The first time I travelled to a foreign, non-English speaking country I was excited, of course, but quite naive and had no idea what to expect. This was way-back-when in 1996 and I guess it didn’t really occur to me that I might not be able to read the signs, ask for directions, or even to read a menu and order a meal.
I also happened to land in Tel Aviv, Israel, and with the unsmiling and armed soldiers all over the airport it did not come across as a particularly inviting place to be. Luckily, once out of the airport many of the locals can spot a foreigner a mile away (the backpack might be a giveaway) and seem to sense their confusion and rising panic. Only in retrospect did I realise and appreciate that most people are welcoming, friendly and helpful.
All in all I spent about three months in Israel, mostly in Eilat, and from there I visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Masada. Their public bus transport system is brilliant, and I soon discovered that their Friday is our Sunday so many things (like public transport) are not available and that the shops are closed. I completed my PADI Advanced Diver certification in Eilat, and I also travelled to Egypt to dive the Blue Hole in Dahab and to experience Cairo and the pyramids at Giza, Karnak in Luxor, Edfu and a two-day open felluca trip along the Nile.
During the Jewish Passover I went to Jordan (Israel pretty much shuts down for a week) to see one of the most amazing relics of the past – Petra. From Aqaba to Petra I shared a ride with some goats on the back of an open pick-up, which was fine until one of them decided that my jeans were good for lunch. I ended up perched on the top of the driver’s cab hoping the goat might lose interest in my clothing. A trip to Jordan is not complete without going to Wadi Rum where Lawrence of Arabia was based, and I stayed there with some Bedouins for a few days to explore a bit of the surrounding desert.
One of the highlights of a visit to Cairo is most certainly the museum, where, amongst other amazing items, they have the mask of Tutankhamen, although sometimes it is on display in other museums around the world. Accommodation in Cairo leaves much to the imagination – ‘hostel’ and ‘hotel’ are one and the same. If you stay at one of the 5-Star hotel chains then I am sure it is up to the expected standard, but if you are on a budget, then the pickings a bit slim so when the receptionist promises you that there is hot water rather just accept that the truth is being stretched, a lot. There might be water, and it might also be tepid, but rather not get your hopes too high for a long, steamy shower to get rid of the Cairo grime, sweat and dust. Their idea of ‘clean’ is not the same as mine, but I was only ever attacked by mosquitoes, and never once by bedbugs. Montezuma’s Revenge struck in Dahab and after a few days of staying within a 10-second dash of a toilet I visited the local Doctor. He could hardly speak English but a few hand signs were all he needed and with a smile and a few pills and instructions to drink lots of water to rehydrate he had me sorted out by the next day. Brilliant! In all my travels, that is the only time I have ever had a stomach bug.
If Jerusalem, the pyramids and Petra are not on your bucket-list, please add them now. Believe me, the trip will be well worth it. I have been lucky enough to have dived in many places around the world, and the diving in the Red Sea is of the best so I plan on going back some time to dive in Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, and others. One of the best dives was the Fish Bowl where we descended into a fissure (the Canyon) which opens into the Fish Bowl – filled with hundreds of glassfish which shimmer and shine as the school twists and turns.
