Sleeping without a bed- the joys of backpacking

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Hey all,

it feels like ages since I've had the time to sit down and catch up!! Our last day in Luxor, myself and Emma had to get up at half 4 to go hot air ballooning, we were very bleary eyed but it was worth it- we caught sunrise over the Valley of the Kings as we rose up. We didn't have a lot to do apart from look around but our "chief pilot" was very good and even came out with an "Cad is ainm duit?" when he learned I was Irish!

Came back to the hotel for breakfast at half 7 before getting a horse and carriage ride through Luxor to Karnak temple. This is one of the most famous ancient Egyptian ruins where pharohs of all ages have left their marks- but I have to say I was getting temple fatigue as impressive as it was!! We had a quick run through the souk where you can find the rudest men in Egypt, before all 16 of us cramming inside a minibus with our bags for a four hour trip to Hurghada. We stopped at a hotel for food and showers, however the showers didn't work and the toilets were dirty again, so we skipped that and had food instead!! I had the delightful spagetti carabonara- spagetti with chicken soup and beef bacon- delicious!!! Tried to stay awake until we squeezed into another minibus for a 12hour trip to Dahab on the Sinai peninsula.

Managed to get some sleep on the bus even though I had the feeling of being brain dead when I awoke! Passed under the Suez canal where we managed to spot one freight container ship, and also passed Sharm el Sheik where we debated popping in to see Mubarak. We are staying at Bishbishi which is like a small holiday village with really friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Finally feel like we are on holiday!! We had lunch by the shorefront with views across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. We stopped in to share a sheesha with Omar- the master of shisha. No rest for the wicked however, we were on (another) minibus for a trip to Mount Sinai for a night hike to the top. We started at 10pm with the most useless guide who seemed more concerned about stopping at every coffee shop for a joint and a chat with his friends than with our group! Thankfully there was a very clear path the whole way up and we just ploughed on ahead making him having to catch up with us. It was VERY cold at the top but it was great sleeping under the stars. We woke ourselves up at 5 to catch the sunrise, and were rewarded with spectacular views across the mountain range. We grouped together to go down the "steps of repentance", 3750 rough hewn steps all the way to the bottom of the mountain where we met useless guide again at St. Katherines monastery. Apparently it was built around the biblical burning bush where it apparently still flourishes. We did see a bush that looked more like a vine that may or may not have been burning over 2000 years ago- not convinced. The monastery is Greek orthadox and was nice but we were more interested in getting to a bed at this point- we found out later that Mount Sinai is 2240meters tall.

Sleep and showers when we reached Dahab again, and met up for dinner and karoeke later which was very...successful!! Enjoyed our first nights sleep in a bed for two nights-bliss!! The group went snorkelling in the Blue Hole which was great swimming through schools of fish. I just think more could be done to save the coral as a lot of it seemed dead at thye get in point and some tourists like to stand on it for some reason- we're obviously not supposed to touch anything down there. After drinking the required amount of seawater we relaxed on some cushions enjoying still water and hibiscus tea before returning to Dahab, where we washed out the seawater with a salt water shower!! Have to say it is great for the hair. We were all pretty tired by dinner time, early night for all.

Today is relax in Dahab day- tomorrow we leave at 11am to get the ferry to Aquaba in Jordan, where we finally meet out truck for the rest of the overlanding trip!! We camp in the Wadi Rum desert and stay in a hotel in Petra, so hopefully will be able to update soon.

On another note I'm sure that people are wondering what Egypt is like post-revolution. From chatting to the local people so far, they all seem to be happy with the outcome of the revolution, if a bit unsure of what will happen come election time. They say that they have more freedom- of person and of speech. They no longer have to pay baksheesh or bribe the police to go about their daily business. The police have no power anymore- they put on their uniforms and go to work but the balance of power has shifted. They no longer man the many roadblocks that stretch across all major routes. Despite this Egypt appears to be safe and the people get on with their everyday lives. The military are in control and can be seen guarding certain industrial, governmental and tourist sites e.g. Aswan dam, Suez canal, and the Egyptian museum in Cairo. Egypt's major business is tourism, and they are waiting for the tourists to some back, the guides we have used have mostly have had no work until we showed up. There is a lot of hassle in all souks but mostly good natured- but be prepared for comments. "I like your style", "beautiful lady", "how many camels" and "i like your socks" are all to be expected. The touts at the tourist sites are very persistant and will follow you around despite whatever you say but ignorning them seems to work best!! Previously the tourist police would prevent the touts from entering certain sites such as the pyramids, now the have access unless they get chased off by the locals that work officially there!! Despite this we have felt more than welcome if a bit taken advantage of, but then we have also been peoples only source of income for a while. And what is a lot of money to them isn't that much to us by comparison, 1GBP=9.55 egyptian pounds in Cairo.

I would still recommend to anyone who wanted to visit!!

Until later,
Orla

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