Day 27

Day 27 – Salalah, Oman - Safaga, Egypt. Monday 11/6/12

Weather – Fine and Sunny 31C - 34C

Sunrise – 6.31am

Sunset – 7.27 pm

Time difference - minus 6 hours ex Sydney.

At about 10.30pm last night we passed 42 miles south of Aden, and an hour later we cleared the IRTC (Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor) through the Gulf of Aden. Sun Princess is now heading on a north westerly course through the Red Sea. At around 7.30am this morning we transited through the Bab al Mandeb and passed the island of Jazirah al Hanish al Kabir 2 miles to the starboard. We followed the local traffic separation scheme west of the island. Jazirah al Hanish al Kabir, known as Greater Hanish, is the largest of the Hanish Islands. The island is under the jurisdiction of Yemen, however in December 1995 a 3 day conflict took place between Eritrea and Yemen over the governing rights. Tomorrow morning, at about 10am, we will pass Jeddah 65 miles starboard.

We have now completed 26 days of this cruise of a lifetime, which means we are a quarter way through now. This next sector up to Dover is the one that we have anticipated the most, with Egypt, Jordan, Suez, Mediterranean, and up the coast to Dover. It is all new sites for us, and we are just bubbling with anticipation.

We have met so many nice people on board which has just added to the enjoyment. Friendships are being forged, acquaintances abound, and new people met every day, just make for nice day, every day.

Another of those hectic sea days where one gets very busy doing nothing. It has actually been good to be able to make some good headway into my book (Book 3 of the Game of Thrones – A storm of swords – steel and snow). I just dont seem to have been able to get a run at it with all the socialising , shocking huh :) Last couple of days I have secreted myself away for a stretch, and absorbed the book.

Hooray, I was able to do some exercise today. The foot is healing, but I still took it cautiously with non weight bearing stuff in the gym, weights, cycle etc. Only did 45 mins, but at least it was something – good for the mind. I am staying away from the pool for another few days yet, I want to keep it dry now that it is on the mend, these feet are going to be doing some walking over loose terrain through Egypt and Jordan, so no risks to be taken.

Donna started the day with a one hour massage – a very relaxing start:) I think Donna may be the only person on the ship to have lost weight since we left Sydney. She has reasonably disciplined with the food, and been fairly active aboard. She is feeling the clothes are not as tight as they were a couple of weeks ago, and a few folk have made some nice comments, so she will have to check out what the scales say.

We did not see much of each other during the arvos as she goes off and does her things, as I do mine. We do have difficulty finding each other at times, but we usually meet up in the cabin when its time to prepare for dinner, which again was lovely.

Much anticipation aboard about our next stop, Safaga, which is our gateway to The Valley of the Kings. Not really looking forward to the 3+ hour drive each way, but from what I understand it is well worth it.

After dinner movie, Man on a Ledge , up on the big outdoor screen rounded out another relaxing day aboard.