May 30, 2003
Sharm el-Sheikh

We are staying in the Sharm Hilton. It's the swankiest or at least one of the swankiest hotels I have ever stayed in. And it's only $30/night including a phatty fat fat buffet breakfast. I had waffles and french toast with strawberry and chocolate sauce and all the refils of fresh OJ and karkadeh I could drink. Here's a view of the gigantic swimming pool that winds around an impecibly landscaped courtyard. This place is a nice change from the grimey rat holes we've been staying in. There are flowers everywhere. The ones I can identify are impatiens, hibiscus, bouganvelia, petunia and oleander. Picked some to press.

Another plus about this place is that our bathroom is the very first we have visited where we haven't had to ask for towels or toilet paper, the toilet actually works and there is plenty of hot water. Living large ! I am taking my first bath of the vacation.

President Bush is going to be in town in a few days on his way to the Mid East peace conference in Aqaba. Want to be out of this city before he's here as there will be too much security and chaos. The Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak is in town right now and there are guards stationed every hundred yards along the road in the desert. Eric says this is mostly just an ego trip trip for the president rather than a legitimate and realistic security concern.