My trip to the Suez Canal, July, 2011 was the product of serendipity. I was commissioned to paint a special canvas for the Rizal 150th Celebration exhibition at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center curated by James Espinas. It was to be a world map of Rizal's travels. As I started tracing the routes Rizal made, suddenly the top of my head lighted up as a function of a hovering light bulb. Rizal passed the Suez canal five times!!! 1882, 1887, 1891, and 1896 twice. Why has this Suez trip never been analyzed, explained, or elaborated? By default, it has become my luck to be the one to explore its significance in relation to Rizal.
The canal was the brainchild of a Frenchman:
Ferdinand de Lesseps. It was began in 1859 and completed 10 years. Rounding Africa takes 12,300 miles. Going through the Suez Canal shortens the distance to 7,200 miles.
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| Ismailia canal supplies filtrated drinking water to Suez and Port Said workers. |
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| Tanker on the canal, view from street. |
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| Captured Israeli tank, Suez |
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| Ismailia canal, parallel to the Suez canal. |
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| Peace Bridge across Suez canal, donated by the Japanese Governent, 2005 |
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| Penélope re-tracing Rizal's trip through the Suez Canal |
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| Right canal, right camera. Shoot! |
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| Port Said--Two Girls: a Greek and a Turk, just as Rizal described |
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| An Ismaili girl and her clay water jar. |
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| Suez: Where the Red Sea ends and the Mediterranean Sea begins. |
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| On the highway to Suez, Port Said |
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| Suez Canal toll booth |
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| Immigration Stop. Rizal's papers, his first passport read Jose Protacio Mercado y Alonso. |
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| Signs in Arabic |
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| Tanker navigating the canal seen from the street. |
Image via Wikipedia
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