Dahab & Cairo

After my much needed nap, I met up with Jimmy and he walked me over to Aqua Divers down the road from Bishbishi Garden Village Hostel. I arranged for 2 dives the next day and then went into town to have a look around. I had a falafel wrap for dinner and with a full stomach, checked out all the shops. Nice thing about Dahab, the merchants are used to so many tourists that they don't pester you. They give you plenty of space and still keep their friendliness and warmth about them. It was perfect. If you needed them, they were beside you at a drop of a dime, otherwise they are either relaxed or trying to keep busy with small tasks not to scare you off.
I found some nice belly dance costumes made by a man and his wife. He also gave dance lessons. I tried on a few for fun and while in the change room, he insisted I practise my dancing to fully appreciate the outfit. It was a lot of fun. He would make a move and I had to copy. Good times.
Didn't take long before I was tuckered out and ready for bed.
I headed over to Aqua Divers first thing in the morning and met my dive master Milad. With all our gear loaded into the jeep, we headed to our first dive site, Moray Garden. There was a fair amount of wind so I picked sites not to be too affected by it. Didn't want to waste my air supply on exertion from swimming against currents! We had a lovely shore entry and there was no current. Perfect! The visibility was great and it wasn't long before I spotted my very first stonefish. Ended up seeing 2 of them! Very cool! They really do camouflage brilliantly and I can see why they're so dangerous. Also saw the usual tropical coloured fish (butterflyfish, danselfish, anemone fish, etc.) a masked pufferfish and whitespotted pufferfish, 2 common lionfish and a clearfin lionfish, shultz pipefish and various parrotfish (bicolour, steepheaded, bluebarrad, swarthy & rusty). The coral was nice as well. Not as impressive as the GBR, but not to be missed. The Red Sea has so much to offer. I'm looking forward to returning in the future to explore more of it.
My second dive site was Um El Sid and it was another shore entry. Slight to medium current here, so we made our decent as quickly as we could to get out of it. Glad my equalizing wasn't any problem that day. On our second dive, we saw all the same marine life as above plus long nose unicornfish, needlefish, a pyjama slug and a really special fish... a Red Sea Walkman! It's a type of scorpionfish that has claws on the fins so it walks along the bottom of the ocean floor. It was a bright red colour as well. Stunning creature! My dive master was thrilled to have seen him. It was his first one, diving in Dahab in 4 years. After 50 mins, I was getting cold so we surfaced. And whoa! That wind was cold! We changed as fast as we could and got back into the jeep so we could warm up.
I kind of wished I did rent an underwater camera to get pictures of the stonefish and red sea walkman, but I just wanted to enjoy the dive this time around.
Once back at the shop, I asked if I could borrow the wetsuit for the rest of the afternoon as I was wanting to snorkel down at the lighthouse. They said not a problem and I could return it the next day. No extra fee. Nice people. So, after a quick bite, it walked to the other end of town and jumped into the water. I knew right away I wouldn't be in there too long. I was chilled to the bone from being in the water all morning. And there was a lot of wind at this point (which is why I elected not to dive here) which made it difficult to snorkel and free dive. Mind you, I found free diving difficult as it was, due to the high salinity. Felt like I was wearing a life jacket!
Too bad there weren't rocks nearby to use to get down. Only coral beds. Just had to kick really hard. Many people wind surfing. Fun to watch them do jumps and flips out there. They sure got a lot of speed with that breeze!
After my snorkel, I dropped off the wetsuit back at the dive shop and went for a shower in my room. I had my dinner and Jimmy came to see how my day was. We talked for some time and then he decided to teach me how to play backgammon. It was a blast. He took it easy on me in the beginning, but I'm a fast learner so by the end of 90 mins, he was putting more effort in. We agreed to a rematch the next day, after my camel ride out to the Blue Hole for more snorkeling (that he talked me into). He spent all that time with me, so I thought it only fair to support him and take one of the daily outings.
I was so cold throughout the night, despite the 18 C temperature, and I wasn't feeling all that well in the morning. He postponed my plans till noon, gave me a herbal tea with something that tasted like ginger ( his mother used to give it to him when he was ill. He swore by it) and went back to bed. At least I was warming up. When I got up at 11:30, I felt so much better. I had to check out but they were kind enough to let me keep the room until I had to catch my ride back to Cairo in the evening. It was slow in tourism, so they could spare the space. Again, what wonderful people, I was very happy with the service.
Jimmy drove me out to the local Bedouin man with the camels. It was a nice 30 mins ride. Enough blankets to keep me comfortable, but I think another hour and I'd be sore. It is possible to get a rhythm while riding though.
Once at the Blue Hole, I went into one of the restaurants where my snorkel gear was supplied. Then in I went. Not too windy that day, but there was a decent current on the surface so I had to mind my body at all times to avoid floating into anything. Can be challenging when you want to stay in one spot to watch something, but I managed. Saw more of the same marine life, but no stonefish. Not deep enough. I thought I was lucky to see the puffer and lionfish as is was, being so close to the surface. It's supposed to be a great dive site. Maybe next time...
Once out of the water, I went to the restaurant to dry and change and the owner joined me for Bedouin tea (hmm, so good with that hint of mint) and conversation. He was a bit of a flirt. Though, most of the egyptian men are... lol.
My driver picked me up and took me back to the hostel. So many goats roaming the streets in Dahab. You'd think to see cats scrounging around... here, it's goats. Free to roam as they please. I asked, "don't the owners ever loose them and have trouble getting them back or worry about them being stolen?" He said they always find their way back home and owners know which ones are theirs. Plus, Dehab is a small Bedouin community, so most people know each other and will bring the goat back to the rightful person. Very seldom is there theft. Goats are very special to the people and cherished.
After my shower and dinner, Jimmy and I had another few rounds of Backgammon. One of which I actually won! I was so proud, didn't matter that he beat me 5 times before. I was finally getting strategic!
I had a private van, that a bunch of other tourists were on, to go back to Cairo in. The manager offered me a seat as there was one left and said it would be faster and more comfortable than the public bus. The bus would take 10 hours, the van... 8 hours. However, our 8 pm departure turned into 10 pm. So it would be a 4 am arrival. Luckily, Brothers hostel arranged everything so they knew to expect me. Plus, the owner Mo and I kept in touch by email so he knew when I'd be coming home and were I was.
What a long night that was! In theory, it would be faster then the public bus, but with the convoys... that would be a big fat no! It was extremely disappointing how long we'd have to wait for our convoy. We'd sit at the checkpoint for 20 mins to as long as an hour for the military to get in their vehicle for us to follow. They'd drive for about 15 mins then wave us on and they'd go back. I didn't understand the point of waiting all that time for a convoy that only stayed with us for 15 minutes! What a waste of time. Even had one time where we had to pull over to the side of the road, to wait for another military vehicle to come... in the middle of nowhere. The guards stood on the side of the road with their guns, smoking, talking and laughing, completely a ease. Never mind the flashing lights signalling "Look! Tourists here in the van! Come get us!" And the vast desert completely ignored on our other side. I mean, if the terrorists were going to ransom someone, we were sitting ducks, with a bloody beacon signifying who we were, with guards on the wrong side of the vehicle to protect us and not paying attention anyway. Easy pickin's. Of course, we didn't have any trouble, but I was regretting not taking the bus. Blending in with the locals is fine with me.
There were 2 Brazilian tourists and their guide kidnapped by a Bedouin tribe up by the Monastery earlier that day. So I understood the "security." The Sinai is not without it's problems. Luckily, those people were released  within 24 hours, unharmed and with an apology from the tribal leader. I imagine they had an interesting tale to tell their family.
We didn't arrive in Cairo until 7 am. I was bagged! I managed to sleep 2 hours, but with all the checkpoints, it made it difficult to sleep. At least I had a bed ready for me. I only said a brief hello to reception, retrieved my large backpack from them and they showed me my bed at that was it. Out like a light until the afternoon.
When I awoke, I wasn't interested in doing too much, so I went out to get some food across the street at Koshary (nice dish of pasta and rice with dehydrated onions and lentils on top, covered with a tomato sauce. Onion lemon juice on the side.). I loved this dish, and so incredibly inexpensive! I actually ate there and the falafel stand a lot. Then I hung out in the lounge at reception and chatted with other guests and the staff. Ehab, Mo, Mohammad, Kareem and Emam were all interested to know how my trip went and if I was happy with it.
The next day, I had a new dorm room friend come in named Kris. He was from the USA. We got along and talked for hours. We also went for a walk in town, accompanied by Mohammad from the hostel. We went over two different bridges over the Nile. Qasr Al Nil Bridge had nice statues of lions on either side. We admired the Cairo Tower, but decided against paying the fees to go up for a smoggy view of Cairo.
So much traffic. We had to cross the highway at one point and there isn't a cross walk. Just run! Lol, not exactly safe, but the only way to cross it. Mohammad was good about leading the way. Though, he had a tendency to walk at an angle. Wherever his eyes went, his feet would follow. Not the most agile guy...
When we got back to the hostel, Ehab took us to a nice restaurant that he liked to go to so we could try some good local food. We ordered camel and chicken, grilled eggplant, dolmades, tahini sauce and a vegetable mix dip for our pita. It was really nice. Both meats were really well seasoned. Great spot.
After that, we walked some of the streets nearby the hostel, getting a few toiletries either of us needed to restock on and came across a young man that carried 2 glasses on his belt and a large jug of juice that had decorative flowers at the top. Kris decided to brave it and try a glass. Of course, this glass is used by many people, never washed but rinsed out with the juice, so that already had us grossed out, but he was a trooper. At first sip his face scrunched right up, saying the juice tasted like something the flowers probably grew out of. Ha! Priceless. I tried a sip, nasty stuff! Couldn't believe Kris managed to down the whole glass. Especially knowing how many other peoples spit lined that glass. Brave soul! Three men watching us got a good laugh. Another drank as well, to show how it's not so bad. "Put hair on your body," he said.Well, at least we know not to try that again. I took him to a drink stand a few doors down from the hostel and bought him a sugar cane drink. Nice, natural, sweet pressed sugar cane. Helped to get the bad taste out of our mouths. It's really nice.
Once back at the hostel, I convinced him to join me the next day for a tour of Old Cairo so I didn't have to go alone. 2 others were going to join us as well. A really nice asian couple.
We shared some beers in the evening, watching a movie in the lounge and I also played some backgammon with Emam and Kareem. I was getting pretty good. Emam taught me 2 other versions of the game. Fun.
The next morning, Ehab was our guide for our tour. Our first stop was the Citadel of Salah Al-Din. This citadel is seen on all their currency. It was a magnificent building. We were permitted to go inside (taking our shoes off at the door) and there were glowing orb lights in circular patterns hanging from the ceiling and beautiful golden arabic writing in corners of dome archways. Breathtaking. Outside along the citadel was a great panoramic view of Cairo. So many satellite dishes! I still can't get over that!
We walked through the military museum on the grounds as well. Learning some of Egypt's history. Different uniforms through the era, statues of pharaohs, tanks, planes, etc. It was interesting seeing the models of old Persian war catapults.
After, we went to a few other old churches. We saw the Church of St. George and the Babylon Fortress. The Hanging Church (Coptic Orthodox church), which dates back in the 3rd century AD, being one of the oldest churches in Egypt and built over a Roman Fortress gatehouse. As well as the Ben Erza Synagogue built in the 9th century. Many Roman fortifications here. It was really neat.
After that, we stopped into Khan-El-Khalili Bazaar to wander the alleys and stop for falafel. We took our falafel to a tea shop to eat it and had some tea and Sheesha. Apple flavoured tobacco this time. I could taste the apple, though faintly. Then, we headed back to the hostel. Ending my last activity of my tour.
I spent the next couple weeks staying at Brothers hostel, updating my resume and looking for a job in England on the internet. In my spare time, I hung out with the staff. They made me feel as part of the family and we all shared meals together, watched movies, socialized, went shopping and more backgammon. I had such an amazing time with them.
I had a couple outings with other backpackers travelling through. Seeing different areas of town. I spent 2 days getting 2 new belly dance costumes as well. I ended up getting both at the same store, Mahoud abd el Ghaffar, on Gawfar El Qayid st in Khan-El Khalili. They had 4 floors of costumes and tons of accessories, wings, coin scarfs, veils and props. I was in heaven. All the fitting is arranged with them at no extra charge (costumes were 700 EGP each, ~ CAD$115) so my bras fit perfectly. I just picked it up the next day. And seeing how I just had to walk 5 mins from the hostel to Al Opra square, then catch a minivan taxi over the bridge to Khan El Khalili for 1 EGP, it was easy to do.
I also spent another day at the Cairo Egyptian Museum. The building is a rusty red colour and has a dome on the top. It's not a tall building compared to it's neighbours in the area, but the colour makes it stand out. It has a garden area around the outside with a few statues and monuments of the pharaohs. Once inside, there are two floors. It was actually a very big museum and took me 5 hours to go through. On the ground floor were numerous pillars, colossal and regular sized statues, an extensive papyrus collection, coins from historic trade, tables, granite slabs with hieroglyphics and granite statues and sarcophaguses. Upstairs were many wooden coffins (wooden shelves lining the walls with glass window casings for viewing, layering up to 4-5 coffins) and 2 different royal mummy halls.
I went into both and it was incredible to see how well preserved the bodies were. They even had their teeth visible. The royals had their arms crossed, were some of the nobility didn't. The bodies were enclosed in glass cases that controlled the humidity and temperature for preservation. It was very well kept. Even saw mummified animals in with one or two. Canopic jars containing organs from the dead were present as well. I found them so interesting. Four organs were removed, each one in a particular guardian jar. The intestine would go in the jar of the falcon, the liver in the human, the stomach in the jackal and the lungs would go in the baboon. The heart is left in the body, as the Egyptians believed you thought, felt and ruled with your heart (your soul) so the brain was discarded.
There was another display with mummified animals. A lot of Egyptians mummified animals that sybolized their deities so many goats, baboons, falcons, cats, dogs, a cow and crocodile were displayed. However, some people made fake mummies, placing just fur or feathers in a linen wrap. They way they could tell was by radiographs, to tell if thee were bones. All very interesting. I was amazed at the cow and crocodile mummies. Also, to think all those years ago, they still had animals in Egypt... before the land dried up or were sacrificed. The royals did a lot of trade as well, bringing larger beasts from East Africa into their kingdoms... like lions or hippos.
Also upstairs were thousands of artifacts from tombs. Little figurines (that represented servants for the deceased in the afterlife), jewelry, tools, papyrus scrolls, alabaster vases, shrines, carvings, magnificent gold beds and chests, the black Anubis statue of the jackal, and of course the famous artifacts of Tutankhamun. Such as the great golden mask that was found over the wrapped head of the young king, which weighs up to 11 kg (~ 24 lbs). and his beautiful golden sarcophagus. So much gold... lots of exquisite jewelry (ivory and gold bracelets, necklaces of beads, gold and gems) and many weapons. Astonishing up on this floor. So much to see and appreciate from both Ancient Egypt and Middle Kingdom dynasties. Shame no photography was allowed. But, understandable.
Now, I'm waiting to catch my flight to Heathrow in London, England where I'll then be staying with my new friends, Kiran and Kam. They're the lovely couple I met camping out in the desert here in Egypt and they have invited me to stay with them. I'm looking forward to seeing them again!