And the Tour Leader Said Unto His People, I Shall Lead Thee Into the Promised Bus with Air Conditioning

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You ever have one of those days that you look back on and feel guilty for the time you just wasted? (back in Brooklyn, I used to call those "Sundays"). You count all the times that you were productive and come up with a negative number (you were asleep more than you were awake). That's the vibe we're getting in Dahab, one of Egypt's premiere resort towns on the East coast of the Sinai Peninsula. It's extremely slow paced and very quiet so to enjoy it you have to come with the right motivation-- that is, none. It's well done up, primarily for tourism. A well-maintained, paved boardwalk ("Corniche") runs for 2 miles along the beach lined with 30+ hotels, 50+ restaurants and innumerable souvenir shops and tour-booking agencies. Saudi Arabia is just across the Gulf of Aqaba, barely visible not because of the distance but because of the permanent haze above the sea. But the water itself is spectacularly clear giving Dahab (and the similar resort towns along the coast: Nuweiba, Sharm El-Sheik, Shark Bay) a reputation for world-class diving and snorkelling. But if you're not a diver and don't have the capacity to eat 16 hrs in the day, then there's not much else to do.

It's the off-season now and with a temperature of about 60 degrees off the water and gusty winds it's not so relaxing to sit outside for sunning or dining. There's a remarkable lack of people which contributes to a less-than-jovial atmosphere. Normally we'd appreciate the solitude but walking along the boardwalk and passing by all the empty restaurant tables despite the flashy lighting and music is a pretty sad sight. That said, you can't even enjoy a peaceful walk along the Corniche as you're relentlessly being hit up by the 50 restaurant promoters who chat you up and while you're vigorously shaking hands feel yourself being led in the direction of a table. Dahab would be alright if we needed to rest up and it looks like it could be pretty exciting during high season but right now it's a bit of a drain.

We didn't spend much time there and ventured out rather to visit the few must-see's in the the interior of the peninsula: Mt. Sinai, which has long been argued as the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and at the foot of the mountain St. Katherine's Monastery, which within its 15 foot solid granite walls rests the mythical burning bush from which he heard God's word. The place is absolutely mobbed with tourists. We're not sure where they're coming from as we've already met all 16 in Dahab. But we got a photo of the bush, stood atop Mt. Sinai at sunset after the 2 hr climb and continued on west to cross the Gulf of Suez, not before staying one night in the ultra-resort section of Na'ama bay in Sharm-El Sheikh. There was a decent crowd here which was welcome after the social deprivation in Dahab but the scene was all a bit too exclusive. This is where most of the package tourists and week-long-holiday makers stay, who leave the familiar foods, faces and comforts of home, to go to Egypt to enjoy the familiar foods, faces and comforts of home. It's mostly European families or retirees crowding the boardwalk as the only Egyptian you'll see is the one taking your drink order. It's an alright place to recharge if you're missing home but not very stimulating otherwise. We were quite aware that the Sinai peninsula was mostly a resort destination but just wanted to see it anyways. But we're more primed to get to the historic sites which lie in the Nile Valley. We're heading back across the Gulf of Suez by catamaran which, given the 0-1 track record of Red Sea traffic that we just learned about, poses some concern. But it's either 90 minutes by sea or 18 hours the long way by bus. There's really no debating that one.

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Photos

Lounging
He looks pretty focused reading. Good book? No, just making sure they didn't throw an extra Chivas on the tab.

Burning Bush
Appears to belong to the Chia family