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Safaga, Egypt, November 11


Well, I’m a bit light on for news today - I’ve picked up a cold, probably due to the coughing ‘symphony in x-minor’ of people on the bus in Jerusalem a couple of days ago.  So unless I talk about what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there’s not a lot to say!!! I did have a small tour booked, a Red Sea Beach Break , total of about 5 hours, at the Sheraton Soma Bay.  George went and said it was quite a nice resort but that the tide was out and he had to walk a long way to get past his knees! 

A lot of passengers have left the ship for an overnight in Luxor, and others are flying there early tomorrow morning for the day.  G has a full day tour to the Valley of the Kings, I think about 13 hours.  We are here overnight, the port itself is unimpressive and no port shop nearby.  I didn’t arrange anything for tomorrow, will buy a postcard!! 

I must say it was very enjoyable being on the ship today with more that 3/4 of the guests on tours.  

Have just had our daily edition of Passages delivered and although I’m not doing anything in Egypt I thought it might be interesting to add a few facts about the area.  Like many other Egyptian cities, Luxor is heavily dependent upon tourism.

Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane, and making pottery for domestic use.  To make up for shortfalls of income many cultivate their own food such as goat’s cheese, pigeons, home-baked bread and home grown tomatoes, all commonplace among residents. A controversial tourism development plan aims to transform Luxor into the biggest open air museum.  The master plan envisions new roads, five star hotels, glitzy shops and an IMAX theatre,  the main attraction is an 11 million dollar project to unearth and restore the 2.7 kms Avenue of Sphinxes that once linked Luxor and Karnak temples.  The ancient processional road was built around 400 BC and was lined with over a thousand sphinx statues. It was covered by silt, homes, mosques and churches.  Excavation started about 20 years ago and then in 2019 the Egyptian government announced the discovery of a previously unopened coffin in Luxor dating back to the 18th dynasty of Upper and Lower Egypt.  

I smile when I think of what people might unearth 2000 years from now - Starbucks coffee cups, iPhones, Collingwood footy scarves …….the list goes on!!!

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