APRIL 3, 2008 – SAFAGA

I think we are now very sensitive to the ship’s movements. I woke about 4:10 and the ship was not moving. About 4:40 am (Ed was awake too) I looked outside and you could see a line of lights along the shore on the starboard side. I believe this is the East Bank of the Red Sea; not surprisingly, Ed thinks it’s the harbor lights as we go into the harbor.
Ed had a chance to call Mike and share information that is difficult to convey in emails. We will not always have a phone signal on this trip but we have packed our charger for the Treos just in case. I think folks are used to not having us around by now. No emails, no messages. Boo Hoo.
I took my shower and did my hair; it’s hard to maintain my hair on tours so this will probably be the last time I try to make it look decent. If I’m lucky, the wind will be blowing every time a camera is around. Ha. Otherwise, it will risk mechanical malfunction.
It is so much nicer when we have enough time before our tour leaves to take our time and be at the meeting place on time. Usually you’re better off to get there a little early so you don’t wind up bringing up the rear.

APRIL 2, 2008 – SAFAGA TOMORROW AND OVERLAND

It was hard to get out of bed this morning; the book club meets today to discuss the book Into the Wild, which was made into a movie as well. So I stayed up til midnight finishing it. I don’t know if I’d want to see the movie. I guess I’d want to hear others talk about it before I could decide. This is a true story and so sad and unnecessary is that young man’s death.
So Ed went to breakfast and I finished my morning “getting ready” tasks. Then I went to see what was on sale in the atrium today and to the library to see if Amber was there so I could return the book; she is busy preparing for the exercise this morning. I walked outside on the running track and the ocean was so gorgeous, a deep blue, and the wind was so brisk. The sun is shining with clear skies. So I went to the Cabaret Lounge and hope Ed figures out that I’m already there for the
PASSENGER AND CREW EMERGENCY DRILLS: We were to assemble in our muster station with our life jackets for this drill. They have this well organized with various folks having their titles on their baseball caps of different colors, which themselves denote a job.
But they did something different today. 150 of us were to participate in a mock “abandon ship” exercise; Ed and I were among the last to be directed to join the “crockadile line” to the portside promenade deck for an abandon ship routine. We didn’t really step into the lifeboats because we are going too fast and the sea is higher than is safe. The astronaut Rusty Schweikert was right behind Ed and I. I had my camera with us and started taking some photos; the staff in front of us took the camera and snapped our photo. Then others asked me to take theirs, and eventually Chuck and Marianna asked to have their photo with Schweikert. So I downloaded those photos and put them on a flash drive to give to folks so they could have their own copies. I’ll try to upload the silly photo of Ed and I in our lifejackets.
TRIVIA: The group dynamics are getting better though there are kinks now and then. I came up with Kuwait as the answer to: what country has borders with Saudi Arabia and Iraq. I stuck to my guns on this one. Another one I should have hung in there for was the site of the first hominids astra something or other. It sounded like Australian and so some in our group hung in there for Australia. It was wrong of course; it’s Africa. Anyway, there were others like this; we all have those experiences now and then.
Well, you won’t believe it: we tied with 3 other groups. So their was a tie breaker: According to a survey, how many times a day does the average American open the refrigerator door? Several of us said 20; Ed had 21 and on the theory that perhaps the number closest to the correct one would win, we opted for 21. The guesses from all the groups were: 21, 22, 40, and 80. the staff member is from Argentina and she remarked that the 40 and 80 guesses reflected Americans eating habits. The correct answer was 22! So, can you believe it, again we’re # 2. It was Father’s group who won: officially called the “nice people”, but as he tells us, among themselves, they are the “geniuses.” The prizes were water bottles. Well you know we’ve all determined that they leak. Father offered me one and I tried to gracefully decline without discouraging future offers. This set off a funny discussion among us. I told the staff member that our group should at least get a consolation prize for coming so close. She said she’d give me a hug and I told her that was even better. These kids are so much fun.
LUNCH: I went to lunch with Ed. The waiter misunderstood him and put us at a table by ourselves. I don’t mind this but Ed definitely wants to be around other people. The food was good as usual; I had vegetable paella which was especially tasty.
Before the next event in the Lounge, I struck up a conversation with a lady while we were waiting for sodas at the bar. She asked about the dynamics in the groups. It seems her group has at least one “problem” member and at least one other whose sense of others is very lacking. Our group is getting better at least.
SEND IN THE ELEPHANTS: The opera impresario regaled us with stories about Verdi and Aida; we are after all, soon to be in the Suez Canal and Aida was composed for the opening of the Cairo Opera House which was built to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal. He’s funny, irreverent, and yet sets up the clips so that you enjoy them no matter what you think of the opera.
BOOK CLUB: I promised Amber I’d drop in for a few minutes at least; this club meets from 2-4 and we always have great speakers at this time. There were 20 or more folks in attendance; many had run up from the opera lecture and would be leaving early to get to the next lecture. The observations and remarks were all interesting except for one man who sees the world in black and whites. The filter he used for his analysis was the “rotten parents” prism; he has taken in foster children and obviously still nurses scars from his own childhood. No amount of very polite remarks could get through to him. He KNOWS he’s right. This was a great opportunity for many of us quietly leave and return for the next lecture.
The next book is The Grapes of Wrath. I think I’ve read it in years past, so I’ll finish Rashi’s daughters: Miriam and I think I’ll give it to a Jewish lady on board who would enjoy it. She had never heard of Maggie Anton and this series until we discussed it. She lives in Thousand Oaks coincidentally. This way I will have a slight bit less weight going back.
PORT TALK: SUEZ CANAL: This was again given by the young fellow I mentioned yesterday. He is a very talented presenter; again he used google earth and he must have found a way to store the files on his hard drive because the download time on this ship is too slow for him to do what he does in these lectures. He was very skilled in avoiding the land mines in the discussion of the politics around the building of the Canal and the subsequent politics of it. We left early to get to Trivia whose location was changed for this afternoon since there was a bridge building contest in the usual location.
TRIVIA: One of the men didn’t show up, so we were only 5. Still we came in…I know I don’t need to tell you again. Ed was the scribe this time. There was at least one question where we didn’t have a clue as to the correct answer but on some others the correct answer had been suggested and rejected. Oh well. But for that little hitch, we would have won the….can covers.
Sid was as good as his word (well, we did tease him into it): he brought a chilled bottle of champagne and had made arrangements with one of the wait staff to bring chilled champagne glasses so we could all enjoy a glass. Well it turned out to be at least one and a half to two glasses per person. It was fun just to visit and laugh about nonconsequential things. After Sid and Elizabeth left, we visited with Mary for a while. While discussing the drill this morning, we mentioned that we knew one couple who were plotting to avoid it; apparently this is their modus operandi. We had heard from someone earlier today that on one ship this happened, and there was a knock on their door and it was the Captain bringing them to the exercise. Today the Captain sent someone out to the pool area to round up the lounge lizards up there to show up for the drill. Right on I say. These folks would be the ones holding up the rest of us who know what we’re supposed to do.
By the way, I mentioned the crockadile walk but I didn’t tell you what it is. On the back of your life jacket is a loop; the person behind you is to hold onto this loop and follow you out. Likewise the person behind them. Every 13th person, a staff member is inserted into the line with a numbered paddle for you to follow. Pretty neat actually except when there’s a great disparity in height between two people.
ANOTHER HOUR! Hallelujah! And we’ll surely use it because our tour leaves at 6:40 am. Yeech. The buffet opens at 5 am we were told. 300 people are leaving the ship between 6 and 7 in the morning. 53 of that number are us folks on the overland trip.
DINNER: Dave and Twyla ate in the buffet this evening as they had an invitation to an event at 6:30 pm. So it was Ed, Lea, Bill and I. Most of the discussion was about the appalling conditions in India and plans for the overland. They are going privately but apparently their tour is exactly like ours. I don’t know if they will be joined by others but I do know their arrangements were made by another fellow.
PACKING: Yuk! To avoid unpleasant beginnings to journeys, I simply put out my clothing and let Ed pack however he wants. He suggested two check on bags in addition to our backpacks. I firmly but quietly said (Hell) no. It’s only 4 days and 3 nights for gods sake. You’d think we were provisioning for the outback of Australia…..alone.