This morning we flew out of Luxor to Sharm El Sheik. We are happy to leave modern Luxor behind. It's the hassle capital of the world as far as I'm concerned. The absolute worst, most aggressive, and obnoxoius cab drivers and caleche jockeys on the planet can all be found on the Corniche el Nil.

Sharm itself, we never saw. All traveller reports list it as an over-developed, overpriced resort town, so we hired a taxi straight away and headed an hour north to Dahab. After a series of police checks we were on our way through the Sinai desert. The sight of two dead camels at the side of the road made us a touch nervous, and we were thankful for our big bottle of water.

The drive was stunning. Nothing but mountains grew from the sand as we wound our way through the jagged landscape. We thought of the Israelites wandering through the desolate land for 40 years. I doubt we could last 4 days.

Dahab was recently in the news as the site of a terrorist bombing. It's hard to imagine it happening in such a beautiful relaxed place, often described as the Ko Samui of the Middle East. The only indication of the attack is a small memorial on the boardwalk, and the high security. People continue to visit Dahab, and we even overheard a bit of conversation about people who were interested in buying investment properties in town.

As I type this post I'm looking over the Gulf of Aqaba and can see Saudi Arabia in the distance. The breeze is strong and there are whitecaps on the water before they break over the reef. The wind surfers are zinging across the water. The reef is so close to shore here that people get into their scuba gear in their hotel rooms, and walk into the sea. For us it'll be 4 days of snorkelling and seafood, and a pilgramage to St. Katherine's monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. Now, it's time for a sheesha and mint tea.