Slept in on my first day of what students are calling ‘Swine Break 09’. Rolled out of bed at 1pm. Read some in Dune Messiah and then did some vocabulary studying.
At around four we got a call from Jesse telling us they were painting and hanging out at their place. Seeing as nothing else was going on we gladly headed over. A short taxi ride later we were in Zamalek. And a few minutes of walking took us to Mike/Jesse/Ben’s apartment.
We went on up and found the three of them finger/brush painting a Pyramid landscape. They had it on a 3 foot by 8 foot piece of paper and plan on putting it up in their living room. It was actually really well done and a fun way to spend the rest of our afternoon.
At around eight we all decided we were starving. The three from Zamalek decided to take me and Evan to a place they had recently found. We walked for five minutes and arrived in the commercial district of Zamalek. We ended up at this outdoor restaurant that specialized in grilled chicken. We all got the chicken meal and were not disappointed. It was really really delicious.
From there Evan and I left to go back to our apartment. We arrived and immediately started to pack for our trip. I called Sara to say hi quick. We finished packing and left to meet at the bus. We took a taxi to the old campus and met up with Mike/Ben/Jesse/Syndis. From there we are going to catch a bus to Dahab for the weekend.
Dahab is small city located in the Sinai Peninsula, on the Red Sea. It is world renowned for its diving and snorkeling. It has apparently become a tourist hot spot over the past few years but is not as commercialized as Sharma Sheik. Supposed to be gorgeous and I can’t wait to see it.
We got on the bus for our 8 hour drive. It was a small bus with rows of three and a jumper seat. We filled all the seats except for two. Talk about ‘cozy’. The seats weren’t very comfortable but we all tried to make the best of it. On the way we stopped for one bathroom/food break and one passport check. As good as sleeping sounded it managed to evade most of us. Ben got the most sleep by far. Although that was probably because he climbed up on the bags and used them as cushions. The rest of us slept an hour to two hours max.
The drive was gorgeous at times. Often going through some real beautiful areas of the desert and canyons. We arrived a bit frazzled and exhausted, but managed to pile off the bus and into the middle of Dahab. We walked a little way through the small city to the beach and followed the beach to our hotel.
With little effort we found our hotel, The Jasmine Pension. It is located right off of the beach and has a restaurant/café located in between the rooms and the beach. The Café is set up in the Bedouin style. Rugs set up with tables set up and cushions surrounding them. A really comfortable place to relax.
We arrived at the hotel at around 9am and were told our rooms wouldn’t be ready until around noon. We decided to park ourselves in the café and chill. It was real relaxing to sit under the awnings in the shade and enjoy the breeze. We had breakfast and enjoyed the view of the ocean. We also made an attempt to go down to the ocean, but the beach is rocky and none of us were ready in swim suits. We spent the next few hours chilling while we waited for our rooms.
We got our rooms. The girls were in one the guys in the other. Our room has a second floor entrance with a bathroom and then a staircase up into a loft with 2 twin beds and a double bed. A rock-paper-scissors game later I had a single bed and was setting up camp. From there we left to check out the town.
We walked along the main street and soon were in the shopping district of the town. Walking further we came back to the beach and the marina area. There are many restraints and dive shops located all along this area. We eventually ran into a group of friends and decided that we should all go snorkeling. We rented gear at a local shop and then Ryan and Tory (two of the people we had run into) took us to one of their favorite spots to snorkel, Eel Canyon. They had both lived in Dahab so we took their advice and went to Eel canyon.
It was only a short walk away and soon enough we were in the water snorkeling over the coral reefs. Absolutely gorgeous. It’s amazing how serene and calm the ocean is. It is teaming with life yet everything is so still and seems to have a natural flow. The fish and reef were amazing to observe. I think my favorite fish to watch was the lion fish. They are so crazy looking.
After snorkeling for two hours our group exited the Red Sea and met back on the beach. We were all tired from not sleeping the night before and the two hours of swimming. We decided it was time for a nap. We headed back to the hotel and up to our rooms.
A few hours later we emerged more rested and ready to hit the town. We went to a local restaurant, The Funny Mummy, which was suggested by our guide book. We got there and were offered salad, desert, and free sheesha (hookah) for the price of our main course. That was an offer we couldn’t refuse and went on in.
I ordered the Shish Kabob and was not disappointed. The meal lasted nearly two hours. We talked and ate, enjoying the beautiful scenery and company of friends. As the meal progressed Ryan, Tory, and their friend Mike joined us. Our party continued to grow as more and more friends joined in. By the end we had 13 people eating with us.
After dinner we walked through the city enjoying the cooler weather. We eventually ended up buying a few beers and heading back to the café outside our hotel. We sat there and talked for the next few hours. We had seen some dance clubs and decided to check them out. We tried two of them but found them to be empty. Apparently it will be more crowded as the weekend progresses, but tonight was a dud.
We headed back to our hotel and Mike, Ben, and I watched some Always Sunny before falling asleep.
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