Last Boat Offshore on the Red Sea?

As the weeks roll down, we question whether any local adventures will be the last one for Walden's crew while still in the Magic Kingdom?
It is now the end of August, still very hot, and an opportunity for at least one more trip by boat for an offshore dive in the Red Sea. This time we would be snorkeling, as the skipper is still concerned over the health of his left knee. This will be the first time to don fins since late 2012.

We leave early, being picked up by transportation at 0645 to be taken to the marine & dive facility in North Jeddah.

The trip took us out of the inlet (Obhur) in North Jeddah passing boats of old and new design, and of course luxurious homes, before checking out with the Coast Guard, and heading to the open sea.

We were fortunate on this trip to run into a pod of dolphins, both on the out going trip as well as returning home. They proved to be difficult to photograph as they played in the waves moving at great speed. What majestic creatures. Maybe a symbol of good luck for what may be our last offshore boat trip into the Red Sea during this tour of duty.

Heading offshore we looked at the horizon as we left the sight of land. Offshore there is a string of coral reefs, or outcroppings, that proved difficult to see, many not properly charted on the GPS map. Boats tend to moor on the edge of these reefs. They would be difficult to see at night or during a storm, hence the evidence as shown by the number of sunken wrecks that divers frequent.

Before venturing in for a dive, a short note on some equipment.
The fins below show the difference between snorkeling fins (the smaller ones) and my SCUBA fins (the longer ones) - the aims & effort for propulsion are different. Today we would be snorkeling.

 

Cameras for underwater photography also come in different breeds.
Our friend Des (first image) holds his expensive & large semi professional camera - below that is the image of my much smaller and simpler apparatus.
Clearly our aims are different.

In any event we all get wet the same way, by jumping off the stern.

I watched the SCUBA divers descend, before we headed to the face of the reef to carry out a shallow water perusal.

The Admiral ready to join me on the face of the reef.
Being late summer the water was very warm, almost like a bath in places, but feeling the intermittent swirling of cooler currents was refreshing and welcome.

Between the second and third opportunity to dive (between two locations) we had a nice break for lunch. We always enjoy this break, to rest, socialize, and look out over the blue water - one of the pleasures of anchoring offshore, away from the urban landscape.

Clearly the sun has its effects, even being cautious and using the shade as much as possible.

 

 Eventually we head back, each trip to and from shore taking over an hour, but enjoying the peace of being on the water.

When we eventually leave the magic Kingdom these will be some of the opportunities we will clearly miss.
Having the coral reefs, warm water, and great visibility at one's doorstep has been a great bonus during this tour of duty.

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Now 89 Days and Counting.

Einstein was right - time is relative.
Today it is now 89 days until our last day of employment in the Magic Kingdom. Now into two digit numbers.
Although the days are the same length, time here is relative in another sense.
Staying for three years (in a contract) is not the same as at home.
My initial contract had a start date of September 28, 2010 - so three years later would be September 27 or 28, 2013 right?
No, not in the Magic Kingdom.
Here years are measured in the Arabic Calendar, which is based on the Lunar month, or the "monthly" cycle of the moon.
Pay days are carried out at the beginning of each lunar month - so with each month it becomes an earlier date on the calendar, if based on the Gregorian calendar which we use at home. When a "full moon" is seen, it is mid way between pay cycles. As everyone in the Kingdom is paid on the same day you can see the scenario at the bank machines? And do they plan for this and put  in enough cash? You make the conclusion.
So three years later after the start on September 28th, the "third year" ends 33 days sooner (11 days per year, as the Lunar month is shorter than the Gregorian month) thus becoming August 25th.
So my nearly "three month extension" of my third year of contract that I requested will put my last working day on November 20th (or just under "two months" after three Gregorian years here).
Make sense?
In any event, as of today there are 89 days (all being 24 hours) to our last day of employment - and now counting, as the "packing process" will have to seriously start, until the final day when we "Exit Only" (as the Visa will state on our passports).
A thought for the day.

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Adriatic Fjord & Waterfront in Montenegro.

This will conclude the three part series on this Blog site for the trip to Croatia and Montenegro, both bordering on the Adriatic Sea.
The trip to Montenegro was by bus running South along the coastline of this blue edged highway. We had to clear Customs & Immigration, as the old Yugoslavia had split into several independent countries, Croatia and Montenegro now being separate entities.
Montenegro now continues to grow as a tourist destination, particularly for Russians with direct flights from their homeland. There are many more sandy beaches along this stretch of coast compared to Croatia which remains mainly rocky. The country is also known for much of the setting for the filming of the relatively recent James Bond movie "Casino Royale".
This locale has also become a draw for entertainers & concerts.
But we were here to take in its vistas.

The first vista was seen while running along the edge of what some have called the southernmost fjord in Europe, the Gulf of Kotor.

We eventually arrived at the town of Kotor itself situated at the bottom of the Gulf of Kotor. This site was originally inhabited by the Romans, subsequently controlled by the Venetians who built the fortifications, hence the Italian influence. It apparently is one of the best preserved medieval towns and hence has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An image of the wall fortification running up the hillside, and a steep slope it was - not quite the Great Wall of China but still impressive. There were no attempts to walk it on our part!

The old Cathedral was interesting showing evidence of several eras.

          The town itself was remarkably well preserved.

     Outside the walls the modern world is not far away.

We subsequently left the Gulf and headed down the Adriatic coast where many beaches were apparent unlike the mostly rocky shores of Croatia.

The town of Budva has been coined "little Russia" due to the large numbers of Russian tourists. It was a good place to have lunch eating some local food (eg. a pork filet stuffed with ham & cheese) along with a cold beer. The section of the "old town" was quiet but quite gentrified, likely for the benefit of visitors wishing to unload some cash.

Finally we make it back to Dubrovnic as the sun is receding.

Montenegro was an interesting country to visit with a different feel than its neighbor where we were based. Somewhat more laid back, a less frentic feel as a visitor, but again our visit was short.
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