Sally the camel has two humps...

I’ve said this a couple billion of times this past week but “is this real life?” I feel like I’m in a dream. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be working on a cruise ship and cruising Europe/Middle East. Pinch me. Wake me up because I still believe I’m dreaming. The other day, I was able to see one of the wonders of the world – the Giza Pyramids in Egypt.

The whole experience was amazing and the culture there is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced.  They set up little huts to sell their products and you could be driving on the highway and people are set up in little huts on the side of the road. When you do intereact with them, they are in your face trying to sell you something and if you tell them no thanks, there will be another group two seconds later trying to sell you their statue or postcard. My manager and I got separated from the other shoppees on the bus so it was literally us two the entire time. My favourite memory so far on this trip has been in Egypt. It was when we got off the bus I told my manager to give me his camera so I can take a picture of him in front of the camel and pyramid. As he is posing, we had a guy that randomly came up to him and started wrapping a scarf around his head and insisting him to get on the camel so I can take a picture. My manager told him no thanks but they do not take no for an answer and they literally lifted him onto the camel and kicked it and the camel shot up like a transformer and now he’s in the air on a camel trying to get down. Meanwhile, I’m standing in shock and laughing at the same time and while I’m laughing,  I had the guy grab my manager’s camera away from me and told me to get on the camel as well and I was arguing for a good 3 minutes trying to grab the camera back. They finally said “I just take picture” and so I said fine. I didn’t get on the camel but they wrapped this scarf around my head and took a picture. I said thank you and walked away. He started chasing me down and saying I owed him “5 dolla” for taking the picture. Finally after arguing with them for 10 minutes, my manager gave him a dollar and they left us alone. Writing this story does no justice...I tell it better in person but even then that doesn’t compare. I need to get the picture from my manager. By the way, they do this because this is how they steal people’s camera; I’ve heard 2 people that had their camera stolen from the same experience.

 

I didn’t do too much in Israel but shop. We joined the cruise too late to book any tours and we were still in training so we didn’t have much free time. Now that training is over (I think), we can have more of a schedule and have more time to do tours. We finished the holy tour and now we are touring around Italy, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Malta and Montenegro. We left Naples today and are in Rome tomorrow to pick drop off the passengers and pick up the new ones. By the way, I had a Canadian Couple that I met on the ship while working come into my shop today and ask for a picture with me. I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. ;) (Anchorman- for everyone who didn’t understand my movie reference).

Well this is my entry and sorry for the short update but that’s all I have for now. Because work is the same old; long hours and my feet kill me but I know this too shall pass.

Until next time...

 

~A~