Visit Dahab

Let the morning light slowly pull you out of your dreams as you listen to the fan slowly cool your room. There's no rush to leave, not ever, at $5 a night for the two of you. But soon, you start smelling fresh toasted pita drifting from the seaside restaurants. You brush your hair and wash up, put on freshly laundered clothes sent out the day before for only 20 cents a piece and slide into your flip flops. There are a good dozen places to eat at, each one offering breakfast for $2. You might choose the one with the bright cushions and a seat at the edge of the sea. There's some exotic dreamy morning music playing and you lose yourself in nonthought as you gaze off over the Red Sea to the mountains of Saudi Arabia. There are no windows and so the breeze helps blow away any sleepiness. The Bedouin tea comes to you fresh and you have to spoon out some stray herbs before adding sugar. I like to get the Egyptian Breakfast of falafel, fooul (beans), tahini, friend egg, tomatoes and fresh pita. But you can get just about anything here, including pancakes with ice cream or a typical diner plate. You place your order with the smiling waiter and turn back to the water. There may be a diver out there already, enjoying the watery kaleidoscopic underworld. There are cats sunning themselves on the rocks, secretly hoping you'll share your plate, but not begging for it. They look content and very Egyptian with large pointy ears and faces and squinty happy eyes. Your thoughts turn to an awareness of this most perfect place. "I'll be back again and again" you say, and really mean it.

The daytime is a perfect balance between relaxation and exitement. After returning to the Bishi Bishi hotel for a quick jump into your swimsuit, you grab your snorkel and head down the pedestrian walkway lined with shops. Here in Dahab, you're not bothered as much as other places in Egypt. Perhaps the shopkeepers invite you in, but after a polite "La. Shukran" they will wish you a pleasant day and you can calmly continue towards one of the many coral reefs. You notice the divers are in one area today and decide to follow them. The water is still a bit chilly in March, but once you're in and moving, all your focus is on the hundreds of fish floating below you, picking at the rainbow colored reef. There's a massive school of irridescent blue fish following a warm current just beside you and some barracudas floating peacefully in the distance. Feeling brave, you dive down and follow a school of striped angelfish as they run from you. As the divers pass beneath you, their bubbles float up and surround you in a million tickles. There's no telling how long you stay out there. Time doesn't exist.

The reef calls to you several times over the afternoon and when the sun starts to set, you realize you haven't even eaten lunch. The restaurants are always open and serving delicious dinners. You might want to choose your own fish out of an ice laden stand or maybe, like me, you want to enjoy a large bowl of Koshary (noodles, rice, chick peas, lentils, onions in a spicy sauce) for only $1. If you take it to go, you can enjoy it under the palm trees of your hotel courtyard, then maybe fetch an icecream cone before sprawling out on the mats and pillows with the rest of the guests and read a good book. There's the smell of Sheesha (tobacco with apple or strawberry) floating in the air and your eyes start to close. There's no question about getting cozy in your bed, listening to the fan again as it cools the night air, and falling fast asleep. Dahab, as it's meaning is translated, is pure gold.