Suez canal

The canal, as one of our fellow passengers called it, "is a long ditch filled with water in the middle of the desert;" but what a fascinating ditch.  We entered the canal at Port Tawfiq at 6am.  As we entered we looked at the port side and saw the large modern  city, Suez and nothing but barren desert on the starboard side, which is the Sinai peninsula, the only portion of Egypt that lies in Asia.  The peninsula is popular for biblical tourism especially Mount Sinai.  The Sinai peninsula is also popular for snorkeling and diving along its coast.  But all we saw was barren desert on the Sinai side for the whole 120-mile length of the canal.   The canal was begun in 1859 and officially opened in November 1869 at triple the original budget.  It was vigorously defended during both world wars. The canal was closed between the two Arab - Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973 with the channel being blocked by mines, trapped and sunken ships and artillery fire.   As we transited the canal you can still see the effects of the war in that sentries are still present along the African side of Eygpt and portable tank bridges stored along its bank at various points.  During the Israeli Arab war, when the Israelis entered Sinai the Egyptians had no quick way of crossing the canal so now the tank bridges or pontoons that can hold over 100 tons sit along the shore.  The whole canal is at sea level; there are no locks as the difference between the levels of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea is negligble.  There are three lakes along the Suez Canal, Little and Great Bitter lake and Lake Timsah.  Throughout the day we would pass fisherman pulling in there nets or pole fishing.  Three convoys of ships transit each day, 2 southbound and 1 northbound. The first convoy leaves at 6 in the morning and then stops at Bitter Lake from the north and the one from the south sails straight through.  The Bitter Lakes get their name because they contain salt water, in contrast to the Sweetwater lake on the Egyptian side which is  a freshwater lake.   Maximum speed through the canal is 8 knots in order to prevent erosion of the banks.  7.5% of the worlds sea traffic transits the Suez canal and it provides Egypt with annual revenues of$5.31 billion.   The average  cost per ship is $250,000, the average number of ships per day is fifty.  To add to the enjoyment of the day champagne was served at 10:30 am and by noon we were feeling very happy.  At noon from our balcony we could hear the call to prayers from the villages alongside the canal and throughtout the day the Egyptian soldiers stationed along the canal would call out  or whistle, resulting in many waves between those on the boat and those onshore.  By 3:00pm we had reached the Mediterranean Sea and we noticed a significant cooling in the weather compared to that which we have become accustomed, a scant 23 degrees Centigrade.   The Suez canal is a fascinating contrast to the Panama Canal and it has been great to do both on this voyage.   Cruise tip: if on a cruise proceeding northbound through the Suez canal, obtain a cabin on the port side of the ship in order to see the towns and vegetation; if southbound find yourself a place in the starboard side.  Otherwise all you will see is desert.