We were up at 5:30 am, checking out the Suez Canal.  As we sail south, our cabin is on the starboard (west, right) side of the ship. There’s lots of development, as well as agriculture visible from our balcony.  It’s a hazy day, and there’s still a strong smoky smell.  I still can’t believe we’re sailing through Egypt!

We have breakfast in Blu. It’s on the port (east, left) side of the ship.  This side of the canal is mostly desert.  A few settlements are visible, but nothing like what we’ve seen to the west.  There are several small ferry docks, and two major bridges we saw as we sailed through.  One of the bridges was stationary, the other was on a center pedestal, and swung out into the canal, meeting the other half, swinging from the west, and meeting in the middle.  There were also lots of barges staged on the western banks that looked like they could quickly become temporary bridges in case the main bridges were knocked out.

Bridge swivels from the center

Barges staged on the shore ready to be pushed into the water, connected, and used as bridges.

Judy and I spent most of the day sitting in the front of the ship in the Reflections Lounge.  It’s an area fronted with windows with great views of the canal as we move through.  There are big comfortable chairs and tables.  We planted ourselves early, avoiding starvation with the occasional snack or sandwich.

 Looking out toward the Sinai Desert Looking back at a large container ship following us.

I started catching up on blog entries.  I haven’t really had time, or felt like writing much before now.  It doesn’t take long for me to get behind and forget what we’ve done, so it’s work to keep up.  Judy spends her time reading some of her digital library or listening to podcasts. She’s been storing up lots of materials, just for days like today.

 The Southern exit of the Suez CanalOff on the horizon, ships lined up to enter the canal.

We sail out of the canal around 2:40pm.  It’s interesting to see the long line of ships queued up to enter from the south. There were several huge container ships following us through.  They can really stack those containers.

Exiting the canal

I attended a lecture session presented by the magician from last night.  He had some easy tricks he could teach everyone to take home and impress their grandchildren, etc.  Naturally, he finished up with a slightly tougher card trick, and the opportunity to really learn it from his two-CD video presentation, available in the lobby for $35.  A guy’s gotta make a buck.

The rest of our day is uneventful as we relax and prepare for a big day tomorrow in Petra and Wadi Rum.