After our day in Petra, our off-the-ship vacation had to come to an end. We had thoroughly enjoyed our three weeks on our own, but getting back to the ship felt kind of like going home. The ship has become a little community. We have friends there, now. We were ready to go back and find out what had been happening in our absence.
Our first challenge of the day was getting ourselves back on the ship. We had a car and driver arranged to take us on the hour-and-a-half trip to Aqaba, the port town. From there we managed to find the shuttle to the port. We were welcomed back on board by our new friends, but all was not well. It seems that the cruise line was unable to handle the immigration transactions necessary for us to leave Jordan legally. Oops! We weren’t even supposed to be in the port, much less on the ship. The situation was quickly resolved without undue stress. The port agent drove us to an immigration office at the port, disappeared with our passports, and reappeared ten minutes later with a big smile on his face. All was well. We were driven back to the ship with one more story to tell.
Within a few hours of our return to the ship, we left Aqaba to head for the Suez Canal. It took a full day to get to the canal, and most of another day to sail through.
It is interesting to watch Egypt pass by. There are a few good-sized towns, and a lot of small outposts along the canal. The world’s longest bridge spans the canal, too.
It was an interesting and relaxing day, cruising through Egypt without getting off the ship. Oh, by the way, we met Pharaoh, too.
Blessings,
