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Lost my card

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

I lost my debit card.

I forgot it in the only ATM in St. Katherine’s  and rushed back 1.5 hours later to find it was gone. The taxi driver that took me to the ATM and back again felt so sorry for me that he didn’t charge me anything. It was the only card that I had, so now I’m left card-less. I had enough money to get back to Cairo by bus (thankfully) and yesterday my dad was able to wire me money through Western Union.

Anyways, I had a great time in St. Katherine’s. The monastery was  incredible. I woke up rather late though so I only had a short while to explore it before it closed at noon. I did end up finding a *supposed* secret passageway though! Didn’t get a chance to see the bush that is supposed to be a “descendant” of Moses’ burning bush.

Climbing Mt. Sinai was one of the highlights of my trip. The view from the summit was unbelievable- I arrived as the sun was setting and the mountains all around us were golden from the slanting rays. It was an amazing experience.

My time in Egypt has come to a close. Tonight I leave on a midnight flight to Casablanca, Morocco! For those of you who are wondering about Tunisia, the reason I’m not going there is because  my round-the-world ticket could not for some reason include a stopover in Tunisia, which is highly disappointing (same reason I had to skip Malaysia). I know I’ll make it there someday though!

Egypt, Thai-style

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

IMG_0311[1] by you.

The Red Sea! (You can see Saudi Arabia in the distance.)

Dahab is an incredibly relaxing place. There’s little to do besides diving, snorkeling, sitting on the beach and walking in town. It’s exactly the kind of place people go for a peaceful beach vacation (although it was a victim of terrorist attacks 2 1/2 years ago, you can’t even tell they ocurred.) It gives off a very Thai vibe and almost makes me feel like I’m back in Koh Tao. The restaurant attached to my hotel even serves banana pancakes for breakfast (a very common backpacker’s meal in Thailand.)

Yesterday I went diving. It wasn’t my best dive because my mask was extremely foggy and blurry the entire time, and I ended my dive with less than 10 bars of air left in my tank. At the very end I was alerting my dive master of this issue and close to freaking out because it was very difficult to breathe. He just pointed up and I realized we were in water shallow enough to stand in and I hadn’t even realized it. Problem solved.

Today I went snorkelling with my friend Alex (from Cairo) over an incredibly huge reef located just meters from the shore. I saw 5 lion fish!

While it’s nice to be back in a beach paradise for a few days, it feels a little like I’m repeating southern Thailand. I feel like doing something more original, adventurous, and culture-filled in my few remaining days in Egypt. So instead of being a beach-potato I’ve decided to bus over to the nearby St. Katherine Protectorate, where there’s a very old, famous monastary and Mt. Sinai, sacred to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. I plan to hike to the top!

Temples and tombs

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
I have now arrived in the seaside town of Dahab after a very, very long bus ride. My days in Luxor and Aswan were spent wandering the streets and going to the many ancient sites- temples and tombs. Sometimes seeing ... [Continue reading this entry]

Ears of steel

Saturday, November 1st, 2008
I have realized that on this trip I have become a much better sleeper. At home, even the faintest sound of a tv in the next room would prevent me from falling asleep (my family members can attest to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Luxor

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Right now I'm in the city of Luxor, further south down on the Nile. The dorm bed I'm staying in costs a whopping $2.40 a night. It's officially the cheapest accomodation I've stayed in. And it's surprisingly clean and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Traveling in Egypt

Friday, October 24th, 2008
 IMG_6468[1] by you.  The ultra-modern library at Alexandria Hello! My last few days in Cairo were a jumble of seeing the sights, getting used to the culture, meeting people, and enjoying the delicious ... [Continue reading this entry]

Egypt-mania

Saturday, October 18th, 2008
Sorry for the long post! I arrived here alive and in one piece, and 2 days later I'm still alive and in one piece! My senses are overloaded. After a month in Australia's lonely west, the ... [Continue reading this entry]