The Red to the Med - the Suez Canal

I don’t know why I woke at 4.15. Looking out the window I saw irresistible rows of lights. I’ve got to go. Shall I wake the sleeping giant! Better. Hop said he’d be out when he woke, which was only 5 minutes later. The lights were container ships at anchor, some dredges and maybe the odd oil rig. We our anchor went down a few minutes later as we waited for our turn to go through the canal at our preordained time. We watched for another hour or so as  two pilot boats offloaded their men, another with lots of boxes to throw up through the open door on about deck 4 – later I found out what these were when some Egyptian men were selling their wares downstairs; the forth was a quarantine boat. We eventually went to bed for another couple of hours.

I LOVE DESSERTS BUT THE Sinai, through which the Suez Canal passes, is pure sand and challenges anyone I would think. Mind you that is on the eastern side of the canal, the other side is lush. The water from the Nile comes in canals some 100 miles away. Amazing. In some places it is piped under the canal and reappears on the other side but the population and use of that water is hardly noticeable. Pretty painted houses line the western bank, prosperous looking townships and some cities, especially where there is a massive bridge high enough for ships to pass under. We passed other bridges but they were pontoons, as many as fourteen at a time, lined up on the banks but towed out to form bridges when necessary. The main occupation seemed to be military. Checkpoints were every 500 metre or so. Piercing whistles seem to be the main form of communication.  There were regular “barracks” with maybe twenty trucks for troop transport lined up under cover of course. Some had antiaircraft guns out – uncovered!  There were also locals fishing in their little boats, some sleeping with their blue sail over the boom for shelter; local ferries with trucks loaded with all kinds of goods moving across in front of us; long trains racing along the western shore line. We completed our transit in 10 ½ hours – ahead of schedule.

Us? We’re doing it hard. Lying on the loungers in the shade; there’s a bit of a breeze but it’s the vacuum caused by us steaming along at 20 knots or so. Hop asked me to get the Captain to slow down but unlikely me thinks. We slept in so having breakfast at 1130.am. Yes, observing the passing parade of rippling bodies; laughing at some old ladies trying to get off the loungers (funny ‘til my turn comes), whoops Hoppy’s just fallen back onto his….. It’s a bit chilly in the wind and he’s moving out into the sun. Fresh from the noon bridge up-date the sea is 8.300 ft. below us! Daily high 29C; low 22C. Not as hot as usual as we found in India, Saudi and the others places. I hope the UK is going to warm up a bit! Well I’m off into the sun too – enough of this cold. Sorry – couldn’resist.            Well you don’t live in a dessert. But I’m sure I could.

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