Arrived at Nuweiba on 28th at lunch time and missed the ferry so one more night in not the best hotel “really I have no issues usually but….” This one I can only compare to some motel in California where we stayed in the middle of the mountains on the way to Yosemite park, which was smelly with mold all over the room. Anyway it is a bed for one  night and since there was not much light there, bed sheets were looking clean. It was looking like some sort of cave with one tiny window what I had to open in the night to get some air as I was suffocating and the wall made of stones, looking like some stone wall in Ireland. I have not even tried to get shower there and will wait until Jordan, where hopefully will be better, based on the conversion rate between the euro and Jordanian dollar, which favors Jordan of course.

There is not too much to explore at Nuweiba and since I was getting hungry I ventured into empty streets in search of food and behold there was kiosk selling the famous grilled liver with onion in the bread, what I like so took two of them for 40 pounds which equals to €2. Nice starter but not sufficient for hungry man and therefore I walked more and as soon as my eye caught smoke coming out from one of the side streets, brain “or whatever it is in between my ears” gave order to the legs to move directly towards smoke as if some primeval instinct was telling me that smoke = fire = food  and rest of the flesh just followed through since there was no other option due the fact that they are supplied in one piece attached to each other. Found this grill loaded with fishes and four tables set against wall, where the remains of unfortunate citizens of sea  were resting their bones on plates. Since I have no Arabic I mas just motioned in to the shop by locals as I signaled the food and I was shown the huge chest freezer where I pick my dinner and the boss lady later prepared a magnificent meal from it. Lot of salt, garlic, tomatoes and other herbs spread on the split open fish and grilled to yummy consistence was served with salad, rice and as usual bread. Local dog and cats were circling the tables and restaurant as if this was place of my last rest 😊 but they just looked for scraps and since the boss lady shout of them they darted away as if dart wader himself was seen. Fantastic meal for 150 pounds / €7.5.

Back to the sleeping place “sorry but I find it hard to call hotel” and got a biscuit with cup of tea and Shisha for 10 pounds € 0.5 while I google some info about the Jordan and Aqaba, mainly the transportation and accommodation possibilities in Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba to create some sort of plan of travel for those few days I will spend there until departure for Mauritius.          Bed time means some movie before fall asleep and I’ve got int routine going to bed / sleep around 21:00 and waking up 7:00 ish since I started diving in Dahab.

Woke up by noise of guest leaving in the morning, made me thinking that I had overslept so turned laptop on to see that it was 5:35 ! :-o so maybe there is another ferry or something as I heard trucks honking outside on the road and footsteps together with clanking of luggage wheels happily sounding on the way out of here. Well turned on the another side and slept till 7:00 when I woke up fresh as daisy with few pillow wrinkles “ smile wrinkles as I called them” turn on the phone and checked all the beeps, what signaling messages on What’s up / Viber from friends. Responded to all of them, checked email and weather and I was ready to go as it was already 8:30. Walked to ticket office, got my ticket for ferry for 1370 pounds and then on the way to port some fruit for breakfast for 30 pounds / €1.5 and then got water, sweets and nuts  as nothing else is available to buy in shops for 70 pounds / €3.5 and walked towards port across the street. No issues there after checking the passport and ticket but slight talk about my tow knifes in the luggage as I do carry small Swiss army knife and one middle sized Japanese for cooking. Waited on the bench for a while until I received all clear from the policeman and went it to the main terminal building. Upon entering I saw cafeteria so I went for coffee when the another policeman shouted on my to get over to get disembarking / leaving card which I took and went to sit down to my coffee and croissant filling up the card. After got escort through the security check, without any waiting in line but actually skipped the long waiting line of local people, right to the first place at x-ray for luggage and the frame for check. All done in 5 min as the escort of local police man speed this process we proceed to the passport control again skipping the long line of local people to the booth with immigration officers. Here the issue started as I arrived to Egypt on 27th Nov and leaving on 29th Dec which means I have passed my thirty days visa period by two days which needed to be discussed at first floor in the immigration office.  From one with clerk was sent to another with big boss and then back to clerk who simply stated 1503 pounds penalty fee is applied and I was escorted to the ATM conveniently located in the port terminal. Paid all in full, steaming with anger on my own fault I was lead out and this time pass the immigration booth again skipping line and towards the waiting area where I was left by security personnel. In total we were seven foreigners waiting here to board and when start boarding we were again lead forward by security and also left with our luggage without any shouting as the locals did get a mouthful of it. Left the luggage in luggage area designed for foreigners only went to deck stopped by Jordan immigration who need to verify my eligibility of visa and entry to Jordan, looking at my Jordan pass and then decided that I’m o.k to board. So we I go sitting in the lobby and finishing this article.

Jordan here I come 😊