EGYPT

EGYPT

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.

Camels and Commandments

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."

My last Day of Travel: Seeing Everything in Cairo in ONE DAY....

I finally arrived in Cairo after pulling myself out of the quicksand of Dahab, giving me exactly one full day in the tourist treasure of Cairo.
I began this morning at 7:30am with the Great Pyramids of Giza. They truly define awesome. I got haggled into a camel ride by a man named Sallah and his camel Mickey Mouse, which ended up being a blast as he was all about helping me get my requisite jumping photos in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramid. And in the end he had Mickey Mouse lie down and I stood on him for a bunch of rather amusing photos.

After eating my breakfast I’d taken from my hostel consisting of hotdog buns and fig jam, I caught a taxi to Khan-al-Khalili, the famous Cairo market. I wandered through the Islamic quarter where the locals buy their undergarments, spices, toiletries etc., and continued into the tourist quarter full of Egyptian purses, jewelry and shoes. I sat at a famous little alley cafe that has been open supposedly for 200 years while I sipped mint tea and smelled the wafting aroma of apple sheesha being smoked by local men and people-watched. I made a stop at a traditional pasteries, fruits and nuts store and bought some delicious Persian yellow raisins and amazing peanuts coated with honey and sesame seeds, before catching a third taxi to the Egyptian Museum.

Entering the Egyptian Museum is like finding the door to an immense mansion attic full of someone's life treasures: the museum is covered with sarcophagi, vessels, mummies, jewelry and a million other things, many of which are left uncovered/unprotected and look like they were simply dropped off by the movers and never properly put away. My favorites were the animal mummification room, the Royal Mummy room which houses the best preserved mummies in the world from the Valley of the Kings and all other famous locations in Egypt, and the King Toot ankh amoon (my Egyptian friend's spelling) wing which houses the most famous death mask, largest sarcophagi, most extensive jewelry etc - all for a king who ruled for just nine years!

Next I decided to wander around the downtown area, since my hostel is only a ten minute walk from the Egyptian Museum and the main downtown streets of Tarir Haab and El Nile are so close and full of the latest Egyptian fashion. I wandered and window shopeed, and stopped for a refreshing lemon juice, and wandered some more...before finally returning to the hostel for a much needed shower.

There are a million things I did not see today, least of all the Citadel, Islamic Cairo, and the Saqqara step pyramid. But this provides me with yet another great excuse to return. Tonight my plan is to see a Sufi dance and to go on a sunset falluqua (traditional Nile sailboat) ride on the Nile, since I wasn't able to do a 2-3 day Nile river trip.

It is so hard to believe my time traveling is up. I feel that for me, life is most in perspective when I am traveling. And I feel uncomfortable not knowing when the next time is that I will leave the States again - although I know it will likely be less than 6 months (fingers crossed). While I am not ready to be done traveling, I am very excited to be back home in the most beautiful location off all the travels I have ever done: my hometown of Missoula, Montana. I have been dreaming of sitting on my back porch, gazing out at my mom's incredible flower garden while sipping on Sangria that my dad and I make. And I am equally excited to begin my last year in my master's program so I can begin compiling the qualitative and quantitative data from my three months in Ghana, and hopefully get the findings published before I graduate.

I feel at a loss of eloquent words to summarize my experiences, thoughts and emotions over the past 100 days. Suffice it to say I am thankful for the amazing experiences I have had and everything I have learned, and I hope that it will all contribute to some small change for the better as I continue my work in public health.

Money, not Tears
Ugh. And so it goes. I missed my flight today. That's what I get for diligently checking the flight status beforehand. So my flight was delayed from 12:30pm to 2pm, and when I saw that online I decided to just stay here at the hostel a bit longer. I arrived at the airport at 11:30am and was promptly told that the gate for my flight was closed...despite the flight delay they had processed it at the original time. So there I was, and they refused to let me on even though the flight wasn't leaving for 2.5 more hours! They must have already given my seat away.

So for the first time in months I began crying, and I'm never the type of girl able to turn on the water show when she wants something. But even my beautiful tears of sorrow failed to sway the hunch-backed Delta man from getting me on the plane.

Because Delta only offers one flight to NYC a day, and no other flights in North America, the flight was booked until the 10th. So I could either wait another five days and sight see some more, or pay $233 for the emergency seat tomorrow.

Flight delays on your way home are one of those events that so gleefully mess with your emotions. Even yesterday, if I knew I had the option to extend another five days I would have jumped at it. But today, having psyched myself up for "finally going home" it was such a blow - "not just a later flight today but in five more days?!!" So I took the option of paying to fly home tomorrow. Either way I'd have spent the same amount of money.

When I finally arrived back at my hostel (via an hour and a half taxi ride through the ghettos of Cairo when it should normally takes 30 minutes) I told one of the hostel workers what had happened. I told him I had cried and still I wasn't able to get on and now was going to pay for a flight tomorrow. He asked me incredulously, "You mean you didn't try and pay the man to get you in?!"

Another lesson learned in Cairo: money not tears my friend, money not tears. I should have known bribery was the best option....silly American.

In any case, I now have one more day/night to eat my favorite Ta'mayya (falafel) and rice pudding while inhaling the black Cairo air. Life is still good.