I am EXHAUSTED. But in a very good way. The past three days have been filled with nonstop scorching hot adventure.
It began with a two-day camel/scuba dive trek. Myself and six others took a jeep ten km to a diving outpost where our scuba tanks, gear, food etc was loaded onto 6 camels, and finally ourselves, for a two hour trek to Abu Galum, a small Bedouin village comprised of maybe 20 huts. Apparently, this is what Dahab used to look like 20 years ago before it began its rapid expansion into tourism. The 4km trek on camel was beautiful, with the ocean to my right and the desert mountains to my left. Have you ever heard a camel before? They constantly are making throaty gurgling sounds have way between a meaty burp and serious indigestion. But they have really funny personalities and like to kiss on the lips.
One thing I love about the jeep/truck rides out to diving locations is the Egyptian form of free public transportation. At any time that a vehicle slows down to go over a speed bump or to take a turn, a number of small children or adults run after the vehicle and climb aboard for a free lift, simply yelling at the driver when they want to get off. So we had two adorable young boys sitting in our jeep on the way to the starting point of our trek.
Once at our destination, we tried to forget about our sore butts by immediately suiting up for our first dive. The dives here were the best so far in Egypt, with lots of lion and scorpion fish, stone fish, a green turtle, and pristine corals. After our first dive we were treated to our first of many filling traditional Bedouin meals: for breakfast we had foul ( a mashed bean dip), the essential diced cucumber and tomato in cow's cheese, more slices of cucumber and tomatoes, with pita bread to wrap it all in. It was very delicious. After a quick break for digestion we had our second dive, then ate lunch : fresh fish caught right outside our hut, with long-grain rice, a potato and vegetables stew, and diced tomatoes and cucumbers. The Bedouin tradition of providing far more food than can possibly be consumed was well observed. Each meal is followed with Bedouin tea, a delicious tea almost ruined by the heaps of sugar poured in.
Afterwards we attempted to nap as the midday heat reached 115 degrees. We read, played cards, ran into the sun for quick dips in the ocean. Dinner was fresh fish, the traditional Egyptian coushery (imagine a spaghetti-ohs type ensemble of short spaghetti, tomato sauce, and a few spices), vegetables, and honey melon for dessert.
In the evening we played Frisbee on the beach with the Bedouin children, before settling down to watch the incredible desert night sky. There are few times in my life where I've witnessed as many stars as I did that night, and a fair number of shooting stars too. Unfortunately, the desert heat lasted all through the night and my sleep on the sand was less than restful. Nonetheless, it truly felt magical to look out over the Sinai Straight, with the stars above and the outline of the Saudi Arabian mountains across the channel.
Yesterday morning we went on a morning dive, then had another wonderful breakfast. I was unable to go on the second dive because I was planning to climb Mt. Sinai that night and as a rule a person should not climb a mountain or fly within 12 hours of one dive or 24 hours of two dives. So I attempted again to nap despite the waving heat and pesky flies who for some reason really wanted to go up my nostrils.
We made it back to Dahab around 5pm, exhausted and content from amazing diving, food, tranquility and adventure. I probably should have slept but instead took care of postcards, banking, gifts etc. My tour was leaving at 11pm to start the drive to Mt. Sinai.
I thought I'd be able to catch a few zzzzz's on the "bus" there, which turned out to be the same type of van as used in Ghana and everywhere else I've traveled for public transportation where they cram in as many people as possible. Sleep remained elusive and we arrived at the base of Mt. Sinai at 1:45am.
We were given a Bedouin tour guide and started off. While some tours had provided the guests with flashlights, our group had mostly forgot with the exception of the two overly prepared Germans who looked as if they had brought all possible gear for spelunking. So the entirety of our climb was in partial to complete darkness, and it is a wonder that more people don;t fall and get injured on the slippery sandy rock path.
We first passed St. Katherine's Monastery, which actually looked stunning with its lights illuminating the gardens. It really appeared as a beacon of light and safety, and made me think of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail when they come upon the Castle in the rain with all the half-naked women in it....
On the way up we had to navigate not only the 500+ people also making the trek, but a whole host of camels carrying the lazy and "less fit" people up the mountain, while simultaneously dodging camels coming down the mountain to carry up the next round. Nonetheless, it felt wonderful to be out finally exercising, and again with the brilliant starry sky.
After 2 hours of climbing, we reached the second half of the pilgrimage, the 750 rocky and uneven steps to the summit. By this time everyone is tired, and can't see, and people are slipping and stopping in the middle of the narrow path...tons of fun. But I made it to the top with about an hour to spare before sunrise.
Sunrise on Mt. Sinai was truly incredibly beautiful, as it bathed the surrounding rocky desert mountains in a red light. And as soon as the sun was fully risen, 500+ began the trek back down. At first I was pretty worried, as I was so tired I was literally falling asleep while climbing down the rocky steps! I chose to take the 3750 Steps of Repentance (laid my a monk as a form of penance) down, rather than the path we took up, to get a different view. Whereas the other path wound around and up Mt. Sinai in a spiral, this path went straight down a gully in the side of Mt. Sinai and had some beautiful arches carved into the path.
Back down at the bottom, it was time for a quick tour of St. Katherine's Monastery and a glimpse at the Burning Bush, before heading back to our van.
I am now safely and exhaustedly back in Dahab, where I am planning my bus to Cairo tomorrow. It is hard to leave this town, but I am excited for the sights of Cairo and the chance to compare its supposed worst traffic ever with that I've seen in Bangkok. Apparently, there are 32 million people in Cairo during the day, and just 24million at night, representing the 8MILLION PEOPLE who commute each day to work in Cairo! Now that's insane...
Now I am off the follow the only commandment I knowingly received while on Mt. Sinai : "Thou shalt take a long nap."
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A Day in Dahab
Ahhhhh. This morning I woke up at 6am to do some sunrise yoga on top of the cafe next to my "camp" (guest house). Afterwards I changed while my friend We'il who works at Dolphin Camp made me Egyptian pancakes with bananas and honey and I drank Bedouin tea. Then I was off for an hour horseback ride along the beach to a gorgeous lagoon, racing the guide Mohammed (My mare was named Madonna - fitting isn't it?).
After the morning ride I had to jump into my bikini to make it in time for my morning scuba dive at a place called Blue Hole. To get there, we take a jeep along a winding, dirt road between the red desert mountains and the blue-green Red Sea waters, passing through two security checkpoints (which I found out have been set up throughout Egypt by the government as a means of employing some of the numerous unemployed men). Along the way I stopped counting at 450 the camels in huge groups ly8ing down, some standing, others in a long line walking - all ready and waiting for the massive 100+ tourist groups coming from the Ritzy Sharm-El-Sheik Resort area an hour south of Dahab.
By 11am I was descending straight down through a jagged coral hole to the vast "blue hole." At 35 meters deep (110ft) I suddenly felt giddy and realized I was saying "Wheee!" to myself as I rolled in horizontal 360 degree turns...when I realized I was narced from the depth (nothing like a little oxygen deprivation and utter weightlessness to really enjoy oneself). On the coral we spotted a huge (2 foot diameter head) octopus who was madly flashing from white to black to blue-gray in an attempt to hide from us. Unfortunately out dive had to end about 15 minutes short (only 32 minutes long) soon after as a man with me was unable to equalize his ears, and 34e had to make an emergency ascent. Nonetheless, it was a great dive, made all the more so by the fact that it was given to me for free due to the shorted time and emergency ascent, Woot!. (However, I must admit that I find both the coral and the fish here extremely lacking when compared to all of my dives in Thailand and the Philippines - I didn't realized how spoiled I had been starting in those locations).
I decided to break from an afternoon dive and instead spent the afternoon sunning and swimming, eating Greek salad, drinking a pineapple-orange lassi, and smoking apple sheesha as I read a book.
Tonight there are parties at the two clubs, so I'll be dancing the night away and playing some pool with new friends I've made from Quebec and London, as well as my dive masters.
As you can imagine, for most of the people I've met here, a day in Dahab quickly becomes a week and then months with such a relaxed atmosphere, great food, gorgeous beach and generous locals.
What else: The cats! Everywhere else I have traveled in the world mangy, homeless dogs are the norm. But here the place is crawling with gorgeous Egyptian cats - tall, long-legged with long pointy ears. (There are definitely a fair share of dogs as well). Both the cats and dogs are well-cared for compared to everywhere else I've been, and if you are not an animal lover - or at least capable of accepting five cats at your feet under the dinner table - then maybe Egypt is not for you.
So far everyone has been very kind and helpful here, especially when I was making my way via buses from Cairo here. The men love to try and woo you into their restaurants and shops, but it has yet to ever make me feel uncomfortable in the way it did in Jamaica and other places I've been.
The scenery is absolutely spectacular. From the Peninsula, I look across the channel to the desert mountains of Saudi Arabia, and at night the lone city over there sparkles while the crescent moon rises above it. Behind the ocean front on the back side of the hotels, camps, shops and restaurants of Dahab lie stunning jagged desert mountains. the beach front is filled with large huts and giant parasols housing restaurants and cafes with sleep-inducing floor cushions surrounding a low table. Evenings are spent enjoying the desert breeze over tea and sheesha and good company, before heading to one of the clubs for some dancing or pool.
Apparently this is not the high season for tourists here in Dahab - that comes next month when the weather cools down a bit. But the mix here is good : single travelers such as myself, European and Egyptian families with their children, ex-pats working the diving schools, and amorous couples. It's truly one of those places with something for everyone.
So far Dahab has been a much needed "detox" for me after Kumasi as a place to really lie back and allow my thoughts to wander and coalesce over the past three months in Ghana. I already miss it a great deal - both the country itself and the people I became so close with. And my mind is constantly whirring over the data we collected and how I can use it to best improve maternal mortality in Ghana and elsewhere. I find myself constantly starting to speak Twi instead of Arabic or English. And I already miss red red and palava sauce.
Travel always reminds me that life is so good, makes me realize how fortunate I am, and challenges me to constantly broaden my world view and become a better person.
After the morning ride I had to jump into my bikini to make it in time for my morning scuba dive at a place called Blue Hole. To get there, we take a jeep along a winding, dirt road between the red desert mountains and the blue-green Red Sea waters, passing through two security checkpoints (which I found out have been set up throughout Egypt by the government as a means of employing some of the numerous unemployed men). Along the way I stopped counting at 450 the camels in huge groups ly8ing down, some standing, others in a long line walking - all ready and waiting for the massive 100+ tourist groups coming from the Ritzy Sharm-El-Sheik Resort area an hour south of Dahab.
By 11am I was descending straight down through a jagged coral hole to the vast "blue hole." At 35 meters deep (110ft) I suddenly felt giddy and realized I was saying "Wheee!" to myself as I rolled in horizontal 360 degree turns...when I realized I was narced from the depth (nothing like a little oxygen deprivation and utter weightlessness to really enjoy oneself). On the coral we spotted a huge (2 foot diameter head) octopus who was madly flashing from white to black to blue-gray in an attempt to hide from us. Unfortunately out dive had to end about 15 minutes short (only 32 minutes long) soon after as a man with me was unable to equalize his ears, and 34e had to make an emergency ascent. Nonetheless, it was a great dive, made all the more so by the fact that it was given to me for free due to the shorted time and emergency ascent, Woot!. (However, I must admit that I find both the coral and the fish here extremely lacking when compared to all of my dives in Thailand and the Philippines - I didn't realized how spoiled I had been starting in those locations).
I decided to break from an afternoon dive and instead spent the afternoon sunning and swimming, eating Greek salad, drinking a pineapple-orange lassi, and smoking apple sheesha as I read a book.
Tonight there are parties at the two clubs, so I'll be dancing the night away and playing some pool with new friends I've made from Quebec and London, as well as my dive masters.
As you can imagine, for most of the people I've met here, a day in Dahab quickly becomes a week and then months with such a relaxed atmosphere, great food, gorgeous beach and generous locals.
What else: The cats! Everywhere else I have traveled in the world mangy, homeless dogs are the norm. But here the place is crawling with gorgeous Egyptian cats - tall, long-legged with long pointy ears. (There are definitely a fair share of dogs as well). Both the cats and dogs are well-cared for compared to everywhere else I've been, and if you are not an animal lover - or at least capable of accepting five cats at your feet under the dinner table - then maybe Egypt is not for you.
So far everyone has been very kind and helpful here, especially when I was making my way via buses from Cairo here. The men love to try and woo you into their restaurants and shops, but it has yet to ever make me feel uncomfortable in the way it did in Jamaica and other places I've been.
The scenery is absolutely spectacular. From the Peninsula, I look across the channel to the desert mountains of Saudi Arabia, and at night the lone city over there sparkles while the crescent moon rises above it. Behind the ocean front on the back side of the hotels, camps, shops and restaurants of Dahab lie stunning jagged desert mountains. the beach front is filled with large huts and giant parasols housing restaurants and cafes with sleep-inducing floor cushions surrounding a low table. Evenings are spent enjoying the desert breeze over tea and sheesha and good company, before heading to one of the clubs for some dancing or pool.
Apparently this is not the high season for tourists here in Dahab - that comes next month when the weather cools down a bit. But the mix here is good : single travelers such as myself, European and Egyptian families with their children, ex-pats working the diving schools, and amorous couples. It's truly one of those places with something for everyone.
So far Dahab has been a much needed "detox" for me after Kumasi as a place to really lie back and allow my thoughts to wander and coalesce over the past three months in Ghana. I already miss it a great deal - both the country itself and the people I became so close with. And my mind is constantly whirring over the data we collected and how I can use it to best improve maternal mortality in Ghana and elsewhere. I find myself constantly starting to speak Twi instead of Arabic or English. And I already miss red red and palava sauce.
Travel always reminds me that life is so good, makes me realize how fortunate I am, and challenges me to constantly broaden my world view and become a better person.
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