Sun. Sun. And more sun.

Dahab is a diver's paradise. Snorkeling seems to be its poor stepchild. If you do neither, you are an absolute reject. That would be me. Remember the story about the time I got seasick and threw up WHILE snorkeling? True story.


Here's the pool where I've been spending most of my days.


When I get tired of the pool, I head to the beach.


And in case you were wondering, no camels are allowed on the beach.

Dahab

On to Dahab ... I'm breathing a big sigh of relief. It's MUCH better here. More my style. Slower. Prettier. Definitely less touristy.



Here's this town's main "promenade," if you could call it that.



Here's me at one of the way cool bar/restaurants along the water. And, yes, I have become a complete mezzah addict _ hummus, baba ganoush and all my other favorite unpronouncables. The bread here is most like it was in Iraq. Yummy!



I HAD to include this one. There are tons of stray cats here (and some adorable dogs, as well) and I've never seen a cat go fishing before. That's exactly what was happening while I ate. Crazy.

Sharm el-Sheikh

I went from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. I knew this town was touristy, but this is ridiculous! It's like a cross between Las Vegas and Disneyland with beaches! Insane. With relief, I'm relocating tomorrow to a town called Dahab, which should be several paces slower than here.


I spent today at this beach called Wind. It was much nicer than yesterday's beach packed with an odd mix of 20-year-old hotties and old, very heavy women in bikinis. Eeew!


One of Sharm el-Sheikh's main promenades outside my hotel, which also happens to be next door to a disco. I know, I know. I really shouldn't complain.

Old Friends

I think Adrienne and Fahr officially qualify as old friends. It was great spending the afternoon with them in Cairo. I got to see their spacious digs in Garden City, not far from the American University. We walked around, took the Cairo underground, then had drinks on the rooftop at the Nile Hilton _ spectacular views, very salty peanuts and pricey wine. We had a wonderful time!

Cairo

I arrived in Cairo last night. I was here about 15 years ago, but I wasn't really IN Cairo. Katya's apartment is on Zamalek, an island in the middle of the Nile. She's on the 17th floor, high above the noise, congestion and craziness down below.

Relaxation

Have I mentioned how lovely this place is? It's really spectacular and the weather couldn't be more ideal. It's in the high 80s, clear sky, lots of sun and a nice breeze.



My very "busy" day.

The Dead Sea

I arrived back in Jordan on Sunday morning and headed down to the Dead Sea yesterday. It's about an hour south of Amman and about 20 degrees warmer. At the urging of my colleagues, I decided to splurge and I'm spending several days at the Movenpick resort, which is right on the sea.



The sea at sunset. Right after I took this, I headed into the water, which is incredibly salinated making it unable to do anything but float. The water also feels a bit oily, like many people went in wearing too much sunscreen. Those shapes you see in the photo are people bobbing in the water.



My room.



Tea this morning on my balcony.