Sinai Part 1: Sharm and Dahab with the Greysons

Around 6am five weary folks stumbled into the Sharm Dreams Resort in Sharm-el Sheikh at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Of course, checking in that early means your rooms are not ready, but we finally got in a nap, then crossed the road for a look at the beach and bay, which was really quite beautiful. So we had a nice meal on the blanket covered sand under a palapa, walked around a bit to view the hotels and stores strung along the beachfront, and later had dinner in the same general area. Not intending to spend long in ritzy-glitzy-pricey Sharm anyway, we were now down to just one night after the Cairo airport experience. So next day after a quick midday meal on the beach, we packed up and took two taxis to the Sharm bus station. Of the many encounters with prices, personalities, and predicaments in Egypt, not one was un-cordial except this one. To wit: the Concierge negotiated a price with the taxi drivers, but they promptly turned on their meters and tried to charge us double on arrival at the bus station. After explanation and argument and money thrown on the ground, we took possession of the luggage, walked on, paid 50% more than originally negotiated just to end the mess, and then got the thumbs down plus verbal “America bad” send off. Two bad apples did not spoil the barrel, and you should know that the Egyptian people are very nice and friendly.

About an hour North in the worn, dirty bus, the Red Sea town of Dahab popped up out of the desert and a pick up truck raced us to the Christina Hotel. Now if you need a place to stay, you could do a lot worse. Two rooms overlooking the pool and views of the sea. Welcome to a mildly upscale remnant of the ‘60s and early ‘70s, with firelighted restaurants, eating on the sand, leaning on colorful pillows on low couches with hanging blankets blocking your evening wind. Oh, and for those who care to indulge, there is sheesha, (flavored water pipe smoking) which we had sampled in Cairo, a regular enjoyment for some in our group. Next morning, Christina’s open air breakfast buffet was full service, then we scoured the boardwalk for a tour, walked on to the Lighthouse area of calm water on a very windy, bright, cool day, and went snorkeling to see the corals and fish.

New Year’s Eve in Dahab! How about dinner at the Funny Mummy? The food was very good, the air quite chilly, but the fire pits helped warm us a bit.
Midnight I wouldn’t know about as the cold air and late hour drove me to a warm bed.

New Year’s Day finds Ellie decidedly sick, but willing to hazard the jeep ride into the Sinai desert. A middle aged Italian couple, a French woman, and we five, plus the guide and Bedouin driver round out our group. An hour’s drive on pavement suddenly converts to sand and gravel as the jeep veers into the wilderness. We paying folks sit sideways in the back as a rough, careening, wild ride unfolds. Without real paths the drives in the wadis are fast, jouncing and long as our two convoy drivers compete with each other to be in first position. The desert is scarred with multiple jeep trails going the same places. Ellie is struggling, Laurel vomits at the first rest stop, and before lunch I need a major session behind a distant rock. Except for the neophyte Greysons there are hardy folk aboard.

The Colored Canyon and White Canyon hikes are beautiful treks with some narrow slots and tricky climbs up and down. Lunch at the remote Bedouin camp is standard Egyptian, but the camp is a bit sad for its poverty and sense of struggle. Snot nosed children beg attention, girls and women sell trinkets, but are we helping or hurting them, befriending or intruding? Laurel is concerned about these issues and feels we are exploiting these people. I am conflicted, honored to be there and experience this, but...

At various times each of us collects some stomach illness, greater or lesser. Ellie has the worst time of it in Egypt but she and Laurel taxi to Sharm for their extension in London, while Aaron, Kate and I... decided to make a run to Petra, Jordan on my birthday, January 4.