Well Jer and I are back from our short stint in Egypt. We stayed in Dahab which is a small diving village right on the Red Sea where the snorkeling is said to be the best in the world, and the prices for everything are about a tenth of that in Jerusalem. We did manage to take some underwater pictures but they didn't turn out too well. Too bad, it was incredible. We saw just about every kind and colour of fish there is, plus an octopus or two, but unfortunately for me, no sharks. Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip. It really was a tropical paradise -- in the middle of the Sinai Desert.
So below is Jer during the long ride, reading his first "novel" (or non-school book) in many many years. He really managed to relax during our time in Dahab -- I think it did him some good and may have added a year or two back onto his life.

Above is a picture of the beach in Eilat. Eilat is located where Israel, Jordan, and Egypt all come together. The mountains in the back are actually just over the Jordan border. Eilat was nice, but very expensive and full (a hotspot for the holy days/holidays) which is why we decided to spend all our time in Egypt. Below is a picture of Dahab. It has a really great laid back atmosphere and the people are really very friendly (sadly, a nice change from Israel). The restaurants are all right on the water so you can snorkel, then roll onto the beach and have someone bring you some excellent cheap food and drink.

This was our hotel (above). For only $15.00 a night, it was a great deal (as is everything here). You can't see in this picture, but across the Red Sea there are (more) mountains. This would be Saudi Arabia. There is always a haze on the mountains because of the heat, so it is always difficult to see them in pictures.

A picture for Dad. Doesn't that fish look good? He snarled at me all night.

Look Heidi, two pictures in a row of just me - (standing and sitting around - so exciting) -- just for you!!

This boat with two horses tied to it seemed a little out of place in the middle of the desert .

Jer and I took a taxi (above) to the bus station to head home. It was a bit of a fast and fun ride but still not as scary as my first cab ride in New York -- remember Heidi??

I counted camels on the way home, to make time go by. Camels in Bedouin camps = 1 point, wild camels = 2 points. I lost count when my motion sickness preventing - Egyptian concoction kicked in -- those are some curvy curvy roads.

Of course we couldn't leave without one or two souveniers. We found these two paintings by local artists and loved them (and loved the price). They are polar opposites in style, but we'll find a place for them, someday. The first one is actually really huge, an oil painting on canvas of a famous street in Cairo (I forget the name now), the second one just looked so happy and fun so we got that one too (in this picture it is a bit curled so it looks uneven). We also picked up some tea and spice which is gathered by some Bedouin from way up in the mountains (What a hard life they live). It is supposed to work wonders for various health problems and tastes pretty good too. Sunset over the Sinai mountains the night before leaving, and below, back for sunrise over the Mount of Olives (a nice view from our rooftop) .