$3 can get you a lot...

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Three bucks.

Used to buy a value meal at McDonalds. Or maybe go the movie matinee. Could probably get a pint at a cheap pub in Cambridge. Scrounge up a generic bag of chips and salsa in Austin. Pick up a gallon of Milo's sweet tea from Krogers in Auburn. Maybe even grab a few pounds of boiled crawfish from the Country Corner.

In Cairo, I got a hotel room.

Yep, for $3 each, Heather, Josh, and I got a room in a downtown high-rise hotel in Cairo. Not a bad view of the (unbelievably polluted) city.

I'm currently (or was when I wrote in my journal) sitting on the beach of the Red Sea in Na'ama Bay. Unbelievable view...clear blue water and skies for as far as I can see. Well, besides the Russian, German, and Italian tourists (interesting point: everyone is surprised to meet Americans here. So surprised that when they ask "Where you from?" and I respond "US" then "United States," they repeat the question because they don't understand. "America," they understand. They just don't see many Americans here. Funny enough, everyone thinks that we're English -- can't recognize our accent because they rarely hear Americans!)

We've done some serious touring of this country. Giza was a few days ago. We hired a private taxi driver for the day (for about $35) and saw the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, and an ancient monument to one of the pharoahs. Words won't do that justice, so I'll put those pictures online asap.

Yesterday (two days ago now) we got up early to catch a bus to Sharm El Sheikh. We're staying in a quiet little hotel off the beach -- the Pigeon House. (Another interesting note: they say "Pigeon House" like pigeons are a good thing. In fact, Josh had pigeon for dinner last night!) Sharm is a posh resort town and we seem to be the only backpackers strolling the boardwalk along the beach front of the Mariotts, Hiltons, Ritz, etc. Last night we had an excellent Egyptian meal on the beach while listening to live music. I'm not a big fan of Arab music, but is was nice during this setting. The dinner made me think that we were in some fancy resort town in the US -- like San Destin or Hilton Head. But we're on the Sinai Peninsula baby!

This morning (yesterday now) we hit the Old Market, where I got a haircut! I didn't realize how long it was until the young guy combed the knots out and my hair went down past my ears. Wow. He trimmed it up then gave me a nice shave with a straight razor and then threaded my face (?), focusing on those furry eyebrows of mine. He even trimmed the brows later. Nice. All in all, a great experience and for oh so cheap. I ended up tipping him as much as the haircut cost!

Today we snorkelled off the coast in Ras Mohammed National Park. It was lovely -- beautiful fish and coral. I saw some amazing tropical fishies, but never found little Nemo. It was bitterly cold because of the wind, so that kind of put a damper on the trip. But all in all it was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we are going to chill at the beach and then tomorrow night we are going to start hiking Mt. Sinai at about midnight so we can watch the sun rise from the summit. Then we'll visit St. Catherine's monastry at the base of the mountain. Tuesday we fly to Luxor. Will update as soon as possible!