Music: Spiderwebs by No Doubt
Last week was the first time i looked at the pictures from my trip back in January. Yeah after 3 months. I dont know why i didnt have the urge before. Or im just plain lazy like that.
Anyway, the memories came flooding back.. And i would like to recall my experience in Dahab.. get ready for a long read, coz im just in the mood to write, and my 4 days in Dahab is the favorite part of my month-long trip.. and my memory is still fresh... hehe.
This small coastal getaway was my first stop in Egypt, as i had come via ferry from Jordan (that experience deserves its own entry, some other time ok). I didnt read much about Dahab. I only know that i wanted to see the blue hole and climb Jabal Musa here. I arrived, without any accommodations reserved. It was deserted, nobody was up and about yet and it was 10am.
I was walking aimlessly, trying to find where to stay based on some recommendations by the american whom i took a taxi ride with from Nuweiba port to Dahab. Muhammad started chatting me up, offered me to stay at his hotel for a cheap price, i told him to bring me to the money exchanger first, then we looked at the room, before i agreed. I walked around to take some pics of the gorgeous blue Red Sea, then i flatlined until sunset coz of the sleepless night i had on the overnight ferry.
Woke up and found out the water wasnt running n there was no electricity (i checked before checking in and both were available before i went to sleep) so i decided to take a walk.. I wasn't pissed at all about this. I surprised myself with my reaction at the time. Usually I get cranky when there's a blackout
Walked into a bookstore, turns out Muhammad owns the store.. Met a couple, a Canadian-Mexican-American (sounds like he has an identity problem, lol) and a French girl.. (lets call them Cancun and Sweetie), i found out later they were previously in a relationship, they've broken up, but decided to travel together again.. so the status is "complicated". haha. then 2 German guys came in, one of them came in to check on his broken rented scooter (oh, the bookstore also doubled as a bike rental store, and fixes broken bikes too). 5 of decided to get some dinner.. and the couple who has been staying in Dahab for a month coz they love the place so much, brought us to this Sudanese restaurant.. and the food was awesome~~~~~ the taste is similar to Malay food..and when i used my hands to eat, the Sudanese cook praised me.. saying this is the right way to eat.. awwyeahhhh. Another older Egyptian who is friends with the Sudanese restaurant owner came to join us.. we talked and drank tea.. he lives and works in London, but he came back to Egypt to buy a house coz he wanted to retire there... and we talked and talked and talked until late.. went to eat some halawiyat (sweets.. sama geng with bakhlava).. tried the kinafah coz to compare with Jordan's... was not as good.. I think from now on I will try all the kinafahs in the world, if i have the chance to go to more middle east/arab countries again..
After some discussion, all of us, minus the old guy decided to hangout at Nabq the next day..over an hour drive from Dahab, southwards, nearby Sharm El Sheikh.. one of the German guy, lets call him High Pitt, is a marine biologist currently doing some research in Dahab for his masters degree.. and the other German is his friend who was there to visit.. lets call him Biggy.. so High Pitt was going on about how nice this place is, and about the mangrove area there, which he claimed is super beautiful and nice and what not..
After halawiyeh, we went to get some shisha at one of the quieter places in town, the shop facing the sea.. and drank more tea.. that night i bought some candles coz my lodge was still blacked out. The next morning, i asked Muhammad about whether we gonna get back the water and electricity, turns out we will not.. i wanted to pay him, then he said he wasnt going to charge me.. my first night in Egypt and I stayed for free.. nice eyy..
By the time High Pitt came to pick me up, they came 30 minutes late, but we started out even later because Cancun and Sweetie, who was also staying at the same place where i was, needed some time to pack up all their things (remember they've been living there for a month).. and move out to another place. and Sweetie was actually leaving the next day to finally meet her family after traveling non-stop for 1 and a half years.. and this had to happen to her on her second last day in Dahab..
So off we went, eating the super delicious falafels that High Pitt bought on the back of a pickup truck.. riding off towards Nabq, driven by a bedouin and his uncle (i forgot their names.. maybe the younger one was called Hussein i think).. we had to stop in the middle of some desert because Cancun had to throw up.. he went to the back of some small hill somewhere.. while we waited.. High Pitt started being physical with Sweetie.. hugging, touching her ass.. sitting very close.. etc.. when Cancun wasn't around.. I can see that Sweetie welcomed it.. hahahaha.. technically Cancun and Sweetie weren't together, but they had a history of course. all this i didn't know yet at the time...
Cancun came back, we went on our way.. stopped at a small bedouin village where they lived next to the sea, right on the shores of the Red Sea.. to buy some fish.. for lunch.. or actually, little did i know it was going to be for early dinner coz by the time we ate it was at 5pm. our guides stopped us at an empty roofless dwelling, where we put our stuff.. they started preparing things etc... the rest of us went to take some pics together.. then Biggy and I decided to walk to a nearby shipwreck.. called the Maria Schroeder shipwreck.. i don't know the history or anything about this wreck.. the couple went to walk together.. and High Pitt went to walk alone around the mangrove area..
Biggy was really cool.. in fact, i had many conversations with him on many interesting topics, he's open minded.. basically we hit it off the moment we met in the bookstore the night before.. he's also doing his masters.. so i chose to hangout with him.. he also has a very keen eye on things that are hidden. he can spot camouflaged animals, shells, plants, even small ones.. and he would point them out to me.. and pick them up for me to have a better look.. after our short excursion to the ship wreck, we went to find High Pitt at the mangrove area...
..to be continued
Last week was the first time i looked at the pictures from my trip back in January. Yeah after 3 months. I dont know why i didnt have the urge before. Or im just plain lazy like that.
Anyway, the memories came flooding back.. And i would like to recall my experience in Dahab.. get ready for a long read, coz im just in the mood to write, and my 4 days in Dahab is the favorite part of my month-long trip.. and my memory is still fresh... hehe.
This small coastal getaway was my first stop in Egypt, as i had come via ferry from Jordan (that experience deserves its own entry, some other time ok). I didnt read much about Dahab. I only know that i wanted to see the blue hole and climb Jabal Musa here. I arrived, without any accommodations reserved. It was deserted, nobody was up and about yet and it was 10am.
I was walking aimlessly, trying to find where to stay based on some recommendations by the american whom i took a taxi ride with from Nuweiba port to Dahab. Muhammad started chatting me up, offered me to stay at his hotel for a cheap price, i told him to bring me to the money exchanger first, then we looked at the room, before i agreed. I walked around to take some pics of the gorgeous blue Red Sea, then i flatlined until sunset coz of the sleepless night i had on the overnight ferry.
Woke up and found out the water wasnt running n there was no electricity (i checked before checking in and both were available before i went to sleep) so i decided to take a walk.. I wasn't pissed at all about this. I surprised myself with my reaction at the time. Usually I get cranky when there's a blackout
Walked into a bookstore, turns out Muhammad owns the store.. Met a couple, a Canadian-Mexican-American (sounds like he has an identity problem, lol) and a French girl.. (lets call them Cancun and Sweetie), i found out later they were previously in a relationship, they've broken up, but decided to travel together again.. so the status is "complicated". haha. then 2 German guys came in, one of them came in to check on his broken rented scooter (oh, the bookstore also doubled as a bike rental store, and fixes broken bikes too). 5 of decided to get some dinner.. and the couple who has been staying in Dahab for a month coz they love the place so much, brought us to this Sudanese restaurant.. and the food was awesome~~~~~ the taste is similar to Malay food..and when i used my hands to eat, the Sudanese cook praised me.. saying this is the right way to eat.. awwyeahhhh. Another older Egyptian who is friends with the Sudanese restaurant owner came to join us.. we talked and drank tea.. he lives and works in London, but he came back to Egypt to buy a house coz he wanted to retire there... and we talked and talked and talked until late.. went to eat some halawiyat (sweets.. sama geng with bakhlava).. tried the kinafah coz to compare with Jordan's... was not as good.. I think from now on I will try all the kinafahs in the world, if i have the chance to go to more middle east/arab countries again..
After some discussion, all of us, minus the old guy decided to hangout at Nabq the next day..over an hour drive from Dahab, southwards, nearby Sharm El Sheikh.. one of the German guy, lets call him High Pitt, is a marine biologist currently doing some research in Dahab for his masters degree.. and the other German is his friend who was there to visit.. lets call him Biggy.. so High Pitt was going on about how nice this place is, and about the mangrove area there, which he claimed is super beautiful and nice and what not..
After halawiyeh, we went to get some shisha at one of the quieter places in town, the shop facing the sea.. and drank more tea.. that night i bought some candles coz my lodge was still blacked out. The next morning, i asked Muhammad about whether we gonna get back the water and electricity, turns out we will not.. i wanted to pay him, then he said he wasnt going to charge me.. my first night in Egypt and I stayed for free.. nice eyy..
By the time High Pitt came to pick me up, they came 30 minutes late, but we started out even later because Cancun and Sweetie, who was also staying at the same place where i was, needed some time to pack up all their things (remember they've been living there for a month).. and move out to another place. and Sweetie was actually leaving the next day to finally meet her family after traveling non-stop for 1 and a half years.. and this had to happen to her on her second last day in Dahab..
So off we went, eating the super delicious falafels that High Pitt bought on the back of a pickup truck.. riding off towards Nabq, driven by a bedouin and his uncle (i forgot their names.. maybe the younger one was called Hussein i think).. we had to stop in the middle of some desert because Cancun had to throw up.. he went to the back of some small hill somewhere.. while we waited.. High Pitt started being physical with Sweetie.. hugging, touching her ass.. sitting very close.. etc.. when Cancun wasn't around.. I can see that Sweetie welcomed it.. hahahaha.. technically Cancun and Sweetie weren't together, but they had a history of course. all this i didn't know yet at the time...
Cancun came back, we went on our way.. stopped at a small bedouin village where they lived next to the sea, right on the shores of the Red Sea.. to buy some fish.. for lunch.. or actually, little did i know it was going to be for early dinner coz by the time we ate it was at 5pm. our guides stopped us at an empty roofless dwelling, where we put our stuff.. they started preparing things etc... the rest of us went to take some pics together.. then Biggy and I decided to walk to a nearby shipwreck.. called the Maria Schroeder shipwreck.. i don't know the history or anything about this wreck.. the couple went to walk together.. and High Pitt went to walk alone around the mangrove area..
Biggy was really cool.. in fact, i had many conversations with him on many interesting topics, he's open minded.. basically we hit it off the moment we met in the bookstore the night before.. he's also doing his masters.. so i chose to hangout with him.. he also has a very keen eye on things that are hidden. he can spot camouflaged animals, shells, plants, even small ones.. and he would point them out to me.. and pick them up for me to have a better look.. after our short excursion to the ship wreck, we went to find High Pitt at the mangrove area...
..to be continued
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