ANDERSON — Judy and Ken Zinszer may have feared an attack by pirates as they recently cruised through the Gulf of Aden.

But, as always, they found a way to turn a foreign trip into a cookie-making adventure.

The couple, known for their store at 2245 Broadway and for their travels, recently toured with a group through the Middle East.

“Our kids were worried about us going through the Gulf of Aden,” Judy said.

“And we knew there would be some danger in going because right before we left a ship was taken by pirates and the captain was rescued. Supposedly the pirates had planned revenge on Americans, but we were on an Italian ship so we felt safe.”

The gulf has been a troublesome, deadly spot for cruise boats and shipping vessels. NATO has begun patrolling the gulf to prevent attacks by pirates.

On the Zinszers’ cruise ship, a plan addressed entering the danger zone.

The captain ordered fire hoses to be mounted with noses pointing downward so that powerful water blasts would knock back an impending pirate attack.

A huge spotlight was roped to the back railing to blind pirates if they tried to climb up the back of the ship at night. Military boats accompanied the ship into the harbor in the Gulf of Aden in Yemen.

Upon porting, the couple explored the area and did not stick with the group in an organized tour.

Ken and Judy hailed a cab and went to a bazaar, not for tourists but for local folks, offering items for sale such as food, crudely made kitchen utensils, clothes and sandals.

Judy said that they have done a lot of traveling but that was the scariest place they have visited because of often testing relations with the U.S.

“We told them we were Canadians,” she said.

Language knowledge helped