We're in Egypt - here is an account of the last few days.

This will be a really long post followed by pictures of our last few days. Sorry it's been awhile since we could get online!

First of all, we drove from Tel Aviv to Akko (Acre) a Crusader town on the coast of Israel. We saw some interesting Crusader buildings and had some really good falafel sandwiches. We then headed toward the Sea of Galilee. We stayed in Tiberias (it's fun to stay at the YMCA!) and we ranged out from there. As you heard from our parents, we visited Tel Dan, a nature reserve with many archeological sites, and really enjoyed the hiking. We also visited the church of the Multiplication, Tabgha. We also went to the Galilee boat so Melissa could see this preserved boat from about the 1st century AD. We went "crusader-like" castle Nimrod which Melanie had been to already. It was cool and it was built by an Arab king in the 12th century. There was a great "secret" passage that we went through.

We went back to Tiberias and met a couple from Canada. We took them to town and then later swam in the sea with them. They were very nice and we hope to hear from them when they get home.

Next we drove to the Dead Sea - so awesome. And Pam - thanks for the advice - many people said the same thing so we were careful! We had so much fun floating around like corks. It was actually kind of difficult to keep our feet under us - they just wanted to float! The sea is kind of oily feeling - but in a good bath oil type of way. We were there very early and didn't see many people, so that was nice.

Onto Masada. This was one of the most amazing things Melissa had seen thus far. We rode the cable car to the top of this ancient palace/fortress built by King Herod. Melanie was right - it was hot as hell!!! We had great views of the Dead Sea and the town is amazingly well-preserved from an archeological sense. We spent a few hours wandering around up there and then got back in the car to finish our drive from the top of the country to the bottom in Eliat.

Once in Eliat we passed out after our long day. But not before eating at the "London Underground" restaurant - pizza and beer! The next day we went into Jordan to go to Petra. It is very hard to describe Petra - so we will post pictures! We drove a jeep to the border crossing, where we met our guide, Ali. We had only 3 people in our group and Ali kept a running commentary for the 2 hour drive to Petra. He gave us a great history of Jordan and of Petra. He reminded us that the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusader was filmed there. He then asked if we had seen the movie Titanic. He said that Titanic was NOT filmed at Petra. He was a funny guy. Later in the day he sold Melanie and I to a Bedouin shopkeeper for 100 camels each.

Petra is a rose-red city carved of sandstone. Most of what is preserved are funeral areas of the city. You start by walking down the Siq - a canyon carved in the sandstone. It is very narrow in some places where you can stand with just about 3 people and touch the sides. From the Siq we got our first view of the Treasury building through the canyon. It was breathtaking. We walked about 3 miles this day and went from the Treasury down to a Roman area where we had lunch. It's impossible to see all of Petra in one day. We had lunch and rode camels up to the Siq. We walked back through the canyon and were met by horses, part of the entry price. The horses take you back to the visitors center. Melissa was asked by her horseman if Melanie was looking for a husband - she said no! We then drove back to the border and did laundry - so exciting for us! We crashed after such a long day.

This morning we woke up and headed to Egypt. Three countries in two days. We went about 10 minutes to Taba where we crossed the border. We took a 3 hour taxi ride to Sharm el-Sheikh, on the Red Sea coast. Our hotel is great, just a couple blocks from the ocean with a dive center attached. We have a room on the pool and have scheduled our refresher and first dives for tomorrow.

Hope you are all doing well. Allison - Melanie misses you already! Glad to hear from you. I'll send a CD to you as soon as I get back (ha ha). YaYa - we saw a crane from the balcony of our hotel in Tiberias and thought of you. Grandma the witch - every shower brings much laughter and thoughts of you and Greece. This one is actually fairly nice and has a curtain! Danielle - thanks again for the kitty watching! Glad they are warming up to you.