Day 11 - Dive Right In

Ellery and I spent the morning simply hanging by the pool trying to keep cool in the heat.

The afternoon was another incredible experience – this one underwater as we took a boat to the coral reefs just south of Aqaba for several hours of snorkeling in the truly crystal clear waters. It was impossible to tell really how deep things were because you could see forever. The fish were plentiful, from neon purple ones hiding in caves to Bright yellow and black ones in enormous schools surrounding us to blue and yellow striped ones hiding in the coral. And can I just say … I truly love my daughter. She jumped right in – literally, from the deck of the boat, and swam sometimes with me, sometimes exploring the reefs on her own, happily discovering yet another wonder of life on Earth.

The day ended with a strange request to our cabdriver: "Could you please take us to the hammam (Turkish Bath) next to the Pizza Hut?". No place lacks fast food.

Tomorrow we leave this relaxing place first for Mt. Sinai and then for the crazy, crowded, bustling, overwhelming city of Cairo. It will be yet a different experience from everything we’ve done so far, so we’re ready for it, but at the same time we’ll be sorry to leave Aqaba and Jordan behind. This is an amazing country; I could easily come back several times over to take it in again.

written by  shoshtrvls on August 28, 2008 from Al 'Aqabah, Jordan
from the travel blog: Israel, Jordan and Egypt (2008)
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