Day 33: September 26

Woke up at 4:45 to the blaring call to prayer. The local mosque was located about ten feet from our window and was exceedingly loud… rolled back over after 20 minutes of chanting to catch few more hours of sleep.

The first bus to Petra from the hotel left at 7 and the ten of us got up at 6:30 to get breakfast and then head over. Unfortunately for us the bus was full by the time we got there. It turned out to be ok because it gave the slower members of our party time to eat.

The next bus left at 7:30 and we all piled into that one. It was a short bus drive over… approximately 10 minutes. We arrived and made our way into the park. Henry and I had received 2 day passes from some friends we made at the hotel and attempted to use them at the gate. Unfortunately they required a signature… so we bit the bullet and bought new tickets for 21 dinar (30 dollars).

After we all bought tickets we passed through security and started our walk towards Petra. To get to the main ruins of Petra one must first walk through what is called the Siq. The Siq is a winding valley that goes from the city through the desert and into the valley. It was originally dirt only but has since been partially paved by the Romans. The Siq runs approximately a mile and a half and was absolutely gorgeous. However, I do have to say I was a bit jaded to the beauty after seeing all the beautiful rock formation in Wadi Rum.

Just when you think that the Siq will wind on forever, you come around a corner and find yourself looking through the valley at a large structure carved out of the sandstone. This building is the treasury and is one of the best preserved structures in Petra. It is also famous for its appearances in Indiana Jones and Transformers 2 (I did not however find the Chalice from the Last Supper).

The treasury is just one of many buildings carved in the sandstone cliffs of Petra. The valley and surrounding area was built by the Nabataeans in 100 BC as their capital city. It was absolutely amazing to stand there and see all that these people accomplished so long ago. Long before modern machines.

From the Treasury we walked down towards the main part of the city. Just outside of the city we took one of the side trails that leads up the valley to a cliff overlooking the city. We took the trail up a long set of stairs (I’m beginning to hate stairs). Eventually it led to the top of the mountain where the Nabataeans used to perform their ritual sacrifices. The altar stones are still there along with the burial grounds. We stayed briefly but eventually made our way to the overlook point a short distance away.

It was absolutely amazing on top of the mountain with the entire valley stretching out before us. We could see much of the city and outlying buildings. After about a half hour up there we headed took another path down the mountain around the back side of the city. It led us past many temples and old municipal buildings for the old city.

We stopped at most of them and enjoyed the scenery. At one of the temples we had what has become known as the ‘rock incident’. We came to one of the temples just as another couple was leaving. After a few minutes Jeanna accidently kicked a rock off the ledge that the temple rested on. A minute or so later the couple returned with a very pissed off European boyfriend. Henry, Jake, and I were standing near the path and he immediately started yelling at us and accusing us of throwing the rock off at his girlfriend. We denied it and told him it was only an accident. He responded by winding up and hurling the rock at the girls of our group. Luckily for us and him he missed. They quickly left which was probably good because nobody in our group was particularly happy with how he handled it.

We all sat in utter amazement at what had just happened. This gave them time to walk away while the guys cooled their temper. I seriously don’t know what he was thinking throwing a stone the size of a softball at girls. Absolutely, uncalled for.

After awhile we walked on continuing our walk through the back side of the city. We did at one point pass the couple again. They definitely received some dirty looks. Jeanna apologized and the girl told her that it was fine the rock never landed near her…. Absolutely crazy.

Anyways we made our way into what would have been the center of the city and ate lunch. It was the standard lunch in Jordan: bread, yogurt, a tomato, a cucumber, cheese, and juice. Simple but sufficient.

After lunch we decided to tackle the other big hike in Petra. This one leads to what is called the monastery. The monastery was at one point a temple to one of the local gods. It is the largest monument in Petra. The hike was estimated to take an hour by foot. We did it in half an hour. At the top we all took pictures and rested from our suicide climb of the mountain. After a half hour at the top we started our decent. This we decided to jog… not the smartest idea considering the rocky conditions, but fun all the same.

We arrived at the bottom and made our way back through the main part of the city. This brought us to the largest free standing structures in Petra, the Great Temple, and the large amphitheater. We poked around these for another hour or so until we were all exhausted from the heat and walking. From here we headed back to the treasury and up the Siq.

We arrived at the top of the Siq and an hour early for the bus. We decided we did not want to wait for the bus and would rather walk. I actually don’t know who was responsible for this decision, because I was absolutely exhausted. The walk back to the hotel was mostly uphill and by the time we returned we were all ready to pass out.

Luckily for us by the time we arrived at our hotel our minibus driver was already waiting for us. The bus driver from the night before had agreed to meet with us and take us on the next leg of our journey. We all jumped in the minibus and headed for Amman. Most of us slept through the journey except for our brief stop at a gas station for food.

We arrived in the capital city of Amman a few hours later. We made our way from the street down an ally and up some stairs to the Nancy hotel. Not allot of glitz and glamour, but it had showers, beds, and bathrooms. As far as we were concerned it was perfect. We all gladly took showers and changed out of our sweaty clothes (most of us just changed into slightly less dirty clothes). The staff at the hotel was exceptionally nice and offered to take us out to a local hot spot for dinner. We gladly accepted.

They took us to a local café called Books@Cafe. The bottom floor was a book store and the top floor was restaurant. The restaurant was very sheik and it reminded me of an upscale sports bar on top of a book store. It was, however, a nice change of pace to our on the go meals of late. We all wolfed down our meals. I had an excellent cheese burger washed down with a local Jordanian beer.

After dinner our group decided to split in two. The first group wanted to stay out and see the night life. Then there was the second group who was a combination of broke and exhausted. Henry, Mike, and I formed the second group and headed back towards the hotel.

Apparently we missed a fun night at the local club/brothel… I was fine missing it because I got a solid nights rest and didn’t break the bank. Anyways was passed out by midnight.
 

Day 32: September 25

Woke up to the sun rising over the mountains and flies swarming over our warm, smelly bodies. Was one of the first to roll of their mattress pad and explore the desert plateau around us. We were camped in the crook of a large rock formation jutting out of the desert. And being the adventurous sort, my first instinct was to climb the large rocks. I ran over to the rock wall and started climbing. I got maybe 30 feet up before I decided that free climbing further might be a bad idea. Getting up would be easy… it was the getting down part I was worried about. Falling in the middle of the desert just didn’t sound like a great idea.

I lowered myself back down and walked back to camp, where the others were slowly waking up. As more of us awakened small groups started branching out to explore the surrounding cliffs. I went with Jake and Sam for awhile. Not long after we heard the call for breakfast and speedily made our way back to camp (nothing gets guys moving faster than the thought of food).

Two of the owner’s brothers had come out to serve us breakfast and serve as guides through Wadi Rum. Breakfast consisted of cheese, bread, jelly, bananas and tea. The tea was really, really sweet. We later figured out this was because the Bedouins put approximately two cups of sugar in every kettle of tea! The brothers were really nice and told us some Bedouin jokes while we ate. My personal favorite was Q: why do you go to bed? A: Because the bed doesn’t come to you. Kinda corny but I thought it was funny.

After breakfast we all helped clean up the camp site and packed our bags. The brothers had two trucks to take us around the desert in. We loaded the bags in one and piled into the other.
The first stop on our trip around Wadi Rum was a red sand dune. We arrived and there were a few people dune boarding (snowboarding down a dune). Some of the girls were able to convince the men to let them try. The males in our contingent had no such luck. We decided to explore the dunes and surrounding rock faces. We made our way up the largest dune and onto a nearby mountain. We climbed up and got to the top. At the top we had an amazing 360 degree view of the surrounding desert. Standing up there was simply breathtaking. It definitely is humbling to stand there on top of a mountain and realize how truly small you are.

After some time we climbed down to the dune and rolled/ran down. We got to our cars and drove onward. At our next stop our guides showed us some ancient rock drawings drawn by Bedouins and Arabs alike. Mom would have loved this. The guides said that the drawings were used to warn about dangers in the area (Scorpions, snakes, etc).

From there we were taken to a ledged niche. We all got out and climbed around. The more adventurous of our group worked our way up and onto a small plateau and got a good look around. Nothing as dramatic as the dunes but still amazing. I don’t know how I will ever be able to see another rock formation the same way after this place.

From there we traveled to a large valley. We ate lunch and drank tea in the shade of the mountains and talked about life in Jordan versus life in the USA. One of our guides had been beaten and thrown in jail for possession of Marijuana…. Scary considering he is only 19.

After lunch we had some free time to explore. Our entire group made our way through the valley to a mountain studded plain on the other side. It was like seeing rock teeth come out of a rand mouth. Absolutely gorgeous. The guys split off from the group and did some more adventurous climbing up into the valley. We found allot of rocks and enjoyed throwing them off and making large booms… We also spent time enjoying the quiet of the desert and the scenery.

After our free time our guides took us to two natural bridges in the desert. One was inaccessible without climbing equipment but the other was an easy walk up to. We all took pictures and poked around.

It was getting late and we had to push on to Petra, so we made our way back toward the city to find a minibus. On the way we stopped at the dunes so I could collect some sand to mark my travels. We got back to the small town and caught a microbus to Petra.

The ride was a few hours long but we got there soon enough. We were staying in the Valentine Hotel located in Wadi Mousa (near Petra). The hostel was set up dorm style with 8 sets of bunk beds. We all had sand everywhere and were dying for showers. We all took turns using the two showers and met downstairs in the lobby afterwards.

The hotel made us a huge dinner which we wolfed down while talking about politics and religion. After an hour and a half of talking we all started feel the long day in the sun. Mike and I pulled out our computers and everyone checked their emails. By midnight sleep was sounding good and we all headed up to the ‘dorms’ and slept.

Day 31: September 24

Woke up at 9 to make sure everything was in order for our trip. Rolled out of bed and took a cold salt water shower. The tap water in most of the hotels on the water is salt water which makes for an interesting shower. However, it was still refreshing and cleared sleep from my mind.

After showering I double checked my pack. I had consolidated when Evan left and sent home my duffel with him. Since then I have had only what I can fit in my school backpack. While rechecking the room I decided to spread my stuff into my newly purchased woven bag just so the backpack wasn’t uncomfortably full.

Mike woke up around nine thirty and the two of us finished our preparations and headed downstairs to our awaiting minibus. The bus was carrying us and seven other travelers to destinations on the Sinai border. We were to be dropped first in Nuweba while the rest were continuing on to Taba, Israel. The others planned to enter Jordan via Israel because it is faster, however we are trying to avoid the ‘dreaded’ Israel stamp.

After an hour drive we were in view of the port city of Nuweba. Evan after staying in Dahab I was blown away by the beauty of the quaint port city. It had amazing contrast between plain city buildings and the majestic mosques overlooking the Red Sea. We stopped for a few minutes before pushing on into the city.

We got dropped near the Nuweba bus stop and made our way to the ferry ticket office. We arrived and waited patiently in the blob that somewhat represented a line. After ten minutes we started talking with another waiting traveler from Brazil. He informed us that he ferry could only be paid for in US dollars… neither of us had 70 dollars in US currency so we walked to the nearby Egyptian National Bank. We exchanged currency and headed back to the ticket office.

On the way back we called Sam and found out their bus was arriving in Nuweba. We headed over to the bus stop and met with the 8 of them and then headed over to get our tickets. We all rejoined the ‘line’ and clawed our way to the front. We shoved our ten passports and ticket fee through the slot. We then sat down and waited for them to process our transaction. In the meantime we went and purchased some koshari for lunch.

After a half hour of waiting we got our tickets and passports and headed down to the docks to await the ferry. We walked through customs and got our exit stamps and then entered a departure area. The departure area was a gigantic warehouse set up like a terminal. We sat and waited…. Waited and sat and finally (2 hours late) the ferry was ready for departure. We boarded busses (which left Ally (and a few others)and her large suitcase behind) and took a 2 minute ride to the docks. The others met with us at the ferry and we all got onboard.

It was not what I expected at all. It was large with comfortable seats. The ten of us were able to grab a lounge area encircling two tables. We all plopped down and slept/read/journaled/hung-out. Sam and I looked into entry visa’s into Jordan and eventually found ourselves in a long line of people getting their passports stamped. After half an hour we reached the front of the line and found out they collect foreigner passports later to give to the port authority… half an hour wasted. Anyways we gave the guy our passports then sat back down with the group.

The ferry took about three hours to arrive in port. We made land and disembarked. From there we were shuttled to the arrival center. We were asked the standard swine flu medical questions and then brought to the visa office. We all talked to the official and were given our visas. From there we walked out onto the streets of Aquba, Jordan.

We were immediately assaulted by the array of cab drivers. After wheeling and dealing we were able to secure a minibus to Wadi Rum, the first stop in our Jordanian expedition. We all crammed into the microbus and made our way through the port city of Aquba. We were all shocked at the subtle differences between Egyptian cities and Jordanian cities. In Jordan people obey traffic rules, there are stop lights, and they stay within lanes. It was also much cleaner on the streets. Anyways we all hit the ATM so that we could pay the driver.

Allong the way we stopped at a gas station to grab food for dinner. We all grabbed some combination of chips/cheese/water/and chocolate. So far junk food seems to be the fuel of choice.

We there we drove out into the desert on our way to Wadi Rum. Wadi, in Arabic, means valley... so we are going to the Rum Valley. We arrived with no problems and got out at the hostel we had previously contacted. The owner is a local Bedouin who was to show us around the desert the next morning. He offered to take us out and let us camp in the desert overnight. We thought that sounded more exciting than sleeping in the hostel so we gladly accepted.

We transferred our stuff and jumped into some four wheel vehicles. A short jeep ride later we arrived at the camping area. We set our stuff out and received some cots and blankets. The owner’s brother made a fire and told us some Arab jokes and stories. He also identified some constellations and sang some Bedouin songs. It was fun but we were all exhausted from our day of travelling. Eventually we all moved our cots under the starts and fell asleep.

Dahab in Review:

Prayer: So for those of you that haven’t guessed I have fallen a bit behind in writing this journal. As I am writing this I am on the way from Petra to Amman (Jordan’s Capital). I am continually amazed by the piety of some people I see on my day to day travels. During Ramadan almost everyone was praying because that was what one does during the month of Ramadan but afterwards you can truly see the difference between those that do it as a lifestyle and those that do it for the holiday.
Today as we are on the bus on the highway I saw a guy who had pulled over on the side of the road and was praying behind his pickup truck. I was just struck by the dedication of this guy. He stopped driving in order to pray.

Since being in Egypt I have found myself praying more than I was doing back home. This was one area of my life I had been working on to improve and being in a highly religious culture has apparently given me the spark necessary to follow through. In San Diego I have often found myself using the excuse that I am too busy, but that guy has given me a new perspective. I can’t help but hope that I can be as dedicated as that guy on the side of the highway and never let anything come between me and prayer.

Stereo Love: On another less serious note I have been introduced to a new song by Mike and Ben. The song is called Stereo love and reminds me of a mix of Basshunter and Cascada. Great song and I can’t wait to spread it once I get back to the USA. I’ll have to send it to Justin ASAP.

Education: After staying in Dahab we managed to get close to a few Egyptians we met there. In our discussions with many of them we found that many have some degree of higher education because it is provided cheaply by the state. This seems to also be the case in Cairo as many people we talked to have attended University. However, many if not most of these people are working as waiters or clerks because of Egypt’s poor economy.

In the US we are concerned about the job market freezing, but it is a reality here in Egypt to a much greater extant. It is sad to see these people with such talent and potential doing such menial tasks. One can only hope that the job market improves both here and in America.

... While I realize that some of these reflections have been a bit more serious I would like to convey my love of Dahab. It was amazingly gorgeous and all the people we met were very hospitable. I believe I could have easily spent weeks if not months sitting there on the beach watching the waves slowly roll in and sipping on a milk shake. If anyone that reads this finds themselves in Egypt with free time I highly suggest Dahab.

Day 30: September 23

Woke up late today. It was around 1:30 pm before Mike and I realized how late it was and rolled out of bed. I made a few calls to my bank and made sure that I could use my debit card while traveling for the next week and a half. After getting disconnected three times I was finally able to clear everything up and hopefully it will work once I make it into Jordan…. Otherwise I could be in trouble.

Went downstairs and met with Mike who was just ordering brunch. I ordered a pizza because I figured it was just to late for breakfast. Mike and I discussed what our next move should be and how we wanted to travel for the next week and a half. We know for sure we want to make it into Jordan, and Syria and Lebanon sound like attractive destinations afterwards. However, at this point we think we will see what the other group is planning and fly by the seat of our pants.

Our food came and we devoured it quickly. We then played a few games of backgammon (we might be getting addicted) before deciding to get some work done. Mike was way behind on his blog which like myself he is writing so that friends and family could keep up with his adventures in Egypt. Unlike me, however, he was behind to the point where he hadn’t yet discussed the pyramids… ouch and I thought I was a bit behind.

While he was working on that I attempted to call Sara and home, but the internet connection was insufficient to allow me to make the calls. Hopefully I can get through to them soon. Instead I uploaded and looked through my pictures of the trip so far. I believe I haven’t mentioned this but my camera seems to have taken some battle damage at some point along the trip. I say this because when I turned it on at Sinai it had a crack in the LCD. Because of this I can now no longer see what I am taking a picture of or see any settings to change it. So using my camera has become an adventure and I have to now check my pictures via computer and hope they came out ok. So far so good… the pictures of Sinai turned out awesome despite the fact I was pointing, guessing, and shooting. It adds an element of surprise and mystery to using my camera.

To make matters worse (possibly) Mike Airosis’ camera was in Jesse’s purse when they left. So now I am taking pictures for the both of us. My plan for now it take allot of pictures and hope they all turn out ok.

Anyways we finished our business and decided to walk through the market area and buy some souvenirs. We had both been eying some of the handmade bags that were sold and decided to go check them out. I found a small backpack one that was woven out of red, black, and tan material. It looked real good, but the guy wanted 50 for it. I laughed and walked away. He practically jumped to keep me from leaving. I was eventually able to negotiate him down to 25 LE. I would have preferred 20 which is what I was able to get a similar one down the street for, however I preferred the color on this one.

Meanwhile Mike was similarly bargaining down the street I arrived just in time to help him by loudly saying I just got mine for 20. The owner immediately folded and sold Mike his for 20. I’ll consider that my good deed for the day.

We walked and browsed for a bit longer but eventually made our way over to Meya Meya and found the others in a zombie like state after their late night hike up Mt. Sinai. We stayed and talked for awhile before heading off to forage for food.

Both Mike and I wanted to try that Indian place from a few nights ago despite it being a bit pricier. Mike and I got up there and headed to the rooftop dining area. We decided to split two dishes so that we could try more. I got my favorite Chicken TIkka Masala and he got the Thai Coconut Chicken. It was as he dubbed it a bro date. I’ve known Mike for awhile but it was the first time him and I got to talk about family and home in any detail. It was a interesting to learn more about him. Another thing I believe I have failed to mention is that he is from Boston and definitely knows my hometown of Framingham. Anyways, the food was worth the few extra pounds. The Indian was good as always and the coconut chicken was amazing.

After dinner we walked back to Meya Meya and ordered some desert (milkshakes) and discussed travel plans with the other group. They have very similar plans as us and we have decided to jump on with their group. We will be meeting them tomorrow Nuweba. So that brings us into a group of ten Sam, Jake, Corley, Jasmine, Ally, Gina, Henry, Carter (a new addition), Mike, and me.

After we discussed travel plans for a bit we decided to separate and get some sleep before a very long day of travel. Mike and I made it back to the Jasmine and got packed for the next leg of our Journey. I was in bed a little after midnight.

Day 29: September 22

Woke up feeling refreshed. It was nice to get a solid block of sleep.

Rolled out of bed and Ben, Mike, Evan and I went downstairs to get breakfast. We sat down and ordered American Breakfasts all around and then walked to a nearby dive shop and rented snorkels and fins to go out diving later. The owner was a bit sketchy and wanted a huge deposit for us to rent. We refused and he backed down. Interesting how things work outside the USA.

We walked back and arrived just in time for our breakfast. Cyndis and Jesse were soon down as well and we all ate and talked about the days plans. As usual the backgammon board made it onto the table and a few games were played. After eating Mike, Ben, and I decided we wanted an earlier start on diving and started walking. The others said they would meet us when they were ready.

The three of us walked towards the Black Prince to a diving spot called the Blue Lagoon. It was suggested to us by Corley and Jake who said they would be going back out there today. We arrived at the beach and got our gear on and waded out into the water. Just as we started to swim out we saw Jake, Sam, Corley, and Jasmine arriving at the beach and decided to wait.

Once they had joined us we swam out to the edge of the reef. At the edge one needs to dive down a few meters and through an opening out into the main reef. We all got through fine and started exploring the outer reef. It was absolutely amazing, and in my opinion the best snorkeling I had the entire trip. We got out and circled one of the larger outcroppings observing both larger fish and larger schools than seen on our other trips.

It turns out that Corley is a certified scuba diver and has done some NGO conservation work in the ocean. As a result she knows allot about the coral and fish. It was really cool to have her around because she was able to identify fish that I was curious about and point out things that the group would have otherwise missed. This was the case with a scorpion fish that she spotted after the rest of us passed right by. Scorpion fish sit on the coral and have the ability to change color to blend better. They are also poisonous. She however, found one and called the group around to show us the rare sight. Really cool.

I think my favorite fish this trip was the anemone fish. They are black and white with bright blue bands. They live in the sea anemones and are quite defensive of their territory. When Ben was diving down to look at an anemone one of the anemone fish practically rammed his goggles. Hilarious.
Anyways we got out after a few hours and made our way towards shore. We all dried off and decided to throw around the Frisbee I had brought to the beach with us. We were even joined by a few Egyptian onlookers who wanted to try. It was fun to be able to throw again even if my partners were not quite as competent at it as I was.

Eventually we decided it was time to walk back to our hotels. We made plans to meet up later for dinner and parted ways at the Jasmine. Ben, Mike, and I then walked and returned our gear to the dive shop. The owner however was not there so we were glad we did not give him the deposit he had asked for earlier… When we returned Ben inquired and found out that there are two shuttles run organized by the Jasmine that make runs to and from Cairo. One of which leaves late at night the other early in the morning. Ben, Evan, Jesse, and Cyndis all planned on leaving the next morning.

Mike, Ben and I then went on a search to find our missing compatriots who never showed up at the Blue Lagoon. About halfway down the Marina we found them at an American run restaurant. They had the most mouth watering burgers I have seen in quite some time… however our dinner appointment was quickly advancing and I decided to abstain. We sat with them as they ate and Ben discussed with the other three the possibility of leaving tonight instead of tomorrow morning. All agreed that sleeping on the red eye seemed like a better idea than wasting the entirety of the next day.

With this in mind we all walked back to the Jasmine so that they could pack before dinner. After packing we all headed down to the Funny Mummy and met up with Jake, Jasmine, Corley, Sam, Henry, Ally, and Gina. I decided that since I was in a town known for its fishing I would try the fish. The waiter suggested the seafood pasta and I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. It was sooooo good. It had crab, scallops, shrimp and chunks of fish in a cream sauce that was stellar. I was honestly sad when it was over.

Afterwards we sat and talked for awhile. The other group planned to do Mount Sinai tonight and one by one they trickled out to get ready. Finally around 10 we decided to head back to the Jasmine and make sure those that were leaving were all set to go. I repacked my bags so that Evan could take my duffel home with him. Throwing everything into bags they were all ready and heading downstairs to catch the 11pm bus to Cairo.

Mike and I found ourselves alone in Dahab. We went downstairs and played backgammon and had a few beers until closing. At closing we headed back upstairs and watched an episode of South Park before falling asleep.

Day 28: September 21

Woke up after around 5pm after our long trek up Sinai. Took a shower and went downstairs. Everyone woke up and rolled out of bed one by one and we slowly congregated at the café. By Six we were all downstairs and ravenous.

We decided that Thai/Indian sounded really good and had heard of a place down by Eel Garden where it was supposed to be both reasonable and delicious. Turns out that the Blue House (the restaurant recommended to us by Ryan/Torrie) was closed for renovations…. So we headed back towards the commercial area to check out another Indian/Thai/Chinese place called The Kitchen. We got there and took a quick look at the menu and decided that it was a bit out of our price range. Kinda bummed about this because I really wanted some Indian. However, I wasn’t one to go against the group.

We decided that we would go to King Chicken again. Got the quarter chicken again. For 15 pounds (3 dollars) you really can’t go wrong. This meal really reminds me of what we were eating at iftar in Cairo. Chicken, rice, beans, salad, bean soup, and flat bread. All walked away sufficiently stuffed.

We made our way slowly back to the Jasmine. Ben called Jake and told them to head our way when they had the chance. They eventually made their way over with the addition of three more members. Ally, Gina, and Henry. Gina and Ally are roommates in Cairo. Both sophomores from the East Coast. Henry is a Senior from UCLA and is in my Formal Arabic classes. You may remember him from earlier stories.

Anyways the now expanded group shared a few beers and played some cards for a few hours. Shortly after midnight we decided to split and head back to our respective hotels. Ben, Mike, and I went upstairs and watched a few episodes of Always Sunny. Evan and Jesse went for a walk, and Cyndis went to bed.

After a few episodes all of us were getting droopy eyed and one by one fell asleep.