Hi everyone!
When last I wrote we had just seen all the sights of Pharonic Egypt in Luxor and Aswan. From there we transported forward about 2000 years (and still to only 330 BC or so) and visited the Siwa Oasis in the middle of the Great Sea of Sand near the Egyptian/Libyan border. In Siwa, there is a famous Oracle that Alexander the Great reportedly visited to ask whether he was truly the descendant of God. Alexander also founded the city of...what else...Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. Siwa, although a town of no more than 2000 people (and at least 4000 donkeys), also played host to Cleopatra (who apparently bathed in a cold spring nearby). More recently, the city has been inhabited by Bedouins. One incredible sight was the the "mud fort" built in the middle of the town...it's quite large and was literally washed away by the last torrential downpour. As you climb the fort sight you can see the remaning walls and windows made of quite solid dry mud...but looking misformed as it had melted into it's current form. Very cool. The other wonderful thing about Siwa was the view from the top of this fort...you could actually look out on all sides and see a (for the most part) green circle of vegetation and palm trees where the "oasis" exists. Outside of this circle was a great white and blue colored salt lake on one side, sand as far as the eye could see and dark mountains in the distance set off with a very blue sky.
From Siwa, we stopped off in Alexandria - where we wandered around the city lost (using our "guide" book to find two bars/restaurants that had been closed for some time), but got to enjoy a truly non-touristic Egyptian experience - mostly because there's nothing to do in the city. While we sat at a beachside cafe, Deanna did make the sighting of the trip - a women in full cloak and veil (completely covered) cavorting in the water with her friends (who were more liberally dressed in full cloak and head-scarf). Deanna claims that she actually dived underwater and came out with full outfit intact...what a different way of life.
From Alexandria, we made a very long, very difficult trek to the Sinai peninsula. First, we bought tickets on the train - so didn't actually have seats. Instead we squatted in the area between cars and were able to do an exhaustive survey of the different techniques of lighting cigarettes, inhaling, blowing out the smoke, etc... I may write a paper when I get back. From there, we caught a bus that let us on the vehicle, drove two blocks, and then waited two hours before leaving. We had our passports checked at least 5 times, our tickets checked 4 times (separate from passport checks), and arrived four hours behind schedule. And then we got to wake up at 2:30 am to hike up Mt. Sinai.
The climb starts at St. Katherine's Monastery...where THE burning bush is reputed to be (we couldn't verify given it was Sunday and the monastery was closed to visitors). We hiked two hours up the "easy camel path" to view sunrise from the place where Moses received the ten commandments from God. It wasn't "easy" by any means, especially as we were so tired - but it was easier than the way down (which are named the "Steps of Repentance" - perhaps for those who climb them). These "steps" were more like rock-climbing holds in some places and by the time we came down, I had a whole new appreciation for Moses carrying down two heavy stone tablets with the commandments (or if you are to believe the Simpson's version - only losing one tablet of the "15 commandments" on the way down). Side note: the flies in St. Katherine's have to be the worst I've ever experienced.
From St. Katherine's, we traveled to Dahab on the east coast of the Sinai peninsula. This is supposed to be one of if not the best scuba spots in the world. I wouldn't know as I don't dive, but we did go snorkeling in the appropriately named "Blue Hole" and it was pretty spectacular. As you swim from the shallow reef, the water all of a sudden drops from 5 meters (or so) to 100 meters deep. It's also called the blue hole because divers have died here in the past being sucked in by going "a little bit deeper".
From Dahab, it was time to take a boat ferry to Jordan...and unbelievably, the travel day was worse than our trip to the Sinai. This 3-hour trip turned into 8+ hours with a 3 1/2 hour departure delay and then the least organized exit from the boat (it took over an hour to get off the boat once it docked). One very cool thing about this ride however, is that as you leave Egypt the portion of the Red Sea you journey through is where Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia sit within 50km of coastline.
In Jordan, we went straight to Petra. For those of you unfamiliar with Petra, it's the part in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where they ride through the "Valley of the Crescent Moon" and then come upon the structure where the Holy Grail is kept. You walk from the visitor center through this narrow ravine cut between two high rock faces and then the face of the Tomb (called the Treasury) just towers in front of you. In this trip so far, it's the single most impressive sight for me...for those of you who ever get the chance to come to Jordan, it's absolutely incredible.
Tomorrow, we leave Amman (the capital of Jordan) to cross the border into Israel and spend three or four days in Jerusalem. I'm very excited and hoping we don't get hassled at the border because of our Syrian visas.
Best to everyone!
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