Winter holiday diary
Day 1
We left Białystok at 4 am and were in Warsaw at 7.30. We departed from Warsaw at 9.30 am. I was surprised that on the plane I did not get anything to eat. I had to drink my whisky from the duty free shop. We arrived in Egypt at 13.30. We drove about 20 minutes from airport to Laguna Vista Hotel. I got one of the best bungalows in the hotel, because I gave 20 dollars to the receptionist. The room was located just near the Red Sea.
Day 2
Today the weather was sunny. After breakfast we had coffee on the terrace with a beautiful view. Than we walked around the hotel area. It has several hectares. While I was playing tennis with my son I got my hand injured and I could not play any more. What a pity. In the afternoon we drove to Naama Bay. It is a centre of entertainment. I went to a duty free shop and bought a bottle of French champagne for my wife. It was a very good day.
Day 3, 4 and 5
These days I went sunbathing. I swam in the pool and in the sea. I enjoyed drinks and spent some time with the family, especially with my daughter. In the evening I went shopping.
Day 6
I woke up early and we went together by bus to the Egyptian-Israeli-Jordanian border. We passed through and then we had a safari, driving across the desert. I saw beautiful hills, mountains, Beduin villages and also some other nice views. In the evening I came to Petra and went to sleep there.
Day 7
I went sightseeing in Petra and saw one of the seven World’s Wonders – The Ancient Petra. There I found a Nabataean castle and old tombs in red rock. Then I went to the capital of Jordan – Amman. In the meantime we saw Mount Nebo (the place of Moses’s death) and Madaba city with the excellent mosaic which shows a map of the Holy Land.
Day 8
This day welcomed us with snowy weather which is something unusual here. We went through Jordanian-Israeli border and came to Jericho. There I saw Mount Quarantania. Then we moved to Bethlehem where I saw The Church of the Nativity and St Jerome’s grotto and I met one of the Polish priests there.
Day 9
We drove from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and then went sightseeing there: Garden of Gethsemane, The Old City of Jerusalem. We went through Via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I was surprised that it snowed. It rarely happens there. In Jerusalem I had unusual spiritual feelings because of this holy place.
Day 10
Today I came to Haifa – one of the most beautiful Mediterranean cities with very nice views. Then I went to Cana – the place of Jesus’s first miracle and to Nazareth, Mount Sion and The Western Wall. We slept in Jerusalem.
Day 11
Today I swam in Dead Sea which has a very high concentration of salt. Then I had a long trip through Sinai to Sharm el Sheikh where our hotel was.
Speaking of deserts, have you ever wondered what is responsible for the existence of deserts on earth?
There are two most common factors accelerating the process of drying the land. Sahara Desert is a perfect example. The first reason for its existence is the fact that it lies on the Capricorn. The tropic is an area of constant high-pressure. The main feature characterizing such regions is a complete lack of any clouds which bring rainfall. What is more, near the west coast of Africa, where countries such as Morocco and West Sahara are situated, flows a cold ocean current. This generates the phenomenon of temperature inversion, the growth of temperature is proportional to the growth of height. That means that there is no chance for water to evaporate and the process of condensation of vapour is impossible. These two aspects assert the total lack of any fluid which would succor the expansion of fauna and flora in these regions.