Although Dahab is supposed to be one of the most tranquil places on earth, getting there is not all fun and games. I am glad I chose to fly from Alex rather than take the 10-hour bus ride through the night. The guy next to me on the plane warned that the taxis try to ask for 100s of Egyptian pounds for a ride into Sharm el-Sheikh. Lonely Planet said I should be able to get a taxi all he way to Dahab, so I stuck to that price and got it. The hour-long ride takes you through deserted sandy canyons surrounded on all sides by rounded brown mountains. Arriving in Dahab, you see only desert, garbage, and concrete.
The beach is lined with maybe a hundred small restaurants, bars, and hotels that are all connected by a pedestrian boardwalk (ok, it is concrete). Again, I spent much of my time in Dahab just sampling seafood and wandering around the streets. There is not much else to do on land, and that is the point: people come here to do nothing. 
Ok, most people come to spend at least some time scuba diving or snorkeling. I just do a little snorkeling when I can, so I didn't realize that the Red Sea is famous for colorful fish and giant coral reefs. One of those reefs is right along the beach in Dahab. People can walk out of their hotels, suit-up with scuba gear, and walk into the water to explore the reef. I understand the better reefs are accessed by boat, so this beach is mostly for people taking lessons and testing equipment. For an amateur like me, though, the reef at Dahab was enough to satisfy my desire for underwater adventure for a while.
 My main adventure in Sinai was a visit to St. Catherine's Monastery and a climb up Mt. Horeb (or Mt. Sinai or Jabal Musa). When Moses and his friends were wandering in the desert for forty years, I guess Moses found this "burning bush" from which emanated the voice of good. Later a monastery was established on that spot and St. Catherine from Alex (of Catherine Wheel fame) became the patron saint. It is quite an outpost in the middle of an otherwise very barren peninsula and is worth a visit (it is free) if you are there in the morning. I didn't realize that photos were prohibited in the chapel, so I snapped a couple shots before I realized that I was the only one using a camera. Meanwhile I dropped my hiking hat, which a religious person might explain as my punishment for breaking the camera rule!
The hike up Mt. Horeb was more fun and challenging than I expected. In the summertime, most people are forced to do this at night and are rewarded with a nice sunrise surprise, but my group climbed in the daytime. Some wanted to stay at the top from the sunset, but despite the complete absence of wind, it was starting to get chilly already at 4pm. We enjoyed some hot chocolate at the bottom and were back to Dahab in-time for a few beers on the beach!
Egypt: Cairo | Luxor | South | Alexandria | Sinai | Escape | Ethiopia | Senegal | Accra | Cape Coast | Nairobi | Safari 1 2 3 | Dubai | Egypt | Djibouti | WWShoes |
