SUEZ CANAL

SUEZ CANAL    5 APR 11

This being a two-canal trip, comparisons are in order.  The lush green of Panama as opposed to the dusty brown of Egypt; No locks in Suez, ocean to ocean; both have lakes for holding areas and both are one way at a time.  Here, the ships go through as a convoy, 10-4 rubber ducky style.  Also here people can be found anywhere along the way, usually smiling and waving.  In Panama, there are “viewing stands” at several locations. 

I don’t know what the Egyptian defense budget is but again, 20’ towers with armed guards all along.  There are military bases everywhere along the route.  The west bank of the canal is green and fertile, a result of Nile River irrigation.  The east bank is barren desert.  The majority of homes seen in this area are in a state of construction.  No home seems to be complete and there is a reason for this.  Once the home is complete it is subject to taxes.  By living in an unfinished home, these taxes are avoided.  This should be an insight to how government hasn’t worked.

Towards the northern end of the canal looms a huge, newly built bridge, connecting Africa with Asia, built by the Japanese for Egypt in a token of friendship.  This obviously prior to the economic slowdown.  Has this new bridge affected the ferry traffic at this location?  NO WAY!  As we watched for traffic on the bridge, little could be observed.  A couple of trucks and the occasional car traversing from the populous west side to the barren east side.  Right next to the bridge was a ferry serving the same purpose of getting from one side to the other.  The vehicle lineup for the ferry was at least a mile long with truck after truck bumper to bumper waiting.  I might add that this ferry could only handle one truck at a time so the wait had to be several hours for those in the back of the line.  Obviously the charge for using the bridge is so overbearing that a two hour wait is still economically worthwhile.  Either that or the vehicles are seriously overloaded and unable to meet weight restrictions.

Ashdod tomorrow!