On the road again

Trip Start May 09, 2005
1
40
53
Trip End Aug 01, 2005


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Egypt  ,
Tuesday, July 12, 2005

So, only the slightest bit of change in plans-nothing monumental. I spent a quite hurried past two days running around because I had more good-byes and loose ends to tie up than I originally had thought! Anwar came up with the money to pay for his niece's private schooling for the coming year. Out of curiosity I asked where he got it and he said he had to take it from his savings account. I said that was probably okay since that is what savings are for sometimes. But he was quite worried because the money is supposed to be for when his mom passes away so that they can give her a proper Christian funeral. I know this might sound morbid to some...but it's a reality of life I guess. but he figured that his niece's education was important now and that his mom was likely not going to go anywhere anytime soon. Anyways, what this all means is that he can save face and go to Cairo with me with a clear mind knowing that he is still able to support his family.

This also means that since he won't need to be in hiding, we can stay at his sister's flat for the nights we are in Cairo which is really nice to be able to do. That said, we are taking the noon bus today (please say a secret prayer for me that the air conditioning doesn't decide to break down mid-trip) and should arrive in Cairo around 8pm tonight.

It's a fairly traditional maneuver to take this time to numerically list all of the things that I'll miss about Dahab, etc. But I'm not going to do it because there is no way that what I have experienced and seen in the past few months can be expressed in a numerical listing of any sort. Even these little blogs could never do justice to the emotional highs and lows of my life; nor the highs and lows of Dahab itself. But there are a few things that have always remained consistent and that is that I will truly miss the landscape, both rugged and soft all at the same time. I will miss my most favorite time of day: dusk. Watching the colorful sunsets over the Red Sea and the mountains of Saudi Arabia beyond; or facing in the other direction to see the sunset over endless mountains and desert sands. I'll miss the bustle of this small town: horns honking, shouts of Salem, the endless meetings, the men smoking sheesha, drinking tea, playing backgammon and dominoes, the rotissiere chicken that can be seen at every turn. Okay, I could really go on and on and on. But hopefully you all have been able to get a glimpse of it all through my blogs and photos.

But do not shed a tear, as the adventure does not end here! I think this is why the enormity of it all has not hit me yet that I am really leaving. It's because I know I'm not quite leaving her yet: Egypt. In fact, I am going on to explore new places, faces, smells, sights, and sounds that have never entered my soul before and I really am looking forward to that.
Slideshow Print this entry Dahab hotels