30 October 2022 Aqaba, Jordan Day 1, by Barbara Cummings

Today is Sunday.  I first woke about 6am to the ship sounds.   ? Thrusters ? Preparing to dock?  Back to sleep for a while.  Clocks moved forward last night, resulting in my adding 7 hours to what my watch says.

Jordan required a face to face passport inspection this morning, followed by our front desk staff collecting our passports in exchange for a receipt.  This all happened out on the dock. It is a gray and overcast morning.
Many people are headed out to Petra and Wadi Rum today.  (Jack & I visited Petra a few years ago.)  I will explore the city of Aqaba, Jordan later today.

I went back onboard and went to the Main Dining Room for breakfast.  It was not very full.  I ordered figs and pineapple and Dungeness Eggs Benedict with honey glazed ham to go with my coffee and orange juice.  I did not expect a plateful of pineapple.  Excellent breakfast.  Photographed the menu.

Today’s Interdenominational Service will be 6pm during my fixed dinner.  So I watched my home church’s Sunday Service from last week online on my iPad.  

At 11am I went out to take the shuttle bus downtown to Municipality Square.  A number of happy crew members also went downtown.  I enjoyed the scenery through the bus window. Missed photos of a picture of the King of Jordan and of the impressive Mosque.  Since Friday is their holy day, garbage trucks were making their rounds today.
The Municipality Square shuttle stop is near McDonald’s.  I saw a City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off bus at the square, which would be a good way to see the scattered sights of the city.  I was happy just to stay on the bus and return to the ship at 1pm.
Since today is a day of rest, it is time for a nap.
Nice relaxing afternoon to enjoy the internet and read some blogs.

My dinner was the Mezze Plate, Greek Mousaka, Carrot Cake, Beringer’s White Zinfandel, and decaf coffee.
Dining Steward Suda thanked me for sharing part of my box lunch dinner with him last night.  (Too much food)  He shared that he will leave the ship in Cape Town to return to his family in Bali, Indonesia.  He has two houses in Bali.  His parents live in the one in northern Bali.  His wife and children aged 5 and 3 live in the Capitol City.  
Assistant Dining Manager Subatra lives high in the hills of Bali where temps stay in the 60’s.  He started out as a dishwasher and worked his way up.  He bought the land that his parents worked on.  His son recently graduated as a Medical Doctor.  Now his daughter is studying to be a Medical Doctor.  He was recently home for two months, and  and is now in a five month contract to work on the ship.

No stage show tonight.  Many people are on overnight tours.  Tonight I will get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s tour.
Tight security in this part of the world.  No binoculars allowed ashore in Egypt or Jordan.  No photos of military.  New today is that private tours must unload at the downtown shuttle stop, not at the port gate.
Two chocolates tonight.  🙂