Azure Amazement on the Red Sea

Like so many adventures on this trip, the Red Sea allowed me to realize yet another dream. I glimpsed the shore of Egypt while floating in the middle of the bluest natural water I've ever seen. (That's the Egyptian shoreline behind Mimi, who was born in Egypt and joined me in waving to the land of pyramids I hope to see one day soon.)

Can you believe this is actually me dangling my feet over the edge of our boat, smack in the middle of the sea? Good friends, Pearl Jam songs, and a lickety-split decision led to this moment.

We set out at 7:30 a.m. from our swanky Aqaba hotel, crossed a street lined with fig-bearing, squatty palm trees, and found ourselves on an already crowded beach. (The heat of Jordan's port city is notorious, often reaching 115-120 degrees during summer afternoons.) Sana'a struck a quick bargain with a glass-bottomed boat owner, and our typically indecisive group made a split-second decision that surprised all of us: "Let's do it!"

Minutes later, I was scrambling onto the boat with the owner's help, and we puttered out into the water. I tried to stay calm (no one knew that I was afraid of the water) while the daredevils in our group goaded our guide into creating mini wakes in the water with his motor boat. We rocked and rolled a bit, and as we headed farther and farther from the shore, he added an extra layer of padding to our seats, and showed us how to sit with our legs under the metal railing of the boat to dip our toes in the water. And yes, I actually dangled my legs over the edge, feeling the cool water splash over them as Vivek and I volleyed verses from Pearl Jam and Guns n' Roses songs through the vessel.

We caught sight of purplish pink coral through the boat's glass bottom, and marveled at the water's varying shades of blue. In the distance, a sparrow-sized creature skimmed the sea's surface. Then another, and another, and we realized with delight that they were flying fish! At one point, we pulled up to a yacht and purchased water from a man who tossed the bottles down to our waiting arms. Sun-seekers tanned themselves on the front of the boat as the rest of our party exclaimed over more flying fish. More than an hour later, we returned to the shore, another Jordanian journey complete, with Petra to anticipate for the next day.