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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 14, 2023 12:00 AM Back to the Red Sea
Another 400 kms to drive... We started at 9.30 am from Qunfudhah - Saudi resort town with the beach, few expensive and busy hotels and unfriendly people. It took us more than 5 hours drive to get to Jeddah with light rain on the way
sand dunes on both sides of the road and herds of camels. It was not easy to find the way to the hotel in the noisy and crowded Jeddah. My friend Piotr delivered me in the evening to the airport. Just before departure we stopped at the fuel station o the corniche. What a view! 200m plus Fountain of kong Faud (?) works again! I was so disappointed on my arriv as l to Jeddah that it doesn't work! For goodbye it was working again! The Qatar flight to Doha (2 hours 10 min)was on time. Poor meal, no beer or wine. Why they call it yhe best airline?
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Jan 13, 2023 12:00 AM Saudia: from 3000 m to the sea level
Saudia: from 3000m to the sea level...Sunny morning on Abha. We spent the night on the level around 2700 m above sea! After the breakfast we pack the luggages into the car and moved to the parking near the Grand Mosque for the daylight pictures. Abha has 1 million inhabitants and is very elegant city with a lot of green. Then we started yo climb one of the holls surrounding the city - stopover at the viewpoint is obligatory! The main target of today was the historic villago built in the yemeni style: Rijal al-Ma. It lies some 50 kms from Abha in the deep valley. To get there you must drive down i the tight curves from 3000 m escarpment to some 800 m... I ts very emotional ride down. At the top there viewpoints with the herds of baboons (we saw these monkeys many times yesterday begging for food on the roadside). Great mountains views! Down in the valley we reached Rijal soon. Built from the stone on the high slope it looks like a fortress. They charge 20 SAR entry fee. There is little and poor museum, but many houses are empty and require restoration. It is still very interesting place worth to recommend. At 12.30 pm we started a long way to the Red Sea. Sand dunes on the way. Nice views of the sea coast in Ka and El Birk. After some 410 kms driven from Abha we found a inexpensive room in the little coastal town. It is jot and humid here. Great day!A
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Jan 12, 2023 12:00 AM In the sun and in the mist - Saudia
We spent the night in El Baha on the level 2100 m above sea. At 8 am we were ready to drive down to the famous village of the stone houses Zee al-Ayn which is on the level 800 m... It is around 30 kms of picturesque, zig-zag road but... Alredy on the outskirts of Baha we experienced thick fogg. Oh my God! Terrible conditions, low speed... Only after 10 kms it became more clear and we saw all this switchbacks, viaducts and panoramas. The Zee village, nicely restored was empty. Entrance is free and we climbed all this alleys, terraces and stairs to the top. Great views reminding Machu Pitchu! In the info center there nice historic exhibition. At 11 am we started to climb the road again. Mist again -- then 350 kms drive in the clouds, rain on the ridge road to Abha. In the settlements many stone towers. We reached Abha at sunset. It was still a time for evening walk around this nice city!
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Jan 11, 2023 12:00 AM Back to Saudi Arabia - to Asir Mts
Our ship docked again in Jeddah at 7 am. It was time to say goodbye to "Splendida" and its nice crew. Shuttle bus took me from the pier through the port to the passenger terminal where I passed again through the slow and lazy passport and visa control. They scanned again my fingerprints and took new photo...
Ufff... In front of the terminal my good Polish friend Piotr was waiting in the rented car. Soon we were driving to the east... Our first destination - Taif was on the other side of of holy town of Mecca. As a non- moslems we were not allowed to enter Mecca so we were forced to made a big loop around this city. On the pastures we saw herds of camels, goats and sheep. Just before Taif we started to climb the high mountain wall. Great views! Taif is green city the main toirist attraction is a museum in the former house of Sharif Ali Pasha. But when we arrived it was closed (open 4pm till midnight!!) Entry fee 20 SAR. So we were driving south, in the nice mountain landscapes to Baha - almost 400 kms in total. Some 20 kms before Baha we saw first old stone towers. We have an overnight rest in the Best Home hotel. The big twin room cost 180 SAR.
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Jan 10, 2023 12:00 AM Sailing Red Sea in the sun...
Great day! No worries, no rush... I was sunbathing on the deck more than an hour. Then meeting friends and exchanging travellers knowledge. In the afternoon our captain Antonino invited the frequent guest of the MSC cruises for the captain's coctail. He introduced the ship's officers and we were drinking Italian champagne (Pro Seco) for the next cruises with this company. I booked next cruise on their newest ship... Then everybody was taking pictures of the extraordinary sunset. At the end of the day there was show in the theater including dances, joggling and gymnastics....
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Jan 09, 2023 12:00 AM Akaba in Jordan...
Uuuu... Cloudy morning. We are in Aqaba Bay... On the left Sinai Peninsula and Israeli town of Eljat, on the right - Kingdom of Jordan. People from the ship are very disappointed - they booked espensive full day excursiond to legendary Petra, but they were cancelled due to the snowfall. (!!!). I have been in Petra before - travelling overland by local bus... It is my third time in Aqaba. It did not changed much: the same palm - fringed avenues, the same small Arab shops. I went to the ruins of 5he catholic church frm 4th century, and then started to climb Prince Mohammed Ave up to the mosque easily visible from the ship. In the middle of the day the sun appeared. I hope there will be nice view from the top!
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Jan 08, 2023 12:00 AM Safaga in Egypt...
I have been in Safaga on the Red See years ago. But now the port is much bigger... They give us the ride to the port gate and then I took a walk - first to Al Balad - south to the old quarter to see the poor beach with the nice view of our ship. There is also a little, nice mosque - the caretaker was happy to switch on the light for the rare visitor. Egyption pound is weak - for the dollar they pay 25 pounds. For one dollar you can buy as much as 5 kilos of tomatoes or 4 kilos of oranges. But the place is dirty ad all contemporary Egypt...
Then I turned to the new quarter - north of port. Nice mosque with two minarets is there. In the poor hotel they requested 1 dollar for 5 minutes of internet connection. Shame! But in front of this hotel I met the local people whe drove me to the local, atmospheric cafe where I ordered the tea and had opportunity to surf the network listening to the arab music and watching the men in galabiyas smoking shishas... Ahmad Yousuff Cafe - come and enjoy! :)
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Jan 07, 2023 12:00 AM Port of Sokhna
I got a printed birthday wishes from the cruise company. Thank you! Few people know this little port. I am here also for the first time... Nothing special indeed. This port is used to disembark passenger for the expensive, full day excursions to Cairo and the pyramids - not for me! Other passengers could use free shuttle bus to go to the "town" of Sokhna. Now I know that this option is very disappointing. The bus is crossing the dusty area of the constitution pf the freeway, oil refinery and then goes 34 kms along the coast south - not to the city, but to the coastal resort Porto Sokhna. There is a beach, cable car and restaurants. But not much to do - just a walk under the palms and possibility to take a pictures of the dry mountains. Local drivers offer round trip to Suez for 100 USD. If you wish to go there it is much better to find the lift from the parking located just off the port gate... The distance from here is only 48 kms each way. But you have to know that in advance...
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Jan 06, 2023 12:00 AM Sailing the Red Sea
Day at sea - we are heading to the Egyptian ports. The sky is blue, but a bit windy. I met aboard two great travellers from my country. They live in Warsaw and visited around 120 countries! So nice to speak Polish again. After "dry" Saudi Arabia bars are serving beers and coctails again! Egyptian immigration officers are stamping in advance ou passports... I spent some time on the sun. Inthe evening in the theater a new show "Nature". Full moon visible from my cabin...Gala evening, but the captain did not appear!
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Jan 05, 2023 12:00 AM Yanbu al Bahr
The Red Sea was not so rough and I slept well. Just after breakfast we saw the land on the horizon and an hour later we docked in the small port of Yanbu. This town is known for the activities of the famous colonel Lawrence during anti-Turkish Arab revolt in 1915. Right near the harbor is a nicely restored mini- part of the old town with the mosqoe and night market. A group of the local musicians with Arab drums were welcoming us there - see picture. Saudi coffee and dates were served. Soon I took a walk to the new town meeting people an enjoying the street scenes. The ship offered 9 hours excursion to Medina (without entering the mosques) but if costs asuch as 180 euro per person!!!
Lovely, sunny day with a blue sky. Tomorrow we have a day at sea.
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