ZECO TRAVEL TALK

So far our Petra to the Pyramids journey through Jordan and now Egypt has been one highlight after another. In Aqaba, we boarded our private sailing ship, The Aladdin, for the hour and a half sailing to Egypt. We had beautiful weather and sailed south through the gulf with Israel and Egypt visible on our starboard side and the coasts of Jordan and Saudi Arabia off the port side — four countries in an hour and a half! We disembarked in Taba at a tiny dock and quickly proceeded through customs as the officials checked us into Egypt. From Taba it was an impressive drive through the Sinai Peninsula desert to our hotel conveniently located just a half mile from the 6th century Byzantine Monastery of St. Catherine, at the base of Mount Sinai. We arrived as the sun was setting and made our way to the restaurant for a cocktail party with a very special guest. One of the monks, Father Justin, had been corresponding with our accompanying lecturer, Hector Williams of the Archaeological Institute of America, by email for the past few months. When Hector learned that we would be staying overnight near the Monastery he invited Father Justin to “come down from the hill” and join us for dinner. Not only did he join us, but Father Justin also gave a very interesting talk about his work to preserve ALL of the manuscripts in the extensive library at St. Catherine. He even invited us to stop by the library for a private tour the next day! Read more