Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Little things in life amuse me
As I just sat there watching the sugar fall through the foam of my latte, counting how long it took, telling it to hold on and then...plunk, it was over like that and I stirred in the sugar. I'm in Dubrovnik, Croatia now. I feel like I've been in Croatia for a long time now, but it's been just over a week, I think? I've lost track of time and days, and yesterday I thought was Sunday or Tuesday (for some reason I skipped Monday) and all along it was Monday. After Hvar, I took a boat ride over to another Croatian island, Korcula. The night life wasn't as intensive as Hvar, and I only stayed there for 2 nights, but it was peaceful and relaxing and I met some really awesome people.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Croatia- Split and Hvar
Apart from stepping on a sea urchin and getting some stings from jelly’s, today has been quite relaxing. I’m now in Hvar, a small island off Croatia, with only about 4000 inhabitants. It’s been great the last two days I’ve been here, and the night life is pretty epic. I’m finally traveling solo for the first time since I left Grenoble, and surprisingly it’s not that hard meeting new people. As long as I’m willing to randomly go up to a group or head into a bar for a drink by myself, I’ve seemed to be able to find great company the entire time. I started off in Split, Croatia as my last minute decision from Prague, and surprisingly found a fellow couchsurfer who was willing to host me last minute. And as I walked around the main area of Split during the day waiting for him to get off work, exploring the Palace, the old underground city ruins and meeting two cool Irish girls, if it weren’t for Davor, I wouldn’t have seen much more of the area. After the long Prague weekend, I was dead and didn’t care much for trying to figure out the bus system or walk further than into town, but thankfully he drove me around, took me to the most beautiful places in Split, and we even took a 50km ride out to a small port town for his work and then to do some exploring. I got the 8 hours of sleep that I desperately needed as I don’t think my body ever fully got that much since the food poisoning. And the following day, I was ready to venture around with him. Davor invited some of his friends over that night and it was great to be around a group of musicians again; we sang, danced and had a good time conversing. I had heard great things about Hvar, so I decided I might as well check it out. These two Aussie guys I had met when I first arrived to Split and the Irish girls mentioned they were heading over, so I figured it might be worth checking out, and it sure has paid off. I’ve had a great time here. My first night consisted of me eating a nice solo dinner, being served 2 “traditional Hvar drinks” already after my glass of wine, free of charge, and then heading to a sports bar to check out the Cup. I figured there would be as good a place as any to meet someone to hang out with, and being in Europe during the World Cup helps a lot too. Everyone is sooo into “football.” Turns out I meet these Aussie girls (there are so many of them here) who were planning to go out to some bar after the game finished, so I asked if I could tag along. This was crazy night #1. I somehow got tangled in this circle of guys who are circumnavigating the world and had just docked in, ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night because they were freakin’ awesome. I don’t remember any of their names and I’ll probably never see any of them again, but they made my first night here an adventure- I now go by “Virginia.” Coincidentally I just so happened to run into the two Aussie guys (from Split) the next day on the beach I went to, so yesterday I spent hanging out with them, enjoying the beach and going out = crazy night #2 (I’ve only been here two days- just for a reminder lol) Somehow, like always, I ended up with a group of 9 guys partying the night away, bar hopping and just like the night before, ended up in the only dance club of the island with only 2 of the guys that I had started the night with, and 4 British girls. You have to long how people get lost during the night. BUUUUT.. I did get to speak a lot of french- which was amazing. We met a group of students who came over after graduating to spend a week. It felt so weird speaking a different language again, it had been about a month.
The view here is amazing from where I’m staying. I can see the other mountain islands in the background, hanging over the sea, purple flowers everywhere, green ivy on every building, birds chirping. It’s so peaceful. I realized today one of the reasons I love Europe. Today was my first day tanning topless. I was reluctant at first, but when the other 5 girls around me stripped down, I figured, heck with it, we’re all the same anyway. Quite a refreshing experience. Tonight is my last night here (maybe) , and I need to figure out where I’m heading after….
I am missing home a little, but that seems to happen more now that I’m traveling alone. I’m sure it will end soon.
I heard something yesterday… Happy is what happens when your dreams come true.
Last thought of the day… should I make it crazy night #3?
The view here is amazing from where I’m staying. I can see the other mountain islands in the background, hanging over the sea, purple flowers everywhere, green ivy on every building, birds chirping. It’s so peaceful. I realized today one of the reasons I love Europe. Today was my first day tanning topless. I was reluctant at first, but when the other 5 girls around me stripped down, I figured, heck with it, we’re all the same anyway. Quite a refreshing experience. Tonight is my last night here (maybe) , and I need to figure out where I’m heading after….
I am missing home a little, but that seems to happen more now that I’m traveling alone. I’m sure it will end soon.
I heard something yesterday… Happy is what happens when your dreams come true.
Last thought of the day… should I make it crazy night #3?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Prague
So the end of Egypt went a lot better than expected. After the horrible night with my head in the toilet, wanting to die, and the decent recovery, Kelsey and I left for Cairo at 1am the following night. Thankfully we had a friend helping us out, organizing how we were going to get from Dahab there, and we even managed to swing hitting up the Pyramids before going to the airport. I was feeling much better by then, but still couldn't eat. I hate not having an appetite. I love food too much.
The pyramids were amazing. Everything I had wanted them to be. I climbed through and even decided to get in the empty tomb. I'm not really sure if that's appropriate or not, but you know me, it seemed exciting.. so who cares!
Kelsey and I went separate ways.. and I made my way to Prague for my friend Kaysey's birthday. I was still recovering from the food poisoning and such, but don't get that wrong, we lived up Prague. 2 pub crawls and not enough sleep later, I've made it to Croatia. I didn't know where I was going after Prague, I figured I would decide when the time came, and that's exactly what I did. I had wanted to go to Croatia since last year when I was planning my first backpacking around Europe, but because of the situation, I never made it there. So I figured, why the heck not this time around!? Spontaneous Traveling is what I call it, and I'm growing more fond of it every time I do it.
I'm sitting on a bench, looking out onto a harbor, enjoying the weather, beautiful Old City with ancient ruins and wondering where I will head for dinner. I found a last minute couchsurfing host and will be meeting up with him later in the evening. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me some interesting places to explore around here. I'm ready for the gorgeous beaches and sun! Also thinking about heading over to one of the islands off the coast. Met some nice Aussie's who were heading over there.
Dinner time. I think seafood is on the menu tonight!
Until next time :)
The pyramids were amazing. Everything I had wanted them to be. I climbed through and even decided to get in the empty tomb. I'm not really sure if that's appropriate or not, but you know me, it seemed exciting.. so who cares!
Kelsey and I went separate ways.. and I made my way to Prague for my friend Kaysey's birthday. I was still recovering from the food poisoning and such, but don't get that wrong, we lived up Prague. 2 pub crawls and not enough sleep later, I've made it to Croatia. I didn't know where I was going after Prague, I figured I would decide when the time came, and that's exactly what I did. I had wanted to go to Croatia since last year when I was planning my first backpacking around Europe, but because of the situation, I never made it there. So I figured, why the heck not this time around!? Spontaneous Traveling is what I call it, and I'm growing more fond of it every time I do it.
I'm sitting on a bench, looking out onto a harbor, enjoying the weather, beautiful Old City with ancient ruins and wondering where I will head for dinner. I found a last minute couchsurfing host and will be meeting up with him later in the evening. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me some interesting places to explore around here. I'm ready for the gorgeous beaches and sun! Also thinking about heading over to one of the islands off the coast. Met some nice Aussie's who were heading over there.
Dinner time. I think seafood is on the menu tonight!
Until next time :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Dear Egypt
Dahab is one of the most amazing places.. relaxing, chill more than anything, and beautiful. Bob Marley playing in the background sets the mood. The Red Sea is vast with endless beauty and the town itself is quaint with a good ambiance. It's magnificent how much one can pack into a week of being here, and we didn't even get to do everything we wanted. The first two days involved a lot of laying out in the sun, meeting new people, snorkeling and relaxing. We planned most of our excursions for the rest of the week, and because of expenses, we decided not to go to Israel and Jordan. I'll have to hit them up another time! However, we did get a whole bunch packed in and had an amazing time doing it all. The first trip was up to Mount Sinai. Leaving from our hotel at 11pm, we took an hour and 45 mini-bus ride to the starting point at the bottom of the mountain. I was pretty pumped, and had more energy that I thought I would for doing a night hike. The total climb was about 3.5 hours, with an intense walk up, plus 700+ stairs at the very top. Whoever tells you that this excursion is easy, they aren't telling you the truth. I'm pretty in shape, and at some points, I could feel my heart beating through my chest. I was however in front of everyone else in our group and was walking pretty fast with some English guy. As much as I wanted Mt. Sinai to be an awakening experience, it lacked. Who knows.. maybe it was because I was up there with 1000 other tourists, I was tired, and I didn't see God in a burning bush (lol)... but mainly I experienced the feel of ancient buildings and beautiful sights. It was gorgeous up there. It's a shame that my internet connection isn't good enough to load photos on facebook yet.
One love.. one heart.. Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right- Bob is still playing.
The hike down was something else.. the beauty I got to see was extraordinary, and thinking about how old those mountains are.. the erosion has eaten through them.
Later that day, we went horseback riding along the Blue Lagoon, and thankfully there was someone else who rides, so we got to race the horses. Just a little 411: Egyptian sattles are no where near as comfortable as what we're used to. Which didn't help the next day when we took an hour and 1/2 camel ride to Ras Abu Galum.
This village is out in the middle of no where. I don't think there was any electricity and the only water they probably had was from the Red Sea.
I forgot to mention that our shower water, isn't even fresh. It's filtered salt water. It's so interesting to experience how others live, because they use this every day. When in Ras Abu Galum, we got to snorkel and see the beautiful reef, all while being harrassed by these little girls. It's horrible how much they beg, asking for anything I was wearing, even my nose stud. I guess that's what you have to do when you don't have much. Supposedly these are the people who own Dahabian land, and are actually rich from renting it out. Why you would live in those conditions, I'm still not sure.
Cheri, Kelsey and I were already so exhausted by the time Monday rolled around, but we had already booked the excursion to the desert. So 8am rolls around and we head off. It was quite an awesome experience. I have ridden a camel in the Sahara before, but hiking through two beautiful canyons (The Red Canyon and White Canyon) was something different. It was HOT. But the over hangs from the rocks helped cool us down and the beauty kind of took our mind off the heat. We got to visit some ancient tombs, over 6000 years old, older than the Pharaohs, and of course I climbed inside... they must have been a lot smaller than we are today, because my butt barely made it through some of the entrances. After, we visited another small village, except this time it was worse than the other one. They had no electricity, no running water, and there were flies everywhere. I asked what they did throughout the day and was told they take care of the children, the few animals they have and cook meals. That was pretty much the extent of it. I guess when you live so far out in the desert, there's not a lot of option. The best part about that day was visiting the Oasis. I had always wanted to see one and found it so interesting how vegetation can spring up in the middle or nowhere! We were in the middle of a desert and all of a sudden, we come around a corner and BAM! Trees so green, flowers so colorful, and what felt like all the water you would need to survive a lifetime, and that's exactly what they do. The village was big, bigger than all the other ones I had seen thus far. The flies were killer however, but the food delicious for being vegetarian. They didn't have enough electricity or space to store meat, and the people were nice, respectful and hassle free! I think it would be a very interesting experience to try to live there (even if it was just for a week). My goal would have been to kill all of the flies, since there's not much else to do during the day in a desert.
On another note, the World Cup has started and everyone is going crazy over it. I guess the way I love other sports, a lot of people love "football." I don't think I've ever watched an entire game straight...
The end of this vacation in Egypt hasn't been the best. I was super excited to dive the Red Sea, I mean, really, I didn't get my certification for nothing. And not being able to dive in Malta had already bummed me out. So I decided to try again here in Dahab. It started off when I sliced my hand on a wooden bench and then.. with some of the best diving in the world, what happens, I once again, hardly get to see any of it. A few days ago, I headed to a dive center to test out my ear under 2 meters, and with a little pressure, it was okay, so I figured it would hold up for the two dives I wanted to do that coming Tuesday. So yesterday comes along, I'm exhausted from everything we've been doing the last few days, not having slept for over 36 hours straight and only 5 or 6 hours the nights since then... but I was amped to go diving. We did some refresher drills before heading in the water, and just took it real easy going down. Wanting to test my buoyancy, we headed away from the reef to the area called the Trash (because there are some old car tires sitting on the bottom, and no reef) Little did I know, that was going to be my first and last dive of the day. My ear was really not doing well. We got down to about 18 meters, which was pushing it hard, and I sucked it up until it was time to get out, but man was it painful at some points. I let it dry out a little bit and an hour or so later, we headed down for the second dive (the Lighthouse- reef). I got down about 15ft. max and I just couldn't handle it anymore.. I had to go back up and dive number two was a no-go. At least I had seen some great things snorkeling in the Blue Hold the other day (huge fish, beautiful coral, and even a big sea turtle!) otherwise, I would have been extremely upset. Anyway, it just so happened that I was sitting next to this really nice man who saw me in a lot of pain and trying to get water out of my ear and called up his brother who is a doctor. He suggested I go to see this dive specialist doctor in Dahab to check out what was wrong. So the random man (the Monk of Dahab) I had just met, gets a taxi and takes me all the way to see this specialist. Come to find out, after going to see the doctor, I have a nice hole in my ear. He thinks I had ruptured it in Malta, and it was almost healed until I went down again. FML. No diving for at least 3 months, unless I get it checked out and everything is all healed up. There goes diving in S.East Asia. But it goes to show that there are nice people in this world, wherever you are, there will always be someone to help. The Monk didn't let me pay for the taxi there or back, and if I hadn't strongly insisted, he would have paid for me to see the specialist too.
So now, as I'm sitting here, still in Dahab, trying to recover from the (no, I can't win) food poisoning that hit both myself and Kelsey hard yesterday afternoon, I'm scoping out the beautiful Red Sea, I'm thinking about one of the most important parts of Egypt I am missing today.. the Pyramids. There was no way we could have made it on the bus to Cairo last night, our heads were in the toilet pretty much the entire night. So we stayed here, hoping that today we would feel better. After getting everything out of our systems.. I can vouch that I feel as if I have been hit by a bus.. going full speed. My body is exhausted, it takes so much out of me to even walk, and I'm depressed knowing I won't be able to visit Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, or the sphinx. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to come back..
Next stop.. Prague. Let's hope my body is up for it by the time I get there. I need to get rid of some things from my bag. I have too much and it's too heavy. I don't have enough energy to do this however, nor the energy to carry my backpack. I'm screwed.
More to come.. please pray for my quick recovery, with all the problems I've been facing.
Sending love from Egypt.
Kristi
One love.. one heart.. Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right- Bob is still playing.
The hike down was something else.. the beauty I got to see was extraordinary, and thinking about how old those mountains are.. the erosion has eaten through them.
Later that day, we went horseback riding along the Blue Lagoon, and thankfully there was someone else who rides, so we got to race the horses. Just a little 411: Egyptian sattles are no where near as comfortable as what we're used to. Which didn't help the next day when we took an hour and 1/2 camel ride to Ras Abu Galum.
This village is out in the middle of no where. I don't think there was any electricity and the only water they probably had was from the Red Sea.
I forgot to mention that our shower water, isn't even fresh. It's filtered salt water. It's so interesting to experience how others live, because they use this every day. When in Ras Abu Galum, we got to snorkel and see the beautiful reef, all while being harrassed by these little girls. It's horrible how much they beg, asking for anything I was wearing, even my nose stud. I guess that's what you have to do when you don't have much. Supposedly these are the people who own Dahabian land, and are actually rich from renting it out. Why you would live in those conditions, I'm still not sure.
Cheri, Kelsey and I were already so exhausted by the time Monday rolled around, but we had already booked the excursion to the desert. So 8am rolls around and we head off. It was quite an awesome experience. I have ridden a camel in the Sahara before, but hiking through two beautiful canyons (The Red Canyon and White Canyon) was something different. It was HOT. But the over hangs from the rocks helped cool us down and the beauty kind of took our mind off the heat. We got to visit some ancient tombs, over 6000 years old, older than the Pharaohs, and of course I climbed inside... they must have been a lot smaller than we are today, because my butt barely made it through some of the entrances. After, we visited another small village, except this time it was worse than the other one. They had no electricity, no running water, and there were flies everywhere. I asked what they did throughout the day and was told they take care of the children, the few animals they have and cook meals. That was pretty much the extent of it. I guess when you live so far out in the desert, there's not a lot of option. The best part about that day was visiting the Oasis. I had always wanted to see one and found it so interesting how vegetation can spring up in the middle or nowhere! We were in the middle of a desert and all of a sudden, we come around a corner and BAM! Trees so green, flowers so colorful, and what felt like all the water you would need to survive a lifetime, and that's exactly what they do. The village was big, bigger than all the other ones I had seen thus far. The flies were killer however, but the food delicious for being vegetarian. They didn't have enough electricity or space to store meat, and the people were nice, respectful and hassle free! I think it would be a very interesting experience to try to live there (even if it was just for a week). My goal would have been to kill all of the flies, since there's not much else to do during the day in a desert.
On another note, the World Cup has started and everyone is going crazy over it. I guess the way I love other sports, a lot of people love "football." I don't think I've ever watched an entire game straight...
The end of this vacation in Egypt hasn't been the best. I was super excited to dive the Red Sea, I mean, really, I didn't get my certification for nothing. And not being able to dive in Malta had already bummed me out. So I decided to try again here in Dahab. It started off when I sliced my hand on a wooden bench and then.. with some of the best diving in the world, what happens, I once again, hardly get to see any of it. A few days ago, I headed to a dive center to test out my ear under 2 meters, and with a little pressure, it was okay, so I figured it would hold up for the two dives I wanted to do that coming Tuesday. So yesterday comes along, I'm exhausted from everything we've been doing the last few days, not having slept for over 36 hours straight and only 5 or 6 hours the nights since then... but I was amped to go diving. We did some refresher drills before heading in the water, and just took it real easy going down. Wanting to test my buoyancy, we headed away from the reef to the area called the Trash (because there are some old car tires sitting on the bottom, and no reef) Little did I know, that was going to be my first and last dive of the day. My ear was really not doing well. We got down to about 18 meters, which was pushing it hard, and I sucked it up until it was time to get out, but man was it painful at some points. I let it dry out a little bit and an hour or so later, we headed down for the second dive (the Lighthouse- reef). I got down about 15ft. max and I just couldn't handle it anymore.. I had to go back up and dive number two was a no-go. At least I had seen some great things snorkeling in the Blue Hold the other day (huge fish, beautiful coral, and even a big sea turtle!) otherwise, I would have been extremely upset. Anyway, it just so happened that I was sitting next to this really nice man who saw me in a lot of pain and trying to get water out of my ear and called up his brother who is a doctor. He suggested I go to see this dive specialist doctor in Dahab to check out what was wrong. So the random man (the Monk of Dahab) I had just met, gets a taxi and takes me all the way to see this specialist. Come to find out, after going to see the doctor, I have a nice hole in my ear. He thinks I had ruptured it in Malta, and it was almost healed until I went down again. FML. No diving for at least 3 months, unless I get it checked out and everything is all healed up. There goes diving in S.East Asia. But it goes to show that there are nice people in this world, wherever you are, there will always be someone to help. The Monk didn't let me pay for the taxi there or back, and if I hadn't strongly insisted, he would have paid for me to see the specialist too.
So now, as I'm sitting here, still in Dahab, trying to recover from the (no, I can't win) food poisoning that hit both myself and Kelsey hard yesterday afternoon, I'm scoping out the beautiful Red Sea, I'm thinking about one of the most important parts of Egypt I am missing today.. the Pyramids. There was no way we could have made it on the bus to Cairo last night, our heads were in the toilet pretty much the entire night. So we stayed here, hoping that today we would feel better. After getting everything out of our systems.. I can vouch that I feel as if I have been hit by a bus.. going full speed. My body is exhausted, it takes so much out of me to even walk, and I'm depressed knowing I won't be able to visit Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, or the sphinx. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to come back..
Next stop.. Prague. Let's hope my body is up for it by the time I get there. I need to get rid of some things from my bag. I have too much and it's too heavy. I don't have enough energy to do this however, nor the energy to carry my backpack. I'm screwed.
More to come.. please pray for my quick recovery, with all the problems I've been facing.
Sending love from Egypt.
Kristi
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Malta baby! Reflections...
I'm sitting on a rooftop cafe, watching the stars, listening to the kind of music that sets the mood.. there are only two things that could make life better right now. I'm in Egypt, looking out onto the Red Sea.. the warm air rolls over me, palm trees swaying, and the smell of amazing food enters my lungs. I can see flickering lights from Saudi Arabia in the distance and I feel so alive!
This place is absolutely magical... but so was Malta.
I have a hard time comparing the places I've been. Malta was more than extraordinary.
After a rocky start (like most adventures that I've done abroad), it was only Lukasz and I who made it on the island at the right time. The girls flight got canceled and will all the effort they put into getting there, they arrived the next day, completely exhausted. Lukasz and I met Ian the first day and instantly knew how awesome this week was going to be after talking with him that night. And he really did make my trip amazing! I don't think I could have couchsurfed with anyone better. After the first night, it was Kelsey, Cheri and myself who stayed with him and he made us feel so welcomed. By the end of the week, we felt like we had known him for so much longer and he was no long just our host, but a friend too.
A very brief overview of some of the amazing things I got to do and see in Malta:
Ian is a big rock climber and offered to take us whenever he went, Lukasz and I went 3 times with him, climbing some of the most awesome rocks in Malta, and even did some deep water solo climbing at the end (which is climbing with no equipment over water- so if you slip or fall, you land safely) It was pretty exhilarating, especially the two times that I fell because of rocks breaking on me. Unfortunately, the two groups didn't get to see each other as much as we had hoped. Being at one side of the island and them couchsurfing with someone else on the other side kind of limited things. But when we did get to be together we had a great time. We went snorkeling (which wasn't the best area of Malta to snorkel- and on top of it, I was STUPID and forgot to take out my nose stud, so when I went down to do some shallow diving, I couldn't equalize and my ear popped so badly that I had tears rolling down my face)- meaning I didn't get to go scuba diving in Malta. It's still not all there but I'm going tomorrow to get it looked at to make sure I didn't do any serious damage. I will be SO disappointed if I don't get to dive the Red Sea. Other than that, we had a fun night in with everyone at Ian's, went to Karaoke, camped out on the beach, hit up the Blue Lagoon (where we went deep water solo climbing). The water was so blue that I couldn't imagine any water ever being bluer, laid out on the beach and just enjoyed being in the beautiful weather.
There is so much more to describe about this amazing place.. but it's a must experience yourself kind of thing. It was hard saying goodbye to Ian and his precious dogs, the Island and Lukasz and Fabiola (it will be the last time I will see them for a long while).
Overall- Malta was AMAZING and I wouldn't have changed anything.
Now on to Egypt.. where my first day in this country has been just... super.
After the over night van ride here, we (Kelsey, Cheri and I) were all pretty exhausted but decided not to miss out on what the day offers, so we checked into our beautiful hotel right on the Red Sea, grabbed some food in the sun and signed up for our excursions that we'll be taking over the next week. I checked out some diving centers, and then we headed to the Lagoon, took a swim and a nice nap before heading back to the hotel. We got stopped on the way and decided a massage was a great way to start our vacation here in Egypt. The best thing about this place is that everything is oober cheap and the conversion rate it amazing!
I can't wait to tell more about the rest of this trip here!
Thanking God everyday for blessing me with such great opportunities! I'll talk to him more on Mt. Sinai in a few days.
This place is absolutely magical... but so was Malta.
I have a hard time comparing the places I've been. Malta was more than extraordinary.
After a rocky start (like most adventures that I've done abroad), it was only Lukasz and I who made it on the island at the right time. The girls flight got canceled and will all the effort they put into getting there, they arrived the next day, completely exhausted. Lukasz and I met Ian the first day and instantly knew how awesome this week was going to be after talking with him that night. And he really did make my trip amazing! I don't think I could have couchsurfed with anyone better. After the first night, it was Kelsey, Cheri and myself who stayed with him and he made us feel so welcomed. By the end of the week, we felt like we had known him for so much longer and he was no long just our host, but a friend too.
A very brief overview of some of the amazing things I got to do and see in Malta:
Ian is a big rock climber and offered to take us whenever he went, Lukasz and I went 3 times with him, climbing some of the most awesome rocks in Malta, and even did some deep water solo climbing at the end (which is climbing with no equipment over water- so if you slip or fall, you land safely) It was pretty exhilarating, especially the two times that I fell because of rocks breaking on me. Unfortunately, the two groups didn't get to see each other as much as we had hoped. Being at one side of the island and them couchsurfing with someone else on the other side kind of limited things. But when we did get to be together we had a great time. We went snorkeling (which wasn't the best area of Malta to snorkel- and on top of it, I was STUPID and forgot to take out my nose stud, so when I went down to do some shallow diving, I couldn't equalize and my ear popped so badly that I had tears rolling down my face)- meaning I didn't get to go scuba diving in Malta. It's still not all there but I'm going tomorrow to get it looked at to make sure I didn't do any serious damage. I will be SO disappointed if I don't get to dive the Red Sea. Other than that, we had a fun night in with everyone at Ian's, went to Karaoke, camped out on the beach, hit up the Blue Lagoon (where we went deep water solo climbing). The water was so blue that I couldn't imagine any water ever being bluer, laid out on the beach and just enjoyed being in the beautiful weather.
There is so much more to describe about this amazing place.. but it's a must experience yourself kind of thing. It was hard saying goodbye to Ian and his precious dogs, the Island and Lukasz and Fabiola (it will be the last time I will see them for a long while).
Overall- Malta was AMAZING and I wouldn't have changed anything.
Now on to Egypt.. where my first day in this country has been just... super.
After the over night van ride here, we (Kelsey, Cheri and I) were all pretty exhausted but decided not to miss out on what the day offers, so we checked into our beautiful hotel right on the Red Sea, grabbed some food in the sun and signed up for our excursions that we'll be taking over the next week. I checked out some diving centers, and then we headed to the Lagoon, took a swim and a nice nap before heading back to the hotel. We got stopped on the way and decided a massage was a great way to start our vacation here in Egypt. The best thing about this place is that everything is oober cheap and the conversion rate it amazing!
I can't wait to tell more about the rest of this trip here!
Thanking God everyday for blessing me with such great opportunities! I'll talk to him more on Mt. Sinai in a few days.
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