So after I got back from Jordan I stayed in Dahab on the beach for 4 days in a really nice chill hotel called Sheik Salam, then I rented a room in a really sweet house in Assalah, which is in Dahab but in a local community, that is a bit quieter than the hustle of the boardwalk. The house is exactly what I would want if I owned a place; it is simple and all one level with a lot of outside space. The walls surrounding it are high which is nice; though we can hear all the baby screams, kids playing, trucks roaring and men talking...which is also nice. When I travel, I often like to stay away from the traveler circuit a bit and be in local communities, it has really enriched my experiences, especially in areas where I do not know the language. It can help to inspire communication and more interaction with the community...which really is the reason I like to travel. My days here are pretty slow and uneventful, I spend hours re-reading "The Shock Doctrine" and hours swimming and also contemplating life....which is such a privilege. I watch the strangely healthy looking stray dogs lounge about on the sand and wonder why the dogs here are so mellow while the ones in Bali and Fiji are all barkers and biters; (Sadly, one morning I attempted to stop a little boy from beating the sh-- out of a dog with a plank of wood) I think about how I overheard a European man (that now lives here) complain about the dogs and wants to have them all neutered or killed in the desert, I wonder if he has ever been to Bali and seen those dogs (most Bali and Fiji dogs have a bit of the napoleon complex thing happening....bark bark bark and maybe a bite or two)....cause the ones here are actually really affectionate and I have rarely even heard them bark at a person...though they do bark at each other quite a lot.... Funny, the man is also really into yoga...which I just thought was ...humm...ironic...is that the word I am searching for?... Anyway it is very interesting here, and I wish I could really get the Arabic language down...my big word is "Haram!" which basically means "sin"...It is a very useful word when someone is trying to rip you off, lying or doing anything forbidden by Islam. It worked really well in the taxi the other night when he wanted ten pounds for a 3 pound ride. My big drama is that I overstayed my visa and have to get an extension soon...but that is the drama for now (though there was drama later but that is another story). I going back to Cairo soon...ugh, a part of me really loves Cairo, it is beautiful and an interesting city, but really, I am just not feeling the big city vibe these days...and like I said before Cairo makes the busiest parts of NYC look like a quiet retirement community in Arizona...but I now know more people there so I plan to go out a bit at night and see the city night life before I leave.
TWO WEEKS LATER:
So I lived in the house for 2 weeks and well the house was lovely...I met some really interesting and warm generous people that live in Assalah. Just to name a couple of them; Francesca (the owner of the house) is a dramatically charismatic woman with 2 sons 18 and 21; She has lived in Egypt for over 20 years and is originally from Switzerland. She is a creative, carefree, intuitive woman who was very inspiring. Her son Omar was really sweet, and thoughtful and took me on a nice hike with his friends that was not too difficult and we had some lovely tea at a Bedouin camp, where I was so close to buying a traditional winter dress to keep me warm in NYC...but didn't have the funds...it was a great hike with views of the Red Sea and Omar was so concerned about my hip pain, he is studying massage....he is a mother-in-law's dream son. On the hike I also met an Egyptian from Aswan, Emad, who was telling me that many of the people in Aswan are proud to have locks and curls in their hair...so happy to hear it :)I also met another American woman Zel who has lived in Egypt about 3 years and in Dahab one year. It was so wonderful to hang with another woman about my age that remembers Legend of Billy Jean, and the original Fame...we even sang that song in Officer and a Gentleman...that one by Joe Cocker...anyway her and her dog Eartha (yes after Eartha Kitt!) were great to chill out with. Zel speaks about 4 languages and will curse a fool out in all of them when necessary...it is fun to watch :)I really loved Dahab but I wished that I could have seen more local women out and have had a chat with one or two; Zel knows a couple that she was going to introduce me to but it never worked out. Anyway I just have just found it really nice in my travels to chat with other people that are local and especially to other women. But I did bond with the Bedouin bracelet girls; they are fiercely smart young girls that sell bracelets on the beach, they usually speak 3 more languages) English, Russian and German mostly in addition to local languages. They are good little business women and I have a wrist full of colorful beads to prove it :)Zel is friends with retired bracelet girls, when they get older or as Zel says, when they get boobs :) they then are taken out of the bracelet business and likely plan for a marriage. Her friends now have about 4 kids and focus on family mainly. At night I would see more women out with their children or husbands and that was always comforting for me to see. Anyway I am in Cairo now, not as freaked out as before by the hecticness of it...though it is still hectic!!! I just cancelled my flight to NYC on Monday...I have decided that since I am here and since Zel is coming to Cairo for Thanksgiving, that I might as well stay a couple weeks more and go to the Nubian part of Egypt. So till next time :)
