DAHAB
January 11th - February 7th, 2021
It wasn’t like I didn’t hear it coming.
Off in the distance a low rumble echoed off the water as the skies flickered. A large thunderstorm was heading our way. In the thirsty Sinai desert, this was an EVENT!
I ran to the backyard. The smell of ozone permeated the air. Outside our house, large drops of rain started pouring from the sky.
But inside was also a spectacle. A few drops began to hit the floor, then a moment later began to gush — down through the ceiling light fixtures and the vent above the stove. Water was everywhere. Kelly and I quickly threw down towels, sheets, and blankets, brought out buckets and grabbed mops, all in a futile attempt to fight back the flood.
Dahab wasn’t built with rain in mind
It was hopeless. We called the landlord and a few minutes later he showed up. The look on his face told us that his house, too, was under siege. We surrendered, managing to push our bed to one side to avoid a particularly persistent leak. Cautiously falling back to sleep, we would deal with the pond inside our house in the morning.
DAHAB? WHERE IS THAT?
I have to admit I had never heard of Dahab. When I think of Egypt I think of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the pyramids, of course. But when I was researching a warm place for us to stay for the month of January, this little village on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula kept popping up.
And why not? An easy flight south from Istanbul, it sported warm winter temperatures and an ocean you could swim in. It was originally a Bedouin fishing village and is still populated by many free spirited Bedouins who have led the charge to develop it as a water sport mecca. With a steady on-shore breeze, it attracts kite and wind surfers as well as hordes of scuba and free divers who want to discover it’s colorful seas.
Its laid back vibe and low cost only added to its allure. And the fact we could get a PCR test on arrival sealed the deal.
So off we went.
When Kelly and I arrived, we discovered that Dahab, as a beach resort, is not Hawaii or the Yucatan. And it’s certainly not Brazil. It’s seriously a desert. The coast is rocky, the mountains are barren and the locals share their town with camels and goats. Without a doubt, staying here would be a third world experience — it’s a bit trashy and the smell of sewage often permeates the air. Only the main road is paved and there are flies everywhere. But none of that has detracted from its popularity. Visitors from Russia and Germany have been coming here for decades. Americans, not so much so.
This huge falafel plate cost $1.60.
As we walked around and got used to the chaos, we too started to get in the groove.
There were lots of open air restaurants serving healthy, inexpensive food. People were open and friendly. There were kids everywhere. And there was even a yoga center.
As far as the pandemic, it was like it didn’t exist. Except for a few shops and the bigger restaurants, we rarely saw anyone wearing a mask. As far as we could tell, Covid never arrived here.
FRIENDS WE MET ALONG THE WAY
Enlightened being or lost soul?
What really stood out for Kelly and I were the people that Dahab attracts — a collection of dusty misfits seeking a low-stress vacation and young families from all over the world call this home.
And then there’s Joe and Josée Parsons….
Joe Parsons (brother from another mother) and his lovely wife, Joseé (Kelly’s soul sister)
They arrived in Dahab a few weeks before us. Josée saw one of my posts on a mutual Facebook group and reached out. As soon as we met we knew we had met our match and instantly became friends. They are world travelers, like us, but are doing their journey a bit different. Most of their travels have been had in a 4WD camper truck.
They started their journey in Alaska and spent five years driving south through Central America into South America — finally making it to Tierra del Fuego. They would stop along the way for months at a time. They even visited Galapagos, Easter Island and took a boat to Antarctica.
Eventually they sold their camper and switched to suitcases and airplanes and made their way to Turkey. It turns out that we had visited many of the same places within months of each other. We were blown away night after night sharing all of our experiences. We’ve met so many amazing people during our travels, but meeting a couple who share our same lifestyle vision was a real treat. We look forward to meeting up with them again in other faraway lands.
To follow their journey, click here to read their travel blog.
Joe and Josée feeding the neighborhood goats with kitchen scraps.
SCUBA DIVING
This is where Dahab shines. Situated on the Red Sea, their beautiful clear water, bright coral and colorful sea life are a spectacular contrast to the monotone desert — and a global draw for divers from around the world.
Around town we constantly saw people walking around in wetsuits carrying diving tanks. It’s known as one of the cheapest places in the world to dive ($25/dive). Since most dives start from shore, there is a big savings by not needing to hire a boat.
I originally received my open water diving certificate over ten years ago and haven’t been diving since. So since we knew we’d be here for an entire month, I decided to try it again.
Barracuda and I at the Coral Coast Bar
I got connected to Barracuda, the owner of Red Sea Tribe, a highly recommended diving company, and signed up for a refresher course.
I have to say it felt awkward at first getting into the water with all of the equipment and especially breathing through a regulator. However Gomaa, my instructor, was patient and by the end of the dive, I was back in my comfort zone and wanting more.
I signed up for my advanced diving certificate and after completing my coursework and five prerequisite dives, I was able to dive in the world famous Blue Hole (also known as one of the deadliest dive sites in the world.) My instructor, Ali, assured me I’d come out alive and thankfully I did.
Josée got inspired by my exploits and joined in and got her advanced certificate as well.
MORE DAHAB FRIENDS
Kelly and Brigitte and way too much food!
Joe and Josée introduced us to Brigitte Gosselin, a fellow Canadian. She moved to Dahab three years earlier to start life with her new Egyptian husband. But when things didn’t work out for them, she decided to stay. She became our go-to gal for all things Dahab.
SIDE TRIPS
The High Desert
Our first trip together was to drive out into the desert towards the ancient St. Catherine Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai (where Moses found the burning bush and the Ten Commandments). So, early one morning we jumped into a 4WD truck with our Bedouin guide and headed out.
There is one thing about driving in Egypt that was new for us — military checkpoints. They’re all over the place. Usually they’re manned by bored soldiers staring at their phones — after one look at us, they would wave us through. Sometimes it took a little more convincing with our driver jumping out and having an animated conversation with one or more of them.
At one point, Kelly took a picture of one of the checkpoints. The guards called us over immediately and demanded that she delete her photo right in front of him! Photos of any military or police are not allowed. No argument from us.
Within a few hours we were miles from nowhere. It is hard to describe the vastness of the Sinai desert. Our 4WD basically turned off the main road and onto a sand wash where we continued for many miles on a road only our guide could decipher.
When we eventually “arrived,” Brigitte and our guide prepared a lovely meal which included freshly made bedouin bread. Who would have thought that flour, salt and water mixed together, kneaded into a patty and buried in ashes would be so good. Yum!
The Mountains
Simply sweet hotel and a full moon night.
That afternoon we proceeded onto Saint Catherine’s. Brigitte found us a quaint hotel nearby. But at 5,000 feet in January, it was cold! They gave us a heater for our room but neither Kelly or I warmed up that night.
After a simple breakfast the next morning, we headed out to the monastery.
Saint Catherine’s is a Greek Orthodox monastery dating back to the 17th century. It is the oldest continuously inhabited Orthodox Christian monastery in the world. We went through three police checkpoints to get to the parking lot, and then walked up to the ancient site.
It’s possible to hike to the top of Mt. Sinai. Many tourists start at 4am in order to witness the sunrise. But when we checked, nighttime temperatures were hovered below freezing, so we happily passed.
The Blue Lagoon
Another fun trip was out to the Blue Lagoon. We took a taxi to the end of the coastal road and then hop into a boat to get there.
This large, shallow lagoon, as its name states, is very blue. It’s a famous kitesurfing site (although we didn’t see any that day due to no wind), and also known as a major hookup spot for locals — as pre-marital sex is frowned upon in this Islamic culture, somehow hooking up out here doesn’t count. And the beach shacks rent for almost nothing.
Newly converted beach bums
A few years ago there wasn’t much out here, but as the tourists and locals came, so did the restaurants. We were told that Germans like to come down here and spend the winter, renting out their flats back home and having money to spare.
We spent an enjoyable day out under the blue skies walking around and exploring.
Our Furry Friends
We rented our 2-bedroom house in Dahab for $600 for the month. Of course we had to deal with a leaky roof and slept on what I deemed as “sandpaper” sheets. This wasn’t a place to rave about. That said, it had a nice backyard area and, soon after we arrived, a few local kitties started to show up.
Now if you know Kelly, you know she has a soft spot for kitties (and chocolate labs). She started feeding them and before we knew it, we had a constant stream of companions stopping by at mealtime.
We started with “Snowball.” A sweet, way-too-fluffy, white boy cat who loved to sit by our side — until one day I found him spraying the couch, so he was banned to the backyard only.
Soon “Rocky” appeared. He was one of the ugliest cats we’ve ever met, with his gooey infected eyes and mangy fur. But he turned out to be such a lover and appreciated our attention so much, he was welcomed anytime.
But sadly, there are no replacement for our dear Gus (@foriamgus), but it was nice to have some furry love just the same.
THE FOOD
Smiley and friend at Athanor Cafe.
Egyptian food is similar to Turkish food, but simpler — fewer mezzes, less meat, but large portions of falafel or chicken, all with a side of tahini. Always cheap, fun and mostly healthy. It was easy to get a nice beetroot juice and a veggie pizza.
RESTAURANTS
Our friend “Smiley” at Athanor Cafe always took good care of us.
At the amazing Zanooba Slow Cook Restaurant, we enjoyed a delicious duck meal.
Coral Coast Hotel was the place for happy hour and yoga classes looking over the ocean. You can’t beat that combo.
The Vegan Lab was also great, but we couldn’t get Joe to eat there with us. That man’s gotta have meat!
Italian food at Dai Pescatori Italian Restaurant. Most agreed that this was the best restaurant in town.
We loved everything at Red Cat, but specifically the honey cake, all of the soups and their smoothies.
Coffee from Ralph’s German Bakery everyday.
ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES
Speaking the local language - Most locals speak English. However, drivers have their own language. Honking is the equivalent of talking to a pedestrian. A honk could have a number of meanings based on the shortness of the toot, multiple toots or a longer blow: “Hello,” “Coming through,” “Move over!” “I like you,” “I really like you!” or “Taxi?” And sometimes drivers honk for no reason at all.
At night, drivers turn off their headlights and only use running lights as it’s considered rude to blind someone with your headlights. That said, drivers don’t have a problem running you over on the street, as pedestrians do not have the right-of-way.
In Dahab, cash is king (and the only way to pay for 99% of everything). No one takes credit cards.
Local transportation - We rented bikes for the entire month. This was the best way to get around town and get a little exercise at the same time.
COVID notes
Negative PCR tests are required to enter the country. Infection rates are so low in Dahab that locals do not wear masks unless they work in restaurants, and then, not always. That said, we were required to wear masks through all military checkpoints.
Kelly was delighted to attend in-class yoga sessions at Coral Coast Hotel overlooking the ocean. Her first pandemic class. Class size was small and social distancing wasn’t a problem.
When we weren’t being tourists…
We were delight to watch the first woman Vice President sworn into office!
Our next stop?
Luxor, Egypt!
