"On the Suez canal" a Ismailia Travel Page by uglyscot

We stayed outside Ismailia at the Sporting village. I thought there'd be things to do , but was told that the pool wasn't open , and anyway women couldn't use it.
I couldn't walk around the grounds all day, even though the Tanzanian football team were practising and I could have watched them.
So, when I 'd finished all my books, I used to sit on my balcony and watch the container ships going up and down the canal. Regular one-way traffic, and then the change over
There are 3 convoys a day.. I ended up noting all the ships, where they were registered etc.

The first canal to link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean was dug by Pharaoh Senausret III about 1874BC. This was followed by ones of Sety I. Eechau, Darius I, Ptolemy II, Emperor Trajan. , and Amir El Moemeneen. These were via the Nile and its branches. The first direct link was opened on 17 November 1869.
It was nationalised on 26 July 1956.
It is 190.250 km long overall.

We did have a trip to Sinai to see the Israeli command post, and the monument to those Egyptians who died in the 1967 war. It is shaped like a bayonet.

Another trip took us into Ismailia itself where we stocked up with fruit. It's quite a nice little town.
We were taken on a boat trip on lake Tumsah which has an outlet to the canal itself.
It is not the most exciting place I have visited, but at least I've been there.