Relaxing in Sinai

Dahab was designed specifically for tourist, which is good because it is clean, but bad because the restaurants overcharge and take up all of the beach space. The food and service were good, but unless you are a diver, there´s not much to the town. The Sinai seems to be a popular destination for Europeans, as I could have used Euros in some places, and there were mroe pale people than locals.

I took a bus north to Basata camp, which is on the beach north of a town called Nuweiba, but the bus driver didn´t stop for me, so I had to take a taxi to backtrack a bit. I was fed up with the constant hassle, but luckily Basata was exactly what I wanted. They provided all food at the camp, which guests help themselves to and pay for at the end. The bakery was excellent, with fresh pita bread every morning, and pizzas at noon. I stayed in a hut on the beach about 50 feet from the water. I could see the mountains of Saudi Arabia across the Gulf of Aqaba. My hut didn´t have electricity or water, but the shared facilities were very clean. Several people I talked to were living at the camp or staying for about a month. There is a school for 12 children there, and I met a couple of Americans who teach English and other subjects. The kids speak Arabic, English and German, making me feel very stupid.

I alternated between swimming, reading my book on the beach, snorkeling, and eating. It was a good three days. The snorkeling was fantastic. The coral reef directly in front of the camp had all sorts of colorful fish that I can´t identify. I saw a squid, and only the lionfish were poisonous. Someone said a few days before I arrived, there was heavy rain that was the first in almost five years! That led to the mosquitoes that bit me all night through the mosquito net. I met a woman from Cairo who lived in California for six years, mostly living in the Bay Area working in IT. And a South African couple gave me their phone number because they live in Cape Town and offered that I could stay with them while I am there. They also invited me to walk up Mt Sinai to see the sunrise, but I fell asleep too early. They said it was amazing and I wish I had gone, but sleep was good too because my 48 hour journey to South Africa started the next day.