Dahab, Egypt - Day 90 - Boots on the Loose

Didn’t end up making it to Nuweiba (on ferry from Jordan) until well after dark; found our way to the correct bank that sells visas for Egypt, showed it to customs and shared a minibus with a really nice couple from Palestine (who went onwards to Sharm El-Sheikh). I wished that they were staying in Dahab because they were young and spoke very good English, and it would have been very interesting to hear their thoughts on the world.

Stayed at a great little bungalow called Auski Camp (Australia-Kiwi) for $6/night. The restaurant was FANTASTIC! (as with all restaurants in Dahab). Right on the ocean, floor seating, great music, great lights, campfire at night (in the middle of the restaurant), excellent food and sheesha, etc, etc. Pretty much the ideal backpacker spot to chillout for a week or 4!! It was actually quite incredible how quickly the 5 nights passed by in Dahab; the only reason we came back when we did was to meet Alissa in Cairo and we fully intended on returning with her.

We did roughly the same thing each day in Dahab: wake up and have breakfast at our little restaurant, suntan upstairs for an hour or two, find some sort of activity for a few hours to avoid the guilty feeling of doing nothing all day, find an amazing restaurant to eat dinner at (you don’t have to look far), then head to the Tota Bar (yes, every night). The Tota Bar is this place at the centre of the strip that’s shaped like a boat (apparently it’s been there since 1984); they play movies on a big outdoor screen in the back all night, and have about any activity a bar can offer. I made good friends with one of the guys there because I asked him for popcorn and he taught me the word in Arabic (sounds like “Feeshar”) and he must have said it to me 500 times after that!

Did a day trip to the Blue Hole to do some snorkelling; wanted to dive but you need your Advanced ticket for that site… I was sitting on the fence about diving at Dahab because it’s been well over the 6 months of no diving that it requires me to take a refresher course; decided after snorkelling though that I’m gonna do it when we return. Water temperature in the Red Sea was about 23C; quite warm but only lasted about a 1/2 hour with no wet suit on. The coral reef is pretty fantastic all along the coast – there are only certain entry points you’re supposed to use when getting in the water around Dahab to avoid stepping on it (on the downside, there aren’t really any good beaches because of it). Highlight at the Blue Hole was everything really, but I did get to see a Lion fish just before getting out. Jamie went snorkelling at a different site instead called The Islands (and said it was great); Jen chickened out but promises to go when we return ;).

Other memorable things about Dahab included getting massages one day, not being able to sit down without a kittie sitting with you, and watching Jamie have a soccer ball juggling contest with Shouki (the fella that runs the Auski Camp). The game was first person to juggle a soccer ball a thousand times (accumulated) wins, and Jamie actually managed to win! (Shouki fumbled at 995… no joke).

On the final night met a character named Christopher from Oregon who’s working in Jordan teaching English; seemed very smart and worldly at first but after a few drinks seemed to transform into a harsh American and I thought a couple times we might be breaking up a fight between him and some of the locals.

I learned recently that most people working in Dahab make around 300 pounds a month (roughly $60CDN) and it hasn’t been sitting well with me; I can’t believe that crime against tourists isn’t rampant by now. Here I am taking out the equivalent to 3 months wages at a time and blowing it in 4 or 5 days. It’s no wonder people are trying to blow these places up. Of course the argument is we’re bringing the business in and like Vegas and many other places, Dahab wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for us (and thus no jobs at all) but still… something deep down just doesn’t feel fair. I can only imagine how I’ll feel once we’re further south in some other countries throughout Africa…