Dahab and the Red Sea

Greetings All,

After Jordan, I decided to head south, so I took a ferry to the Sinai Penninsula and ended up in Dahab Egypt. This spot has some of the best shore diving and snorkeling in the world, with deep reefs within 10 meters of shore.

Dahab is a very laid back town about an hour north of Sharm El Sheike. Sharm is an upper end vacation spot at the south end of the Gulf of Aqaba. Dahab is about midway up the Gulf and has warm clear water. It looks like the government tried to make it upscale like Sharm but failed. The concrete walk along the water has rusting streetlights and half-finished improvements, but there is a certain hippy-like charm here.

The corals are not as brilliant as some other places, but there are lots of fish, sea snakes, clear water and great snorkelling. I even went out one night with the owner of a small restaurant and searched the reef for lobster for a couple of hours. No luck on the lobsters but great sights.

I had planned to stop in Dahab for a day or two and ended up staying for six days. Rooms are cheap and food is not bad. Snorkeling and swimming are right at the doorstep to town. But after nearly a week I felt myself flowing into the boardwalk like silly putty left out too long and pryed myself loose to continue my journey. Hope you enjoy the underwater photos. I used a fairly cheap Olympus to snap them while snorkelling.

Wadi Rum

Time to explore the land of Sir Lawrence of Arabia - Wadi Rum, Jordan. I can say that there was no rum to be found. The desert is surrounded by sandstone monoliths, which probably make excellant climbing, though not for me. Wadi Rum is about two hours from Petra. The hot desert is one of my favorite environments and Wadi Rum reminds me a bit of the desert southwest of the US.

My Wadi Rum tour was easily the most disorganized operation yet, but it still did not detract from the beauty of this place that so intrigued TE Lawrence. Actually, the tour operation was so bad that it brought an element of humor to the experience. Our Sudanese driver, though a nice guy, spoke no english, The jeep was started by hotwiring and was always on the verge of not starting - not a good thing in this heat. The four wheel drive did not work, so we got stuck in the sand. I thought we would have to ride the camels out, but in the end, we were able to free the vehicle and return. The night spent under the stars was nice, though I think not comparable with the night in the dunes in Morocco. Overall it was a great experience.
I have now left Jordan and am about to leave my next country, but that will have to wait for my next posting.

Petra

Petra has certainly been high on my list of places to see, and it did not disappoint. The hostel I stayed at in Wadi Musi played Indiana Jones every night on the tele, so I was primed to walk through the canyon on the approach to the Treasury. But the most magical time was experiencing Petra at night under candles and stars and bedouin music. My favorite place was the Monestry, which is at the farthest point in Petra. The size and setting are awe inspiring.

Typical Travel Load

I was asked to post a photo of my usual luggage, so here it is. The pack on my back has about 20 kg in it, which is way too much. One reason is that I have seven books. If you travel like this, you can probably get by with two books - one Lonely Planet guide for where you are (I think these are the best guides for backpack travel) and one reading book. Most hostels have book exchanges.

I have way too many clothes, too much first aid stuff, and other things that I could buy if I really needed them. I think I could have gotten by with a pack less than half the size of what I have.

For a several month trip like mine, I could have brought the following: Three shirts (one long sleeve, one tee, and one short sleeve), two shorts, one pair pants, three pair underwear, three pair socks, one pair shoes, sandels, very light sleeping bag, light jacket, a few medications and bandages, foot powder (many travellers start to smell like feet!), small towel, sunglasses, cameras and chargers (I have three cameras), torch (flashlight), guide book, journel and pen, sketch book and pencils, and swim suit. Add a passport and a couple of debit cards and you are good to go. Should be able to keep that load down to 10 kg. I also have a small day pack to carry my camera, passport and papers, and other essentials. It is smaller than a typical day pack - more like a camelback - and I have found I can live out of it for several days if needed, maybe even a whole trip if I had to. I also have a light blanket that I got from a Royal Jordanian flight that I use to keep warm on overnight bus trips. And I brought a small ACER netbook computer to store photos and access the internet where I find wifi (pronounced "wee-fee" many places.) I have gone through five pairs of sunglasses now. Buy a guitar along the way and make new friends. There you go Tarelle, I hope that is what you were looking for.

Craig

Istanbul

Turkey is two countries behind me now, and I am sad to leave it. Going to Istanbul was a good decision, though I missed Syria.

Istanbul has so much history and culture that three days is hardly enough to do it justice. I focused on the Sultanahmet, where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and Grand Bazaar are found. The peace and beauty of the Blue Mosque is hard to beat and the architeture of the Hagia Sofia is a sight to behold. But my favorite spot in Istanbul turned out to be the Basilica Cistern. This large underground cistern is cool and dark - quite a contrast to the rest of Istanbul above ground. Built almost 1500 years ago, it is an amazing place that fills the spirit with wonder and peace. It is awesome to imagine the people above the cistern gathering their water with buckets lowered through their floors or catching fish (there are lots.) The classical music set a traquil mood. Speaking of classical music, I stayed in the Taksim are which is filled with music shops. I browsed through the shops with a pianist and an opera singer from San Francisco and the pianist found a baby grand and he played several beautiful pieces that had everyone captivated. - Thanks for that highlight Kevin!

Last night I sat across from Saudi Arabia watching the moon rise while I sipped a Stella. More about that in a bit, but first, I will create a post for the last country I visited.

Until then, bye.
Craig

The Coast of Turkey

The Mediterranean coast of Turkey was warm and beautiful. It is hard to imagine the water color and clarity. After a couple nights in a treehouse (well, more like a stilt house among the trees) in laid back Olympos, I decided to take a "Blue Cruise" aboard one of the custom designed boats that ply these waters.

I spent four days on one of the Gulets that cruise the coast between Olympos and Fethiye. It was a great time to swim, read, sight-see, eat and converse with four couples from around the globe. A great time, and now I am in Istanbul and back in the city life for a few days.