There are several ways to get from Luxor to Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula, and there are also several prices, depending on whether you fly, take part of the ride on a ferry, or simply take a bus. The latter was the cheapest, as well as the longest option. Needless to say, it was the option we took! When one travels for a year, cost is always a factor and consideration. Besides, we would be undertaking the 15 or 16 or 17 or…….hour trip with our new friends, Steph and Seb. Bus travel times are always only an estimate in Egypt, as it depends on how many times the bus stops, and for how long. This does not include the several police checkpoints, which constitute the bus coming to a screeching halt, lights on and passports checked, apparently some of which can take place under the influence of “tiredness”. Alex tells me that he showed my passport to a policeman on one of the stops, whilst I slept through, oblivious! What is the saying? Ignorance is bliss!

No sooner had we jumped off the bus than we were bombarded with several touts trying to “sell” us a room for the night. Sometimes this too can be overwhelming, and we ended up going with a guy called Momo, to the Jasmine Hotel. The contact had been given to us in Luxor. Although we also checked out several other places, we ended up back at the Jasmine. It was clean, comfortable, had a balcony, and it was right on the waterfront, with exquisite views of the Red Sea.

Dahab is, well, basically one of Egypt’s top coastal destinations. It is not supposed to be as touristy or resorty as some of the other places, but we felt that it was well on its way. Whilst it is a great place to relax, dive and snorkel, we found the waterfront area to be one continuous line of touristy (and often over-priced!) restaurants and shops. Having said that, sitting on the cushions on the floor of any given restaurant, whilst sipping on a (very average!) coffee is really not a bad way to pass the time whilst shooting the breeze! We did manage to find some great little places to eat in the back streets though, and as usual, the food was pretty good and the price tag reasonable. Needless to say, none of us were interested in falafel! The word sent a shiver down our spines!

There is a Bedouin village close to Dahab, which we passed one day, on our way to go snorkeling. It was explained to us that although they “live ” in the sandstone huts that we could see, many Bedouin still pitch up their tents inside! Odd? I do not think so. The Bedouin are basically desert dwellers and nomads, and tents are really their life.

We went snorkelling a couple of times and were flabbergasted. Absolutely stunning! The beaches of Dahab are not sandy, but rather pebbly. You only have to walk or swim out 20 metres or so, to find that the pebbles become coral and then that coral wall dramatically drops away, and invites you to see not only spectacular marine life but an array of colourful water formations as well. It was certainly excellent competition for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef! On another day, we visited a site called the Blue Hole , where we also did some snorkelling. More spectacular underwater eye candy!

How could we come to Dahab, and not go diving? We couldn’t! We went with an extremely professional company called Big Blue Dahab (http://www.bigbluedahab.com/), owned by the hands-on and competent Mohamed, as well as managed by another Mohamed. After chatting with a few people from different places, we realised that these guys had the professional and safe edge that we were looking for. Our first dive was in a place called Eel Garden. Olivier from France took us out and he was excellent. Apart from seeing the obvious (eels) we also saw yet more interesting coral and marine life. I have said this before, but it is absolutely another world down there! The colours are different, the feeling is different and the vibe is different. Later that day, Tim (an Australian) took us out to another dive spot called The Island. Wow! I felt like I was in an underwater maze – we began by descending through a hole in the coral, and then continued to slither and slide over coral formations that I had never seen before……..one of my favourites was a gargantuan brain coral with some sea anemone tucked into the top…..and its guardians, two “Nemo ” fish. The sight was wondrous to behold!

The other “must do” on the Sinai Peninsula is, of course, climbing Mt Sinai. At 2285 metres, Mt Sinai, or Gebel Musa as it is known to the locals, is the place where God is purported to have delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at its summit. It is thus revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. Along with Steph and Seb, we did a night walk. We took a mini-van from Dahab at 11.00pm at night, and arrived near Mt Sinai, at around 12.30am, then a group of us (there were various groups, some even taking camels) began the trek up to the summit. It is rather an easy walk, but I must admit that I struggled. I think that 9 months on the go is finally taking its toll! The reality is that I need a rest! But, I soldiered on! Thanks for helping me with my backpack Alex! We reached the top at around 4.00am….along with a multitude of others, where we hired a blanket and mattress and snuggled down for a few hours, before waking up to the sunset. Well, Steph and Alex did, whilst Seb and I slept on….a little. But we still saw the colours , right Seb? We got the picture!

No sooner had the sun risen, than there was a mass exodus of people descending the slope, towards the Monastery of St Katherine. The walk down was actually harder than the walk up, which consists of the 3750 “Steps of Repentance”. These steps are made of roughly hewn rock, and are said to have been laid down by a monk as a form of penance. If I was exhausted during the walk, I was shattered after it! We reached the monastery just after 8.00am, but had to wait until 9.00am for it to open. We sussed out the surrounding and inviting rock scenery, picked a flattish space, and collapsed for an hour or so.

By the time the monastery opened, we felt like the living dead, like walking zombies! The aspect which makes this Christian monastery so spectacular is that it’s tucked into a barren valley at the foot of Mt Sinai, with absolutely nothing else around it. Walking down the mountain, as it comes into view, it almost looks like an apparition, as its sandstone colours and hues blend into the surrounding countryside. It too has been a place of pilgrimage since the 4th century AD. ” It traces its founding to about 330 AD, when the Roman Empress Helena had a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits built beside what was believed to be the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses” (Lonely Planet guide on Egypt). It was very interesting, but I think I was too tired to properly appreciate it. We drove back to Dahab at around 10.30am, and upon our arrival, we showered and went to sleep, waking up several hours (read 7.00pm!) later. Holidays should be for relaxing……right?!

Who should we bump into in Dahab, but Mary, Gerald and Torin! Well, OK, Gerald had e-mailed me, so I knew that they were around! Remind me…..WHAT would we do without e-mail, and HOW did we cope before its advent? On our last night, we all went out to dinner, including Stephanie and Sebastien. This group of people are, without a doubt, some of the nicest we have met on our travels!

The Egyptian chapter was coming to a close, but where to next? Originally, we were supposed to go to Turkey, via the Middle East, perhaps Israel, perhaps Jordan. Apart from Cuba, this was the only part that was not included on our around-the-world ticket. Without getting into detail, we must fly from Rome to Barcelona on the 30th June, which does not give us much time. So, after several hours of internet research, we decided that the most feasible option, both cost and time wise would be to fly to Austria.

Once the decision had been made, I was on the phone to my very special and dear friend Silvia in Vienna, asking her how she felt about having visitors that very weekend! Keep in mind that it was Wednesday night when I called. Once I got the go ahead, we booked the ticket, through Egypt Air, on-line, and we would be flying out on Friday.

A bit on my friend Silvia. Silvia is from Austria and was my very first international friend. She became my pen-pal, whilst I was at high school, at age 13, and we have written, phoned, e-mailed, and stayed in contact ever since. More on this later!

At midnight we caught a mini-bus back to Cairo. In the early hours of the morning, on the outskirts of Cairo, we found ourselves hugging Seb and Steph saying goodbye. They would continue on to the city centre and we had to catch a taxi to the airport. We all had tears in our eyes a s we waved goodbye! We will really miss you both Stephanie and Sebastien!

It was just after 7.00am when we arrived at the airport, and we went directly to pick up our e-ticket! “Your ticket has not been paid for and your reservation has been cancelled”, we were told by the guy behind the customer service desk at Egypt Air. “Whaddayatalkinabout”, is the first thing that came to mind, and the second is why is customer service sometimes called customer service when there is no customer service! The guy helping us was so apathetic – as we freaked, he yawned and told us, whilst biting his nails, that we would need to come back in an hour and speak to the appropriate personnel. I urged him to give me a hint as to what he thought the outcome might be, but he was seriously in “Talk to the hand” mode. I heard myself thinking out loud, breathe in, breath out! He did tell us that we were still in the system, however, which was had to be a good sign.

Some two actually great coffees later, we went back, and luckily were able to fix the problem. For some reason, payment had not gone through and our reservation cancelled, but as we were still in the system, once we paid, we would be fine and dandy. The forces that be obviously guiding and watching us, as in a few minutes we were ready to rock and roll again. As we went through the check out counter, we met an Egyptian woman, who was travelling. She was stunned that we would have even attempted to book a ticket online through Egypt Air. ” This is Egypt. These things just do not work here! “, she proceeded to tell us. Thanks, I thought, we had kind of figured that out!

Dedication: To all the wonderful people we have met on our travels. Some of you have had a huge impact on our lives. Meeting people like Gerald, Mary and Torin, and Stephanie and Sebastien has enriched our lives. We have learnt, laughed, experienced and shared, and we feel that we are better human beings for it. Thanks to you, and to the many others that are forming us into the people we are, and will continue to become!

(A lyrical poem that can be sung one day in school. Dedicated for a dear friend met by destiny. By Adnan Kotate.)

Egypt is dirty, exciting, chaotic, frenetic and steeped in a multitude of ancient historical monuments! The people are as varied as the country itself…….kind, helpful, out for your money, and always hassling you. People want to chat! People want “baksheesh” (tips) for everything from lifting a bag to giving you directions! We met a plethora of supremely kind folk who were willing to give us their hearts! We met an equal amount who were eager to rip you off in a heartbeat! You work it out! We still haven’t, and we have been here just over three weeks. So, go figure…..we are still trying to!

Our introduction to Egypt was a good one. We met a young Egyptian doctor, called Basem, on the plane, and before we knew it, he was offering to drive us to our hotel. I must add here that we arrived in Cairo at midnight. So, upon arrival, he was picked up by his Dad, who was equally as sweet and helpful, and they proceeded to drive us to “our hotel”, which by the way, was not on the way back to their home. Our hotel was one that we had picked from our guide book. I mean, at 1.00am, it’s hard to do the usual check and scourge for a decent place to stay.

As we drove towards downtown, our heads were reeling. Everywhere around us, all the signs and publicity were in Arabic! Yes, yes, we know that that’s obvious, but we still could not read it! What a change from the, “This is easy, I understand Spanish” that we had experienced over the last several months. Everything looked so different, but we were too tired to take it all in. Upon reaching our hotel, we checked in and crashed!

If Cairo was confronting in the quiet and early hours of the morning, you should have seen it at 10.00am! Smoggy, polluted, car horns honking incessantly, and people trying to sell you anything from perfume to “sheeshas” (a typical Egyptian, water filled smoking pipe)….. and Ombi trying to take this all in, wearing a pair of (long) shorts and a singlet top, which clearly covered my cleavage. But, uh-uh, this was not going to cut it, and I was soon inside my hotel room slipping on a long pair of pants, and a longer sleeved t-shirt. I would soon add a scarf around my shoulders to that repertoire! It was either that, or be constantly stared at! Not trusting my Italian temper…..I opted for the scarf! Let me tell you that wearing long pants (which I did for almost my entire duration in Egypt) has been yet another challenge. I never knew that I had it in me to do this in nearing (and sometimes more than) 40 degree temperatures!

One of the first things that Alex and I both sadly observed about Egypt is how very, very dirty it is. Trash absolutely everywhere! In the streets, in museums, at outdoor archaeological sites, and pretty much anywhere else that bits and pieces could be shoved and thrown! Trash cans? What and where were they? Surely the government should thus assume some of the responsibility of a nation hidden beneath layers of rubbish. To be honest, it took away from many of the places we visited. When we went to the Great Pyramids at Giza, for example, we probably spent an equal amount of time viewing the garbage beneath us, as the spectacular pyramids above us!

Cairo is certainly a place that would take weeks to explore, so I think that we gave it our best shot in the 4 or 5 days that we spent there. There are so many components to the city, and we knew that seeing it all would be impossible. Before I go on, I would like to mention that, although statistics vary, the religious breakup of the country is as follows: 85% Muslim, 10% Coptic Orthodox and 5% other. Although there were so many absolutely beautiful and architecturally ornate mosques, there were also some equally as beautiful churches. We spent our first day wandering about, observing both the architecture and the people. We also wandered over to the historical Khan Al-Khalili, where there is a huge bazaar. It really is exactly like you see in those Indiana Jones adventure type movies……narrow cobblestoned streets, with vendors selling everything under the sun, from spices to stone statuettes of Tutankhamen. And let me tell you, here I was really able to gain a new insight into what it was like to be hassled. They would NOT let up….. I tried ignoring, hiding under my scarf, speaking in a made up language…all to no avail! They persisted on hassling and subsequently fraying my nerves!

A magic moment, or a magic few hours, was sitting outside one of the mosques near Khan Al-Khalili bazaar and chatting to some enchanting ladies and young women we met there. They could barely speak English, and our Arabic was pretty appalling (although by the end of our stay in Egypt, we had learnt quite a few words). They were beautiful people, and shared their food with us as well as buying us some more! Sign language, gestures and our guide book’s basic Arabic section, all helped out, and we were able to make ourselves understood. The moral of the story is that if your desire is to be understood, you will be! We felt humbled and honoured, and as we left, one of the young ladies hugged me and told me that she loved me! I walked away and cried! To touch someone’s heart in such a significant way, and then have them touch yours is a feeling beyond description. To feel the moment! I will cherish that forever!

Another day was spent at the infamous and extraordinary Egyptian museum of Cairo. More than 120,000 relics and antiquities from almost every period of ancient Egyptian history are housed here. Despite its fame, however, we were saddened , yet again, by the haphazard way that everything was thrown together, often leaving large slabs of history, literally, within arms reach of its visitors, many of whom took up the opportunity, to touch. As a result, many pieces are damaged and well on their way to becoming destroyed. Having said that, nothing can take away from what this museum actually houses. The highlights were the Tutankhamen Galleries and the Royal Mummy Room. We have seen the treasures of this young king a million times before on the likes of National Geographic, but seeing it live was something else. This young pharaoh ruled during the 14th century before Christ, from 1336 BC to 1327BC. I felt like I had become one with history, and was blown away by the antiquity! The Mummy Room…how does one explain what it feels like to be separated, by merely inches, from mummified beings that existed so very long ago! Five and a half hours later, and still not having seen the entire museum, Alex and I were hungry, thirsty, tired and suffering from “Pharaonic phatigue”. Time to leave. Of course, as soon as we stepped out the hassling would begin yet again…taxis, perfume, papyrus……..”La, shokran” (no thank-you in Arabic) would end up being a phrase that I would use endlessly and tirelessly, and eventually firmly, in a bid to alleviate the rigours of a country where…….to hassle or to hassle MORE….that is TRULY the question!

No trip to Egypt would be complete without a trip to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, of course. Think Egypt, think pyramids! It would be like coming to Australia and not visiting the Sydney Opera House! Only 12 kilometres from central Cairo, the pyramids are actually the last survivors of the Seven Wonders of the World. The structures are monstrous, and their age and outstanding shapes truly illicit taking your breath away. I tried to ignore both the excessive trash as well as the lack of trash cans, and try to fathom what my eyes were beholding. Again, seeing them in documentaries paled in comparison to the vision that beheld me! There are many theories, but what we do know about these pyramids is that they were massive tombs ordered to be constructed by the pharaohs. What we don’t know was how they were built! As I looked up and stared, it was a magic moment! My mind wandered, and along with it a multitude of thoughts flooded my brain cavity! Alien constructions? As I peered skyward, the idea did not seem all that foreign! Perhaps even more spectacular than viewing them from the outside, was what we saw when we went inside. The lengths gone to, to ensure a safe and sacred central burial, were again, beyond comprehension. Tiny, cramped and lacking air, with thousands of tons of stone surrounding it on all sides………this is what the ancients had seen fit for their nobility!

It only took us a few days to work out how very hot and dry Egypt was. After all, besides the cities and towns that lie along the Nile, the rest of the country is total desert. To be more specific, the entire country is a desert, with the places along the Nile being more fertile. It is in this country where we learnt that water truly was our best friend! Alex and I had been drinking no less than 4 to 6 litres each per day! Any less, and exhaustion, dehydration , fatigue and headaches seemed to set in. Needles to say, we have had our share of all of the above during our stay here.

The food has been great too, with several vegetarian options. Falafel (fried broad bean paste), fuul ( beans), tahina (swsame seed paste) , baba ganoush (made from eggplant), lentil soup, aish (bread), shawarma (kebabs). As usual, Alex and I try and get to the local hangouts – much cheaper, and usually tastier than the tourist options. Lipton’s must love Egypt! They drink lots of tea here (specifically Lipton’s), as well as ahwa (coffee). Ahwas are also the names give to the local coffee houses, where in addition to Lipton’ tea, which is usually drunk without milk but with sugar, you can also smoke a sheesha, or water pipe. We did not try it, as neither of us smoke, but it’s quite interesting to watch the locals.

Coffee houses are mainly frequented by Egyptian males, and foreigners, although we noticed that some young women are making inroads into this ancient pastime, which seems to be so very much a man’s world in Egypt! I must add that we have both been bowled over by the amount of men that smoke in this country…and that’s just cigarettes! You rarely see women smoking!

This has been only a sliver of what we saw, felt and experienced in Cairo. Where to next? We looked at the map, and figured that an oasis sounded exotic, and figured that it certainly would be fun! But which one? The Siwa Oasis, of course! Why? Of all of the oases it was the farthest away, and so we figured that it may be a little less touristy and isolated. But, did we know how hot it would be?

“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” – Okakura Kakuzo.

Until the next installment, Ombi.