Wednesday March 8, 2017 – Tala bay, Aqaba, Jordan
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Introduction to Nexus Expedition, written in December 2016
Red Sea from Aqaba
Aqaba
Egypt landscape across the Red Sea from Tala Bay.
Tala Bay marina
Tala Bay promenade
To whom it may concern amongst the authorities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan:
My name is Dimitri Bernard Kieffer
I am a French and American citizen and I am currently in the midst of a human powered expedition around the world which I started in Anchorage, Alaska, USA in February 2005, progressing intermittently, according to local visa restrictions and weather conditions.
I have so far covered 24,215 kilometers (15,046 miles) from Anchorage, Alaska to Tala Bay, Aqaba (Jordan).
At first, trekking, swimming, skiing and rowing across Alaska, the Bering Strait and Chukotka (Russia). Then cycling through Far Eastern Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
I then kayaked across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran to Oman and cycled further across the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
I entered Jordan on February 26th 2017 through the border crossing of Haql (Saudi Arabia) – Durra (Jordan).
In Jordan, I then cycled 13 kms, until I reached the resort of Tala Bay, Aqaba.
I am currently a guest of the Tala Bay Resort : “Jordan Bay Kept Secret!” who is kindly welcoming me while I am working with the Egyptian authorities and Jordanian authorities to secure permissions to kayak across the Red Sea from Tala Bay, Jordan to Taba Heights, Egypt and being able to continue my human powered circumnavigation of the globe.
In this route, I will be following the “footsteps” of the 5 Egyptian kayakers Nouran, Yara Shalaby, Sherif AbdelAzim, Charif Khedr, and Ahmed Nayer who were the first to kayak across the Red Sea from Tala Bay (Jordan) to Taba Heights in Egypt on September 23rd 2016.
My wife Gulnara Kieffer is going to start cycle with me again in Egypt and together we will progress towards the southwestern coast of Africa, where the row across the Atlantic Ocean will begin.
I apologize that I am not able to better communicate in your language.
Hopefully, we will be able to understand each other nevertheless!
Thank you in advance for your hospitality and your kind support!
Dimitri Bernard Kieffer
Nexus Expedition
Links & Additional Information:
Tala Bay Resort : “Jordan Bay Kept Secret!”
Details on the successful kayak crossing of the Red Sea in September 2016 by 5 Egyptian kayakers
Details on Egyptian Yara Shalaby