We started out in Jordan and were immediately diverted to the Dead Sea because the road to Petra was closed due to a freak blizzard!  The sensation of floating in the Dead Sea is really incredible because the saltiness renders you extremely buoyant.  The landscape along the Dead Sea is barren and there are only a few resorts clustered together and built like fortresses - with security to match.  At Petra we availed ourselves of every beast of burden: horse cart, donkey and camel to see the far-flung site.  Driving back to Amman on the King's Highway we stopped at the Crusader fortress Kerak where the movie Kingdom of Heaven was set.

In Cairo we saw the pyramids, Memphis, Saqqara, and the Egyptian museum before flying to Abu Simbel in southern Egypt.  This was the most impressive of the monuments - really monolithic - built by Ramses II.  From there we drove in a caravan through the desert to Aswan, staying in the Old Cataract hotel overlooking the Nile - made famous by Agatha Christie.  The next day we sailed in a felucca on the Nile and then boarded the Oberoi Philae for a 4 night river cruise up the Nile to Luxor (itinerary).  In Luxor at the Valley of the Kings we bought extra entrance tickets (thanks for the advice, Jim!) and managed to see 7 tombs (including King Tut's - photo above) in a whirlwind dash.  The colors in the tombs are so vibrant despite being thousands of years old.  This was a truly spectacular experience.

We next went to Sharm El Sheikh to dive in the Red Sea.  The variety of shapes and colors of the soft coral (and fish) was remarkable.  Especially beautiful were the enormous fan coral we saw in Ras Mohamed park and in shore dives.

We ended our trip in Alexandria - a busy Mediterranean city with many Roman sites.

Places to stay: Moevenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, Moevenpick Resort Petra, Four Seasons Cairo, Old Cataract hotel Aswan, Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheikh, Salamlek Palace Hotel in Alexandria.