Egypt- in photos

I've had the pleasure of spending the past 5 days in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  No pyramids here ladies and gentleman.  This was a trip for rest and relaxation.  My friend Nikita and I shared a room at a 5 star hotel.  I do not usually have a budget for 5 star travel alone, but sharing expenses and a surprise complimentary upgrade made it possible on this trip.  Our hotel overlooked the Red Sea. The daily schedule was something along the lines of beach, pool, excursion, eat, repeat.  We kept things simple and had a great time.

Our Hotel

one of the great views walking the grounds of our hotel

this room was nice and spacious with 2 queen beds, two closets,  a sitting area, and a swim up pool outside of the sliding doors. 

The Beach

Our hotel had a private beach with plenty of lounge chairs and beach umbrellas for shade. You may notice that the water appears to be two distinctly different shades of blue.   The light blueish green water is shallow.  The deep blue water is where the reef drops.  That meant that this was also a nice location for snorkeling along the coral reef.  

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the mountains visible in this photo is actually an island called Tiran Island

Quad Bike Excursion at Sunset

This took place in the desert with the mountains as our backdrop.  

we are wearing scarves and sunglasses because the quad bikes kick up lots of dust while driving

my friend and travel buddy Nikita

sunset

Excursion #2- Snorkeling

The water was a beautiful clear blue.  The fish were colorful and varied along the coral reefs.  The temperature was very high, but that was forgivable on a moving boat with the fresh sea breeze. 

pictured with our snorkel guide

notice all the jellyfish behind us.  I never quite got used to feeling them brush against my arms or legs. 

screen shot of the day's forecast-it was the hottest day of the trip

mountain views from the boat

Overall, this trip was GREAT!  We had a good balance of activity and relaxation.  We met some interesting people.  We met at least 10 guys named Mohamed because that name along with Ahmed and Mustafa seemed to be the most common name in the country.  This is not an exaggeration!  We bartered with men working in shops because we know they were trying to overcharge the foreigners.  This is a common conversation while walking along a strip of shops: 

Salesguy: Hello, Sister!  You my color. (pointing to his arm and referencing our skin color) Welcome. I  give you good price

Me: (after observing souvenir item) How much for this?

Salesguy: Where you from? 

Me:  I want the price first.  Don't change it because of where I'm from

They would quote a price that was at least triple the value.  I would offer a much lower price.  We would meet somewhere in the middle. 

we had delicious grilled fish one night at a local market 

 Naama Bay- a local shop and restaurant spot 

The best part of this trip may have been the price!  Everyone likes to get a great deal.  I am on a mission to eliminate debt in my life, so budget is really important to me.  Sharm El Shiekh is very affordable.  Although Egypt has fairly cheap accommodation in general, part of this is influenced by a plane crash in October of 2015 which was linked to possible terrorism. Sharm El Sheikh has traditionally been a very popular resort destination for British and Russian tourist.   Because of that plane crash, tourism from the UK and Russia has reduced dramatically. During our stay, we mostly saw tourist from Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.  We did not ever feel unsafe in the time that we were there.  Here are some figures from my budget:

5 night hotel with complimentary breakfast and 3 meals for two at the resort- $328 USD 

This means that my half was $164 USD

Quad Bike and Snorkel Excursion- $68/person

Flight from Kuwait to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt-  $239 USD

In addition, I spent about $150 on meals, transportation, a wifi router, and a couple of souvenirs

This makes a grand total of $607.00 which was slightly over my budget of $600. 

I recommend this destination as a place to enjoy natural beauty and relaxation.  Although I never felt unsafe, I also recommend checking travel advisories before planning a trip since this location is still linked to threats of terrorism. I imagine that it would be a perfect addition to a vacation to Cairo, Egypt.  I look forward to returning in the future! 

  

Jordan Trip- Spring Break 2016

I’m going on a trip this weekend!   That’s actually not the topic of this blog entry. I still have to write about the last trip.  My previous blogging goal was one entry per week, but clearly that has not been happening.   I visited Jordan during our spring break in late March-early April.  I was fortunate to be joined by my mother and our family friend Ms. Denise. 

Day 1 of our trip was spent in Amman, Jordan.   Amman is a busy city with lots of buildings on what seem to be never ending rolling hills.  Our guide informed us that over half of the countries inhabitants live in Amman.  After living in Kuwait for the past 8 months, the thing I was most excited to see in Jordan upon arrival was ……grass.  I know it sounds simple, but grassy fields of green grass are just not common in Kuwait.  One thing that I was not excited about in Jordan was the cold.  The temperatures averaged about 45-55Farenheit.  Winter was already over in Kuwait and we were experiencing 70-80F regularly already.  I made the mistake of assuming that Jordan’s weather was the same as Kuwait because they are both Middle Eastern countries. 

We visited The Ancient City of Petra on Day 2 of our visit.  This city is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world.  The city is believed to have been established over 2,000 years ago by a group of people known as Nabataeans.  In this city, you find amazing structures carved into stone.   You can see how there was class distinction with cave dwelling homes built into stone for poor, middle class, and wealthy families.  Within the city you find places of worship, an amphitheater, and tombs for burial.  Petra is also a very naturally beautiful city with rose colored stone. I would recommend this a place to visit for anyone traveling to Jordan.

Petra Selfie-  This headscarf was all about staying warm.  It was cold. 

The Dead Sea was also a part of our agenda.  It’s difficult to explain why going to this body of water is fascinating.  My first impression was that the place was stunningly beautiful.   As we drove along the coast with a view of the sea, I couldn’t believe how stunningly blue the water was.  Unlike the rest of Jordan,  the Dead Sea was rather warm.  As we drove there from Petra, I noticed the temperature reading increase about 30 degrees as we decended to the lowest elevation on Earth.  The warmer temperatures allowed us to hop in and try floating.  After getting over the initial cold, I found the water to be pleasant and relaxing.  The surface was really rocky, so I recommend water shoes to anyone else who plans to visit.   It was really windy and there were lots of waves the day of our visit, so I had to hold on to the platform pictured below in order to not float away. 

The white substance at the bottom of the rocks is salt

We visited some pretty cool Biblically significant spots such as Mt. Nebo and the Baptism Site of Jesus.  If your childhood was anything like mine, then you spent A LOT of time in church.  I also attended a Christian school from preschool through 6th grade.   Jordan is one of the countries that the children of Israel passed through to get to the Promised Land.  Mt. Nebo is the mountain where Moses viewed the promised land and was buried.  When we visited this location, we could see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Jericho in the distance.  

You are looking at "The Land flowing with Milk and Honey" - The Promised Land

Jordan is also believed to be the location where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  This fact is disputed because Israel also claims to be home to the baptism sight.  In any case, it is the same body of water, which is the Jordan River.  The pillars below are said to be the location where the baptism took place.  Visitors are not allowed to  get into this water or draw water from this spot of the river.  However, there was a part of the river about 1/4 mile further where visitors are allowed to get into the water and have their own little baptisms.  My mother, Ms. Denise and I dipped our hands in the water and baptized one another in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   

The baptism location of Jesus beyond Bethany

This is the baptism site where visitors are allowed to enter the water.  The ropes in the water show the separation of Jordan and Israeli borders.  There was an armed guard to make sure no one tried any funny business with illegal border crossing. 

Overall, I enjoyed the trip to Jordan.  There were a lot of locations to visit.  The variation of climate and landscape is very interesting.  We visited mountains as well as the lowest elevation on land at the Dead Sea.  Our trip to the Desert at Wadi Rum was cancelled because it was too cold for a ride in an open Jeep.  I would recommend this trip for others with the following tips:

• bring water shoes for the Dead Sea.  It is very rocky and the salt water burns open cuts (i cut my finger on a rock)
• Hire a driver or arrange a tour with a tour company.  Jordan has a lot to see and do but the locations are spread out.  For example, Petra is about 3 hours from Amman.  The landscape is also very hilly with some pretty sharp twist and turns along the mountains.  Driving a rental is not for the faint of heart. 
• Know that English is widely spoken at tourist locations, but not necessarily common throughout the country