The arrival In Dahab would mark the beginning of the longest ad most eventful day of our trip. We were dropped off at a bus station just outside of town so we really weren't sure of what to pay for a taxi ride. We haggled down till we felt like we weren't getting worked over too bad and sat in the bed of a pickup for the 15 minute ride into town. We ran into an Aussie couple from our bus outside of the Penguin hostel who told us everything was booked up. We took a quick glance at their lonely planet ad the wished us luck in finding a place.
We ended up talking to a couple different hotels about doing a Sinai trip that night to see the sunrise and ended up making a deal with the people at Auskie. It was around 90EP per person. The bus was scheduled to pick us up at 11pm to take us to the base of Sinai. We left our bags in the hotel office. We had an entire day to kill before the bus came for us so we got some food at Auskie and then rented some snorkel gear and took a truck to the three pools. It was about 20mi south of Dahab and was an incredible place to snorkel and dive. Dahab in general is famous for diving although, unfortunately, we ever got a chance to go diving ourselves. We asked a dive shop next to our hotel for prices but it would have cost me quite a bit since I ever took my open water. The shop owner told me I would be able to take my open water if I could provide proof that I had taken and passed all of the coursework but Mr. Bob Carl still has my log book and records back in Minnesota unfortunately. Looking back now, I should have just retaken the whole course but we all ended up settling for snorkeling at the three pools. It was still quite impressive. The coral was in great shape and there was plenty of sea life to look at.
We made a walk down the waterfront to find a restaurant for a good meal so we had the energy we needed for our trek. It was difficult to make a decision for a place to eat because every restaurant had some type of special or discount going on. It became a bargaining battle between two restaurants and it was the free sheesha that sealed the deal for us. It probably wasn't the wisest decision considering we had to climb a mountain in a couple of hours but what are you gonna do? Free sheesha is free sheesha.
The tour bus was right on time to load a group of 8 people from Auskie. We also stopped by Penguin where we picked up four others to bring to the mountain. The ride would have been quite uncomfortable but I was excited and with the wind blowing in my face, I was totally contented. We had to flash our passports a few times along the way to the road police but ended up making it to the base of Mt. Sinai in about an hour. There were vans and buses everywhere! I couldn't believe how many tourists showed to do the Sunrise trek. We were split up into groups of about 15-20 people and given a tour guide. Ours gave our group the title of Falcon group. To keep track of us in the dark he would flash his light back on us and yell "Falcon!" in which we were supposed to respond with “Aiwa!” which means “yes” in Egyptian Arabic. The trail we took to the top was more like a road ad had hundreds of people ascending. It looked as if the mountain had bee strung with Christmas lights, seeing all of the flashlights going up the trails. Not exactly the Sinai experience I had expected.
We would stop to rest a few times so people could catch up and get drinks at one of the coffee huts. It got to be a little annoying. The camel traffic was unbelievable as well. Every two seconds there seemed to be a man offering up a camel ride or a line of camels passing carrying tourists up the mountain. The trek took about 2 hours to get to the top. There was a cluster of stairs we had to ascend at the end which was the worst part because the queue was so long. I had to get off the steps a few times and just climb up the rocks past people. Getting to the top early was a must if you were going to find a good place to sit. There were around 500 people waiting to find a good view for the sunrise. It was a fight for the best seats. I got a good piece of railing next to a couple Aussies taking hundreds of pictures and saved a spot for Lindsey ad Ramsey.
The valley below looked amazing. The colors of the morning sky slowly illuminated the mountains with every passing minute presenting one with an opportunity for some great photos. Once the sun was up all of the church groups began singing which was quite nice. It gave a more spiritual feel to our Sinai experience. I couldn't believe all of the sermons going on as well. People from all over the world were praying in all sorts of ways from Spanish to tongues.
We were driven back to Dahab where we could finally get some sleep. We were dropped off at Auskie and given a room. We pulled our bags from the office, put them in our room and then had a good breakfast at the restaurant. We decided to take advantage of the day instead of sleeping and wet snorkeling again. We met a Russian guy at our place who was going to do the same so he came along with us. We rented our snorkel gear for 10EP and walked to Eels bay. We got to see the spot where there was a terrorist attack the year before. There was no visible damage but apparently there were a few people killed. I couldn't believe it. Dahab seemed like such a quiet and friendly place to be.
The bay of eels was a fun experience. The coral was in excellent condition and there was plenty of sea life around. You had to dive down a little ways if you wanted to get up close to the action or see the field of eels poking their heads out of the ocean floor. I also got to see an octopus for the first time hiding in a little cranny in the coral near shore. I was a little hesitant to touch and get him to move so I just sat and watched hoping I could see him change colors or swim but he just sat there and stared back at me.
On our way back to get some lunch we ran into Julia who had just come from Luxor. Small world. We took a small cat nap and then met Julia at a restaurant near our place that had good music and great seats. We got to hear her perspective of American life which wasn't very flattering. Fat people and shopping malls was all she had imagined the states to be. We enlightened her that America really wasn't all about shopping and McDonald’s. We exchanged stories of our families and where we grew up. I think she had a better point of view by the end of the meal and hopefully would come visit someday.
With full bellies and tired bodies we were like zombies walking back to our room. Ramsey and I did one final internet check on the ferry times and prices to Jordan and then hit the pillows and were unconscious upon contact. The sleep we had was heaven sent and we all felt really good in the morning. I walked to get some snacks for the day while Ramsey and Lindsey wandered to find a good barber. Ramsey had purchased tickets to Lebanon from Jordan to visit his Dad’s family in Beirut and had to get his hair cut.
We took a taxi to the ticket office in Nuweiba afterwards and purchased our tickets to Jordan for 400EP. Way more than what we had read about but there was nothing we could do about it. Either stay or go. We made our way into the customs area where we waited in line for a while and eventually were directed to the front to get stamped out of the country. We were told to wait until they called our ship and would then be brought to our boat. We waited and waited for quite some time. This is when I discovered that my journal was left at the hostel. I was outraged. Over 4 months of writing down the drain.
The ride was short but it was good to be moving on. We had hoped for some free food or water for the trip but everything cost us money. The ferry was like a giant airplane cabin with rows upon rows of seats. If it wasn't for my iPod, I would have gone insane. I couldn't stand all of the cell phones playing music around me. I cat understand how all the noise doesn't seem to bother anyone, except for us travelers. I pulled out my cell phone at one point and joined in, blasting some Gary Allan and Avenged Sevenfold. It had no affect. I just sat back ad waited till we got to Aqaba. We had a whole new life awaiting for us in Jordan.
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