Al-Sharif Al Hussein Bin Ali Mosque

After a full day driving down scenic King’s Highway, we finally arrived at Aqaba. Its circle-ridden downtown had us dazed and confused for about an hour before locating Al Qidra Hotel. Aqaba was not originally on our radar (thanks Nick!), but we loved it so much we stayed a full week. Aqaba, the furthest point south in Jordan is strategically located on the Red Sea. It borders Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Palestinian territories with Egypt just south across the Red Sea. Interestingly, the popular beach resort town of Eilat, Israel is within clear view. Our downtown hotel location provided the right mix of local culture with easy access to the stunning beaches and snorkeling activities.

The Red Sea at Aqaba, Jordan

Aqaba’s history dates back to the 10th century BC when it deemed the world’s largest copper smelting site. It was later made a key meeting place for pilgrims going to and from Mecca. The port city’s significance grew so much that King Hussein of Jordan bartered a land agreement with Saudi Arabia in 1965. Continue Reading

Nangyuan Island - Ko Tao

Our trek from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand was quite a gnarly adventure. One relaxing week around Koh Lanta helped prepare us for a bit faster pace at Koa Tao Island. We also needed to move back towards Bangkok to receive our next round of immunizations and extend our 30-day Thailand tourist visa.

We decided to take an 11:30am bus to Krabi and then onward to Suratthani and Ko Tao. Our bus was packed with about 12 travelers, but luckily we had A/C for the first two and a half hours. At Krabi, we waited in a garage-like travel agency for a few hours for a Suratthani transfer bus. With left Krabi in a new van with a slightly smaller set of travel companions. Our new driver threw us a curveball by dropping us off separately at a travel agents’ office for a transfer ride in Suratthani. We waited a few hours in the muggy, mosquitoey air for a lift to the Suratthani pier. After a bizarre pickup truck ride with the agent and a young chubby Thai boy, we were dropped at the pier around 7pm. The pier scene reminded us of a mini Bangkok with tons of street food vendors, motor bikes and young night goers. We now had four hours to kill before our long night ferry ride to Ko Tao. Continue Reading