From the bottom of the deep blue Red Sea

Over the last week I have had the pleasure of getting to know some very distinguished marine creatures. I went to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on the tip of the Sinai peninsula, to learn how to scuba dive. While most programs put you in a pool for the first few days, I learned in open water, which meant an eagle ray and hundreds of fish on day 1! I loved it so much I decided to go for my advanced certification, which meant 11 dives in 6 days! Over the course of the week I managed to:

- Spot an 150 year old giant green sea turtle, an eagle ray, a rare ghost pipe fish, and schools more of crazy colorful sea creatures

- Catch a glimpse of Squid and Cuttle fish on a night dive

- Chill with baby barracudas and long white shimmering eels

- Pull tar off of oil barrels from a ship wreck decades ago

While my camera couldn't come on the deeper dives (100ft.) I did get some great shots during one dive and a few snorkels...

See for yourself:

23 mummies and all is well...

Sound like something out of a horror film? Guess again. The great Pharaohs, Queens and High Priests of Ancient Egypt have been mummified and are on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Many still have their original fingernails and hair...some have ear piercings and look like they were pretty hip back in their day. Some have reddish or white hear, others were nubian and display African features.

There's nothing like staring down at King Ramses II, the famous Pharaoh who eventually "let my people go." That's probably as close to Moses as I'll ever get--unless I climb Mount Sanai.

Apparently, ancient Egyptians also really loved their pets. Several mummified animals are also on display at the museum. Check out the ram, baboon, and dog mummies pictured below.






For those of you who know the story of my Aunt Monica's bracelet, here it is featured atop the head of a mummy!




Unfortunately they don't allow pictures in the mummy rooms so I'll leave the image of King Ramses up to your imagination...Sleep tight!