Jordan - Aquaba

AQUABA
Nice sunny skies and a warm place to be .... finally!
I can't believe it. I can walk around without a jacket on. It's very pretty here. What is not to like the water by the sea?

I have a blister on my heel from touring Petra at lightening speed. I finally get to my hotel the Dwiek 1 and it's very nice, for 15 JOD. I get sat TV although I'm not terribly into the hustler channel! That's the only channel that has a universal language it seems! LOL.

Anyways, I settle in and the next day I go looking for some diving. I am up at 7 but the McDonalds doesn't even open until 10! Round and round I go. I go to the tourist information, but she can't seem to tell me whether the ferry goes to Egypt. Yes, tourism is definitely in its infancy here.

I finally fall on a diving place and walk in. I decide to do a wreck dive and the Japanese garden.

I will be diving with my dive master, Francios from France. It's pretty dead around here so I am the only person going.

I like that there is a British woman Liz and Francios here otherwise I'm not sure what the standard would be. It is a shore entry. I haven't done a shore entry for some time. I am in a full wet suit and the water seems very warm. Everyone on the beach watches. I'm getting used to the open mouthed stares. In we go. This ship was purposely sunk to create a reef. We go under the ship and its freaky...you have to understand the size and well, it's freaky to go under. Never mind the next side. I'm a little freaked by the sheer size. I do eventually get collected as we are checking things out.

Up we come and then rest for about a half hour when I get to talk to some Americans from Georgia and Texas who are here getting certified. They are working in Egypt. I get some info and decide that I will take the taxi/bus through Isreal into Egypt tomorrow.

Francois and I go down for our next dive... called the Japanese Gardens. We see a small manta ray, a couple of white eels and a hermit crab and lots of clams, and lots lots of red, blue corals. A big sea worm that looks like a fat snake...sort of....not moving. Really a different world down there. It was only me and Francios. I haven't done too much diving in the first place, but not too many of my dives have just been two people. At the end of the dive I find that I'm starting to get chilled.

Out we come and I'm looking forward to a hot shower and to get all the salt taste out of my mouth...yuck. I need some ....not some a lot of sugar right now!

Onward to Egypt tomorrow......