Dahab DIY
Change: Eu 1 = 7.89 Egyptian pounds (EGP)
The beginning and end of the journey are marked by rip offs, but this is not the only reason why my judgment of Dahab is not positive at all.
It is not a matter of big troubles, just little things, that make you feel disaffection, and cancel the desire to return, on the other hand, why do it, with all the places existing in the world? The cheap price is not a good excuse, in my opinion. And It is not enough to balance the negative situation.
Taken from my travelogue in Jordan, the land from which we reach Egypt
Another “strange” fact (compared to some neighboring countries), if you ask for information about a bus and they tell it does not exist, well, it is true. They do not lie in the hope that you take a private car, so that they can extort money
We get off the ferry in Nuweiba, in a huge open space. I booked the first two nights at the Sheik Salem House, a sea view with bathroom, at 32 Euros. Nicole, the owner, told me that there is a bus to Dahab at 16.30. She has been lived in Egypt for years, and I have no doubt about what she says, especially because also the Lonely Planet confirms, albeit with a slightly different timetable. At the port exit, on the right hand side, there is a bus terminal, drivers are calling loudly the Cairo departure.
We ask around where the bus to Dahab is, and no one knows, indeed, there is no bus to Dahab. Meanwhile, a minivan approaches us, six other tourists are already on, we are the 2 missing ones which could complete the trip. We start a group bargaining, the first price is a 10. Ten Egyptian pounds? I tell him. No, 10 USD. You are joking, right?
We get to 40 EGP each, which is 320 in the whole. The Lonely Planet indicates that the price of a complete taxi is 210, so it is already a rip off. Meanwhile, I turn around to see if I can find the bus, but nada de nada.
Something tells me that this is the last chance that Egypt has to see me.
Resigned, we sit on the van. The driver, a young man in his twenties, asks to each one of us our hotel name, then we go. We just leave the town center, the vehicle stops in a dirt clearing, surrounded by low shabby buildings, the young man disappears without a word, after a while a little old man arrives, gets inside and starts the engine. Some of my travel mates doubt he is informed of our destinations. I do not care about anything, that’s his business. But they are right, because once we reach Dahab, our driver does not have a clue where to take us. Eventually, after several fights, we go down from the minivan and pay him a partial amount, since he did not give us the agreed service. I give 50 EGP, 25 each, but some others do not pay him at all. For a moment I think this is not right.
Fortunately we discover to be in the Assalah area, and our hotel is just a few steps away.
Thank goodness our room is waiting for us, our small terrace is directly on the beach
The hotel is extremely quiet, because on the back side there is an internal courtyard which hosts the “garden view” rooms.
We are in the northern part of Dahab, called Eel Garden
The beach sand is reddish, and not particularly attractive. In addition, the parts which do not belong to restaurants or hotels are dirty, fortunately there are not many plastic bottles, however, some litter, broken bottles and all kinds of shit.
Our room is large, there is even a fridge and a sink. Lorenzo complains a bit because in the bathroom, recently tiled, the shower has no curtain, and then the water splashes everywhere.
To me that would not be a great nuisance, since it’s the standard in the 5 USD guesthouse I usually frequent in Asia; on the contrary, the mattresses and pillows are extremely hard. I could bear cold water, dirt, whatever, but not a hard bed
It’s therefore essential to find an alternative for the pursuit of the holiday.
We go out in the evening for dinner and I get very surprised of the chaos that invests us as soon as we turn the bend at the Lighthouse. While at Eel Garden there are few restaurants and people, and a lot of silence, here is an incredible mess, sewer smell in many places, shops on shops. Many are pretty, especially those that sell lamps, but they are one of each other’s copy. Restaurants are one after the other one, you eat on the floor on soft pillows, and I find it an excellent idea, the trouble arises when one is constantly being pushed to go here or there.
This is Masbat. To the south, Mashraba is more quiet again.
The next morning we realize definitely that public beaches are not the best and therefore we are obliged to do like everyone else, ie staying in small bars. We often settle to the Eel Garden Stars restaurant, which is next to our hotel. We can lie on the pillows in the shade, or find a little corner in the sun to lie down on the sand, since there are sunbeds everywhere. 🙁 The staff is not pushy, we order some water, something for lunch, and we can sit there all day
The real treasure of Dahab should be the sea.
In fact, it is, but only when there is no wind. We skip it for the first two days. It is damn hot, but the water is beautiful, already at a low depth we meet coral and fishes. If we snorkel further, where the reef ends with a deep cliff, it is really fantastic
Unfortunately, when the wind blows it is dangerous to snorkel, the locals advise not to do it, I have personally witnessed attempts to rescue some divers who were no longer able to return to shore because of the strong current.
So I think this is more of a destination for divers and wind / kite surfers.
Reaching it on foot, we also visit the lagoon area, to the south, the one where luxury hotels, like the Hilton, are located. Here the beach is made of soft, thin and clean sand and the water is clear and calm, ideal for long swims, but not for snorkeling.
To the south of Mashraba, before the lagoon, there is a long and beautiful wide beach. Unfortunately it is quite dirty, since horses and camels take tourists there. The water is beautiful, and underneath there is a lot of stuff, but unfortunately again the current is strong
Honestly I find the prices quite expensive, compared to other locations in the Nile valley. The fresh fish prices are calculated by weight, the fish fillets at fixed prices are definitely frozen
We do not buy any tours, we are too tired and we already spent too much money in Jordan.
My judgment, not too positive, refers to the city and not to the surroundings, which are wonderful. In my opinion, the downtown part is too much cemented, wherever skeletons of unfinished buildings. The Bedouins, the local population, marginalized and forced to crumbs.
The only Egyptians I see are devoted to tourism activities, only interested in money, really irritating. It was not the same in Jordan.
If Dahab is the Egyptian Ko Samui, well, then I wait to have more money and go to Ko Samui.. Of course, the Thai sea is not so rich, under water, but what’s the point, if you can’t entirely enjoy it, because of the wind?
It’s not that I go right there to sit by the pool or in the lagoon, as many people do.
A positive note is the hotel we found after checking out from Sheik Salem House.
It’s not very far from it, southwards, close to the Dive Urge and a free beach, no signs, but it is attached to the Eel Garden Stars Restaurant.
It should be owned by an Italian, but at the moment he is out for business, and we are welcomed by two young Hungarians. The room, very pretty, costs 36 Eu including breakfast, and has a great view. I had already spotted this place on internet, albeit under a different name, but by email I got a 45 Eu quotation. This is the evidence that booking in advance you get more expensive prices.
Just to escape the wind, one day, we adapt to a crowded Masbat bar
On October 24 morning, a taxi, for the modest sum of 170 EGP, brings us to the Sharm El-Sheikh airport, where again we have the impression of being a milk cow. Despite the Consulate visa office in Milan had informed us that the Sinai Pass is enough to leave the country, even though we have to transit in Cairo (in the free zone, I repeat), we are forced to drop 30 USD for two absolutely useless visa that I imagine have fattened the wallet of the Egypt Air officer who pompously threatens not to let us leave. Waste paper the email from the Consulate I had brought with me .
Never did a visa for just a transit in my life.
The boy who accompanies us through the entire airport from office to office even claims for a baksheesh, I tell him to fuck off
A nice Italian man, owner of a restaurant in Naama Bay, whom I meet at the boarding, smilingly asks me “So, when will it be your next time here?” The answer comes spontaneously from my heart, I could hold it, pretending to be nice, but why?
“Never again”.
I think he got hurt, poor thing