Once I knew I was going to teach in Egypt, I wanted to go to the Red Sea! So when we found out about Eid holidays in September, we booked a trip to Dahab, a small town 1 hour north of Sharm El Sheik, which is at the very bottom tip of the Sinai Peninsula.

The Town of Dahab

 

There is definitely a bohemian feel to the town, and you slowly start looking like a beach bum as your hair gets stiff with salt water, your tan gets darker, and you wear colourful loose pants and sandals 24/7 as you lounge by the water day in and day out. Embrace it while it lasts.

Where we Stayed

The hotel we stayed in was called Dahab Paradise, and the name suited the location very well as it is pinned right between the mountains and the sea. The manager was extremely helpful and definitely went above and beyond to meet our needs and expectations. The kitchen prepared excellent breakfast (not to mention its free!) and amazing, mouth-watering meals. The cost of the hotel was also not expensive, and they can help arrange several activities to do in Dahab. I highly recommend anyone to stay in this quaint and stunningly gorgeous place!


 

 

Over the 4 days we spent in Dahab, we did a number of things that ranged from adventurous to plain relaxation. It was a great balance, and the wonderful thing is that there is so much to do in Dahab, you will never be bored! But if you like, you can sit by the pool or the shore, day after day, and soak in the sun!


 


Like I said earlier, I had been greatly looking forward to dipping to the Red Sea, and Wayne loves beaches a it is. So naturally, we headed to the coast first thing. Our hotel arranged a driver and the typical spot to get dropped off is called Lighthouse. This is basically the beginning the Peace road, which hugs the coast that makes up the main part of town. All the lounge restaurants are here.


The only downside is that this part of the coast is not your typical sandy beach. It's made up of small rocky cliffs, so you simply climb down a couple feet and then you're in the water. It can get very, very busy, especially in season, so try to get a spot early, around 11 am.

Now, much of the coast is occupied by lounge restaurants, so you have to go through the restaurant to get a spot, and typically the polite thing to do is to order refreshments and food. It is an ideal situation, though, because you are guaranteed cold drinks as you come back and forth from the water for as long as you like!


What else is there to do? Find out in my next blog post as I spill more details about the exciting and adventurous things to be done in Dahab!

First, let me clarify by the "big" things one must see during their first visit or two to Paris:

La Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur on Montmartre, Notre Dame de Paris, The Latin Quarter, Pont Alexandre III, etc. I'll never say to not bother with these places, they are all spectacular in their own way, and all still very much of Paris. If you are looking for things on the path slightly less taken, or very much local and authentic, here are 8 other places you could add to your list.

 

Living in Egypt so far has its pros and cons. Fortunately, one of those pros is our apartment. While the furnishing is relatively basic, it is very spacious and comfortable for a newly wed couple. In 6th of October, there are many spacious apartments and villas, as it is a much newer area that is trying to attract the wealthier civilians.

Here is a tour of our Egyptian apartment! When you first walk in, there is the dinning and living room, a nice open concept area with many windows, two of which lead to balconies.




Off to the side, is the kitchen, which is in its own room, unfortunately. This room is probably the lead furnished, with only one counter, which makes the big kitchen feel really sparse. We managed to find a small coffee table that was being thrown out, and re purposed it for our kitchen.

We took this picture before we bought garbage cans.

Next to the kitchen, is a half bath that faces the dining room, which is great for when we have visitors. It has two lights, one being right above the mirror, so it is very good lighting to put make up on!


 In the living room corner across one of the main balconies, is where I decided to set up my desk, since Wayne likes to use the dinning room table for his work. It felt too lonely being in the small spare bedroom, all the way on the other side of the apartment.


 If you go around to the other side of the living room. there is the entrance to the main hallway that leads to the rest of the apartment, which is the bedrooms and bathroom.