Swimmin' and Boozin'

So we just made it back from Marsa Alam which was fun but not quite what I was expecting. When I think beach I think palm trees, sand, fancy hotels, tourists…this was not at all like that. First off, in typical Egyptian fashion the bus arrived hours late and instead of two there was only one; this meant that 25 seats had to fit 34 people. Cramming people into cars and cabs is typical in Egypt, but the trips are usually short...this was a 12 hour trip. Anyway, it all worked out, people took shifts standing and sitting on the floor.

When we finally arrived instead of two person huts with high class amenities, we stayed in clay mosquito infested boxes with 4 beds. Paul looks diseased at the moment. He has 78 mosquito bites on one arm (yes, I seriously counted). Poor thing tried to use his sheet as a mosquito net, but alas, to no avail. Really not so bad though, most of our time was spent at the beach anyway.

So minus the bus ride and the bug bites, Marsa Alam is a pretty interesting place. I would describe it as ecotourism. When you looked out from our porch the scenery was nothing but desert and sea. And when I say desert, I mean nothing but sand and dust. I’ve never seen such an expanse of nothing. You would not believe the wind! I was in charge of carrying our flippers for snorkeling, and for a minute or two, I seriously thought I could use them like wings and take off.

There was a really beautiful sunset the first night we were there. The Red Sea is the bluest body of water I have ever seen. Paul and I kept arguing over whether or not it was Jesus or Moses who supposedly parted it. I’d look it up on the net but I’m pre-typing this because the net is not available from home (oh internet how I miss you!). Looking out from shore you could sea the dark squiggly outline of the reef we swam around. On the shore there were piles that looked like small pebbles at first glance, but if you scooped some up, it was like you had a handful of hidden treasures; bits of coral, tiny seashells, polished stones. While on the beach I acquired a really beautiful shell collection and some great pieces of driftwood.

Snorkeling was loads of fun. We went twice a day bumbling around the house reef. It was nice because you didn’t need a guide or a boat. You just went to the beach and got in. Paul really liked swimming with the fishes. On the last day we were there we saw these really long fish with attenuated snouts resting at the bottom of the reef. I immediately dubbed them creepy and swam as quietly as possible over them which was smart since we later found out they were Barracuda. Apparently even the not so big ones could chew your arm off pretty quick. The rest of the day we spent napping in hammocks or on beach chairs.

At night we would stumble back down to the beach bar to hang out. I immediately befriended Monty the bar owner who proceeded to give me a 50% discount on whatever I ordered. I tried the infamous Egyptian beer Stella….not great, but still beer…the first beer I’ve had since I got here. It’s weird, the only beer you really see around in Egypt is Stella or Heineken and they sell it by the can. And get this, while you can buy booze around town, we’ve been told the best way to get liquor is to have a dealer. A booze dealer? Really? Bootleg booze is cheaper I guess.

On the last day in Marsa Alam our bus decided not to show up, so we ordered 3 vans to take us back. I thought driving in Cairo was crazy, but it’s a walk in the park compared to the road from Marsa Alam. There's literally a road called “the road of dangerous curves” which the drivers insisted taking at lightning speed. Needless to say I left claw marks in the headrest in front of me. Also, along the way they have check points where the police usually just wave you through…that is, unless you’re toting a bunch of foreigners. We tried to sit all the Egyptians in window seats which worked on the way there, but we got busted on the way back. We had to give them our passports and do a lot of waiting in the hot desert sun. Weird part is they decided to give us an escort all the way back to Cairo. My conversation with Nour went something like this:

Katie: why do we need an escort?
Nour: To protect you guys.
Katie: from who? You guys? (referring to Egyptians)
Nour: Haha. No, to protect you from the other guys.
Katie: Who are the other guys?
Nour: haha. Ummm…no one really knows who the other guys are.

Speaking of booze, Ramadon is officially over. Thank Allah! So yesterday night we went to Raf’s and celebrated. Cocktails were made, glasses were clinked! Eventually we made it to a sweet club called Mojito which is a classy joint on the roof of a building in the middle of downtown surrounded entirely by glass walls. So while you’re doing your funky thing on the dance floor you can look over the city. We had a great view of the Cairo tower decked out in all its purple glowing glory.

Well I’m pooped and school starts tomorrow. My students are counting on me. I wouldn't be surprised if they've forgotten everything we learned over vacation...I mean, I always did :)