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...