Koper

Arrived in Koper at noon on Sunday so most of the shops were closed.  Wandered through old town, which is picturesque and very quiet until we got to Tito square where a roving street dance troupe set up with drummers, singers and lots of people dancing like the Timothy Leary Dancers (see previous blog.)    It looked as though they were having great fun.  We visited the church and climbed the bell tower.  This trip has been great for Cia.  She has not taken the elevator once and climbed the 204 steps up the bell tower with little difficulty. Of course the Cel had no difficulty at all even with his fear of having gained weight.  Tonight is our last night on the ship and it is hard to leave what we have come to consider home.  So tomorrow we go to the rental place for two nights in Venice and then our real home where we will spend a few days before leaving for almost a month down south to see the annular eclipse.  Hopefully those travels will be as good as these.  Next post Venice. Cruise tip: If just going to the old town of Koper,  walk on your own; no tour required.  Oh, and the 500 ml bottles of Lasko beer are highly recommended.

Dubrovnik

We sailed in on a wonderfully clear sunny day.  Today is our final ship's tour as we have been to this beautiful city before.  We decided on the brandy tasting tour to Cavtat partly due to the fact that the ship has had so many cocktails parties at 10:30 in the morning that a morning brandy tasting tour seems quite normal.  The tour began with a panoramic view of the Old Town and a coastal drive of Croatia.  Then we visited the town of Cavtat, a beautiful medieval resort town.  After climbing the hill go see a mausoleum that was built in the 1920' s for $120,000, we headed out into the countryside.  You can  still see remnants of the war of 1991.  They have done a phenomenal  job of rebuilding the villages and towns that were shelled during the war. All the buildings are in stone with lovely red tile roofs.  We visitied an old mill for our brandy tasting.  They had Grappa (yech) and Walnut and Cherry brandy which both tasted really good.  They also had candied almonds, and orange peel candy as well as fresh figs. There are numerous olive trees and wine vineyards throughout the countryside.  It is really pretty and so civilized compared to what we have experienced in India and the middle east.  However as we left the port we saw the yacht for the Sultan of Oman and his food ship. He has brought 80 of his friends and family to Dubrovnik which must bode well  for the  economy as he rented two floors of two five star hotels and has a full floor reserved at the hospital in case he requires medical attention   Quite a contrast from how we saw the regular people in Oman living.   The tour ended in the Old Town and since we visited the city quite extensively in the past we opted to climb the walls for 70 Kn or $14.  When doing the wall you get to do 792 steps but it is worth it as the view is fantastic.  It gives a completely different vantage point.  After an hour walk we returned to the bus which took us back to the ship where we enjoyed hamburgers and Foster's beer in the pleasant, sunny 25 C heat.  This is a great city/country to visit.  Their economy is 80% based on tourism and they hope to enter the European Union next year so having the Euro will make the money exchanges easier. Cruise tip:  take a trip to the country side if you have the opportunity and have seen the old town before.   It is a lovely country with diverse scenery and the brandy is pretty good too!

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.

Snorkeling in Safaga

Safaga Egypt

Safaga  is the gateway for most cruise ship passengers who want to see the Valley  of Kings, Luxor and Karnak Temples.  The tour usually goes from 8am to 9pm so you can guess the travel time.  The town of Safaga itself is a bit of a hole with not a lot to offer those who opt not to go to Luxor except  for one thing: fabulous snorkeling and diving in the Red Sea.  Once again in this town we can see the effect of the Arab Spring in that numerous resorts that were started remain unfinished as a result of the severe downturn in tourism that was a result of the unrest.   The day began with angst as our pick-up from the dive shop did not appear at the port, likely a result of the fact that our berth was altered to the worst possible location at the commercial port, which was a barren desolate place with nothing in sight but dust and rubble.  We took the shuttle bus that dropped us off in the downtown area, which was quite dirty and scruffy with a lot of people sitting around not doing much of anything.  Emerging from the shuttle bus we were accosted by a squadron taxi drivers whose cars all looked to be rusted heaps; but one fellow was quite convincing when he claimed to know exactly where the diving club we had arranged our snorkeling tour with was located.  So the six of us piled into his station wagon (of sorts) after haggling over price.  As we were driving the smell of gasoline in the car was very strong.  We all got slightly distressed when the driver lit a cigarette before pulling out his cell phone to ask someone where the Orca Diving Club was.  At this point we thought our day was done as the boat was leaving at 8:30 and it was 8:29.  He drove up to a big gate and honked and honked his horn and finally a fellow came to open the gate and let us in.  Thankfully we saw the sign for the Orca Dive Club.  From there things got much, much better.  We collected our equipment (we had brought our snorkels so we just needed fins and one of the others in our party collected his diving gear) and we were off to the boat.  It was great with only about 10 other people on the tour, most of whom were divers and all from Germany, so all communication briefings happened in German then English.  The seas had high waves resulting in some great rock and rolling.  There are twenty reefs in the area  and the first reef had choppy seas but not enough to prevent snorkeling so in we went after checking for jellyfish.  The waters were cool but once you got swimming it was great.  Due to the current it was tough to get to the reef and some parts had to be avoided due to the waves.  The Cel however made it and got some nice photos.  After fighting the current Cia returned to the ship but never having used flippers before, did not know how to get up the stairs.  The two Egyptian crew members yelled try backwards so she did, heaving herself slowly up.  As She looked up she saw fear in both mens eyes as they were contemplating the option of having to haul her up.  Finally she made it and the men looked so happy.  Finally the divers came back which was the snorkelers' sign to return to the boat so we could move to the second reef location.  This location was picture perfect with the reef in the form of a circle with a brilliant  blue lagoon in the middle.  The waters were calm and when we looked down we could see many brilliantly purple jellyfish.  Cia's snorkeling time was done and she resigned herself to having to spend the afternoon on the sundeck reading and doing sudokus and avoiding the jellyfish.  Meanwhile the Cel and Peter stared longingly into the water.  Suddenly where there was forty jellyfish there was now hundreds of these vibrant purple animals. Cel and Peter were crestfallen with the appearance of the jellyfish.  They approached the dive master hoping that he would say that this type of beautiful jellyfish did not sting.  He said they did not sting and their  faces lit up and then he clarified that they did not sting if you touched the outside of the creatures.  The inside, he said, you do not want to touch.  Down went there faces again like two young boys who had just lost their favorite truck.  After about a half hour we noticed a significant reduction in the number  of jellyfish.  The two German snorklers jumped in close to the jellyfish for a photo opportunity.  Both Peter and the Cel waited to hear some yelps but none came.  It was all they needed.  In they went and their faces were priceless as the Cel made a yelp.  It appears that the water temperature was significantly lower than at the other location.  But it did not stop them as the two snorkeled for the next hour and a half. Still too many jellyfish for Cia.  Eventually the divers returned equally as cold and Peter and the Cel reluctantly left the water with some wonderful photos to remember the time. Pam, Peter's wife renamed the two  of them  Jellybellies.  Then back to shore to end a wonderful day at the Red Sea.  As we returned our cab driver was there waiting.  We tried to say we did not want him but he still waited.  Eventually we negotiated a price to take us back to the ship but only after we had finished our  beers as we all wanted one more.  Six 680ml Stella beer for a mere $15.  When we arrived back at the ship one of the officers looked at us as we emerged from the vehicle and smirked and remarked, "Nice car!"   I do not think the driver was permitted to linger near the port but was sent promptly on his way once we paid the fare.  What a spectacular day. Cruise tip:  if in Safaga the diving and snorkeling is great for reasonable prices.  You can pay in Egyptian pounds, Euros or with credit cards.  I would recommend the company we used, called Orca Diving Club.  Thanks to Peter for finding this for us. They had a variety of  dive/snorkeling  sites, 20 in total.  Tobia  Kefir was our first  dive site and Gamul Kebir the second.  One meaning small and the other large.

Petra

Petra

The passports  are getting filled up with places we never thought we would  see.  Some of the stamps might make getting into Israel problematic in the future.  Not sure what to talk about today, the fights on the two-hour bus ride to Petra  or Petra itself.  I think I will start with Petra and leave the obnoxious, fat, ugly Canadian tourist for the another blog.   Petra is phenomenal; an amazing sight.  We began our journey in Aqaba and lies at the end of the great rift valley so the geology is fantastic.  It is also right beside the city of Elat in Isreal.   Our guide told us of the land deals between Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia. So that Aqaba could get a port entrance they traded the oil filled land to the Saudis and with the Israelis it was land negotiated due to the war (if negotiate is the correct term.) But, back to the geology, you can see where the plates have lifted over time.  Aqaba tends to get a major earthquake every 33 years and the landscape reflects that.  The city is surrounded by mountains and you can see where past lava flows intruded through the older basaltic and granitic rock.  As we drive further in you see boulders strewn across the landscape of red sand.  Unique rock formations fill the landscape and as we proceed further we are reminded of the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Arches.   At one point our guide tells us to close our eyes and when the bus comes to a stop he tells us to open them and we see a beautiful canyon vista that contains the lost city of Petra.   The city Petra was developed by the Nabataeans more than 2000 years ago and constructed in sandstone.  Petra became the hub for the caravans which transported all the goods in the region.  The Nabataeans became rich exacting tolls and protecting caravans and used this wealth to fund the construction of the city.  In 106 AD they were annexed by the Romans and even though they flourished for a while, eventually Petra fell into ruins and was lost until a Swiss traveler Johann Burkhart rediscovered it in 1812.  It was initially lost due to an earthquake centuries ago that destroyed the dam and allowed the city to be repetitively flooded and, consequently, evacuated.  Walking through Petra, you see the influences over time from Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and local styles.  We passed by tombs and entered the As Siq which is a 1200m long and 80 metre high, very narrow gorge.  It reminded us of the slot canyons in Arizona, but much bigger.  Emerging from the narrow confines of the As Siq gorge, the vista opens suddenly to reveal one of the highlights of Petra: the treasury.  All the carvings were done from the top down and you can see the footholds that the artisans used going up hundreds of feet.  It is spectacular.  We also saw sacrificial areas, numerous tombs and the Theatre that looks like a Roman  amphitheater but was created before the Romans took over.  Initially it seated 3000 but was extended to seat 7000.   We hiked for hours and still could not see it all. We missed climbing the 1032 steps that led to a monastery so we have reason to return.   Much of ancient Petra remains unexcavated.  It is the most fantastic man-made place Cia has ever seen and she was happy that the temperature was in the mid twenties versus the usual high 30's or low 40's.  Among the numerous remarkable sights we have seen on this voyage, Petra is the highlight of the whole trip for Cia.   Tip: Be sure to see the lost city of Petra if you ever find yourself travelling in Jordan., and if Petra is not in your bucket list, add it!