Aqaba and the Red Sea

  Aqaba, Jordan
Monday, June 30, 2008

Most of us woke up early this morning. Many of us didn't sleep too well. The drooping "walls" between rooms didn't stop various snores from carrying. My wife and I suffered a concerted mosquito attack at 3:00 am, and we had ants in the bed in the early morning. Since the "floor" was just a carpet thrown over the sand of the desert, many things had access to our "room."  I woke again at first light (5:30 or so), but was able to get back to sleep for a while longer. Others were not as fortunate. Most of us were up and around by 7:00. I had a surprise when I went the toilet block to wash up. The first shower I opened had a camel spider on the shower floor.  I wish I had had a camera so I could show you the size of the creature. It was close to the size of my open hand in breadth. They are harmless as far as bites and venom are concerned, but I believe they could easily cause cardiac problems....
 
The tents heated up quickly as soon as the sun hit them, and they quickly became uncomfortably hot. So, most everyone was out pretty quickly. We gathered on cushions our of the morning sun, and drank chai (tea) or coffee.

Breakfast at Captain's Desert Camp

 
At 8:00 we had to roust out the fellows who were slow to wake, and we had a fine breakfast of pita bread, raw vegetables, yogurt, and eggs fried to order. Conversation was muted and rather disjointed; many of us were not quite awake.

Our family at the desert camp

At 9:00 we said goodbye to the very pleasant staff and Abu Omar, our driver took us back to Aqaba where we planned to spend a good part of the day on a beach on the Red Sea.  We drove south of Aqaba, on the road leading the border with Saudi Arabia. Someone had recommended a beach and dive center to us where we could snorkel, but when we stopped to look, it wasn't up to what we had hoped, so we drove on to a center we knew. We chose the Royal Dive Center, where we took the Youth Corps volunteer group in 2000, and where I had scuba-dived on a separate occasion, and of which we had favorable memories. 
 
Entry costs a little more than some other beach complexes, but it is very clean and well run. Security is very tight also, since it is only a mile or two from the Saudi border and there are military posts all over the area, including a major naval post right next door.
 
We got settled in and rented some snorkeling equipment for the volunteers to use when they chose. The water here is azure blue with shades of turquoise over the reefs. Straight across the narrow Red Sea we could clearly see Egypt. A little to the right we could see the coast of Israel and Eilat, and we only a mile or two from the Saudi border. It's a crowded neighborhood!
 
We spent the day swimming and snorkeling and also in one of several pools.

At the Royal Dive Center south of Aqaba

Other visitors included European tourists, some in bikinis and other skimpy swimwear, and more devout Muslim women who went in the sea wearing track suits, headscarves and tennis shoes to remain fully covered, while their husbands were dressed as far down as we were to swim.  I felt pity for their discomfort, but honored them for the faithfulness to their beliefs.  We were ready to leave by 4:00 pm and headed back to the Captain's Hotel where we showered with great joy.
 
Before dinner we had a brief meeting to discuss our crossing to Israel first thing in the morning. We discussed what we would see tomorrow and in the following few days. Then we had dinner and called it a night early. We should be up at 05:00 tomorrow morning.