OMG, how long has it been since i had something to write about!!! If truth be told, I have to admit to a bout of laziness on my part also, but no more, as i'm once again at a point where i don't quite know where to begin this chapter.
If i go back to early October, we were just leaving Bergen (Norway) and the more and more unpleasant North Sea. Must say I wasnt the slightest bit sad to turn my back on the place, as temperatures chilled me to the bone during out port call in preparation for the ship's departure to india. On our way out of port, the beautiful scenery went some way to compensating for the many nights of light sleep due to the weather. The many fjords we passed were simply breathtaking and blended into the golden sunset as we sailed out to sea.
The next week took us through the English channel, along the spanish coast into the mediterranean through the straight of Gibraltar. Seeing the cliffs of dover and glimpses of the southern spanish coast were like blinks of the summer gone by in reverse. Slowly the temperatures became more bearable as we now had passed the relatively new shipwreck of Gibraltar and were past Malta on our way to Suez. Our passage through the canal, took almost an entire day, and again I was put off by the custom of the place. The hagglers screaming to get your attention, not letting lose, but instead angry and homicidal when not taken notice off. The massive oil slick on the water in parts of the canal goes unreported, as it would only be another reason for the authorities to hold up the vessel and charge extortionate fines for something that the local work practices are completely ignorant of. Like everyone else, i turned a blind eye, not wanting to be on the ship any longer than it was already taking.
Lovesick as I was, the days were seemingly never ending at times, but had nice distractions nonetheless. Like a couple of afternoons that had schools of dolphins chase our vessel's bow through the water, and a barbeque party on the rear deck on the final weekend of the trip. The sunset that day was breathtaking, as the sun appeared a huge red fireball over sketches of the massive sanddunes of Somalia as we were transiting the red sea onto our port of call in Salalah, Oman. Where was that again...I hear you! Had no idea myself really, but don't worry, though praised as a tourist hotspot, it wasn't exactly a place i would spend my holiday dollars. Firstly there was the guys from customs, intent on withholding our passports, until the company paid a 'little' bribe. Then the chaos at the airport the ensuing day, where lines intertwined and the concept of lining up at the end of the line, was unheard of by many of the locals. Not to mention that some pieces of luggage, such as a great big 'move your entire household' type suitcase does not qualify as handlugge. Yep, the isles of the plane were jammed with people's suitcases and more, as everybody brought just about everything but the kitchen sink onto the plane. And that was only the start!!! I had something like 6 flights to get back to oz. Thankfully Dubai and Bangkok were more tranquill experiences and i finally arrived back in Brisbane 2 days after leaving the boat.
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