold about three large cruise liners simultaneously, but 2/3 of it is obviously not used currently.
Off to breakfast in the Sunset Lounge before we hit the beach. Very comfortable in the shade.
The countryside here looks about as inviting as that near Safaga. Very dry.
The ship is tied up on a heading of North. Across the water to port (west) is Israel and the town of Eilat. Farther back on the port quarter (southwest) is Egypt's Negev desert region.
Since here we are governed by Islam law, no alcohol will be served aboard until we are again underway and free of Islam. This was interpreted later to allow those who had returned from Jordan (and thus exited the country) to be served.
We were appraised later that the pigeon Tony that has been with us since Sri Lanka has been turned over to the local animal care people for care and release. The crew tried to get it to leave the ship in Safaga but it flew back aboard.
Our target, Wadi Rum, is at one mile altitude, so the very good divided highway led up and up out of town. Wadi Rum (also called Valley of the Moon) is 40 miles from Aqaba. A railroad line parallels the highway. The Mercedes bus labored in spots and trucks were slowly going along.
We stopped first at a tourist viewpoint. An old steam engine and cars sat on sanded-over tracks. A diesel engine with cars sat on ballasted tracks, all meter-gage (39"). On our way back we saw the diesel pushing its cars home for the night, wherever that is. This railroad is the one attacked by the Arabs (with TE Lawrence) against the Ottoman Empire as seen in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Some of the film was made here.
On to the tourist information center for pit stops and some shopping. D found tee-shirts but we didn't have correct money so we dropped it. Good picture location so we took many. In the distance behind the center is a cliff they've named The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, after Lawrence's book; see picture.
Then on to the Captain's Table restaurant, a tent-like structure with tables and chair and adjacent cooking area with fire-pit. On the way we ran through a real sand-storm with very reduced visibility. There, people were cooking lamb and chicken on the coals serving buffet-style with many dishes available. O skipped all the salad and uncooked items remembering his e.coli encounter last year. What we took was ok.
The bus took us part-way home then stopped at a shop/restaurant. We looked at things but did not buy. The bus then took us to the dock and the ship. We boarded and came to the cabin.
We set out laundry to be picked up tonight and returned tomorrow. Then we cheated Islam by opening our bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and having glasses on the verandah - quite pleasing.
We had dinner in the Dining Room, then dessert on the pool deck with the kids band playing. Chatted with Suraj and Jerome, great waitstaff. Shirley came by; told her we have pictures for her - she said she's dead and going to bed after hiking into and out of Petra.
Then up to the Living Room to have our last glass and chat with Joseph and with Glenn (who did Petra today and is tired). Now to bed.
Photo Link O
And later the ship gets underway toward the Suez Canal.
Ship is making 14.5 knots on course 311*. Position at 0730 was 27*40.38'N, 033*56.47'E. SS2, cloudy, a little haze and cool. Forecast temperatures, low 70*, high 90*.
We have rounded the peninsula of he Negev dessert and are making our way up the upper part of the Red Sea toward the Canal.
We're not especially hungry so we're just having coffee in the cabin. Did internet searching, news, etc. Quest overtook two small tankers and passed an oil platform.
D went off for her 1100 jewelry class. We lunched in the Patio, then attended a lecture on Israel's traditions and architecture. Later we did a couple of trivia contests and did miserably.
At 1800 White Night began. Almost everyone was dressed in white. The buffet line was set on the pool deck partly in Patio. Tables were set all around the pool deck and the exercise track above. Tables and chairs were summoned from everywhere.
About 1815 we anchored in the midst of scores of ships waiting their turn to go north through the canal (parts of it are still one-way alternating traffic).
The Beats band played during the eating phase and many hopped up to dance. After their set (which ran long - typical musicians) the crew paraded onto the deck in front of the band. Servers were everywhere answering drink orders.
The Captain addressed us, thanked us and then gave credit to the crew in front and not present. Said that Azamara still holds it over other lines in terms of itinerary ability (smaller ships) but more due to the crew.
The regular ship's band then took over for a set (very active dances). The Captain and his wife made the rounds of the track where we were seated. An Aussie took the picture of the four of us.
After that the decorations came down and we went to the Living Room for our nightcap. Shirley (D's buddy) came in just afterward so we all chatted and listened to more music. Then it got tired. So we went to cabin and bed.
Photo Link O
At 0830 the ship is in 29*51.48'N, 032*33.67'E, making 8 knots on course 321*, leaving the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez, entering the Suez Canal. We got underway a couple of hours ago to wend our way through dozens of ships anchored and waiting to enter. I've no idea what priority system may exist but we appear to be leading the parade - no ships ahead, a bunch of ships astern.
We had a good breakfast, and will skip lunch or eat very lightly because we dine in Aqualina tonight.
At 1030 we're making 9 knots. We've passed a string miles long on the Negev side of what appear to be 3 or 4 level apartment buildings, interspersed by mosques and minarets every so often. Other mysterious items look like pontoons ready to be slid into the water. We saw at least two swinging bridges to allow road traffic to cross the canal but fold back along the shore when not active. There are numerous ferries transporting things across the canal. Manned guard shacks on stilts every kilometer or so. Lots of bollards to tie up to if traffic is interrupted, such as a sandstorm.
Sand. Miles of sand. The canal was opened in 1869 and now is 66' deep, 120 miles long, and some distance wide. In many spots there are two separate reaches of canal so bi-directional traffic can be maintained. But there are still a few places where traffic must alternate because there's only one path.
O sent pictures to Shirley of her involvement in Indian Night. Received our luggage stickers for disembarkation.
We had a light lunch in Windows. It was full because the flies were terrible outside. Even those doing the Officer's BBQ brought their dishes inside. We met Walter & Katie and gave them a few photos we took at White Night.
We plodded onward looking at sand and strange walls with questionable purpose, maybe military. The epitome of desolation. As we neared the Med we came to small towns then cities. Finally at 1500 we left the canal and entered the Med. SS3 here with a cool breeze. Ship now on course 009* to clear the coast before heading east to Israel; only 90' of water here.
Did Trivias, both terrible. Returned to cabin.
Up to Aqualina for dinner. Silas recommended a Chardonnay-type 2016 from Burgundy. It went well wish the starters, soups, and D's lobster & O's shrimp & linguine.
Later we did the show - Branden & James - vocals and cello. Unusual combo but the vocals are great.
Then to the cabin - early start tomorrow for our nine-hour trip to Jerusalem.
Since we're now in the Med, view the photos and then go to the next page.
Photo Link O
