Jordon to Israel on SS Voyager

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Aqaba, Jordon is at the head of Red Sea and the port access to Petra, an ancient marvel requiring several hours of travel. We board our buses at 8:20 and begin the 2 ½ hour bus ride north from Aqaba, Jordon’s only Port City. Along the way we learn about this storied land, how its history and people are told in the Bible and, as we pass the road to Wadi Rum, how modern tales have been told about Lawrence of Arabia. The real Indiana Jones did explore these parts and planted the seed for the movie story filmed in Petra. Petra is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataean, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the earthquake caused Siq, a narrow gorge over a kilometer in length which is flanked on either side by soaring 80 meters-high cliffs. As you progress on a downhill slope, dodging horse carts, donkeys and camels carrying other tourists, you are alternately cooled by shaded breezes or baked by the blazing sun. You round the last corner to be presented by the stone carving of Al-Khazneh, “The Treasury”, so named for the highly placed carved urn, a supposed container of jewels and other treasure in an earlier age. This massive façade, 30 meters wide and 43 meters high, carved out of sheer, dusky pink rock face and dwarfing everything around it, was carved in the early 1^st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and represents the engineering genius of these ancient people. With the Treasury as introduction you now continue into the Petra valley to see hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings. Over 500 carved obelisks, temples, sacrificial alters and colonnaded streets have survived earthquakes and man induced destruction. It’s all the tourist can do to survive the mobile street vendors begging for your dollars with questionable merchandise to trade as you proceed through the valley. Reluctantly turning around you now have to climb the slope you came down to exit the valley and leave these monuments constructed by the Nabataen Arabs around the 6^thcentury BC. Boarding our ship we sail away to Safaga, Egypt to visit Luxor.

Luxor is an ancient capital city of Egypt on the Nile River, a 3 hours’ drive away from the Safaga port city on the Red Sea, a resort town and important for the exporting of phosphate and processed aluminum. The Red Sea gets its name from the sun’s reflection at dawn and sunset off the minerally heavy algae. The local mineral springs provide therapeutic relief for the tourists with arthritis and psoriasis while the highly saline Red Sea water is beneficial for the skin and the beaches relieve the stresses of Northern Europeans, Russians and Arabians. Our guide shared a typical Russian vacation schedule of a first day 18 hour travel to Luxor and Cairo prior to spending a week in Safaga relaxing. The road inland begins by passing through a low mountain range and then through the flatter desert occupied and controlled by the Bedouin tribes. There are frequent check points (some are manned by military) and speed bumps. Permission must be obtained to remain in their territory while they move about seeking water and the women tending their sheep and goats while the men herd the camels. Trade has always been an opportunity for the tribesmen with drug and weapons traffic modern income producers. We’re reminded of the Biblical stories of Moses and the Holy Family traveling through Egypt. Marriage within each tribe is encouraged for economic survival but it does cause heredity health problems. Pre-arranged marriage usually takes place at puberty among cousins with less dowry payments within the tribe than if the marriage involves an outsider. Each Bedouin tent has compartments for men in the front, women behind a blanket divider and storage area. Visitors are offered tea or coffee and if the first cup is accepted then multiple cups must be consumed. Meat is eaten only on special occasions since they usually sell meat for income. Because of the harsh environmental conditions life expectancy is only 68 years old. Bedoin crimes are usually over land, women or revenge. Justice is by a court consisting of a senior justice, two similarly older men assistants and 10 younger armed men to enforce the verdict.

Our guide thoroughly explains Egyptian history leading to the various pharaohs who caused the Luxor and Karnack temples to be constructed. Luxor is a city with many antiquities and the Karnack temple consists of huge columned corridors, statues, and rooms with pictographs telling stories and recounting events. Constructed over a period of 1500 years and sprawling across 100 acres, the 60,000 square foot Hypostyle Hall contains 134 hierographic-clad columns 70 feet high and 33 feet around. A 2 mile Nile side promenade, lined with sphinxes, leads south to the Temple of Luxor which displays more gigantic statues, columns and temples, including the first Coptic Christian church with pictures of Christ painted over the Egyptian gods. The promenade between the two temples is gradually being uncovered as houses built over it are removed. Our short stay in Luxor is culminated by an Arabic luncheon in a fine hotel and we board the buses for the long trip to the ship.

Since this is the end of one leg of our journey and the beginning of the next we return to our ship for a return trip to Aqaba, Jordan. This allows passengers to disembark and embark in Safaga, Egypt and then we travel to Jordon to enable the newly arrived to visit Petra after visiting Luxor. We chose to see the highlights of Aqaba, which include the local museum and aquarium plus gaze at the Saudi Arabian border (it requires a visa to enter).

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula , in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. With a population of 35,000 the city was occupied by Israel from 1967 to 1982 at which time four resort hotels were built. Now the Egyptians are proud of the 200 resort hotels on site. While Mary took a day to recoup from the many daily excursions we’ve been on, I snorkeled in the Red Sea and it was like swimming in an aquarium. The water was relatively warm and buoyant and the fish plentiful. Upon returning to the ship we were educated by Sandra Bowern on the Story of the Suez Canal and then a Public Television at Sea Lecture by Leila Fadel, Cairo Bureau Chief for NPR, enlightening us on the Arab Revolution.

The Suez Canal is an amazing nautical ditch bridging the Red Sea and Mediterranean. While some describe its passage as watching paint dry (or desert sand blow, as the case may be) I found the various buildings and construction along this vital waterway very enlightening. Given the current political situation we were not surprised to fine military personnel on duty throughout the canal but the vitality of habitats on the Egyptian side vs. the desert of the Sinai Desert on the other was pointed. It took former French consul to Egypt Ferdinand de Lesseps until Nov 17, 1869 to complete the negotiations and digging of the canal and the three week celebration of its opening included the premier of the opera Aida. Today, the Egyptian government received $300,000 for our passage (including $50,000 for tugs required) but in the early days the economics and politics of its construction almost bankrupted the country. Next stop, Haifa, Isreal.

Haifa is Israel’s third largest city and besides being attractive to tourists it is the country’s largest seaport. Nine percent of the population consists of Arabic Christians and Muslims and the World Center of the Bahai Faith with its beautiful gardens has a commanding place in the architectural mosaic of the city. Our first excursion is a drive to Mt Carmel and to Nazareth for a visit(along with thousands of other tourists) to the Basilica of the Annunciation with its under alter marker of the place where Mary was allegedly informed of her role in Jesus’ birth and to the church upon the supposed spot of Joseph’s carpenter shop. The stroll through the Bazaar was interesting with a drive through Cana to our lunch at the Nof Ginosar hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee beneath Mount Arbel and facing the Golan Heights. On to Tabgha, Capernaum, and Yardenit. Of course we visit the River Jordan with a baptismal site provided by a local kibbutz with gowns you can rent for $25 and the ubiquitous large gift shop with “genuine” articles. We did collect two bottles of Jordan River water to take home. Our final visit, before our hour drive back to the pier, is to the church built at the Mount of Beatitudes. Our guides in Israel are very knowledgeable and explain the various historical aspects of what we’re seeing with the natural bias found here of an inability to understand why the Arabs continue their violent negativism toward the Jewish State. With all the security around we feel quite safe.

The next day a two hour drives to Jerusalem provides a view from Mt Olives of the Old City and a visit to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. After a lunch of local foods we drive to the Old City for a walk along Via Dolorosa and visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Our walk past the Dome of the Rock and visit to the Western Wall brings the reality of where we are. The drive to Bethlehem is interesting since most of us had not realized it was controlled by Palestinians and has the same type of security as passing into any heavily guarded area. To visit the Church of Nativity we join the multitude of tourists in waiting in the crowded line to climb down to the under alter sacred site with its silver star. The guide takes us to his favorite shopping opportunity to complete the visit. On the way back to the ship we pass by the Golan Heights and realize just how small the country is and how conflicts can impact many people.

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