throwing up at the burning bush (and other stories from Dahab)

Sorry for the gross title ... everything is a story, n'est-ce pas?


We ended up extending our trip to Dahab by an extra day because we all entered into total relaxation mode, and saw no reason to return to Cairo and wait for school to start.


Dahab is a resort town on the Gulf of Aqaba, by the Red Sea, on the Sinai Peninsula. It took about an 8 hour bus trip that can only be rivaled by my first trip on Durham's campout. (our bus lost a tire in the middle of the dessert, we had to pay too much money to use the washroom...)

My favourite activity by far was snorkeling, I've never seen such amazing fish and coral reef. It was stunningly beautiful. The first day we snorkeled near our hotel, and the second day we went to the Blue Hole, about 20 minutes away. I'm hooked on snorkeling now, I loved it. I only wish I had a camera like my sister-in-law's that could have done under-water shots. I guess they'll just be ingrained in my mind for a long time...


The other highlight would be riding a camel, which was a hilarious experience. We opted only for a two hour trek, which is plenty long enough, believe me. My camel was rather stubborn, doing it's own thing too often. Megan's camel was the eater, stopping at every sight of green - thankfully it was the dessert, so there wasn't too much green stuff around.


On the last night in Dahab we forewent sleep and left at midnight for Mount Sinai. After a 2 hour bus ride, we began our climb. It was very different than I expected, there were people and camels everywhere! We had to pay careful attention to the camels, so as not to get pushed off the side of the mountains on the way up! It was a hot, sticky, 3 hour climb, but upon arriving at the top we were instantly freezing. We sat huddled under sleeping bags and towels and awaited the main attraction: sunrise. It was amazing. And when it started I couldn't get over how quickly it actually rose. It was hard to have a "moment" because there were people yelling and talking everywhere. We took the stairs of repentance down again, which was rougher than the path going up, but without camels.

Upon arriving at St. Catherine's Monastery, where the burning bush is supposed to be, I got violently ill, and yes, I did throw up by a tree. Probably wasn't the burning bush. The stomach flu continued all the way home, during the 6 hour Egyptian bus trip (driving 140km/hr in the dessert, speeding up on corners, and very, very bumpy). I'm feeling slightly better today.

Dahab's a great place to escape the busy-ness of Cairo, and I can see that we'll be returning there in the next few years. We've been assured that school is indeed starting on October 3, so next week I will actually go in to work for a few meetings and some planning.