I found my heaven

After 24 and a half years of searching, I have finally found my paradise…… DAHAB!!!

Dahab is a little red sea village on the East side of Sinai, it is also known to be the hippy place of Sinai where everyone is chilled out and happy!! :D

So, about a week ago, I took the decision of going down to Dahab on my own…. Tom had an AIESEC Conference, and it was a long weekend which couldn't be wasted!!! So thus I decided to go on my adventure…. (ps… Chris, the American trainee here decided to follow in the last minute)

The bus ride there was a disaster, it was long, hot, confined and bumpy… not exactly what you'd like on a 10hr night bus!!! The good thing thus is that my adventure had started, and I made my new bunch of friends…. I sat next to a nice Norwegian guy who I ended up speaking to all night due to the inability to sleep!!! His friends went off to Ethiopia, and as he was broke he decided to have a nice weekend in Dahab instead of joining his friends…. And thus a new friendship began! I also made friends with these two Polish, an Italian and an Egyptian traveling together… which I eventually ended up having breakfast with every morning…

The bus ride was over, and I finally stepped into Dahab!!!! The mountains were majestic and great, you could feel the heat of the non-polluted sun on your body, and smell the fresh air.. finally out of Cairo!!

And thus the first coincidences began!!! While checking into our hotel I met with Kotteiba and Mona…. Mega coincidence!!!! And thus we decided to go to the blue hole (a diving and snorkeling haven) where our first adventure began.
We thus booked a car to take us, only to find that the car had no license to take people, and there was a road block on the desert road, on the way to the blue hole. The driver then stopped us right before the road block, told us to walk past the police and wait for him just round the bend, so that is what we did, nevertheless, the driver chickened out and decided not to go past the road block, and there we were stranded in the scorching mid-day heat in the middle of nowhere.

Stranded on the Desert Road

I was in holiday and I was in paradise, so I did not bother much, I sat by the side road and started pealing my orange…. The others were quite freaked out, especially once were there for already 15min and not a car had gone by. After about 30min, we managed to hitch a ride with truck going that way and thus dropped us off to the blue hole.

As soon as I got my fins and snorkels I dove into the cold underwater world to see a beauty I had never imagined or dreamt of….. This is how I fell in love…. The reefs were multicolored; the fish were even more colorful. It was a world of bright blues, and yellows, and purples, pinks, oranges and browns.. WOW!! If it wasn't for the snorkel I would have been swimming with my mouth open all throughout!!! The fish were massive, and all in big schools, fish were not afraid, then would also swim straight at you and almost crash into your goggles. I also got to see the lionfish which is this weird striped brown and white fish with loads of things coming out of it and extremely poisonous….. I saw horse fish, and eels and loads of jellyfish without tentacles, loads of finding Nemo fish, giant clams, lion fish, lizard fish, loads of masked butterfly fish, big parrot fish (with the most amazing colors), and sea urchins with enormous spikes…… I wish I could have stayed in there forever. The funniest was also watching the Bedouins of Sinai have a jellyfish fight in the water, they would scoop out the jellyfish from the water and throw them at each other…I made it a point to get out of their way!

Dahab was great, it’s the place where you could spend the day on your own under the water, on lying on a beach bed with people bringing you fresh strawberry juice and banana juice, then spend the evening partying with friends you met throughout the day, smoking sheesha and drinking beers for 5LE.

I met up with old friends from Alexandria, with Purvi and her sister, Kenny and Munir. It met up with people I had never dreamt of meeting, most of whom were foreigners studying Arabic in Cairo.

I also got the chance to chat with the locals and shop like crazy!!! I love the jewelry there. One day I spend about 1hr 30min in the jewelers shop, discussing the stones, discussing how coral is gathered and made, the different years of pearls and how they grow, the meaning of the stones like corals, pearl, topaz, turquoise etc!!

Unfortunately the weather was not that nice, the sun came in and out, it was a bit windy and pretty hazy and rained, which caused havoc in the whole village, as in Dahab it never rains, and thus all the huts, restaurants and shops where dripping!!

When it comes to beauty Dahab does not really compare to Basata, it does not have the white sad and turquoise sea of Basata, but Dahab has the right combination of loneliness and relaxing with companionship and partying which would never make me bored!

It was a great holiday, I had time to think about things about life, about what next – not that I actually came up with a conclusion….. but it was worth the thinking….

Now I'm getting ready for another weekend in Dahab and dragging Tom along with me… totally magical.

P.S.
forgot to add, that when everything calmed down, and we all sat in Kotteiba's room to get an update we discovered that Kotteiba did actually have an axe in his bag.... this axe is now lying quietly under his bed.. Tom and my future mission is to steal that axe and hide it..., before he decides to cut off anyone's head!

First Break In Ever.....

Since I've landed in Egypt, I've experienced many first things…… first baba ganoug ever, first pyramid ever, first mountain climb ever, and first dip in the Red Sea ever. So now I guess it was about time I had my first break in ever….

Before you start panicking don't worry, everyone is ok, though Tom and I got to experience an Egyptian Drama.

After a long day of work and walking, Tom and I decided to head home, grab something to eat and head off to Kotteiba and Mona's party (housemate and girlfriend).

I climbed up our three flights of stairs, got the key out of my bag, and was about to put it into the lock when the door just swung open……. We then see the lock on the floor and stood there shocked!!!

The first thing that came to mind was that the lock was not properly installed, and that somehow the wind force blew the door open ( a bit of background; our security paranoid housemate had just changed the lock a couple of days ago, and we were not sure if it was done well)…… but after a detailed examination we then discovered that our door was forced open, thus kicked open by someone.

We then ran to the most valuable thing in the house, Kotteiba's computer and discovered that it was no longer there, I then checked my passport, jewelry and money and found all was still there….. so I then just hoped that Kotteiba had taken his computer with him to the party….. We then called Kotteiba, and over a crackled phone call explained to him that his computer was no longer there - this was obviously not good news, as Kotteiba then screamed and shouted, and told us to go and warn the land lord that he is coming with an axe to chop his head off…..

At this point Tom and I were a bit scared!!! We knew that Kotteiba was a bit weird and that he had most of his life on that computer, but we did not know how far his insanity would go…

I then decided to go to the landlord's daughter's house and speak to her, girl to girl, in English about the situation…….she ran to her father and they came in the house examining the damage…. Then left…

In the meantime we got several calls from Kotteiba threatening to kill the landlord and his son with his axe. (the suspect was the landlord's younger son, who is supposedly – according to the doorman - the black sheep in the family and a drug addict).

We also decided to give Shady a call, just in case things get bad and we'll be chucked out of the house, at least an Egyptian friend would know what is happeneing and would come to our rescue!!! The funny thing is that the concept of 'break in' in Egyptian is non-existant!!! People do not usually break into other people's house!!! So we had to explain to him that people came into our house and stole, the conversation went the following way:
TOM 'Hey Shady we need your help'
SHADY 'What's up man, you're in trouble'
TOM 'Sort of, someone broke into our house'
SHADY 'Your house broke down?'
TOM 'No, they broke into our house, the came in our house and stole'
SHADY 'How did they come in? they had the keys?'
TOM 'No, they kicked the door open'
SHADY 'How do they do that?'
TOM 'Shady do you know that certain movie …… where the police kick open the door to look for the guy?'
SHADY 'Yes'
TOM 'Well that is what happened to us'
SHADY 'The police came to your house?? Who were they looking for!!!!'
TOM 'No Shady listen…..'

Anyway he finally understood, though he explained that it's not at all common in Egypt and that is why it was strange for him…

Anyhow, after 10min from the last time we saw the landlord, the daughter came in again, giving the news that the computer was found and that apparently the son's 'friend' was the thief and that they will be bringing the computer in a bit…

We then tried calling Kotteiba to assure him that all was ok, only to find out that he is in hospital with a nervous attack being drugged, and this his father's friends, National Security people were on their way to our house!!!!!!!

Ahhhh what a night!!!

It turned out well in the end, the computer came, drugged Kotteiba had a conversation with the landlord, the national security guys and another guys, where they came to the conclusion that son was actually the thief…. The landlord begged not to prosecute him….. it's quite a shame for the landlord, especially as he is one of the most respected man in the neighbourhood…..

Tom and I were actually excited at this Egyptian Drama, and actually amazed how things could be solved within the family….. as there was no way we could understand what's happeneing as it was all in Egyptian we also enjoyed our nice dinner of pasta which we made so we could be out of everyone's way during the whole drama!!!

Blast in Cairo Tourist Area...

Yesterday, while on the metro, on our way to a nice felucca ride on the nile with Shady, Sameh, Sammy and their swiss friends, Tamer called Tom to tell him not to go to Khan el Khalili, one of my favorite places in Cairo due to some explosion....

As soon as we got to the felucca place, we told Shady and Sameh, who immediately called all their aquaintances to get more info.......... We then discovered that there really was an expolosion in one of my favorite places in Cairo, and we were told that 4 people died!!!!

Tom and I were itching to know more, its annoying when you want info, you cannot read, and you cannot understand.....

Nevertheless, after an urgent paniked phone call from my mother very early this morning, I decided to find out more.....

According to what I have read, two tourists and the bomber were killed, and around 20pple were wounded, some in danger of death, when a bomb was thrown in the middle of a crowded market!!

The attack - in the old Islamic centre of Cairo, popular with tourists - is the first in the city for seven years. The attack happened close to al-Azhar mosque, which is a major seat of Islamic learning, it is infact where we often go for sheesha, or for lunch, or just for a stroll!!!!

This attack, might not be surprising as considering that Egypt had just arrested 45 members of the Muslim Brotherhood just over a week ago.

Thousands of riot police had blocked off parts of central Cairo in an apparent effort to stop demonstrators gathering for a protest called by the Muslim Brotherhood outside parliament.

Islamic militants in Egypt have staged attacks on tourist attractions in the past.
In the most recent attack in October, 34 people died when militants bombed several hotels in the Sinai peninsula.

In 1997 the country's lucrative tourism industry was thrown into crisis when gunmen opened fire on foreigners in central Cairo and at a site near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor.

However, it is still unclear whether this was a terrorist attack....

Aljazeera correspondent Lina al-Ghadban said some people thought that Thursday's blast might lead to an extension of the nation's state of emergency.

To stay or not to stay........

More and More Adventures

After many e-mails and verbal threats asking me to update my blog, I've decided to take some time, sit in front of the computer and bring it on!!!

Many things have happened in these past few weeks, some pleasant and some unpleasant, don't worry though; I am safe and sound and adapting to the Cairo Culture!!!!! As what I've been though is too long to list right now, I am going to start by updating you on my travel adventures around the never ending splendors of Egypt.

Islamic Cairo
Once again this is a part of the big city which I will never get sick of!!!!! It is the most authentic area in Egypt, which does not only contain muddy and grubby streets allies, with people shouting and playing in the streets, vegetables still sold on donkey carts, and food made in the old traditional way, but there are also the most stunning Mosques I have ever seen. As soon as you walk into these mosques you feel an air of tranquility, the majestic splendor makes you (or rather me) feel closer to God and feel more aware of what you are and who you are. It does not feel as though you are in the heart of the most chaotic city in the world!!!! Totally breath-taking!!!

Donkey drawn cart selling carrots

Islamic Cairo also has one of the most preserved Islamic Houses, with its authentic balconies and little courtyard. As soon as you step into the house, you can feel the past, you can almost hear the hosts entertaining their guests, feel the women looking through the peepholes in the windows, and feel the family ties as generations and generations of a family live all under one roof.

Preparing for prayer An Islamic House

It was a great excursion organized by one of the Cairo LCs which ended up with lunch in Khan el Khalili and a Felucca ride down the Nile!!!

Al Alamain
Finally thanks to the Alex LC I got to go to the place I have been wanting to go to for ages!!! – Al Alamain – most notable as the place where the Allied forces of WW II gained a decisive victory of the Axis forces. This place is around 103Km West of Alex and now harbors WW II Cemeteries, a War Museum and a beautiful beach!!

We thus started off by visiting the British Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers who fought under the British were buried!!! It was interesting to see the tombstones, read the names of the people and see their age, and it was shocking to discover that half of the people buried there were not even as old as me!!! The age ranges from 16 to 33!!!

A visit to the museum was next on the agenda, where we not only jumped up and down old war tanks, and planes, but we also got to see and understand how intricate it was to fight in the ruthless conditions of the Sahara Desert!!!

I also discovered that Malta played a massive role in making sure the Nile is well protected:-

Rosetta
Rosetta is another town I really wanted to go to!! It is a typical tranquil and highly green town with vast gardens, orchards and date-palm plantations. In addition it contains a multitude of beautiful historical houses, inns, and mosques adorned with exquisite decorative inscriptions and woodworks.

Moreover, Rosetta is a part of the Delta region, that is, where the Nile meets with the Mediterranean Sea.

We started off with a coffee over looking the Nile, after which we enjoyed a felucca ride to what they Rosetta people called the floating Mosque (don't put your expectations to high, its just a Mosque next to the river!!)

The floating Mosque

We then went hoped into the car and drove to the actual Delta, to where the Nile, which carried the Pharos to Heaven, finally reaches its destination and encounters, the Mediterranean which has see hundreds of battles and also carried afloat one too many dead bodies. I stood at a point where I could see my two favorite bodies of water!!! It was cool to see the waves the encounter creates, and to see the change in color within the two waters.

The Delta The cool Rosetta Taxis

Finally we went on a tour round the city which was distinctive in character. There were 22 Islamic houses, with vast reception rooms, decorative inscriptions, domes and densely ornamented doors.

Finally it is good to know that Rosetta is also the place where they discovered the famous Rosetta Stone, a black basalt slab bearing an inscription that was the key to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics and thus to the foundation of modern Egyptology.

The immediate importance of the Rosetta stone lies in the fact that the Egyptian hieroglyphic text was accompanied by the Greek translation which could be read. A third inscription on the stone was written in Demotic, a cursive script developed late in Egyptian history and used almost exclusively for secular documents. Thus the stone displayed the same text in three scripts, but only two languages, Egyptian and Greek.

It was quickly discovered that all three contained the same message. The Greek could be translated immediately, so providing clues to the others.

Mount Sinai and Basata
The last place I have been too will forever be embedded in my memories!!! Tom, Brodie, Arthur and I went on a 3 day mission of total physical exhaustion to total physical and mental relaxation.

We ventured off to the peninsula of Sinai, and thus decided to go and see sunset on the top of Mount Sinai (the place where God gave Moses the 10 Commandments). Little did we know that this involved a 3hr climb around the mountain and 30 min of horrible satanic stairs!!!! Tom and I, obviously the most fit of the four (note the sarcasm) almost hoped that Moses would rise out of the dead and carry us to the top. We started at around midnight, and it was a smooth climb for the 1st 2hrs, and we started feeling the tiredness coming over us, and we could not feel our limbs anymore!! We then dragged ourselves to the bottom of the stairs, and climb the stairs to get to the peak resting once every 5 stairs!!! We eventually made it to the top to find thousands of tourists young and old, nuns and priests waiting for the sun to come up! It was a great view, the colors of the sunrise reflecting on the red Sinai mountains was breathtaking, and thus at 5am, we decided to head down the mountain to our next destination.

The view from the top of the Mountain

The tempting Camel and the view of St Katherine Monastary

We then decided to take the other way which meant 3725 stairs down the mountain!!!! Easier said than done!!!!!!

The exhaustion was then rewarded with 2 days of ultimate bliss in paradise – Basata!!!! What else could you wish for, a place where mobile phones are banned, and where you could spend the day either lying in the sun, or snorkeling and seeing the color reefs of the red sea, and the most amazing and colorful fish I had ever seen!!!!

Can you beleive i was actually lying and swimming there!!!

Egypt and its splendours!! How could I ever get sick of them!!!