Last night we saw our first ugly Australian. We were enjoying the guitarist - pictured earlier - when suddenly it was like fireworks going off. It was his guitar and it had shorted - he said it was the third time it happened. We had made friends with him earlier, a nice young British guy, and he was clearly upset. But then he moved to the grand piano. There were maybe eight people seated near him and we and about 5 others at the bar listening. He then asked for requests which he did. A more retiring couple asked for Come Away with me, which he played and sang beautifully and they were delighted. He then was in the middle of another song when the Ugly Aussie thought he'd play something very loudly on his phone, then his mate did the same. I thought it was a ring tone at first but it continued. I called out - Mute is a good thing, at the same time the pianist by now, simply stopped playing and looked at him. Which was very gutsy of him to do. Finally Ugly turned it off and he continued playing. But pianist was very rattled and apologetic. At which time MrP, bless him, went up to the pianist and congratulated him and got the two quieter gents to come up and wish him well. One of them said they had been a couple for over 25 years and it was the first time he'd seen his partner singing to music. At which point we left. MrP was thanked by the others in the bar as we left. What a jerk. That someone could deliberately sabotage a performers act is pathetic.
)
5 Phew - but our neighbours - come to guest services urgently. Then the ships horn. Blasted. Three times. It was well past All aboard time. Next thing we see our neighbours walking fast, but the old guy barely moving - to get to the gangway. Which had just been taken away. 
. Next thing a car was sent screaming along the jetty to collect them. Today is the day we line up for the Suez Canal transit and we have to get to the meeting point at the designated time. Costs our ship around $400,000 USD whether we make it or not.
. But I recovered.
All over Egypt.
