We made our way with some confusion, and help from the local authorities, to the area we were suppose to be waiting in. This was after spending a few minutes sitting alone in an empty courtyard until we were re-directed. There were actually several waiting areas, but only one correct one - past the initial metal detector checkpoint, then through customs.
We entered a large, somewhat bleak looking depot. There were quite a few people milling about, among rows and rows of benches. A small food stand was situated right next to the public washrooms, which were being visited on a frequent basis. The floor was built on a gradual slant, slopping downward toward the exit at the bottom where most of the people were waiting. We were told not to expect much, and this turned out to be good advice. We were to be here for a few hours, which ended up extending into a few more and a few more.
The wait seemed to drag on forever, but it gave us time to chat more and get to know each other, though most of the time we simply sat there in quiet, reading or sleeping. Most of the occupants were Arab men, dressed in the traditional manner. Many were using the washrooms to wash their feet in the sink, brush their teeth, or wash their face. A truck driver from Syria had decided to meet some of us, posing for pictures with his camera and interrogating us in a friendly manner. He had asked to see the journal I was writing in, and looked through it briefly before writing his name in it for me (although now it can't seem to find this in the journal, so maybe I made this up.) Lunch consisted of a trip to the canteen for a bag of "cheese" potato chips (not bad) and a small dried out date bar. I normally won't eat anything with dates in it, so why I bought this I have no idea. Another group of tourists from the same travel company eventually arrived, and many of our group joined with them, talking and sharing stories and experiences.
After a couple hours all the tourists, which were few compared to everyone else there, were suddenly directed to the top end of the waiting area, far away from the noise and commotion near the door at the south end, which everyone else was crowded around. The segregation felt a bit odd, though we learned later that many of the locals had been waiting for up to three days to board the ferry. The atmosphere in the building did seem a bit tense and on several occasions, there would be a sudden noise, with a move and push for the exit door, whereupon the police would push everyone back, amidst some arguing and loud voices. At one point during one of these rushes toward the door, some anger erupted and police were shoving and pushing back at the crowd, apparently using their batons as well. I didn't see much of this, but heard it.
Sometime toward the evening we were directed to a large door at the north end of the building, close by where we were sitting. The door was rolled aside and we were hurried onto a waiting bus, throwing our luggage quickly into the compartments below. There were already others waiting on the bus, mostly Arab women and children from what I can remember. We were then shuttled to the dock and again hurried onto the ferry, this time throwing our luggage into a large container that would be shut and locked before sailing. The whole thing seemed frantic and a bit strange, but we were told that the tourists are loaded first, then it is a mad scramble for everyone else to the buses and then on to the boat.
We quickly found seats near the front, near groups of families and young couples. An employee came by and took our order for dinner, which was a choice of chicken or hamburger, with fries and a drink. Most of us went with chicken I think. For some reason my meal took a longer time to arrive than everyone else's, but was decent and and welcome relief after surviving off water, cheese chips and a date bar for most of the day.
Soon after boarding the boat quickly filled, and the longest continuous line I had ever seen for the men's washroom formed, which lasted well into the next couple hours (it ran down the length of our room and into the next compartment.) We had finished our meals and most of us took the opportunity to exchange our Egyptian pounds for Jordanian dinars at the convenient booth they had set up mid-ship. By the time an hour had past, we realized that we were still in port and hadn't actually departed yet. It would be almost another hour before we were sailing.
By this time I needed to use the bathroom, and luckily the line had died down. Unluckily, the washroom had been well used. The facilities were in rough condition, mostly on account of the hose that is always provided with squat toilets ensured that everything was wet, which included about an inch of dark murky water on the floor that swashed and swayed with the boat. And I was wearing flip flops.
I can't recall what I did over the next two hours, mostly I think it was sit in my seat, read my travel books and occasionally talk to others in my group who came by or sat down for a while. One of our group members shared her iPod with me so that I could hear her favorite top 40 song, while she sang along. And she did have a nice voice. By now it was dark, and after what seemed like forever we pulled into port. My memory is a bit blank about the unloading process, except that on the way out we passed one of the much used bathrooms, which had large volumes of water gushing out of it, past the half closed door and into the hallway. The next thing I recall, we were all standing on the dock in the warm late night air, being greeted by our Jordanian contact.
Robbie, our contact, was a short thickly built man in his thirties, and full of energy. He and some of the other Jordanian guides had apparently been waiting for us for hours and were just as thankful to see us as we were of them. There was some talk about our experience waiting for the boat and some discussion about the differences between Egypt and Jordan. A couple of the tour guides explained about the human rights issues that were prevalent in Egypt, and described the feelings of frustration among the large population, Cairo alone having between 17 and 18 million people.
The transfer at the boarder went well enough, but I was so tired that I partly chose to ignore an important announcement about applying for the proper Visa's for anyone eventually crossing into Israel. The one person who was, other than myself, was also returning to Jordan, whereas I would be staying in Israel, so I didn't speak up and include myself in the conversation.
On the way to the hotel, the first thing I noticed was how clean and organized everything looked. The next thing I noticed was that all the drivers followed the road markings diligently, and that there was less traffic than I had experienced in Egypt, even at 10 pm. There was also a noticeable lack of the sound of car horns.
It was a short drive to our modern looking hotel and I am embarrassed to say that I have never been so happy to see a hotel room. It was a single room, large, very clean, and had many electrical outlets. The bed was king size and comfortable, and the shower was separate from the toilet area. There was also free bottled water, coffee, and tea, plus a large television that I ended up not using. And each room had it's own air conditioning. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so grateful and relieved, after what seemed like the longest day in the world, which started at 2 am and was now nearing 11 pm. I took a shower, washed some of my clothes, and re-charged my camera batteries and electrical shaver. Then I went straight to sleep.
The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor:
thy ear hath heard the preparation of their heart
- Psalm 9:17
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