Chilling Out Above and Below The Waves

About two hours south of Nuweiba the road finally breaks out of the desert mountains onto a thin strip of coastal plain.  In the distance, nestled between piles of trash, abandoned construction sites, a major service road and the sea sits Dhahab.  Colin drove Twiga through the world's most useless military checkpoint, past a paramilitary compound constructed by a mad Dutchman and up the main street of Dhahab.  We pulled up outside our hostel and unloaded.

For the next three nights we ate, drank, slept, swam , snorkeled and sunned ourselves beside the Red Sea.  On the first day we jeeped it to world famous the Blue  Hole - a circular reef section about 5 miles north of the town.  The sea life was captivating and beautiful.  A tinge of envy overcame me as I snorkeled above the teams of divers 20 metres below.  Sensing this, experienced divers Tanzin, Mike and Brad, along with keen beginner, Maarten, convinced me to do a beginners dive course.  I'd always been irrationally petrified of diving - the very thought made me feel claustrophobic.  Zoe signed up as well but then decided against it.  So, it was with great trepidation and much fumbling that I began the course the next day.  To my amazement, and self-amusement, it was easy.  Our instructor Waleed was calm, controlled and friendly.  For the next two days I spent morning to dusk learning the ropes of diving and studying the theory while Zoe frequented the reefside cafes, chilling out, taking in sun and lots of fresh juice.   Both Maarten and I passed our open water certificate without much trouble at all.  If anything, I regret not doing diving earlier in life.  It's very relaxing and very satisfying.

All in all we were pretty satisfied with the place.  It was cheap, there was plenty to do and, aside from constant unwanted attention visited upon the girls, it was safe.  At night we ate at a few of the many restaurants along the esplanade.  The food was standard fare - burgers, kebabs, pizza, seafood, pasta - but it was good value and the local beer was cheap at about USD1.50 for a pint bottle.  Accommodation was simple but clean, comfortable ,convenient and quiet and cost a paltry USD per person per night, including breakfast.

We were due to leave Dhahab to go to Mt Sinai when Zoe and I decided to can our planned trip to Naama Bay.  We figured, after talking to Ian and Colin, that even with the cancellation fee it was cheaper and more satisfying for us to return to Dhahab instead of continuing to Sharm after Mt Sinai.