Sinai Two

The full moon that was as big a a flying saucer has passed.It is my fourth full day here at Green Beach. The sea is calm now the wind has died away. Yesterday with Kadri, an Estonian filmmaker and novelist, 28 years old, scouting locations for her next film and Sabah, a young handsome Beduin who was scouting Kadri, I went snorkeling for the first time in the Red Sea. The reef is only a few meters away. It is quite shallow for a ways out and then you can swim to the reef. Kadri is terrified of sharks and although she is told repeatedly that there have been no shark attacks she is near hysterical at the thought, so she wants to be accompanied. As I am watching the gentle, underwater life around me, various corals, grey, brown lavender and the multi colored fish that swim among them, I hear a shriek. It is Kadri. Apparently she has seen a grey fish that looks as if it may be a shark.” Perhaps it is a small dolphin” says Sabah although he doesn’t know the English word for it. I enjoy myself immensely, the water is warm and there is no current. I see yellow fish, blue and black striped and some larger interesting fish. All very peaceful and there are small canyons between the reefs and you are always able to rest on some reef rocks, so it is easy to navigate. Later that night Naseer cooks a big fish dinner. It is the last night for Omari and Erik and Kadri who return early morning to Sharm El Sheikh and then to snowy Estonia. Tom, who I have yet to write about, who I met on Couch Surfer’s and was my entre to Sinai and Nueweiba, an Estonian who has been coming here for 8 years between frequent jaunts to Martha’s Vineyard and Alaska’s Brooks Mountain Range, incrediabally well traveled, 46 year old adventurer, contrarien and rcconteur, announces it is a perfect condition for night snorkeling and he and the adventurous Omari go out. One hour later they are back, Omari freezing but ecstatic, Tom, totally at ease, not even mildly cold with nary a shiver , as Omari’s teeth chatter away as he tries to tell his buddy Erik all that he has seen under the water.”Ha!”exclaims Tom,” Great beginners luck for Omari! He saw everything “ and proceeds to list the under water , noctural life they witnessed. I am a bit jealous, I don’t have that adventurers heart. Not at night with no moon at least.Earlier in the morning Helmut, a nurse from Nurmberg arrived at Green beach. This is his 4th visit and he always returns to Naseer and Green beach, to cabin # 6. “This “ , he told me “is my paradise.
Today is quiet. I feel a but tired after the excitement of Kadri and the Estonion lads coming back from their safari with Thomas.Kadri as I mentioned was here to scout movie locations. She knew Thomas frm Esonia as well as having been in Sinai before4 years ago. Thomas arranged the trek , putting out a message on Estonian elist, inviting other travelers to come on this trip to defray expences I guess. They went on an extensive jeep safari to some very rare and remote places with two guides and two jeeps.
It sounded pretty amazing but then I started to learn about the safaris with camels, beduin style , into the mountains and waddis (valleys ) that they know ancestorly.
I mentioned to Helmut , who has gone on four trips into the mountains, that I would like to go to the mountains too.I can see that this trip I need to stay local. While I would love to go to see Jerusalem, meet Kandi and Yoram in Tel Aviv, this is not the trip for this.
I am still experiencing joint pain and while I had wanted to go to Kerala to an arvudecic Clinic I don’t have the proper amount of time. I need 7 weeks for that 4 -5 weeks for the clinic.Earlier, Helmut told me about the M Valley, the deepest valley in the earth in Northern India where India and Nepal meet and you can see Tibet . It sounded absolutely unearthly or super earthly or heaven on earthly!Helmut bears speaking about. He is a nurse in Nuremberg. Born in 1961.He lloks like an Eygptian, his shaved head and striking profile lend him with his dark brown eyes this appearance.He is very traveled. Very calm and very generous and friendly. He arrived yesterday morning from a longer trip thru Eygpt, thru some oasises from Luxor where he has friends whose hotel, recommended by friends here in Nuweiba that he visits when he comes to Eygpt.
He is here for nearly two months. Tonight the stars, with the moon being gone, now being the dark of the moon, the stars look amazing! Elctric, really the firment hung with stars, the soft lavender fog on the sea, and a few clouds streaking the sky and lovely Saturn and Jupiter visable and some constellations, orion belt and something Archie our latest guest, called the M.