January 2, 2003

Thank you, Dahab! We love you!

We're sorry to leave, but well-rested (our Mt. Sinai-ed calves would still take issue with that statement, though). After narrowly averting the disaster of leaving our passports at the hotel in time to catch the bus, we bid Dahab farewell and headed back to Taba.

Once there, we had several hours to kill before the bus back to Nazareth (another strangely-timed commute - leaving just in time to arrive back in the Galilee around midnight), and so went exploring at the nearby Taba Hilton. We were glad to be rid of our bags for a while, and happy to pay the baqshish to do so, having lunch in the hotel's lounge overlooking the Red Sea and the convergence of four countries: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia all boast coastline on this stretch, and all are within range of the naked eye. We pondered the political absurdities of that, but were far more interested in our lamb chops in a grape curry sauce. While by Egyptian standards it was extravagant, it was a bargain and an unusual treat for us.

We lounged on the Hilton beach before making the unremarkable crossing into Eilat. Our bus driver made good time, thankfully, stopping for a smoking break in the middle of the West Bank, and we were able to arrive at the Nazareth Sisters' hostel at a somewhat reasonable hour.