From Med to Red through the Suez Canal







Day 10 – From Med to Red: Passing through the Suez Canal   

Today we entered Africa courtesy of the Egyptians and the French engineers who built the Suez Canal. We entered the canal at around 1am and Dale was up half the night checking on progress from our balcony (he paid for it, he didn’t want to miss anything) which was a bit trying on the OTHER person who was trying to sleep…



west bank farming



By sunrise we were well into the canal channel and headed southbound as part of our convoy.  At first the view was fog and lots off it but that soon burned off and we were introduced to the contrasts that make up so much of Egypt. More than 90 percent of this country is desert and that means DESERT – just like the pictures we all know but really can’t comprehend. Sand in dunes as far as the eye can see; in a warm golden colour but certainly not looking very friendly. The East Bank of the canal can be largely described this way with the occasional road, village or military emplacement to break the monotony and give some sense of scale. Fences run the length of the canal and all crossings are closely guarded by the Egyptian armed forces.  In contrast, the West Bank has more irrigation and has very lush and productive green spaces. Amazing what water can do! A lot of the winter fruits and vegetables sold in Europe are grown here and the agriculture is absolutely dependent upon the network of canals and tributaries of the Nile Delta for survival.

northbound convoy passing our ship

As I mentioned yesterday, passage through the canal is very regulated. Near the half-way point we met the northbound convoy and were “parked” while they passed. We then headed the southbound convoy through the remainder of the canal. Ships are spaced at ½ kilometer separation for safety and so that the ferries crossing the canal can run between.  There are 2 bridges and 1 tunnel that cross the canal but to reach those may require long detours so many still depend upon the ferries. In addition, oil tankers are not allowed to use the tunnel and must cross by ferry so long lines of these form waiting for small ferries to run them across. Only 3 tankers fit on a ferry and we saw lines of 20 or more tankers so it must mean long, hot days for the drivers.

tankers and car carriers waiting for the ferry

And the sun came out! Apparently passing from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea allows for a welcome weather shift. We actually got to sit on deck in shorts in the sun for the first time. The nice thing about traveling with mostly Brits is that we don’t even look pale compared to most of them!

jellyfish in the Suez waters

All in all it was an interesting day watching the ships of the world glide by, marveling at large schools of jellyfish that seem to inhabit the canal and looking at all that sand.  Once into the Red Sea we made for Sohkna which is the port from which we set forth in the wee hours tomorrow morning for the Giza plateau, the great pyramids and the Sphinx. We are tied up to the pier as I write this and the port is busy with a grain terminal right next to us. There are downsides to moving a hotel into a port – the two types of commerce rarely meld easily! Oh well, hopefully we will fall asleep to the tune of the cranes and forklifts.  The sun has set and the temperature has dropped dramatically. Tomorrow: tombs and kings and temples!

yom kippur war monument