be vewy, vewy carefull

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_States

How about the other OP's suggestion of Petra, Jordan then Aqaba, Jordan and followed by Dahab, Egypt. You could try scuba diving in Dahab. Lodging is very inexpensive and you feel like you are in a different world. Its so unlike the Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada Egypt. Dahab is very laid back and the restaurants are just cushions on the beach overlooking the sea. My husband who sounds like you heads to Dahab for diving anytime he is stressed.

You can get to SSH or CAI with *A. The flt CAI-SSH is less than an hour and the drive SSH-Dahab is about an hour. There is a ferry between Aqaba, Jordan and a town about an hour north of Dahab.

You can catch a glimpse of the culture of Dahab on youtube (Blue Hole). There are lots of beginner dive sites and other activities too.

If you decide to go, PM me if you need help with transport within Egypt because we know a front desk clerk who can help arrange everything. Have a great trip.

Gah! My brain was thinking Bolivia, but my fingers insisted on typing Ecuador (maybe because the word appeared in the OP). Corrected.


I've only been once, and perhaps I was lucky, but I stayed in a quite comfortable hostel with reliable water, electricity, and internet. The crowd was much older and quieter (mostly 30s to 60s) than the typical party clientele you find in some European hostels; maybe this was due to it being about $5/night more expensive than other hostels in town. I opted for a shared room which was fine for me, but they also had private rooms that were still reasonably cheap.

Another possibility (although it's technically still in North America) would be St. Pierre and Miquelon - a French overseas territory just off the coast of Newfoundland. You can fly to St. John's on AC and then rent a car or take a local taxi/ferry. It's an absurdly remote place that no one's ever heard of, it's tiny and quiet and you can totally relax and unplug, and it's a French-speaking environment, complete with the food and culture. The ocean scenery is stunning, and from what I gather you can do a bunch of hiking/boat excursions and the like.

I've never actually been, but last fall I did spend a few days in Newfoundland very close to where the ferry to St. Pierre leaves. I stayed at a gorgeous B&B in the town of Grand Bank and have never slept better in my entire life.