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| Sent: Friday, April 14, 2000 1:06 PM | |||||||||
| Hey... | |||||||||
| It's me...it's Friday at 12:25, and we just finished a leisurely breakfast at one of those Bedouin style restaurants. Kind where you sit on cushions and rugs on the floor. Oh yeah, I'm not in Luxor anymore. | |||||||||
| I'm in a place called Dahab that's near the Red Sea, and I flew the half hour from Luxor to Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday. I ended up waiting for a bus for 4 hours. The trip from Sharm to Dahab was one hour, and we drove through the desert with little mountains all around us. It was amazing. Scattered throughout are Bedouin camps (nomadic desert people) and the town of Dahab is a bit grungy but nice. Not as nice as Sharm (which people have described as Disneyland plasticy), but this place is more real. Think of it as the Wasaga, or Grand Bend of Egypt. | |||||||||
| While flying over the desert from Luxor, it was an endless expanse of desert and rock outcroppings. It was the most amazing thing. I've flown over the Nevada desert, but it had nothing on this. Then flying over the red sea, the water was several shades of blue. The coral wrapped around the coastlines, and there's these amazing islands of sand just off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh. | |||||||||
| Finally, met some Canadians here. An ex-pat living in Qatar, and his Welsh workmate. Also, my friend Lorra and her friends Bob and Marcy arrived from Cairo on last night's plane. Ended up chilling out and not much going on here, which is perfect. The scenery is amazing and the water is supposed to have tons of fish. This place is supposed to be one of the best places for diving in the world. | |||||||||
| Lotsa hippie types here also, and everyone is laid back. I hear that they're putting more than just tobacco in the sheesha pipes here (what some of you may call a bong). I'm just sticking with the sheesha, honestly!!! | |||||||||
| Our hotel is right on the beach and there's Bedouin style seating areas out there. Last night was kind of chilly (compared to the 45 degrees in Luxor) with a beautiful cool breeze coming in off of the sea or bay or strait or wherever it is we're situated. | |||||||||
| Have met some great local Egyptians, and some very interesting people from all over the world. From student backpackers surviving on less than $100 a month, to family vacationers staying at the ritzier hotels. There are all types here, and all have great stories to tell. One guy is finishing an around the world trip and has been to so many countries, I couldn't even keep track. | |||||||||
| I will be chillin here until Monday or Tuesday before returning to the bedlam that is Cairo. May be too strong of an adjective to use, but I did enjoy the one day I was exploring there. But the tempo has definitely slowed down since arriving here. | |||||||||
| Oh yeah the modes of transport so far, "planes, trains, and automobiles" and motorbike and Kalesh (horse/buggy). Will also go horseback and camel riding while I'm here in Dahab. Number one form of transport has been walking (while touring in Luxor), and this weekend, I plan on sitting by the pool and taking the occasional jump into the sea. | |||||||||
| When I return to Cairo, plans are to go to Giza pyramids, the museum, and get this...Lorra has two friends with 4x4's and they're gonna take us out to the desert for a little BBQ picnic out in the middle of nowhere. That should be cool! | |||||||||
| To all those who've replied, it's been great to hear from you all... | |||||||||
| Later... | |||||||||
| Shadi el G Mohammed | |||||||||
| POSTCARDS | |||||||||