be careful what you wish for

Cooler weather we wanted and cooler weather we got. Our 8:30 alarm this morning can be way of a thunderous clash..literally. A giant roll of thunder quickly punctuated by the falling of rain. Yeah, that's how we started our "resort" stay. As Courtney and I grumbled what was likely the work of Tutankhamun's curse. We just *had* to see his tomb.

Luckily for us, the rain cleared and the clouds parted by noon for a wonderful and sunny afternoon at the beach. I left my sun chair twice: Once for a cappuccino and the second time for a calamari sandwich. Oh and a third to take a dip in the Red Sea -- very warm! Tomorrow, Courtney is determined to get me to snorkel. I promised I'd try, but I won't guarantee more than 5 minutes with one of those wretched masks on. On this trip, I'm discovering I have a lot more irrational fears than I once thought. And still, I'm more worried about those fish keeping their fins to themselves than I am about suicide bombers in Sharm El-Sheikh. Call me crazy, I guess.

We arrived last night after a 25-minute flight aboard Egypt Air. Our luggage even had the courtesy to show up with us. The $90 ticket was worth it when you consider the alternative was an 8-hour bus-ride/ferry crossing to the Sinai. I'm already dreading the 3-hour bus to the ferry terminal for our ride over to Jordan.

Our hotel in Shark's Bay (they claim all the sharks have been scared off by the divers -- I'm holding out for the sake of skepticism) is great. Small cabins dot the sandy expanse of the resort, which is peppered with bedouin-style tents that serve lunch, coffee, tea and, of course, the obligatory hookah (nergeeleh, sheesha, etc.) It's literally just steps from our door to the beach. We have an extra unplanned day in our itinerary. Needless to say, we're pretty sure we'll be spending it here, if not at St. Catherine's Monastery for the hike up Mt. Sinai. More on that tomorrow, when our brains will likely be more willing to compute times and dates.

Tonight, Courtney and I will belatedly celebrate my birthday in Na'ama Bay, the main resort strip in Sharm. We're planning an Egyptian dinner and some hookah time. Yes, our little Courtney is even smoking hookah. Don't worry Reg kids, I'm taking pictures at every turn.

Also, we appear to be the only Americans who ever stepped foot here. Everyone is surprised to hear our accents as the beach is littered with Spanish, Italian and German tourists who insist on wearing those god-awful Speedos. When will the Euros learn?

I'm not sure if it's working in our favor, but the American accent also seems to coax a "You're very beautiful" from nearly every dive guide and boat operator in the place. One was particularly taken with Courtney and tried to convince us to take a night-time ATV ride through the desert with him. She politely refused. It seems I need to be chaperoning her on this trip. Don't worry fellas (and parents), I'm refusing the Egyptian proposals that seem to come on a daily basis, too.

Also: Can't seem to get more pix up on Snapfish. I'll send what I have now which is just my first night in Durban and some of my safari pictures. I'll upload more when I get to Dubai.

In blissful exile,
Eleeza