Travel to Sharm el-Sheikh March 18

It seems that time travels much faster than we ever could. As I make this entry it is Sunday the day before we leave for home. It has been a wonderful trip and a wonderful experience. Sharm el-Sheikh is the Riviera of Egypt, the Las Vegas of the United States. Most of the Egyptians we talk with about Sharm are in love with it. It actually was very nice, plush, decadent. For Egyptians it is an escape from their everyday lives. It's very similar for Alaskans as a trip to Vegas to be warm, gamble, and party. I don't think that there is gambling in Sharm though. For me the trip through the Sinai was a very important part of our "escape" to Sharm. Unfortunately the escape took 7 hours by car each way. The people we rode with were fun. Parts of the ride were interesting. Overall it seemed long.

The Sinai is an amazing place. It is the place Moses wandered with the Jewish people for more than forty years and then because of his sins for the rest of his life. A very dry mountainous desert that actually was able to support millions of people with the help of God. The Sinai is a land of extremes. Temperatures get to 120 F during the summer and as low at 20 F in the winter with snow on the desert mountains. With less than an inch of precipitation annually it is one of the driest regions in the world. It is only populated on the edges near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

From the tourism standpoint this coast is one of the most spectacular diving areas in the world. Unfortunately neither my wife or I dive or snorkel. We had a great time here regardless because of the people we were with. Our stay in Sharm was very nice. We did go for a short ride in a "glass bottom" boat that had a small well to accommodate about two people to take pictures of the reef and the life around the reef. This may not have been the best choice but it was the one made. We enjoyed the ride and had a good time. Pictures for this trip will be included in multiple albums on Picasa but they may not be uploaded until Wednesday after we arrive at home.