It’s summer, everybody’s at the gym working on their beach body, or at the mall shopping for their Sa7el outfits. But then again, it’s summer! You can’t blame anyone for being excited about hitting the road every weekend to kick back on the beach in the afternoons, party all night, and sleep the lazy mornings away. That’s how it has always been since we were little kids, right? For as long as we remember, our parents were taking us to the beach, where we played for hours and hours, never getting bored of the sand castles we built or the splashes we laughed at in the Mediterranean. Those were the good old days…until it all slightly changed.
Recently, I started losing the thrill of Sa7el in summer. I don’t know if it’s just me having the feeling that Sa7el is turning more into a competition (which it is) rather than a vacation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with all of that. I mean, if you’ve worked so hard for your beach body all year long you deserve to show it off, and if you think you’re the coolest fashionista on the beach, you sure do deserve the spotlight. It’s just that this is not what I have in mind for a “vacation.”
Anyway, a friend of mine and I decided to do something different on a weekend, instead of getting sexy for Sahel, we got sexy for Sinai (Dahab to be specific), and it turned out to be the best summer weekends ever. Here’s why:
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Nature, nature everywhere
The beaches of Sa7el are awesome, especially the new ones at the West of the coast, close to Marsa Matrouh. However, nothing compares to the scene of the mighty Red Sea mountains and the dark blue waves of the Red Sea itself!
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It’s very simple
Whether you choose to stay in a camp by the sea, or a 5-star hotel at the bay, you’re in for some serious de-stress time. Costing a fraction of what you would have to spend daily at one of Sa7el’s luxurious villages. Some hostels at Dahab will cost as low 30 EGP a night (same as a cost of one freska in Sa7el), and you will feel like you’re king of the world.
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Spending vacation money in Dahab means investing in your country, and helping truly deserving locals
This is the view from Everyday Cafe Restaurant at Dahab’s Mashaya. Dinner only costed me 30 EGP.
This Little Bedouin girl from Dahab sells her handmade bracelets that can be worn on basically anything for a living.
But Dahab really is cheap, in fact, your vacation will probably cost you less than what you pay back home. When visiting Sinai always stick to the locals, because they are truly kind people that are just trying to survive everyday life in a country that has been neglecting them for decades. You’ll find little girls selling really cool, handmade bracelets for as cheap as 5 EGP, you’ll find family restaurants with breathtaking sea views serving high quality food, and you can easily be offered a ride to Downtown by a young Bedouin gentleman for 15 EGP. Spending money will mean helping out locals at your country, rather than making the wealthy wealthier (with all due respect to all).
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There are actually things to do
For me a vacation is more than chilling on a beach. In Dahab, I can wake up one morning and decide to go rock climbing, after that I can go for a dive at the Blue Hole, then maybe a camel ride to Abu-Galoum where I can get some delicious Bedouin dinner, a campfire, and a first row seat to the stars.
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