Dahab

Dahab is our last leg of the journey—the ultimate vacation spot. It is a beach city off of the Red Sea, one hour from the airport, that has not yet been built up. We arrived at 2 am to the hotel and woke up the next morning to the most amazing view; the contrast of a fluid bright blue ocean washing up against rigid desert mountains. It’s a beach scene I’ve never had before and it’s quite striking. There’s not really any green (except for the plants that have been imported on the resort). Literally, the ocean touches the desert. The sand is not soft under your feet, but the sea is very calm.

The city and the people are more mellow—even the Egyptian vendors on the street are less aggressive. Perhaps because they see more tourists and there are many ex-pats that live in the area. Dahab is one of the best places in the world for diving, so there’s a large population of certified instructors “imported” from other countries to work here. I’m not sure why Egyptians don’t just get certified? It seems like being the diving instructor would be preferable to driving the jeep that carries the instructor and his divers. The majority of the tourists here are European and Russian; I haven’t met another American person since I’ve been here.

Wednesday and Thursday we pretty much relaxed all day on the beach and at the resort to recuperate from all our temple touring (I know you’re jealous!). In the evenings we just head into town to be hassled a little bit and to eat a meal outside the hotel. There’s not much else here to be honest.

Friday morning we decided to go snorkeling at the Blue Hole, a beach about 30 minutes from the resort that is a popular diving and snorkeling spot because of the gigantic coral reef and wildlife living in it. I can’t say that I saw any truly amazing fish, but the reef was huge. Unfortunately, like many other places in Egypt, they are not as careful with their natural or historical treasures as they should be. As we were warming up after our swim, a huge tour group of about 100 people from Sharm el Sheikh came in and began to get into the water. They had maybe two guides with them, but none of the guides explained to them the danger of destroying the coral reef or that they should be careful while swimming in that area. Coral reef only grows 2 centimeters every year, so if you chip it or break it, it will take several years to grow it back. Yet all the tourists that came to the Blue Hole were walking on the reef and sitting on it….my group was asked not to even touch it. I suppose most people don’t know any better—but the Egyptians who were their scuba guides should have said something beforehand. It’s just sad that a country with such a rich history and abundant resources could waste it.

They say that in 10 years Dahab will be just as developed as Sharm el Sheikh. I consider myself lucky to have been here before that happens.