The Gospel of Nick: Revelations, verse 7.

I needed a change, and got just this. Having survived the mainland Egyptian experience, I thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery that awaited me at the Suez Canal. While there isn't much to do in the towns themselves, Port Sa'id and Suez were a nice, relaxing way to get my head back together before moving on to other parts. I've posted a picture of the southern entry to the canal.

After Suez (and the painful bus ride from), things got a whole lot happier. I arrived in Dahab (in Sinai) with mixed expectations. On the one hand, it's meant to be the Goa of the Middle East, which promised fun and frolicking. On the other hand, it's meant to be the Goa of the Middle East, so it also promised a very touristy time. But I quickly got over this. After having one plan foiled, the days got ridiculously good. Much to Lucy's envy, I went diving in the Red Sea. This in itself is not so amazing, but the Red Sea is reputed to have the second best coral reefs in the world, second only to the Great Barrier Reef. And it really was very spectacular. My only wish is that I knew more about fish so I could name a few of the things I saw. But I can't, so I won't.

Then, the day got even better. See, the plan that had been foiled was to climb Mount Sinai and see the sunset, which hadn't ended up happening. What DID end up happening instead was climbing it at night, for 3 hours, sleeping for an hour at the top, and seeing the sun RISE over the Sinai and Saudi Arabia. And that was quite extraordinary. No revelations, unfortunately, but it was interested following in Moses's footsteps. Additionally, the monastery near the bottom of the mountain houses the descendant of the burning bush (yes, THAT burning bush). I was a little bit disappointed with it, as it wouldn't light no matter how hard I tried. So I settled with taking a photo, which is attached.

Following a day of recovery where I made up the lost hours of sleep, I said goodbye to Egypt. And now, I sit in an internet cafe in Aqaba, Jordan. Please, don't ask me about the 'two hour' journey from Dahab to here. It will be a sore point for many days.

I plan on posting an Egypt retrospective shortly, but at the moment I am too tired. After dinner, I may feel happier, but I will probably not post again for a day or two. Tomorrow I head to Petra for the day, which is meant to be amazing. But I'll keep you posted.

Hope Brisbane is still the party centre of the southern hemisphere.

Nick