Dahab, Egypt

Diving at the Blue Hole
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Dahab is cool!  Clearly my favorite spot in Egypt.  For those that have been its similar to Ko Tao - although not quite as cool (primarily due to the food which is worse, and the lack of partying due to the culture).  But don't confuse this with being anything less than great.  Dahab is no worse than an A (i'm just comparing it to a place that is an A+)!

One of the cool things about Dahab is you can see Saudi Arabia right across the Gulf.  It just feels so cool to be sitting in one country looking across at another.

Dahab is cool! Clearly my favorite spot in Egypt.

Dahab... the water is super clear and calm!
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For those that haven't visited it's a divers paradise... with about 12-15 dive shops and an equal # of restaurants.  The whole town is right on the beach (not a sandy beach mind you) and you eat overlooking the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba (which attaches to the Red Sea).  The weather in November is perfect!  Hot days (which is great for diving) and calm waters.  A slight breeze at night.  Perfect.  And unlike the rest of Egypt, friendly non-pushy locals.  Its definitely paradise and one could spend weeks here just playing backgammon (a local favorite for some reason), tanning and diving.  There isn't exactly a bar scene - although there are bars.  Muslim culture frowns upon this and although there is more beer here than anywhere else in Egypt catering to tourists, it isn't ingrained in the culture.  But its definitely more open than other places.  Doesn't matter much to me since it has now been 4 weeks since I've had a drink.  Wow!  This is the longest I've done that since college - when as an experiment I went 30 days (to prove to myself I wasn't an alcoholic!).  I guess the experiment failed ;-)

The northern view from my beach
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I am completing my Advanced Open Water Dive Certification here.  So far the diving is pretty good.  I'd say its about equal to Ko Tao - but more expensive so Ko Tao wins.  Still - diving here (and Ko Tao) hasn't been as good as other places I've dove such as Fiji, Belize and the Grand Caymans.  It's all shore diving like Curacao, which is very nice.  Boats can be a pain.  But unfortunately you have to walk a ways before the drop off.  Tanks are not meant to be carried on your back!

Chillin
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I met some cool people while diving.  Sonja and Venusha from Germany, Jo and Steve from the UK, Ruben & Suzie from the UK and Thomas and Monica from Brussels.  My instructor is Khaled and he is a very good diver.  Nice fellow too.  Lots of fish, eels, coral, an octopus and even five swimming squid (so cool!) - but nothing large so far (no rays, sharks, turtles).  And no wrecks here.  There are wrecks in the Red Sea near Hurghada - but not here.  Ah well - gonna have to save that for another time.  Maybe the Maldives has a wreck!  I'll be there in two weeks.  More diving here I come!!!