During this World Voyage, there have been several periods of consecutive sea days, giving a truer impression of the distance travelled. Boredom was never a problem. The sea is always a joy to observe, the ever-changing shades of blue, grey, and green, the rare sightings of sea life and the ever-changing sky scape above. I never tire of the more common sightings of flying fish, but do feel sorry for them when predatory bird life is in pursuit!
Today, regrettably, is the sixth of six consecutive sea days, the final such period of this voyage. There are a number of sea days in groups of one or two until the end of the cruise.
Tomorrow, we call at Aqaba. The trek to the Lost City of Petra promises to be the highlight of the entire voyage. Certainly, the ancient remains are spectacular and of great importance; any opportunity to visit this site should be taken. I do wonder if I am wise undertaking this long journey, given that it is not a year since my myocardial infarction and subsequent quadruple bypass operation.
QM2 made a second diversion due to a medical emergency today. As at Dakar at the start of this voyage, we came as close as possible to where a rescue vessel transferred the patient to the nearest suitable hospital. It is to be hoped of a good outcome. It is commendable that medical and other staff accompanied the patient to the hospital and will re-join QM2 at Aqaba. Obviously, there was no indication of the nature of the emergency. An “on-time” arrival at Aqaba, tomorrow, was still assured, but to achieve this, QM2 was put through her paces from last night to the time of writing and beyond.
Since establishing this blog at the beginning of January, I still feel as if I may have not given quite the best of accounts regarding travelling on a Cunard voyage. I have posted several interior and other views which with brief descriptions do give some idea.
When I arrive home in a little over two weeks, I shall have had “the time of my life”. How could I not have; for seventeen weeks, I will have visited over twenty countries, been fed, and waited on hand and foot. I have missed the worst of the worst winter in decades; it didn’t matter to me that between Mauritius and Freemantle, it wasn’t exactly a heatwave. Would I travel again on a world cruise? You bet! Value for money? may be not in the expensive seats, but I feel the £1.74 per mile does feel like exceptional value in the inside stateroom.
More brief comments soon.
All the best,
David
David's Cruise 