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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 27, 2012 08:00 PM 28 deg Celsius at the sunrise!
I have no window in my inside cabin but there is TV with the outside cameras installed. So in the morning I am switching on the TV to see if it is sunny or cloudy outside. They also display current position of the ship, the temperature and the course.
Can you imagine: today at sunrise (7.54 am) it was 28 deg Celsius here. It will be much warmer during the day!
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Nov 26, 2012 08:00 PM Relexing day at sea
The ship is sailing south with all passengers aboard, I believe. If you chooswe this mode of transsport you have to control the time
to be back on the ship before announced "all aboard" time. They will not wait for you! In Alexandria I saw 4 desperate passengers
staying on the jetty and shouting to the captain visible on the shipp's bridge. The ship was only 10 meters out of the jetty.
They did not returned to pick them up. Fortunately the next scheduled port: Port Said was only 170 miles away - in the same country...
We had the great sunset and the full moon rising just after.
Tonight we will cross another timezone border: we will be already 2 hours ahead of the Central Europe time.
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Nov 25, 2012 08:00 PM Hitchhiking to the Red Canyon
I haven't been to the south of Israel. The port of Eilat is just few kilometerers from Aqaba - on the opposite side of the bay,
but it is quite different world. New-paved streets, white villas, elegant cars...
In the port there was no information, butwe got good city maps. I was walking from the port to the town (about 2 kms) and turned
uphill to the beginning of the road no 12.
There are two roads going from Eilat to the north: 90 and 12. Now I know that on the road 12 - going through the mountains close to the
Egyptian border the traffic is very little and no more then 2 buses per day.
But I wanted to see Red Canyon. Out of the town the scenery became great: bare mountains of different colors. I walked up about an hour
before Russian Jewish gave me a lift. Let you know that hitchhiking is poor here. Drivers are afraid to stop the car...
We were going long time along the solid border fence. Then I have to walk about 2 kms from the highway 12 to the moutch of the canyon.
It is very narrow. Bring your hiking boots, not sandals. Red Canyon is impressive but short: 500 m maybe and not deeper than 20 m.
It is like a miniature of the bigger canyons.
Hitchhiking back to Eilat was also difficult. Finally I returned to the town around 3 pm to enjoy the Eilat beach and the elegant corniche with
the world-class hotels. Eilat short waterfront reminds me Miami Beach!
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Nov 24, 2012 08:00 PM Aqaba in Jordan
Aqaba - what an exotic name! Lawrence of Arabia was here... The only port of Jordan lies at the end of the long bay, surrounded by picturesque mountains. I have been here twice already but I it nice to walk again under the palm trees and to meet friendly local people.
After a visit to dirty Egypt, where you see plenty of garbage at every place tidy Aqaba looks nice and pleasant. I found free wi-fi connection at the local MacDonalds restaurant (yes, they have Mac too!) - just opposite the tourist office where they distrubute free maps of Aqaba.
There is free public beach just nearby and the ruins of the old fort.
Just do not talk with the taxi drivers - they are all over the world the same: they ask 25 euro for 1-hour excursion around Aqaba! You can see all places walking by foot and for free!
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Nov 23, 2012 08:00 PM From Sharm el Shaik to Naama Bay by foot...
We landed today on the southern tip of Sinai Peninsula. Sharm el Shaikh is well known Egyptian resort. Too crowdy for me, so I haven't been here before.
They took me by little tender to the coast and I decided to walk all over the way along the coast fron Sharm to the next resort - Naama Bay - by foot. 10 kms or more. Not an easy goal because you are forced to go aroun many coastal resorts.
But the coastal landscapes were very nice.
So it was worth to be here.
Let you know that just before Naama Bay you have to turn inland because the military base!
Naama Bay is overcovded place - too many shops, restaurants and local people bothering you. But to know that you have to come and see. For me: never more!
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Nov 22, 2012 08:00 PM Red Sea coast: overland Safaga to El Quseir
In the morning we docked in the Egyptian port of Safaga. Some people from the ship boarded the bus to go for the excursion to Luxor (they pay like 150 euro per person - excursions offered by Costa are very expensive!).
Taxi drivers asked for 5 euro to deliver you to the town (3kms distance).
And I was walking smiling and saying -Sshukran! to them.
Safaga famous for diving and snorkeling is clearly divided into old and new town. I turned to the old part located at the bottom of the picturesque hills...
Near Telecom building I boarded shared local minibus to Al-Quseir - the town on the coast 85 kms to the south.
Arab driver was driving like crazy through the bare desert. We reached the target after 70 minutes. It cost me 25 eg pounds (normally it is 20, but the car was not full and the driver raised the price).
Al Quseir is nicer then Safaga. It has an old fort (15 EGP Entry) nice beach, corniche and plenty of mosques and restaurants. It still has the atmosphere of the old Arab coastal town. Nice day, bu it is getting hot!
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Nov 21, 2012 08:00 PM The Suez Canal
Over 1,5 million people worked on the construction of the canal, completed in 1867. The transit through the canal lasts around 15 hours.
Ships follow each other keeping the distance of 1 nautical mile with speed of 9 knots only.
We entered canal in the night. Canal Administration decide when will be your turn because ships go through two one-way segments in convoys.
When I went to the deck in the misty morning I recognized that we are already
anchoring on the Bitter Lake, waiting with other ships for the convoy heading the opposite direction.
It was 11 am when we sailed onward. I took a good pictures of the flat Sinai Desert on the east and green settlements on the west bank.
It was nice experience. After few hours we passed close to Suez... I was surprised that the Suez town is not
on the bank of the canal - like Port Said.
It is visible in the distance, but on the bank of the canal lies Port Tawfiq - a little settlement on the tiny peninsula.
We entered Red Sea. One more dream came true - I sailed the Suez Canal. Who wants to join me on the Panama Canal cruise, dear Friends?
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Nov 20, 2012 08:00 PM Alexandria in the morning, Port Said in the evening
Welcome to Africa! We had a short stop in sunny Alexandria. I have been here before, but I did not know the part of the town around the Western Harbour - I had a chance to walk around and to take pictures. Especially the palace of the king Farouk from this side is very imposing, now it is occupied by Egyptian Navy.
In the evening we reached Port Said and I found the lonely internet cafe at the Ferial Garden - in the middle of the town. The monopolist charge 3 USD per hour - I asked for the discount and I got it!
Port Said in full of 19th century colonial architecture - I took a long walk along Corniche dotted by palms.
Very sad news was waiting in my mailbox: the great Polish globetrotter Remigiusz Mielcarek passed away. His traveller's output was comparable to mine... I respected him very much. See you there on the 8th continent Remi!
You never know when...
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Nov 19, 2012 08:00 PM Cruising the Mediteranean Sea
It was nice to recognize in the morning that the outside temeperature reached 20 deg Celsius
and we have even some blue sky...
I enjoyed some music entertiment. In the evening we had a show.
But the day at sea is for me also a chance to work - I took with me my notebook, I write and select pictures to be publish...
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Nov 18, 2012 08:00 PM Day at sea
I slept well. The Adriatic Sea is not rough, but it is still cloudy. I the the morning we passed the
coast of Albania - hardly visible on the horizon from the observation lounge up on the 14th deck.
Internet connection from the ship is available via satelite. But it is VERY expensive - you have to pay 13 euro
for 1 hour of usage - not for the budget traveller!
They brought me extra table lamp to my cabin - I have more light to read and write.
Captain's coctail party in the evening. Paparazzi will take your picture with the captain (and charge 14 euro for
this service) - if you want. For the budget travellers like me it is the chance to have for free
two glases of wine. :)
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