datacrush.info

I was in Dahab, a small laid-back town along the Red Sea coast in Egypt’s Sinai province. Dahab is often used by tourists as a base for exploring Sinai Desert and Red Sea scuba diving.

There are two tourists concentration areas in Dahab; one in Dahab Bay where luxury hotels like Hilton is located, and the other in Asalah, a backpackers and professional scuba divers hangout with an impressive Red Sea beach stretch. Along with a friend of mine, we stayed in the latter where we suspect we could hunt for Sinai Desert excursion at a budget price.

Where we stayed in Asalah, Green Valley Motel also runs Green Valley Tours. They have a package that covers Color Canyon in the morning, a visit to an oasis and Bedouin camp for lunch, followed by White Canyon in the afternoon. It costs 150 Egyptian Pounds per person on an air-conditioned-less jeep shared with 4-6 other passengers.

Earlier on our way to Dahab we met an Arabic speaking English kid. He recommended us to an Arab friend of his whom also runs desert excursions. He quoted us 155 Egyptian Pounds per person for the same deal offered by Green Valley, but he promised air conditioning.

After about an hour scouting around and deliberating our options, we agreed.

…

The next day they came and picked us up at our motel after breakfast. We found two Swiss girls already on-board the jeep. The air conditioner wasn’t running. Later, three more passengers joined us; A female Egyptian who claims to be a journalist (and could speak a few languages), and two guys that we hardly spoke to.

Just before we hit the highway, the guy whom we made tour booking with the day before asked me to step out of the vehicle. I was cautious about leaving my female travel companion in the jeep, so I stayed close to the door after stepping out. Given the experience we had with touts in Egypt and their sinful pride of having four wives, I wasn’t about to trust any Arab.

He demanded that I settle the full price of the tour for both of us on the spot. I did. Then he sternly asked me not to discuss the price with other passengers on-board and made me promise. It wasn’t just weird. He was intimidating!

Once we got onto the highway, the air conditioner was running at full blast.

We passed by a police checkpoint along the way where they verified our passports. We had a moment of suspense when the policeman questioned our tour guide on why our entry visas were stamped in Luxor. Then both men walked away from the vehicle and returned with our passports couple minutes later. We had no clue what just happened since they spoke in Arabic, but I grew suspicious of what may have transpired. Later I found out that our tour guide did not have a permit for desert excursion bearing foreigners aboard.

Once we left the highway into the desert, they switched off the air conditioner.

Our first stop was Color Canyon. We went hiking in the valley in the heat of summer, and as much as I enjoyed the initial thrill and experience I would know better next time. It was very hot! Nevertheless, our visit to Color Canyon was worth it. There were shadows and shapes formed in the rocks by nature. Some were cute, others were amusing.

…

There were steep paths in our journey, other obstacles were narrow and had little passable window through the rocks, but our tour guide did help us through the valley. At times we had to climb some slippery rocks. Between the two of us, we almost ran dry of our bottled water supply, but thankfully we managed to last.

We stopped by a Bedouin village for lunch. The meal was nothing fancy but interesting. We noticed that in Egypt most dishes are served with either fries or chips. While it doesn’t blend with the main dish, it gave us options. I, for one, ate only the chips. I longed for mashed potatoes while they served us tasteless and pre-chewed meat!

After lunch, our tour guide explained to us the origins of Bedouins and Islam in Egypt. He wasn’t very articulate in his words nor was he accurate in his facts. It was actually entertaining to watch our fellow traveler-cum-journalist debated facts with our tour guide.

Later we proceeded to White Canyon on another long but gratifying hike in the desert. Especially because at the end of the trail we had to ascend a 5 meters high cliff using a rope.

On the way back, one of our Swiss friends hooked the jeep’s audio to her iPod and played some groovy tunes while we went on a bumpy ride in the desert. It was a good end to a long and adventurous journey.

I’d just think twice before I do any desert excursion during summer next time.