Egypt proves hot for Colorado man
Trip Start
Sep 04, 2008
1
12
61
Trip End
Ongoing
Luxor,
Egypt
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sorry for the delay in updates, Egypt internet cafes are somewhat expensive.
Aqaba was unremarkable in my opinion, apart from the Quizno's (based in Colorado). Actually, I got there during Eid, the feast that marks the end of Ramadan. I knew of Ramadan, which provided only minor difficulties during travel, but somehow was unaware of the holiday after. Anyways, every hotel was completely full in this seaside town, so I got to spend the night on a roof at an exhorbitant rate. I did manage to take a picture, and the Hilton it is not.
I wasn't exactly sorry to say goodbye after that night, however, Jordanians are very nice. As I didn't have an Egyptian visa yet, I had to avoid the land border and take the ferry from Aqaba to Nuwieba, Egypt. Visas are available at the port, but not at the land crossing. Why? Because Passaportahken, Egyptian god of travel, hates me. So, I've become accustomed to Arabic time, which I allow two hours generally, +/-, from the posted times. This ferry, apparently called the "fast ferry," without a profound sense of irony, was scheduled to leave Aqaba at noon and arrive in Egypt at one o'clock. Well, we finally arrived at 8:30, then had to make our way through immigration and customs. I'm not on a time schedule, but over seven hours late is bad. The kicker, ticket price was $85. When asked, the ticket seller told me it was due to increases in the price of crude. I was about to open up an argument about boats being little affected by the price of oil compared to cars, trucks, and airplanes, but let it pass.
On to Dahab. A small diving spot on Sinai, frequented by hippies and divers. A great place, although I don't fit into either category. Honestly, if consensus ever points to me being a hippie, I will be forced to shoot myself in the face. I considered diving, but snorkeled instead, which ended up being incredible. I've never quite seen reefs like these, and apparently for divers, it's one of the three best spots in the world. I also quite liked Ahab as my rooftop bed was less than $1 per night.
From Dahab, I should have went to St. Katherine's monastery, and Gebel Musa (Moses' Mountain). I ended up not going, as it was Sunday and the monastery was closed. I regret not going on Monday already, as Sharm El Sheikh was a tourist trap of a resort at the tip of Sinai. Although the beach was unbelievable (I lounged at the Hilton beach until they kicked me out), the town is full on resort style. In this case, full of wealthy Russians. With respect to Gebel Musa, I have often wondered what would have happened had Darwin claimed he had received On the Origin of Species from the highest mountain in the Galapagos. Perhaps we would all accept evolution, the preponderance of evidence aside.
"You mean Charles received this wisdom on the top of that somewhat impressive hill directly from God."
"Yes."
"And the numerous witnesses can corroborate his story?"
"Well, not exactly. They were back on the Beagle, worshipping a golden finch."
"Well, I suppose we should believe him. After all, God only reveals himself to solitary men within the confines of the Levant...or the Galapagos. Plus, he does sport an impressive beard."
"Then it's settled. We will all become evolutionists."
"But how will we dovetail the misogyny inherent in all our other religions into evolutionary theory?"
"..."
But I digress.
Comments
...
Dude, you should be an author, I hope you're taking notes on this grand adventure with the eventual intent of authoring a witty, slightly sarcastic, satirical guide to traveling the world!