Answer: In Bali, Indonesia surfing and spending the holidays!
Selamat Hari Natal (Merry CHRISTmas in Indonesian)!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Selamat Hari Natal!
Question: Where in the world is Nathan Teixeira?
Answer: In Bali, Indonesia surfing and spending the holidays!
Selamat Hari Natal (Merry CHRISTmas in Indonesian)!
Answer: In Bali, Indonesia surfing and spending the holidays!
Selamat Hari Natal (Merry CHRISTmas in Indonesian)!
A Reason
Sometimes, and more often when you are blowing around the globe like a leaf on the wind (free from the commitments, routines, and familiarities of home), life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans. Ironically, and more often than not, what transpires is a very different though far more memorable happenstance than you could ever have planned for or attempted yourself to have "created". What happened to my plans after arriving to Asia is a prime example:
The general idea was to arrive in Bangkok, spend a few days adjusting to the timezone/climate/culture and then head north into the country en route to the Thai/Laos border crossing. Since I had just come from spending the last 6 weeks in the Middle East (and Mediterranean Europe before that) touching down in the green of the tropics was a welcomed experience and breathing in the humid air was a homecoming of sorts! However, the radical weather change, harsh 32 hour commute, and abrupt timezone shift took it's toll and, for the first time during my travels, I found myself stuck with a headcold!
My cold forced me to take it easy for a few days and invest some thought in, and gather information (mostly from other travelers) for, the options to set out on the rugged travel loop up thru Northern Thailand, into Laos, down to Cambodia, and across Vietnam and back. I gained a handle on where I aimed to go and the logistics for how to get there, but, I wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on making any certain plans. In addition to sniffling and sneezing I had also developed an itch.... The itch had actually been with me since leaving France months before and, no matter how much I tried, no therapy would make it go away! It was the itch to surf!
For the last decade since graduating from university I have had the pleasure to explore a host of countries and island groups around the Pacific where I've taken my yearly holidays to search out adventure and waves. Planning this trip was a detraction from my surfing addiction and my aim was much more broad than traveling from beach to beach or reef to reef. My itinerary was strategically selected to place me in certain regions of the world during specific times of the year to provide the opportunity to surf but, was surely, not the priority. I knew there was going to be a stretch between France and Indonesia where I would have to be a land dweller and be away from any surf for a stretch of a few months. But, enough was enough... Another couple months out of the water was going to make me crazy, and, I was so close to the waves! To my fortune and surprise airasia.com was advertising a new route from Phuket (in southern Thailand) to Bali, Indonesia for the steal-of-a-deal of only $75! The only problem was that the route didn't start till 17th December... but, I couldn't resist... Northern Thailand and beyond could wait, I was bee-lining it to Bali!
The change in direction meant I had the opportunity to see the south of Thailand but, because I had not previously planned to pay it a visit, it was an area I had not invested any research in. I was going to be traveling blind... No problem, it's something you get used to after nearly 6 months on the road, but again, as is being proven more and more often and over and over the longer I travel, it's a small world: A call home to my close friends Noah & Becky yielded a connection to a family with Kauai ties (not to be confused with 'thais'), a set of email correspondences back & forth, the discovery that Mark (husband and father) went "way back" with my dad, and suddenly I wasn't traveling blind after-all! As it turns out, the Nakatsukasas are a missionary family and have been so for the last couple decades. Working in Phang Nga (in the interior of southern Thailand), it was the Indonesian tsunami that devastated the region in 2004 that brought them to join relief work along the coast and then, eventually, answer a calling & an opportunity to move to the region. With a heart and vision to establish an orphanage, the Nakatsukasas have been able to slowly build a place that provides a safe haven to as many of the abandoned, orphaned, and abused children in the region as they can comfortably provide care for. I was invited to come meet them and be a guest in their home on the orphanage property for a few days...
After a few days of tagging along with Mark (and his wife Dorien), meeting the staff, volunteers, and kids, I was certain that I did not find myself here by accident. My short few day visit turned into a week and a week nearly two! The Baan Santisuk Orphanage is a property at the end of gravel road set amongst coconut groves and rubber trees. It is a beautiful place that gives safe haven to the children that 'nobody wanted'. It is one thing to have knowledge of needed children in the world, another to see it depicted in television commercials, and yet a whole new reality when you are surrounded by children that come from such horrible situations as abandonment by drug addicted parents, victims of verbal/physical/sexual abuse, living on the streets, etc. It is impacting to learn their individual stories and know what used to be their realities. Yet, what is amazing, is the transformation you can witness in the lives of these kids as they are cared for, taught, and loved on! You've never seen so many happy faces!
Mark had some special activities up his sleeve which he, for some time, had hoped to do with the children but had not yet had the time to do. One of the activities was to take a couple of the girls to the beach to try surfing for the first time! Right up my alley :)
Um and Pan were naturals and we had them standing up in no time! I think they might have the surfers itch now too!?!
Another activity Mark had been conjuring up was to bring a couple of the boys (you have to do these kinds of things in smaller groups) camping for the first time! Well, at least sleeping in the tent outside (on the property but away from the house) for the first time! Caleb & Pauly could hardly contain their excitement about sleeping in this "funny looking house" after we erected the tent in the afternoon and allowed them to inspect it with curious eyes. They had oodles of fun playing with the flashlight and slept through the night like hardcore trekkers even when we had to wake in the middle of the night to move the leaky tent under an awning and out of the rain... I'm not so sure they wouldn't sleep in a tent every night if they had the choice!?!
If it wasn't already clear their was purpose for me to find myself here, the majority of the rest of my time was dedicated to helping Mark redesign a new building construction project on the property: the creation of office space and volunteer worker dormitories above an existing carport. Though concerned about "putting me to work" helping provide my two cents was fun and we completely redesigned the interior space, room locations, flow, and door/window configurations to maximize the intended purpose of the building! Practicing a little Architectural Design after a few months was refreshing and it felt great to be able to contribute to a project that will have lasting consequences that help Baan Santisuk further it's vision to be a family to the orphaned :)
Not to be missed, Mark and I were even able to sneak away from the work for a day of fun & sun out fishing with a local fisherman amongst some islands close to the Burmese border! I grew up trolling (motoring along at slow speed dragging lines) at home but his style of fishing was whipping (casting a lure over and over similar to what you see the bass fisherman do on lakes)... We got our fair share of action (landed 10 fish and lost untold numbers of others!), adventure (having to brave the surge along the coast if a lure hook got stuck on a rock), and fun times in the beautiful turquoise waters.
Everything in life happens for reason... at least, we've all said that at one time or another... In the case of my time in southern Thailand, the reasons seemed clearer than most.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
From Egypt to Asia
Returning to Egypt after our few days in Jordan was, though not without some delay, a breeze compared to the marathon it took to get there... In fact, rolling into Dahab felt in many ways like a homecoming of sorts: we recruited a bunch of backpackers on the ferry to share a taxi with us for the 2 hour drive back from the port (Many of which had not yet been to Egypt), ended up with a group of 13, became the chief negotiator for hiring a minibus and successfully got everyone piled in for a reasonable price... Rolled up to The Penguin Village (Hotel) where everyone greeted us with smiles and "how was its?"... saw all of the various friends made the week before within a matter of a few minutes... And, before long, were exchanging pleasantries with the host of our favorite restaurant, comfortably sipping on a cold hibiscus tea welcome back drink, and eating dinner with the group from the minibus (by now they thought I was Egyptian and just pretending to be a traveler since everyone we saw in sequence from exiting the taxi we knew)!
My remaining days along the shore of the Red Sea were spent, well, actually under it! Since getting certified my last year of university and exploring the under water world of Palau, Micronesia (near Guam & the Philipines) with my dad on a father/son trip in 2003 I had not scuba dove and was excited to blow some bubbles. The Red Sea is considered one of the worlds top diving spots and it did not disappoint! With little wave action or rain run off (it rains only an average of 10mm every 5 years in most of Egypt), the underwater world lays home to a host of some incredible corals and an abundance of colorful fish that inhabit them. The crazy looking "Lionfish" was my favorite find of the several dive sites I explored. The days that I didn't go scuba I free dove with a snorkel...
While counting down to the continental shift I was surprised to run into several travelers I had met months before from various countries hundreds of miles away... Including Bernie, Karen, Mattias, and Emilia (The Canadian family who I had first met in Turkey)! Unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity before to say a proper goodbye so it was nice to run into each other for another hello! After a hard day of diving/snorkeling the family and some friends (Thomas - who Danica and I met during our felucca boat trip on the Nile and Nico - who we first met exploring Petra in Jordan) all met up for some of the famous "Thickshakes" at the 'Same Same But Different' Restaurant and, as you can see, they translated to BIG SMILES all around :)
After nearly a month in Egypt, and 4.5 months on the road, the time had come for me to bid farewell to my Egypt travel buddy (Danica from Germany) and make the big leap over to Asia. 32 hours and 5 timezones later I found myself far far away from desert sands, turbins & camels and suddenly surrounded by Pad Thai stands, tuk-tuks & coconuts! Stepping off the plane and into the humid tropics was a welcome feeling and, after Cairo, Bangkok was like a walk in the park: Clean, green, and friendly!
I have been fortunate to run into and rendezvous with friends from home in almost every country so far and, in Thailand, I just happened to catch my friend Shane and his new wife Wendy in Bangkok in the middle of their Asian honeymoon! Though a bit taxed from the long commute I was still able to muster up the energy to meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Oberg to enjoy a full course Thai meal, live entertainment, and some dessert!
With little to no plan at all for how to start my Asian travels I simply took a few days to rest, get my bearings, and try and fight off a little cold I picked up somewhere between Kuwait and Bangkok settling into a routine of buying a coconut (for coconut water) from a nice thai lady in the mornings, exploring a little bit of the temples around the city each day, and making my way stand-by-stand and dish-by-dish through the food carts just across the street from my accommodation for dinner... Thailand has all kinds of "interesting" food concoctions and, so far in my opinion, is the contender for the country with the best food in the world! At 50 baht a plate and a 30-1 exchange rate it is also cheap!
After making friends with my dorm mates at the Niras Bankoc Cultural House (my accomodation) a group of us, including Ross & Megan (Megan grew up in Kona!) went to the "Worlds largest outdoor market" on the opposite side of the city and, along with Ashley from Portland, took in a late night of attending Muy Thai fights at the stadium. The market had available everything under the sun with just about every type of animal you could imagine keeping as a pet and/or eating: Snakes, lizards, worms, dogs, cats, spiders, rodents, exoctic fish etc. God only knows what they keep "in the back" for special buyers!?!
And as far as the fights are concerned? Let's just say that those young boyish looking men know how to throw down!
Feeling well adjusted to my new climate the dilemma of where to go from here lingered... head north Into the jungles towards Laos or south to the beautiful Thai coast? After much debate, thought, counsel, and a quick look at interasian flight fares I decided that 5 months of surf deprivation was enough this Kauaian could handle. The decision was made to head south for a couple weeks and then fly to Bali for some waves thru Christmas and New Years before coming back to do the northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam travel circuit!
My remaining days along the shore of the Red Sea were spent, well, actually under it! Since getting certified my last year of university and exploring the under water world of Palau, Micronesia (near Guam & the Philipines) with my dad on a father/son trip in 2003 I had not scuba dove and was excited to blow some bubbles. The Red Sea is considered one of the worlds top diving spots and it did not disappoint! With little wave action or rain run off (it rains only an average of 10mm every 5 years in most of Egypt), the underwater world lays home to a host of some incredible corals and an abundance of colorful fish that inhabit them. The crazy looking "Lionfish" was my favorite find of the several dive sites I explored. The days that I didn't go scuba I free dove with a snorkel...
While counting down to the continental shift I was surprised to run into several travelers I had met months before from various countries hundreds of miles away... Including Bernie, Karen, Mattias, and Emilia (The Canadian family who I had first met in Turkey)! Unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity before to say a proper goodbye so it was nice to run into each other for another hello! After a hard day of diving/snorkeling the family and some friends (Thomas - who Danica and I met during our felucca boat trip on the Nile and Nico - who we first met exploring Petra in Jordan) all met up for some of the famous "Thickshakes" at the 'Same Same But Different' Restaurant and, as you can see, they translated to BIG SMILES all around :)
After nearly a month in Egypt, and 4.5 months on the road, the time had come for me to bid farewell to my Egypt travel buddy (Danica from Germany) and make the big leap over to Asia. 32 hours and 5 timezones later I found myself far far away from desert sands, turbins & camels and suddenly surrounded by Pad Thai stands, tuk-tuks & coconuts! Stepping off the plane and into the humid tropics was a welcome feeling and, after Cairo, Bangkok was like a walk in the park: Clean, green, and friendly!
I have been fortunate to run into and rendezvous with friends from home in almost every country so far and, in Thailand, I just happened to catch my friend Shane and his new wife Wendy in Bangkok in the middle of their Asian honeymoon! Though a bit taxed from the long commute I was still able to muster up the energy to meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Oberg to enjoy a full course Thai meal, live entertainment, and some dessert!
With little to no plan at all for how to start my Asian travels I simply took a few days to rest, get my bearings, and try and fight off a little cold I picked up somewhere between Kuwait and Bangkok settling into a routine of buying a coconut (for coconut water) from a nice thai lady in the mornings, exploring a little bit of the temples around the city each day, and making my way stand-by-stand and dish-by-dish through the food carts just across the street from my accommodation for dinner... Thailand has all kinds of "interesting" food concoctions and, so far in my opinion, is the contender for the country with the best food in the world! At 50 baht a plate and a 30-1 exchange rate it is also cheap!
After making friends with my dorm mates at the Niras Bankoc Cultural House (my accomodation) a group of us, including Ross & Megan (Megan grew up in Kona!) went to the "Worlds largest outdoor market" on the opposite side of the city and, along with Ashley from Portland, took in a late night of attending Muy Thai fights at the stadium. The market had available everything under the sun with just about every type of animal you could imagine keeping as a pet and/or eating: Snakes, lizards, worms, dogs, cats, spiders, rodents, exoctic fish etc. God only knows what they keep "in the back" for special buyers!?!
And as far as the fights are concerned? Let's just say that those young boyish looking men know how to throw down!
Feeling well adjusted to my new climate the dilemma of where to go from here lingered... head north Into the jungles towards Laos or south to the beautiful Thai coast? After much debate, thought, counsel, and a quick look at interasian flight fares I decided that 5 months of surf deprivation was enough this Kauaian could handle. The decision was made to head south for a couple weeks and then fly to Bali for some waves thru Christmas and New Years before coming back to do the northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam travel circuit!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Petra Praise
With our travel batteries more or less charged, and motivated by the encouragement of other travelers criss-crossing through Dahab, Danica & I decided to act on our impulse, leave the shores of The Red Sea, and cross the border into The Kingdom of Jordan to explore the ancient city of Petra (one of the 7 wonders of the world) for a few days! Entailing a minibus ride to the port, boarding the international ferry, and then a taxi on the Jordanian side of the border, it was to be a full day of traveling but the route was fairly straight forward.... Then again, as our previous experiences should have indicated, THIS IS Egypt...
We had been warned that our little ferry excursion was known to be plagued by delays but what transpired was another installment in the saga that has become traveling through this region. Here's a brief synopsis: the ferry was officially scheduled to leave at 12:30pm meaning that our day began when we caught a minibus at 9:30am from Dahab (putting us at the port 2 hours later and, in theory, giving us more than enough time to buy our tickets and board the ferry in time for departure)... Upon arrival we were informed that the ferry was now not scheduled to leave till 3pm, meaning, we were very early and had some time to kill (no problem - early is better than late)... A few hours of reading, talking story with some fellow travelers (Aussies Michael & Tori), and snacking and suddenly it's 3 o'clock; perfect... Well no, the ferry now isn't going to leave till 4pm! Approaching the 4 o'clock hour and it is deja vu again when we we are told now the departure is not till 5 (by now we are wondering if we are ever going to make it out that day)... At 5 are hopes are reignited when they pull a bus up to the terminal, load up the foreign travelers, and get ready to drive us the short distance to the boarding zone. After the chaos of getting everyone aboard and, just as the last person takes their seat, the driver kills the ignition because, why not?, the ferry is now not leaving for another hour (reasons unknown). Ok, this is getting old. By this time we've heard no less than three of the five daily Muslim calls to prayer being announced through the loud speakers of the towns Mosques... You know you've been in the same place to long when you've heard three calls to prayer without moving! At 6:30 they finally start up the bus and usher us to the ferry... After piling everyone aboard we set sail and are finally on our way! The ferry motors us towards Jordan and we arrive in the port at Aqaba well after dark but with enough time, again in theory, to catch a taxi and arrive in Wadi Musa (town adjacent to Petra) at a decent hour... Wrong again! We proceed to float just off the coast for another 90 minutes for, what we theorize to be, nothing more than good measure!?! It is now 10:30pm (8 hours later than we anticipated arriving in Aqaba) and still a 2 hour taxi to get to Wadi Musa/Petra... after weighing our options we decide to forge ahead and complete the day traveling so as to preserve the next for exploring Petra (and not waiting in a terminal, on a bus, or aboard a ferry). Michael & Tori join Danica and I at 1am we finally get to our accommodation, find our beds, and pass out knackered from the days events!
If our travel day was a nightmare then walking through the entrance and into the ancient city the following day was a sweet dream! After all the monuments, temples and ruins across Europe and the Middle East I have to admit I was reluctant to commit the time and money to travel to yet another site. However, once there, I was thankful for Danica's persuasion and the previous days events were well rewarded..... After bonding during our ferry escapade, Michael & Tori (you can check out their blog at http://www.hhh600.com/) and Danica and I were now unofficial Petra pals and spent the next two days exploring: We tramped through the ancient city and its colossal structures carved into the sandstone mountain sides, the tombs of the nobles that resided there, witnessed a spectacular sunset from atop one of the cities peaks complete with some native Beduin music, hiked down & out of the park in the dark afterword, enjoyed a showing of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (partly filmed in Petra), and got lost the second day trying to find an 'alternate route' through the canyons of the less traveled part of the city (if not for stumbling across two young boys, their mother and herd of goats we would have been camping... Fortunately, for 3 dinar and a snickers bar the older boy showed us the way!).
Petra is part ruins, part national park and, as their brochure states, has 'something to offer everyone from the Archeologist to the Architect, Architect to the Anthropologist, Anthropologist to the Adventurer." I must say, that of all the sites I've visited, I consider Petra to be the most spectacular. You don't just see Petra... you actually experience it!
After a couple expensive days (Jordan is not cheap) it was time to rewind back to Egypt for some scuba diving and relaxing before my jump to Asia... Hopefully the journey back would be smoother sailing...
We had been warned that our little ferry excursion was known to be plagued by delays but what transpired was another installment in the saga that has become traveling through this region. Here's a brief synopsis: the ferry was officially scheduled to leave at 12:30pm meaning that our day began when we caught a minibus at 9:30am from Dahab (putting us at the port 2 hours later and, in theory, giving us more than enough time to buy our tickets and board the ferry in time for departure)... Upon arrival we were informed that the ferry was now not scheduled to leave till 3pm, meaning, we were very early and had some time to kill (no problem - early is better than late)... A few hours of reading, talking story with some fellow travelers (Aussies Michael & Tori), and snacking and suddenly it's 3 o'clock; perfect... Well no, the ferry now isn't going to leave till 4pm! Approaching the 4 o'clock hour and it is deja vu again when we we are told now the departure is not till 5 (by now we are wondering if we are ever going to make it out that day)... At 5 are hopes are reignited when they pull a bus up to the terminal, load up the foreign travelers, and get ready to drive us the short distance to the boarding zone. After the chaos of getting everyone aboard and, just as the last person takes their seat, the driver kills the ignition because, why not?, the ferry is now not leaving for another hour (reasons unknown). Ok, this is getting old. By this time we've heard no less than three of the five daily Muslim calls to prayer being announced through the loud speakers of the towns Mosques... You know you've been in the same place to long when you've heard three calls to prayer without moving! At 6:30 they finally start up the bus and usher us to the ferry... After piling everyone aboard we set sail and are finally on our way! The ferry motors us towards Jordan and we arrive in the port at Aqaba well after dark but with enough time, again in theory, to catch a taxi and arrive in Wadi Musa (town adjacent to Petra) at a decent hour... Wrong again! We proceed to float just off the coast for another 90 minutes for, what we theorize to be, nothing more than good measure!?! It is now 10:30pm (8 hours later than we anticipated arriving in Aqaba) and still a 2 hour taxi to get to Wadi Musa/Petra... after weighing our options we decide to forge ahead and complete the day traveling so as to preserve the next for exploring Petra (and not waiting in a terminal, on a bus, or aboard a ferry). Michael & Tori join Danica and I at 1am we finally get to our accommodation, find our beds, and pass out knackered from the days events!
If our travel day was a nightmare then walking through the entrance and into the ancient city the following day was a sweet dream! After all the monuments, temples and ruins across Europe and the Middle East I have to admit I was reluctant to commit the time and money to travel to yet another site. However, once there, I was thankful for Danica's persuasion and the previous days events were well rewarded..... After bonding during our ferry escapade, Michael & Tori (you can check out their blog at http://www.hhh600.com/) and Danica and I were now unofficial Petra pals and spent the next two days exploring: We tramped through the ancient city and its colossal structures carved into the sandstone mountain sides, the tombs of the nobles that resided there, witnessed a spectacular sunset from atop one of the cities peaks complete with some native Beduin music, hiked down & out of the park in the dark afterword, enjoyed a showing of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (partly filmed in Petra), and got lost the second day trying to find an 'alternate route' through the canyons of the less traveled part of the city (if not for stumbling across two young boys, their mother and herd of goats we would have been camping... Fortunately, for 3 dinar and a snickers bar the older boy showed us the way!).
Petra is part ruins, part national park and, as their brochure states, has 'something to offer everyone from the Archeologist to the Architect, Architect to the Anthropologist, Anthropologist to the Adventurer." I must say, that of all the sites I've visited, I consider Petra to be the most spectacular. You don't just see Petra... you actually experience it!
After a couple expensive days (Jordan is not cheap) it was time to rewind back to Egypt for some scuba diving and relaxing before my jump to Asia... Hopefully the journey back would be smoother sailing...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Egypt Part III
After separating from Danica, and a quick stop (meaning a 12 hour train followed after by a 9 hour bus) in/thru Cairo to retrieve a parcel with some much needed items from home, I finally arrived in beautiful Dahab!
Situated along the shores of The Red Sea with mount Sinai looming in the distance, I had heard from many other travelers how pleasant and easy it was to relax (and get stuck) in Dahab; I could now see why! After three action packed weeks of navigating through the chaos of the rest of Egypt, the laid back vibe and blue waters of the Sea were a welcomed site. With Danica planning to meet back up with me after a couple days, I took advantage of the opportunity to chill out, do little more than eat, walk, read and play on my new iPad (one of the aforementioned 'much needed' items in my parcel picked up in Cairo!) for a couple days! It was very nice but the time I had allocated to touring the Middle East had quickly gone and I was still in Egypt!?!
With my travel buddy back in the same town and a week or so left it was time to ramp up again and map out some activities for the rest of my time in the region. We decided to prioritize our desires to (1) Climb Mt. Sinai (2) Cross the border for a few days to explore Petra in Jordan and (3) Scuba dive in the warm clear waters of the Red Sea. Sinai was first..... and, though demanding some effort on our part to awaken from our restful state, board a minibus at 11pm, reach the base at around 1:30am, hike for three hours in the wee hours of the night/morning, dodge the camels & donkeys on the trail up, and submit yourself to the frigid cold atop the mount.... witnessing the sunrise over the landscape of one of the Holy sites of the world was completely worth it!
Reluctant to leave the relaxation of Dahab number 2 on the priority list was Petra - a quick hop, skip, and jump across The Sea...
Situated along the shores of The Red Sea with mount Sinai looming in the distance, I had heard from many other travelers how pleasant and easy it was to relax (and get stuck) in Dahab; I could now see why! After three action packed weeks of navigating through the chaos of the rest of Egypt, the laid back vibe and blue waters of the Sea were a welcomed site. With Danica planning to meet back up with me after a couple days, I took advantage of the opportunity to chill out, do little more than eat, walk, read and play on my new iPad (one of the aforementioned 'much needed' items in my parcel picked up in Cairo!) for a couple days! It was very nice but the time I had allocated to touring the Middle East had quickly gone and I was still in Egypt!?!
With my travel buddy back in the same town and a week or so left it was time to ramp up again and map out some activities for the rest of my time in the region. We decided to prioritize our desires to (1) Climb Mt. Sinai (2) Cross the border for a few days to explore Petra in Jordan and (3) Scuba dive in the warm clear waters of the Red Sea. Sinai was first..... and, though demanding some effort on our part to awaken from our restful state, board a minibus at 11pm, reach the base at around 1:30am, hike for three hours in the wee hours of the night/morning, dodge the camels & donkeys on the trail up, and submit yourself to the frigid cold atop the mount.... witnessing the sunrise over the landscape of one of the Holy sites of the world was completely worth it!
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