Jordan was amazing. I am certainly happy I decided to go there. Even the city I liked the least, Amman, which I actually really hated at first, grew on me after as the day went on. Also, I had not eaten for a really long time so my blood sugar might have just been low and put me in a bad mood. It was probably a combination of the two.
On Friday, August 15th, I took a JETT bus from Amman in the north to Aqaba in the south. I was planning on going straight to Eilat, Israel on my way to Cairo but I decided to spend a night here so that I would have time to snorkel. The snorkeling here is not be best, in fact I have read that it does not compare to that on the other side of the Red Sea in Egypt (more on this in a bit), but I had never snorkeled and wanted to try it out. Now, I bet this is an abnormal reaction to coral, but I have to admit I was legitimately scared of the coral I saw for the first several minutes. I do not know why, but I was terrified when I was moving along and saw it for the first time. But, I kept going and became more and more comfortable with it and, while I still have some issues with it, I do not think I am still scared of coral. (And yes, it is embarrassing to admit that I was afraid of coral.)
After Aqaba I leave for Egypt. I have scrapped my plans of going through Israel and instead I think I will opt to take a boat from Aqaba, Jordan to a Nuweiba, Egypt. It is a bit pricey ($60), but I think it is an interesting way to enter a country and I really do not want to pay 94.5NIS (about $24) to leave Israel again just on principle.
On the boat from Aqaba to Nuweiba I met a Belgium girl who comes to the Middle East once a year because she likes deserts and speaks decent Arabic and four guys from New Zealand. I was planning on going straight from Nuweiba to Cairo, but these five convinced me otherwise. Right now I am in an Internet cafe in Dahab, Egypt (the other side of the Red Sea). I went snorkelling again yesterday and it was better than in Jordan. The coral is deeper and my fears greatly subsided. There are also too many different kinds of fish to count. My only complaint has to do with my limited experience with snorkeling: any time I dove more than a body-length my ears popped painfully. There is a trick or sorts to prevent this, which I learned, but still have not mastered. Either way, it is stunning.
I think the plan is to spend one more night here then head to Mount Sinai. Then off to Cairo, with hopefully a stop in the White Desert, at which point I may depart from my new New Zealand friends to head south to Aswan and then a falucca (not sure how to spell that correctly) north to Luxor, then back to Cairo to catch a flight to South Africa. Well, at least that is the plan.
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What a phenomenal trip! You are really learning a lot about other cultures.
ReplyDeleteSnorkeling and scuba diving are awesome activities. And you are experiencing and will be able to experience some of the best.
To clear your ears when snorkeling:
As you descend, squeeze your nose closed with one hand.
While your nose is squeezed, gentlly try to blow through it. You should feel a popping or clicking in your ears. That means they are cleared.
Use this technique every 3 feet or so of your descent.
Have a GREAT time.
Nancy Boucha