I heart vacation, like woah!

Once teacher training ended on Wednesday the 8th, I was in vacation mode in every capacity. After one last gym attempt to prepare my body for the most exposure to the public in three weeks (chill out Mom, I am simply referring to being in a bathing suit instead of baggy skirts and bulky tunics), I returned to the hotel to pack nothing but a bikini and snorkel. I have never been one to pack lightly, so of course I gave into the temptation to pack a few other things like “clubbing” clothes since Ramadan would officially be over by the time we arrive in Dahab.

Oh the joys of traveling… The plan was to leave on the 12:15am bus on Wednesday night and to arrive in Dahab Thursday morning at 9:15. And finally, after two hours to get outside of the Cairo city limits, over four passport checkpoints, two bus ticket checks, and a random stop in Sharm al-Sheik, we arrive in Dahab on the east side of the Sinai Peninsula facing Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea at 10:30am. The bus was absolutely miserable, but we made it to the beach. At that point, our exhaustion and cramped bodies seemed to recover with the sweet smell of ocean air and the lure of the waves crashing upon the beach. Napping in the sun has never been so satisfying. I just couldn’t stop smiling at the sight of us relaxing ocean side, completely absorbed in our books and conversation as we soaked up the moment.

What a view!!!

Half  of the group... with big smiles.

Thursday afternoon we lounged around regaining energy from the bus ride… until, HAPPY HOUR and then we all perked up. Our hostel was situated on a boardwalk, full of restaurants, bars, and clubs. Our accommodations were far from comfortable, but for $5 a night we were in the perfect location for enjoying the nightly festivities.

Friday, we took a short jeep ride up to the Blue Hole to go snorkeling. I am not sure I should even attempt to describe how PHENOMENAL this reef was. I have never seen anything more spectacular; the snorkeling I experienced in Hawaii, the Caymans, and the British Virgin Islands pale in comparison to the Red Sea. The water was over 150 meters deep off this reef and we just swam along it for hours, amazed with every new brightly colored fish. I saw the deepest hues of green, pink, purple, blue, and yellow on fish of all size and shape from large schools to loners wandering through the coral. The dingy hostel and painfully long bus ride became a small sacrifice for this snorkeling experience.

After snorkeling we cleaned up for another night out on the boardwalk. Dinner, drinks, and dancing… we were living large.

Out for another tasty dinner.

Saturday, we searched for a sandy beach to relax on, but Dahab could only offer a reef-lined coast. We managed to find a pool with lounge chairs to camp out for a few hours as we soaked up our last day of vacation. Again, I am not sure I can remember the last time I felt so relaxed as I bobbed my head to my iPod while sunbathing. The last thing I wanted to think about was the bus ride ahead and the five days of teacher training that awaited us back in Cairo.

Poolside looking towards the Red Sea.

Another thought I have been shunning is the reality that in less than two weeks Team Fulbright (the endearing term the 10 of us have come to call ourselves) will be dispersing. We move out, ark-style, two by two to five different governorates. Yes, living in a group has not always been ideal (I am specifically thinking of the length of time it takes us to decide on a single place to eat and then to actually motivate in that direction. Herding cattle might be easier). BUT, I will miss being able to walk down the hallway to find multiple people watching an Egyptian soap opera, or studying Arabic, or willing to go for a late night trip for McDonald’s ice cream.

Okay, writing about us leaving Cairo is making me sad. Let me get off that tangent for the sake of not wanting to cry. Where was I? Oh, right. Poolside in Dahab. We cooled off with one last dip in the Red Sea and then begrudgingly, we returned to the hostel to pack. Full from a delicious Chinese dinner and cleansed from the salt water, the group returned to the bus station for the dreaded return ride. I am not sure which ride was worse. The first lasted two hours longer than the return trip, but the return bus did not have a functioning air system, the reading lights were a blinding neon blue, the bus driver decided to blare a movie in Egyptian Arabic without subtitles, someone in the back of the bus puked, and we were dropped off at a random station on the outskirts of Cairo. Confused as to why we were not at the main bus terminal, we stumbled off with cramped legs to be offered a ride back to our hotel by a super sketchy bus. Too groggy to think better, we boarded and, thankfully, dropped off without any problems at our hotel.

None of us have ever been so excited to be back in Cairo…