Woke up feeling refreshed. It was nice to get a solid block of sleep.
Rolled out of bed and Ben, Mike, Evan and I went downstairs to get breakfast. We sat down and ordered American Breakfasts all around and then walked to a nearby dive shop and rented snorkels and fins to go out diving later. The owner was a bit sketchy and wanted a huge deposit for us to rent. We refused and he backed down. Interesting how things work outside the USA.
We walked back and arrived just in time for our breakfast. Cyndis and Jesse were soon down as well and we all ate and talked about the days plans. As usual the backgammon board made it onto the table and a few games were played. After eating Mike, Ben, and I decided we wanted an earlier start on diving and started walking. The others said they would meet us when they were ready.
The three of us walked towards the Black Prince to a diving spot called the Blue Lagoon. It was suggested to us by Corley and Jake who said they would be going back out there today. We arrived at the beach and got our gear on and waded out into the water. Just as we started to swim out we saw Jake, Sam, Corley, and Jasmine arriving at the beach and decided to wait.
Once they had joined us we swam out to the edge of the reef. At the edge one needs to dive down a few meters and through an opening out into the main reef. We all got through fine and started exploring the outer reef. It was absolutely amazing, and in my opinion the best snorkeling I had the entire trip. We got out and circled one of the larger outcroppings observing both larger fish and larger schools than seen on our other trips.
It turns out that Corley is a certified scuba diver and has done some NGO conservation work in the ocean. As a result she knows allot about the coral and fish. It was really cool to have her around because she was able to identify fish that I was curious about and point out things that the group would have otherwise missed. This was the case with a scorpion fish that she spotted after the rest of us passed right by. Scorpion fish sit on the coral and have the ability to change color to blend better. They are also poisonous. She however, found one and called the group around to show us the rare sight. Really cool.
I think my favorite fish this trip was the anemone fish. They are black and white with bright blue bands. They live in the sea anemones and are quite defensive of their territory. When Ben was diving down to look at an anemone one of the anemone fish practically rammed his goggles. Hilarious.
Anyways we got out after a few hours and made our way towards shore. We all dried off and decided to throw around the Frisbee I had brought to the beach with us. We were even joined by a few Egyptian onlookers who wanted to try. It was fun to be able to throw again even if my partners were not quite as competent at it as I was.
Eventually we decided it was time to walk back to our hotels. We made plans to meet up later for dinner and parted ways at the Jasmine. Ben, Mike, and I then walked and returned our gear to the dive shop. The owner however was not there so we were glad we did not give him the deposit he had asked for earlier… When we returned Ben inquired and found out that there are two shuttles run organized by the Jasmine that make runs to and from Cairo. One of which leaves late at night the other early in the morning. Ben, Evan, Jesse, and Cyndis all planned on leaving the next morning.
Mike, Ben and I then went on a search to find our missing compatriots who never showed up at the Blue Lagoon. About halfway down the Marina we found them at an American run restaurant. They had the most mouth watering burgers I have seen in quite some time… however our dinner appointment was quickly advancing and I decided to abstain. We sat with them as they ate and Ben discussed with the other three the possibility of leaving tonight instead of tomorrow morning. All agreed that sleeping on the red eye seemed like a better idea than wasting the entirety of the next day.
With this in mind we all walked back to the Jasmine so that they could pack before dinner. After packing we all headed down to the Funny Mummy and met up with Jake, Jasmine, Corley, Sam, Henry, Ally, and Gina. I decided that since I was in a town known for its fishing I would try the fish. The waiter suggested the seafood pasta and I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. It was sooooo good. It had crab, scallops, shrimp and chunks of fish in a cream sauce that was stellar. I was honestly sad when it was over.
Afterwards we sat and talked for awhile. The other group planned to do Mount Sinai tonight and one by one they trickled out to get ready. Finally around 10 we decided to head back to the Jasmine and make sure those that were leaving were all set to go. I repacked my bags so that Evan could take my duffel home with him. Throwing everything into bags they were all ready and heading downstairs to catch the 11pm bus to Cairo.
Mike and I found ourselves alone in Dahab. We went downstairs and played backgammon and had a few beers until closing. At closing we headed back upstairs and watched an episode of South Park before falling asleep.
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