Red Sea and Carol Thatcher

Thursday, April 02, 2009 – at sea into the Red Sea, passing Yemen and Ethiopia
Hazy and humid and hot

Walked and swam and went to the fitness center! Carol Thatcher, daughter of Baroness (ex-Prime Minister) Margaret Thatcher, is onboard as a lecturer. Her lecture: “Life in the Political Goldfish Bowl” filled the Royal Court Theatre. Carol is a British journalist and was on British TV and was elected “Queen of the Jungle” due to a contest where she had to live off the outback in Australia for a week…(some of that was lost on the Americans…). She is a very good speaker, has a voice like her mother which projects (!) and presented several comedic stories from her Mother’s political career, which began when Carol was 6 years old. After a fun lunch with friends, we saw the new James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” -- my way to spend an afternoon! Great fun. After trying to resolve some computer issues (not quite resolved yet), we had a nice dinner and then the RADA group presented “FUMED OAK and RED PEPPERS”. It is Country and Western Night and there is star gazing again (Yeah!!). We saw the moon and Saturn and its rings and Titon, its moon.

We have had to declare our cameras for Egyptian customs! They want the type, name and serial number of each camera being taken into the country. First request I have ever had for this type of information!

Lectures: “Diamonds and Ammolite”; “Queen Victoria star gazing – a tour of the Arabian skies over the Queen Victoria”; “Postcards Home – Glimpses of a Vanished World”.