DAY 94-CRUISING RED SEA

Our position at noon today is still experiencing smooth sailing in the Red Sea.  The temperature was 82F and with 50% humidity.  Our Captain said that at around 9:30 tonight we would be hanging a right into the Gulf of Aqaba.

WHAT WE DID TODAY:
       Think I have finally caught what Rebecca has but not as bad so far.  I had to get up and take a Sudafed last night.  I'm skipping working out today as I have a long tour tomorrow.  Shortly after 8:00 this morning a "Code Mike passenger suite 1105" was announced on PA.  That is code for medical emergency.  I looked at our list of world cruise passengers as it has suite numbers on it.  Sure enough it was a couple's suite whom we know.  I later found out that Marlyn got dizzy and fell in her bathroom.  I think she will be ok but the ship's doctor is running lots of tests.  Her husband said they may take her to hospital tomorrow in Aqaba to have MRI.  Amazingly, that is the first Code Mike on the world cruise.  I say, amazingly, because of the age group of passengers on board.  Not many spring chickens here!!
       This morning I watched two of yesterday's lectures on tv that were taped.  One was on the history of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus by Professor Jodi Magness.  It was very interesting as she talked a mile a minute to cover as much as she could in just the 45 minutes allotted her.
       This afternoon we watched the movie, "Lawrence of Arabia".  This 1962 film starring Peter O'Tool, Alec Guiness, and Omar Sharif was filmed at Wadi Rum near our destination port for tomorrow, Aqaba, Jordan.  I did at tour of Wadi Rum which is actually a desert back in 2013.
       Back by popular demand is my "Meet the Crew" segment.  I managed to interview 4 of our crew members this morning.  This is hard to do as they are always working.
       Last night's "Ancora" group show was again most excellent!!  Comedian is back tonight for his second show.  We did not go to his first show so not sure about this one either.
       We will be docking tomorrow morning at in Aqaba from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.  My tour, "Ancient Petra" is scheduled to be 9 hours and departs at 7:45 am.
                       


MEET THE CREW:

This is Ella.  She is a 28 year old from Bali and has worked for Regent since 2012.  Her position here is as a waitress in the Compass Rose restaurant.  She has a boyfriend back in Bali and when home on vacation she takes care of her 94 year old grandfather who had a stroke and is paralyzed on one side. She has a birthday coming up on April 20th.

 This is Giorgio who is a 20 year old from the Philippines.  This is his first contract with Regent and is a deck steward.  He takes care of the pool deck lounge chairs, picks up our messes, and serves drinks.  He said his parents worked for Royal Caribbean cruise line and his siblings are also working on cruise ships.  I asked how many wives he had and he laughingly said, "Just one girlfriend at home".

This is our favorite waiter in Compass Rose, Mario.  He has a loyal following of us passengers so you have to get to dining room early or his tables will be full already.  He worked for Radisson cruises for 8 years and now 8 more years with Regent.  (Regent bought Radisson 8 years ago).  He is 45 and has a wife and 2 kids at home in the Philippines.  They are 21 & 23 years old.  When on vacation at home he supplements his income by driving for a Uber like company using his own car.

This lovely lady is Reynadel.  She is 26 years old and from the Philippines.  She is a suite stewardess on our deck and responsible for cleaning and caring for 12 suites by herself.  She worked for a German cruise line for 2 years before coming to Regent and this is her first contract which is nearly a year long.  Her boyfriend also works on this ship.