Thursday - April 07, 2005

Egypt: Suez Canal

This entry is going to be short because I have to say that transiting the Suez Canal is not nearly as exciting as passing through the Panama Canal. For one thing, there are no locks. And although there is civilization and some farming along one side of the 117 mile canal, the other side is the Sinai Peninsula, which is basically desert.

Although the Suez Canal as we know it was begun in 1859 by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the same fellow to make a doomed attempt at digging the Panama Canal, it was Ramses II who had the first idea to build such a canal around 1250 BC. Darius of Persia and the Roman Emperor Trajan also did work on keeping the canal dredged and open, but the incessant drift of the sand finally defeated all efforts until Napoleon Bonaparte took on the task and put de Lesseps to work.

It was a lovely, warm day for our transit, so most of the passengers spent the day on deck. The Caribbean band on board was playing, so some were dancing, some were dining on grilled hamburgers (including yours truly who couldn't resist the smell that wafted over the ship), and some sat in deck chairs and read, occasionally looking up when something interesting was spotted. Others kept their eyes glued to their binoculars, not wanting to miss a thing. Mike probably would have been one of these except that his binoculars had broken a few days before and there wasn't a pair on board to be bought.

As we wended our way along the Canal, we sailed through the Lesser and Greater Bitter Lakes and under some wonderful bridges, and passed military stations, resorts, fields of crops, and a few towns. It was interesting, but not fascinating, and I managed to acquire yet another sunburn on the left side of my body.

As we left the Canal and sailed into the Mediterranean towards Turkey, I thought about how much I had enjoyed our time in the Middle East. Having never been before, I didn't know what to expect, especially given the current political climate. I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and hospitable everyone we encountered was to us, in every Middle Eastern country we visited. I think I fell in love with the history, the architecture, the culture, and the people, and I can't wait to go back!