NOTE: I had originally intended to post this from Safaga, Egypt, but there was literally no Wi-Fi in that hole in the wall and by the time we found some in Hargahta (at $.50/hour), it was time to leave. I have, on general principle, decided not to pay the exhorbitant fees charged for internet connectivity on the ship (as high as $.79 a minute) until there is at least some semblance of decent connectivity. In addition, Amazon (or the ship) has changed the connectivity previously useful as a backup plan on antique Kindles and that method is no longer feasable. It has been a long sea trip to Dubai where this is posted from. Just as a head’s-up, we will be leaving the ship in a while to journey to the Taj Mahal on our own and then try to catch up with the ship – but that will be a bit further down the line.

For now:

8 18 Jan 2013 Valletta, Malta

At Malta, having seen Valletta just last summer, we went by taxi to Mdina, which has Arab architecture, and narrow, winding walkways. Very atmospheric, and eerily quiet. The day was raining from time to time and cold (which I consider as a lot of nerve as I expect perfect weather when I’m traveling).

(The following bit are the instructions I had jotted down to take the bus rather than a taxi – though I think the cab makes sense):
To get to the bus , you could get a CT Cab which are electric cabs and are waiting at the exit from the pier near the gate which leads to the main road and will charge you 2 euro to take you to Valletta and the bus terminus.

The bus trip will take 30 to 40 minutes and it may not leave immediately , adding up to 15 to 20 minutes if you are unlucky.
If you take a number 80 bus to Rabat , you will see Mdina on the right as you are coming up from Attard past Ta Qali roundabout in a tree lined road . Once you get at the top of the hill in Rabat past the Petrol station , you need to stop and walk back to Mdina .If you take a taxi in the morning , the taxi driver can then show you were you catch the bus. It is called Saqqajja square , and is about 300 meters out of the Mdina main gate , past the kiosks on the left and the garden on the right , past the petrol station and the bank on the right ...cannot miss it really .

On the other hand, the taxi should be next to the ship and costs about £20 each way for 4. (The bus will only cost 0.50, but is a bit of a walk away and up a hill.) On the way back, you will find a taxi stand just outside the main Mdina gate, next to the Karozzin stand.

For those who wish to stay in Valletta, there is a new elevator (just opened) from the pier to Fort Lascaris and the Upper Barraca Gardens for a Euro, round trip.

The modern Maltese language is a mixture of Arabic and Italian which describes its recent history. In 1528, Charles V of Spain granted the island of Malta to the Knights of the Order of St. John. Many impressive 16th-century limestone buildings and fortifications from the Knights have endured, helping make the city of Valetta impressive to experience today. St. John's Cathedral was founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John during the 16th century. Today the cathedral is the final resting place for many of the knights - their headstones line the cathedral floor.





Returning to Valletta, we head off to explore the Palace of the Grand Masters, completed in the late 16th century. It contains portraits of the Grand Masters of the Order and European monarchs, interesting furniture, works of art and an historical arms collection. We then strolled through the Upper Barrakka Gardens and enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of Grand Harbor. For me, Malta is all about the views.

As can be expected on an island, Maltese food is both expensive, rustic and full of fish and seafood. Pastry is commonly used to encase vegetables, cheese, fish, meat, rice and pasta, producing tasty and filling dishes. An example is Lampuki pie - filleted dorado mixed with spinach, cauliflower, olives and capers in a shortcrust pastry. It has an unusual strong and delicious flavor. Spinach and anchovy pies also have a distinctive taste and are very popular, as is timpana, an everyday concoction of pasta in meat sauce topped with a layer of pastry. Rabbit is apparently the most popular meat dish in Malta, usually served stewed or fried in wine and garlic.

The pushcarts crowd the pedestrian in a riot of items for sale. One of the most popular (at least to admire) is the very expensive handmade lace which the island is known for. The main cathedral is one of the most ornate that I have ever seen. They are rebuilding one of the city gates into a huge theatre.

As we cruise out, I admire the fortress’ which is and surrounds the city of Valletta.


9 19 Jan 2013 At Sea (Mediterranean Sea) CO

We have received a briefing about what to do if our ship is attacked by pirates as it leaves the Red Sea. We are already being tracked by various navies and a contractor has boarded and begun to set up sonic cannons, fire hoses and other defensive devices. We have been warned that, if attacked, we should avoid our outside cabins and decks with windows and stay on the interior of the ship (to minimize the possibility of being injured if fired upon by RPG’s). One woman mentioned that if a pirate resembled Johnny Depp, he should be sent to her cabin. My thoughts were if the pirates were looking to sell young women into the sex trade, they would find two dancers, a couple of singers and a ship full of old ladies :- ).

10 20 Jan 2013 Nafplion, Greece TR

Nafphilion was the first capital of the Greek republic when the Turks were finally driven out from its hilltop fortress after a one year siege. The castle was originally built by the Venetians to keep the Turks at bay, but fell to them the year after it was built.

According to mythology, the town was founded by Náfplios, the son of god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anymone. The town’s history traces back to the prehistoric era when soldiers from here participated in the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. The town declined during the Roman times and flourished again during the Byzantine times. Frankish, Venetian and Turkish conquerors left their mark and strongly influenced its culture, architecture and traditions.

Náfplio (there is no final “n” in Greek) is particularly famous for manufacturing “kombolóyia” (a circular chain with beads, usually made of amber used by Greeks, Turks and Arabs to keep hands occupied and ease stress), sometimes called “worry beads”.

Nafplion is a very pleasant city to visit with a wonderful port and old town in the Peloponnese (the town was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic). Climbing the 999 steps up to the Palamidi Fortress gets you thighs to die (just kills you) for and a view of the city and Argolikos Bay from 700 feet above the port. Located on a hill above Nafplion, the strong fortress was first built by the Venetians and reinforced by the Turks. Nafplion makes a fine base from which to explore the Argolis and its archaeological sites. The building of the National Bank of Greece is probably the only in the world built in the Mycenaean Revival architectural style : -). It seems the town is now a popular vacation resort for Athenians (about a four hour drive), Germans and Scandinavians.

Náfplio’s sights include the medieval Old Town, the narrow cobblestone alleys, the neoclassical well preserved mansions with the Bougainvillea trees adorning their yards and balconies and the Turkish fountains.

In the very heart of the city stands the Italianate Syntagma Square where you can admire important historic buildings and monuments. Two Turkish mosques (the first used to house the first “Mutual Learning” School and now operates as a cinema/theatre whereas the second was home to the first Greek Parliament), the Archaeological Museum with important artifacts from the Prehistoric and Mycenaean Era and the Municipal Gallery are among the buildings that stand out. Very close to the modern city stand the church of Agios Spyridonas, in front of which Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias was assassinated, and the church of Agios Georgios boasting important murals such as a copy of the famous Leonardo Da Vinci work “The secret Dinner”.

Akronafplia is the historic rock at the foot of Palamidi hill, also known by its Turkish name “Its Kale” (meaning inner castle). Inhabited since prehistoric times, the peninsula consists of three levels, among which stand three independent castles, the oldest being the western one. It was there that the ancient acropolis was situated, fortified with polygonic Cyclopean walls (there was an ancient belief that only captive Cyclops were strong enough to build with the large stones).

The most photographed spot of Náfplio – and its point of reference as well – is Bourtzi, the Venetian small fortress standing on the rocky islet of Agioi Theodoroi. During the Venetian rule it was connected to Akronafplia through a huge metal chain that secured the port against enemy ship attacks. At the beginning of 1860, the executioners of Palamidi prisoners lived in Bourtzi. In the summer (unfortunately not now), you can reach the fortress by boat departing regularly from the port.

The most popular walk in town (1 km in length) is a romantic stroll around the so-called “Arvanitia Promenade”, dominated by the rocky landscape of Akronafplia.

A number of people took cabs to visit Corinth (where Corinthian column come from, where the Corinth Canal is to be found and where Monteblan “invented” Corinthian leather). We decided to gorge ourselves on a variety of wonderful Greek pastries at Gluko’s (as good as Omonia’s in Astoria, N.Y.), followed by a stetos (surgarless) Greek (don’t even think of calling it Turkish here) coffee – sludgy bottom, but tastes like chocolate – at Kaslyme. We then shot the breeze with George Gouveris, the proprietor of Preludio’ fine jewelry. It is his opinion that the class of Greeks who generally dodge paying their taxes are those at the top of the food chain – the wealthy who contribute to politicians. Another problem is the extreme number of patronage jobs given by politicians in return for the support of Labor votes which now bloats the government with unneeded employees who can’t be fired. In the meantime, rather than force the German banks to work out an extended payout schedule, Greece was forced to take a “bailout” which simply transferred the indebtedness from the banks to the government of the EU.

As far as the town is concerned, the streets are clean, but there are many shuttered shops and a lot of (non-political) graffiti on the walls. While the shops would normally be shut on Sunday, everyplace seemed open to take advantage of any incremental business the cruise ship might bring in.

11 21 Jan 2013 Piraeus (Athens), Greece

Piraeus is the port city of Athens and only about an hour away by city bus or train. It’s been a few years since we have visited Athens. Certainly the economic tone has changed. Unemployment is higher and the concerns regarding a drop in the standard of living on one hand and the fear of default on the other are raising the tension level. The graffiti we noticed in Nafpilion is ubiquitous in Piraeus and Athens. I am unclear as to whether it is sanctioned on the transit system as the trains are covered with it (probably not as many of the cars are “tagged” and many windows are broken). This art form covers almost every exposed surface in downtown Athens in an apparently non-political, sometimes seedy, blast of color.

We were warned this morning that the “Metro” system was on strike and the number 040 bus to Athens was suggested. After a bit of fooling around, we found a parallel electric train system (seemed like the Metro to me, but apparently this one is different) which worked and we took it into Athens (more out of guilt than any other reason). This trip seems to be concentrating on ancient civilizations and at least it is cool enough to make it to the Acropolis without sweating to death. We took this “Electric” line to Monastiraki station to start our walking tour. After buying tickets in a cigarette kiosk on the street, you have to validate then before boarding the train. This time stamps the 1.4 euro ticket and you are able to use it for the next 90 minutes on all forms of public transportation. If you forget to validate the ticket, the fine is about 85 euros. We were serenaded by a young Gypsy girl with an accordion while her kid brother panhandled. I noticed that when one of the Greek women rejected his request, she repeatedly made the sign of the Cross.

There were a large number of men sitting around in Athen’s cafes drinking coffee. One of the most popular classes of coffee drink on the menu is made with “Nes” – Nescafe instant coffee. This is turned into frapes, lattes, iced coffee and so on.

According to the Greeks, all things civilized and good flowed from the golden age of Pericles in the Athens of the 5th century BC. Since then, the city has been captured by numerous waves of invaders until, in 1834, it became the capital of the modern Greek state. A large part of the town’s historical center has been converted into a 3-kilometre pedestrian zone (the largest in Europe), leading to the major archaeological sites (“archaeological park”), reconstructing – to a large degree – the ancient landscape. To be honest, the “pedestyrian zone” is more suggestion than reality as it is criss crossed by motorcycles and it’s about four meters wide in some spots so it’s a bit on the spartan side (pun :- ).

A walking tour of ancient Athens starts at the temple of Olympian Zeus (6th c. B.C.), one of the largest in antiquity and close by Hadrian’s Arch (131 A.D.), a Roman contribution which forms the symbolic entrance to the city. From there, walking along Dionysou Areopaghitou Street (on the south side of the Acropolis) we pass the ancient Theatre of Dionysos (5th c. B.C.) where most of the works by Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylos and Aristophanes were performed. Continuing, we reached the ruins of the Asklepieion (5th c. B.C.) and the Stoa of Eumenes (2th c. B.C.) and from there the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, which was built in 161 A.D. and is nowadays the venue of the performances of the Athens Festival.

From there we climbed up to the Acropolis, the site of the Parthenon temple (a place we avoided/missed the last couple of times we’ve been here, but it’s time to reacquaint ourselves). Apart from this, also impressive are the Propylaea, the temple of the Athene Nike and the Erechtheion, Moreover, from the rock we have an impressive view of the city. These guys play for keeps. EU citizens over 65 get a 50% discount of the 12 Euro price, but they refused an elderly Dutch lady because only her husband (of 50+ years) had sufficient ID. You also need a doctor’s note to use the handicapped lift!

Only 300m away from the Acropolis stands the impressive new Acropolis Museum, one of the most important contemporary works of architecture in Athens. It is made of steel, glass and concrete and it houses 4,000 finds from the Acropolis monuments that represent its history and function as the most important religious center of ancient Athens. (To be honest, the British Museum’s collection blows this one away, but mentioning that in Greece gets you about as many brownie points as ordering a “Turkish” coffee here instead of the PC “Greek” coffee).

Coming down from the Acropolis we arrive at the Areios Pagos, the most ancient law court of the world (at least according to the Greeks :- ). Opposite it is Philopappou Hill, with its beautiful cobbled little roads and the Roman monument by the same name on its top, while close by is the Pnyx, where the citizens of ancient Athens used to assemble and exert their democratic rights.

Walking farther along the pedestrian road we arrive at the Ancient Agora, (not a good place to be agoraphobic) which was the commercial, political and religious center of ancient Athens.
From there, via Ermou Street, we arrive at the Kerameikos, the largest cemetery of the ancient city, with impressive tomb sculptures and stelae. The Iridanos River,sacred in antiquity, runs through the archaeological site.

The “core” of the historical center is the Plaka neighborhood (at the eastern side of the Acropolis), which has been inhabited without interruption since antiquity. When you walk through the narrow labyrinthine streets lined with houses and mansions from the time of the Turkish occupation and the Neoclassical period (19th c.), you will have the impression of travelling with a “time machine”. You will encounter ancient monuments, such as the Lysikrates Monument, erected by a wealthy donor of theatrical performances, the Roman Agora with the famed “Tower of the Winds” (1st c. B.C.) and Hadrian’s Library (132 A.D.), scores of bigger and smaller churches, true masterpieces of Byzantine art and architecture, as well as remnants of the Ottoman period (Fetihie Mosque, Tzistaraki Mosque, the Turkish Bath near the Tower of the Winds, the Muslim Seminary, et al.). There are also some interesting museums (Folk Art, Greek Children’s Art, Popular Musical Instruments, Frysira Art Gallery, etc.), lots of picturesque tavernas, cafés, bars, as well as shops selling souvenirs and traditional Greek products.

Continuing from Plaka we arrive back at Monastiraki, a characteristic area of “old” Athens, with narrow streets and small buildings where the city’s traditional bazaar (Yousouroum) is held. Close to it is the Psyrri area, a traditional neighborhood which during the past few years has evolved into one of the most important “centers” of the town’s nightlife, with scores of bars, tavernas, ouzeris, clubs, etc.

However, the “heart” of the historical center is the traditional commercial neighborhood, with more than 2,500 shops of all kinds, which spreads out over the streets surrounding Ermou Street (the city’s best-known commercial street). The western “border” of the area is Athinas Street, where the foodstuff commerce is concentrated, reminding one strongly of the Middle East. Here are situated, among others, and the neoclassical mansions of the Town Hall. As we walked from Monastiraki Square to Omonia square, we wandered through the huge meat, fish and produce filled Municipal Markets along the way. These are filled with the obvious along with stands selling olives, cheeses, herbs, etc. We snacked on a spanakopita (spinach pie) and a Nes frappe and a cheese pie with an orange Fanta – one of the lost beverages of the US.

We bought a replacement of a German cough syrup that we wre running low on (I think like our Rybotussen – it’s Mucosolvan, Ambroxol Hydrochloride 30mg/5ml for those in the medical field who want to take a whack at this). The 100 ml bottle we bought in Germany cost about 5.75 Euro. It had braille on the box identifying it as well as instructions. The Greek version was a 200 ml bottle for 4.25 Euro, also has the braille (I guess this is just another good European idea that we ignore), but has the complete pharmacological does/don’t on a folded piece of paper in the box (no KISS chart) which of course is all Greek to me (but at least I have the Grerman box as the Rosetta Stone).

Omonia Square is linked to the other main central square of the downtown area – Syntagma Square - by Stadiou Street and Panepistimiou Avenue, along which some of the town’s most beautiful Neoclassical buildings have been erected. Dominating Syntagma Square is the Greek Parliament building and in front of it the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by the Evzones in traditional costume (I would make fun of the cute skirt tasseled hats and pom-pom’ed shoes, but the guys are carrying guns).

We took the “Electric” back from Omonia Square (apparently named in honor of the fabulous Greek pastry shop of the same name in Astoria, New York) to Piraeus. The same ticket allowed us to also take the bus back to the pier where the ship was docked.

Our impression of Athens is that there are multiple redundant major infrastructure projects that have been recently built (like the parallel electric rail and Metro systems, sports arenas, etc.) in a country which can ill afford them. The upper class seems adroit at avoiding taxes, while the government is held hostage by its own over-bloated labor force. Simple things such as sidewalk repair, removal of graffiti, and simple maintenance of systems seems to have been abandoned in either an effort to save or simply a loss of self-esteem. The Greeks blame the Germans for everything having to do with their financial ills as those who live in northern Europe (the majority of our ship’s passengers are from the Netherlands) resent sending their tax Euros to help the Greeks (though my personal interpretation is that the “bailouts” are to shift the debt from the German banks to the EU taxpayer without triggering Credit Default Swaps – BWTFDIK?).

12 22 Jan 2013 At Sea (Mediterranean Sea) CO
Gratuitous off topic observation:
Israeli elections: There seems to be a feeling of maintaining the status quo with Netanyahu’s Likud party winning. He has taken a hard line stance by stating that no West Bank settlements will be dismantled in the next year in order to prevent the loss of votes to even more extreme parties. Well, today’s results seem to indicate that Likud lost ground to a more “centrist” party. This will present an interesting challenge in building a coalition as part of their platform flies in the face of Likud’s allies in the religious parties (in that this new party wants the religious component of the population to lose their military exemption and to become part of the workforce instead of receiving public assistance).

While this is going on, most Americans are oblivious to the fact that Jordan is having its first elections since the Arab Spring. The turnout has been light despite the fact that many seem more disenfranchised than ever (especially Jordanian Palestinians). It is also the second anniversary of the change of the Egyptian government.

In the meantime, the US policy with regards to Syria has become paralyzed by the realization (after noticing what has happened in Tunisia, Egypt and especially Libya – let alone Iraq and Afghanistan) that the opponents of a government we don’t like could be worse than the devil we know (though we can’t lose face by admitting that the Chinese and Russians had a point when they warned about our supporting “extreme Islamists” against Assad). The Syrian situation threatens to overflow into Lebanon as Hezbollah is a client of the current Syrian government. Any aggression they show against Israel to remind everyone of their relevancy would be likely to provoke a response which could destabilize things. As neither the US nor Saudi Arabia can afford to alienate Israel at this juncture, Israel has more flexibility than otherwise (and Hamas will be forced to play its hand). The key additional variable will be how Egypt reacts as well as the state of their relations with the new powers that be in Libya. This, of course, is against the backdrop of Iran’s ascendancy and its success in using the United States to neutralize its main opponent and then leave Iraq in a psychologically strategic withdrawal. This will be an interesting collection of themes to watch unfold as we are about to transition from “Arabic speaking North Africa” to the Middle East proper (where the political landscape resembles a bowl of spaghetti thrown against the wall – or a NYC Subway map).

13 23 Jan 2013 Enter Suez Canal at Port Said CO
13 23 Jan 2013 Daylight transit Suez Canal CO

It takes approximately 12 hours to pass through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Red Sea in the south, and we had a beautiful, sunny and brisk 80-degree (F) day to make this passage. The lineup of ships waiting to join our convoy stretches as far as you can see.

Because the Mediterranean and Red Seas are at the same level, there are no locks in the Suez Canal. The Canal opened in 1896 and it took 11 years to construct the waterway for the Canal. It is only 210 feet at its narrowest point (and our ship is 106 feet wide, so there’s not a lot of room to spare), and it is a very shallow (now dredged to) 66 feet deep.

Ships must travel through the Suez Canal at a maximum speed of 8 knots per hour (but because of its shallow draft ours is apparently allowed to do 10 knots). Any faster and the wake of the ship will break down the slightly reinforced sandy banks of the Canal. The Canal is only wide enough for ships to go through one way (though there are a couple of lakes in the middle where northbound and southbound ships may pass), so groups of ships have to alternate between south bound and north bound.

We joined our southbound convoy about 3AM and the captain seemed a bit peeved that the Egyptians not only made him take three different pilots aboard, but also made him rent some sort of special lights which had to be used in the canal during the hours when it was dark. By the time we awoke, the ship was already in the Great Bitter Lake waiting for the northbound convoy to pass. We sat for about four hours and then continued southwards, hitting Suez as night fell. While the length of the canal is rich in wireless access points, all that I found were secured and required passwords (or at least that’s what I supposed the Arabic instructions said).

The average toll for one ship to go through the Canal is about $250,000…and 80 ships can go through the Canal every day. The alternative? Going around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa…an additional 7,350 miles and many, many additional days of sailing.

The Canal is obviously a big money maker for Egypt, so it is important for them to keep the Canal protected, dredged and maintained so the flow of ships is not interrupted in any way. Especially near the two terminals the canal is lined with military installations.

This must have been interesting during the time the Egyptians on one side faced off against the Israelis on the other and the canal was closed due to purposely scuttled ships back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Tonight, as we sail past Suez, we can hear the faithful being called to prayer. As the night darkens and we pass the Springs of Moses in the Gulf of Suez, the stars glare out over the desert sky as if the sky is full of LED’s and the three stars of Orion’s belt stand out as if to prove that all is as it should be in the world.


13 23 Jan 2013 Exit Suez Canal at Suez CO
14 24 Jan 2013 Safaga, Egypt


Finally it’s summer – though I suspect the part of the world we come from doesn’t see things from the same perspective.

Safaga, Egypt: Ears pierced while you wait – the sign says it all.

In the past, we’ve spent quite a bit of time in Egypt, so rather than take a pair of 3 ½ hour bus rides (at significant cost) to see monuments which haven’t changed much in the past couple of millennium, I’m just going to find wi-fi and hang around until most of our shipmates get back.

That said, I genuinely recommend an Egyptian tour, complete with a Nile cruise, a flight to Aswan (from a reputable tour company – we used an outfit called Abercrombie & Kent and were pleased) and extra time in Cairo and Alexandria as a bucket list item for everyone. The rush tours from cruise ships, while better than nothing, do not allow the time to do justice to the sights. It is important to have armed guards in these areas.

A tiny merchant port on the coast of the Red Sea specializing in shipping phosphors and more recently food to Saudi Arabia, in recent years Safaga has developed into an attractive and popular resort town known for water sports. In the evening, one of the ferries disgorged an unruly mob of passengers from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia carrying huge bundles which, I suppose, were pilgrims returning from the Hadje – or maybe just laborers returning home en-masse. While many of our shipmates will travel to Luxor to see the very worthwhile sites at the ancient Egyptian sites of the Temple of Karnack and the Valley of the Kings, we have previously spent time there. We will not bother with a desert safari (because we’ll be taking some later in the trip) and scuba diving in the coral gardens at Sha’ab Saiman is out because I didn’t arrange it ahead of time.

Safaga is split into a new town with the resort hotels and a shopping mall, but we head in the other direction to the old town. Cab drivers hang arouind the port trying to fleece tourists with outrageous charges to get into town. On the other hand, for those too lazy to walk the 3km to town, there are mini-vans heading up the road, filled with guys with rags on their heads who will be more than happy to give you a ride to toewn for a buck. This part of the town has a souk, the local market which has a broad selection of typical Middle Eastern goods. (This is a bit paltry and most notable for its quaintness. The skinned hind quarters of bulls are suspended with both hair covered tails and evidence of their not being cows dangling in the breeze and attracting flies). While there is no wi-fi in town, there are cell antennas and most of the decrepit houses sport satellite dishes.

Many Egyptians seem to be dissatisfied with the Morsi government. There was a limit to how deeply I could pry so I am unclear as to the reason. That said, they seem to all welcome tourists. We were waved to by both adults and children and a number of people came over to practice their English. It was pointed out to us a couple of times that the US had a president with the same skin color as they have. When asked my opinion of our government, I took the politically correct approach of saying that I liked our president, but I was not happy with every action our government takes (leaving it ambiguous which actions I meant and showing an equivalent level of distrust for the current government that they seemed to find acceptable considering their feeling expressed about their own). While there seems to be quite a bit of dissatisfaction with the Morsi government, there did not seem to be much animosity towards the Muslim Brotherhood. Almost all Egyptians are deeply religious, so it is unlikely that this is an alienating factor. I was told that while most Libyans had returned home after their revolution stabilized, there is now an influx of Syrians. Egyptians who used to work in the Libyan oil field (where the money is better than at home) have begun to feel that it is safe enough to head back across the border (though, from a Westerner’s standpoint, things still seem a bit dicey over there). While a surprising number of Egyptians speak some (a bit of) English, my Arabic vocabulary is quite limited (and about 50% of the content is too obscene to use except in extreme circumstances), so communications is sometimes a bit strained. Anecdotally, both the “thumbs up” (used to indicate “where the sun don’t shine” here) and the “OK” (wishing the evil eye here) signs widely used as positive symbols in the West are off limits in North Africa.

While Egypt is an exceedingly poor country, and merchants, taxi drivers and such see nothing wrong in making false claims in the course of business and negotiations, it is a safe country. I have never felt threatened or (beyond the normal level of paranoia that I always exhibit while traveling) felt that my valuables would be stolen here. Baksheesh (a Turkish word for gratuities) are a fact of life when services rendered in Egypt (a way for the poor to “work” and save face while that who deploy the baksheesh can feel they are giving charity).

From Safaga we hired a car ($40 round trip for four of us – probably too much in a country where petrol costs $2.50 a gallon, but certainly within our budget) to take us to Hargahta – a rather decent sized city (over 100K population). The lady of the couple we were traveling with wanted to inspect the tires of the cab, at which I laughed as the car looked like it was about to fall apart and the tires were the least of our worries (which included his driving with his lights off at night later on – I guess to save on fuel :- ). We’ve been in a few cars which looked in worse shape over the years – but not many. The drive was through the type of empty, bleak desert, with sharp mountain peaks in the background, that only the Middle East can supply. That and the dust. Those who have been to Egypt know what I am talking about – the dust of the millennium covers everything and gets into everything. The usual Egyptian garb takes this into account with the men wearing long bathrobe style glabellas and turbans made from kaffia’s and the women wearing long black robes with colorful trim and embroidery along the edges and the sleeves as well as head scarfs. The burka and veil are seen, but are relatively rare.

We passed through a number of military check-points with AK-47 toting guards. All along the road there were camouflaged bunkers, most abandoned, but still a military presence left over from when Sinai, across the Red Sea, was occupied by Israel. I was told that enterprising Egyptians ran refrigerated truck convoys bringing beef from Sudan where there was more grass and the cows were cheaper. The drivers needed special paperwork to clear them past the military checkpoints along the road to the south and food inspectors checked the carcasses for disease.

Once in Hargarhta, we headed to a large, modern and fairly ornate mosque. Then we drove to a large souk and wandered in and out of souvenir, space and local clothing stores.

Given that Hargata is a harbor town on the Red Sea, it's no surprise that seafood is a local favorite. Almost every restaurant and café offers a wide variety of fresh seafood, including jumbo prawns, lobster, salmon steaks and Red Sea delicacies like Bouri (Mullet Fish), delicious Barboni and boneless Eshr Bayad. Of course though no trip to the Middle East would be complete without trying some grilled lamb or beef kabab, tehina (a sesame paste mixed with spices), baba ghanoug (grilled eggplant) salad or fresh falafel (meat or vegetables wrapped in pita bread) from a street vendor, sanity dictates that we choose our own form of laxative and we forgo that temptation. I was able to get a moment of internet connectivity, but not enough time to post this – well we’ll be in Dubai in a week I guess.

This seems to be a popular part of the country for Germans and Russians to visit.

Most of the very humble homes remain unfinished in this area for two reasons: the rebar in the top story awaits the building of another level for the son and his bride, as he must provide a home before marriage, and also if your home is unfinished you may avoid paying taxes. These reasons may well be true, but given the poverty we saw, lack of funds would have to figure into this picture as well. The single light bulbs in the rooms allowed us a glimpse into the rudimentary homes as we passed by. Many were no more than lean-to’s and others had no roof - which is understandable as it doesn't really rain in most of Egypt. We also so a very large number of nearly finished multiple family dwellings which seemed abandoned – again the reasons I was given made little sense.

There is also a widespread diesel fuel shortage (and occasionally gasoline as well) which resulted in hours (sometimes days) long lineups for those lucky enough to have a vehicle and hundreds of men with gas cans standing in every gas station we passed. Our driver told us the shortage started in Cairo, but had been contained there (not sure that is true) and was caused by the black market. He said people were buying more than they needed, and selling it for higher prices on the black market. This obviously didn't make any sense as people usually only hoard when the supply is poor or they have little confidence that the supply is consistent. While Egypt produces most of its own oil, apparently diesel is refined abroad. It is a startling picture to see a large man riding a donkey at full speed - and this was a picture we saw many, many times over.

For those who are too lazy to look up what there is to see at Luxor, a short list of a typical tour’s agenda includes the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple and Karnack temple (I always figured it’d be cool to see “The Mummy” come sashaying around a column!).
The Valley of the Kings is the site chosen by the later Pharaohs to build their tombs so that grave robbers would not be able to identify where they lay. This is the city of the dead where 62 tombs have been discovered. Potentially hundreds were originally carved into the desert rocks, intricately painted with various minerals and stone dyes which have maintained their rich hues and are filled with treasures for use in the afterlife by many dynasties of the Pharaohs. The pyramids had been the tombs of the early Pharaohs and their contents had quickly disappeared. The only intact tomb to this day, remains that of Tutankhamen.

Off to the Temple of Hatshepsut, the only female Pharaoh in history. This building, carved into the mountain actually stuns you when you see it at first as it is so modern looking and it looks like it could be used today. It is magnificent. This Temple rises out of the desert in a series of brilliant white terraces. Hatshepsut was both a woman and a Pharaoh. She dressed like a man and wore a false beard, due to the considerable bias against ruling females during that era. The mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it.

You also get to gawk at the Colossi of Memnon, which are two twin 64 foot immense statues of Amenhotep III that once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep's great temple.
You are also always taken to see the men creating bowls and lanterns made of Alabaster. This stuff is not cheap (here at “tourist central”, at least)

You can have a very difficult time integrating the sheer scale of what was constructed here since 3000 BC. First of all that it exists in its present state is a wonder. Secondly, the difficulty of building these immense temples in this desert climate, where you get exhausted from just walking. The art work, like any art work, once you exam the details reveals both the extremely great talent of some, and the mediocrity of others, but when viewed holistically, it is just amazing.

The ship brought aboard a folkloric show consisting of a bevy of belly dancers and a Whirling Dervish which were very entertaining.

15 25 Jan 2013 At Sea

The ship is about 1/3 Dutch and at least another 1/3 from the UK and Canada, leaving the Usians to be a minority. While every Brit I’ve spoken to likes their nationalized health program (as do the Canadians and the Dutch), a hard of hearing 96 year old Englishman just received an unwanted sex change operation when he thought the doctor was asking if he wanted his spectacles removed.

16 26 Jan 2013 At Sea

We are finally running nearly at full speed to stay ahead of any potential pirates. We have razor wire strung on the ship, a 24/7 watch on deck by private security contractors, practice sessions for crew, with water hoses, special “sonic canons” mounted as defensive weapons etc, to address this threat. I notice that none of these guys seem to be Israeli’s (who have persona non-grata status around here – especially since the Mosad apparently botched one of their assassination stunts in Dubai a couple of years ago). We are also apparently in contact with dozens of other ships traversing the area (each exercising its own enhanced security measures) as well as a number of navies patrolling the area. We have been warned to keep the blackout curtains closed in our staterooms and the use of lights has been minimized to reduce the chance that the ship will be noticed at night. There are now periodic pirate drills for the crew.

17 27 Jan 2013 At Sea

We just changed the watches later by an hour to the Jeddah (Mecca) time zone. We’re about to pass through the Bab el Mandeb where Eritrea and Djibouti approach Yemen and then the Gulf of Aden, as the ship passes Somalia and the “horn” of Africa on our way towards circling the Arabian Peninsula. There are a couple of destroyers (nationalities unknown) pacing us for a while. We are still heading at high speed to make it difficult for small boats to keep up. Despite this being one of the most traveled shipping route in the world, we are now out of sight from other vessels, so I guess the strategy used is to spread thin rather than travel in convoys until we reach the patrolled security zone which we will be following in. The captain is trying to time going through the narrow strait at about 4AM in the morning to minimize the possibility of being spotted by pirates. I’ll be taking occasional peeks to see if we are being followed by the Jolly Roger. If we slip through this time, they will have another whack at us when we return in a month or so.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum :- )

18 28 Jan 2013 At Sea
19 29 Jan 2013 At Sea

Well, Egypt seems to be melting down at both ends of the Suez Canal since we left with martial law being imposed. Having left Egypt behind (for now – we will be returning to the Sinai in about a month), I would repeat the sentiments of another guy who once said “Apres moi le deluge”. My personal oppinion is thsat, at some future time of their choosing, the Egyptian military will re-assert their influence. At the same time, Israel has decided to relocate one of its “Iron Dome” anti-missle systems to their northern frontier with Syria. While the government says that this is a routine rotation, rumors have been leaked that it is because of a fear that Syrian chemical weapons will fall into the hands of the opposition forces (which the US seems to support while the Russians and Chinese warn against). Interpeting this story has to be done in the context of the Israeli Likud party (currently running the government) trying to build a new coilition afyter this week’s elections.

Well it seems now that the Israelis have bombed a “research facility” and some other targets in Syria near the Lebonese border, so the repositioning of their anti-missle screen now makes more sense. We’ll see how things develop.

20 30 Jan 2013 At Sea
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21 31 Jan 2013 Dubai, United Arab Emirates ON VX

Jeff