This morning we took it really easy (Peter brought us all breakfast in our rooms!) and rested (& the girls vegged) and all showered. The hotel (Petra Moon Luxury Hotel) had ordered in special bread from Amman for me today without egg! Unfortunately it was made with coconut flour. Such a kind thing though!

We packed up, ate leftover pizza from last night and once again our driver was early (the girls were heading over to try and feed the bread to the stray cats and dogs but there wasn't time)! The drive to Aqaba was 2 hours. It was my turn to throw up. Luckily we had brought the last of the jerky- and it was a good sturdy bag. Emma got carsick again too- but didn't throw up. She fell asleep, thank goodness. Clara went white and thought she was going to throw up, but didn't. Keeping us on our toes! The driver talked with Peter almost the whole drive! He was friendly and informative. We drove through some thick fog for quite a ways. It made me extra grateful it was so clear in Petra yesterday! The driver told Peter he was "Alboul-benaut"- father of the girls. :D

We made it to our Luciana Hotel in Aqaba and after depositing our luggage, walked down to the Red Sea. It was more expansive than I imagined. And quite beautiful. Those who wanted to, dipped their feet in. It was fun to imagine Moses and the Children of Israel crossing on dry ground somewhere near that area. The pebble beach was fun for the girls to play in and they made friends quickly. There was this one little girl, probably around 6 that shared sunflower seeds with us, and took a keen interest in Clara and wanted to show Clara to her family. They were just a little ways over, so Clara went with her and spoke with the mother and Grandmother. The mom took pictures of the girls and they all touched Clara's hair. Then the little girl sat behind Clara and played with her hair. Too cute! I don't think they often see such golden hair here. As we walked around, many people took pictures of Clara and blew her kisses, or kissed her head. She was uncomfortable at first, but after we explained what was happening, she started waving at them. So adorable. Addy had brought the special coconut bread and tried feeding it to the cats, but they weren't interested. So the girls crumbled it up and left it for the pigeons and seagulls.

On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped for dinner. Most of the girls ordered burgers, and Emma some chicken strips. I had some rice and Peter had a more traditional meal. The girls plates came with two burgers each!!! Addy was the only one able to finish hers. They had some vegetables on the plates also and Clara asked me what the green slices were- we had had pickles in Amman that looked the same, so I told her pickles. She popped one in her mouth, chomped down, and immediately it came back out and she started crying. Poor dear! It turned out to be some sort of hot pepper. I felt really bad.

At the hotel we rearranged our luggage so that if we can leave some bags in Cairo, as we're traveling around Egypt, we'll only have 3 rolling bags and 2 backpacks (instead of a combination of 13). Hopefully that will work! Fingers crossed!! We all went to bed early because tomorrow is an early morning to the airport. The hotel said since we are leaving so early, they would pack up breakfast bags for us to take with us and have at the front desk in the morning. So kind!!

Theme: Happy Helpers

Things we learned:
Emma: I liked making friends at the beach.
Clara: I learned that people like to touch my hair and take pictures of me (and my blond hair).
Leesie: She learned about the Red Sea and had fun putting her feet in!
Addy: I've learned throughout Jordan that people are very thorough with their honking. Also, don't assume a jalapeno is a pickle!
Kathy: I learned how beautiful the Red Sea is!
Peter: I learned a lot. The driver was really friendly and talkative. Everything from Christian land points to Middle Eastern relations to place names and meanings.

Miracles:
- The throw up was contained in the car (& there was a zipper on the jerky bag so we didn't have to smell it the whole way)!!
- We were still able to all go down and see the Red Sea!!!