THE TRAVELING TRAMP - BUDGET TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Country Guide
    • North America >
      • United States
    • Central America >
      • Costa Rica
    • South Asia >
      • India
      • Maldives
      • Nepal
      • Sri Lanka
    • Southeast Asia >
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • The Middle East >
      • Egypt
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Lebanon
    • Oceania >
      • New Zealand
  • Resources

​

Snorkeling in Sinai

8/23/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Have you been to Sinai?"

This question was asked to me by pretty much every Egyptian I met. A destination I had originally written off my itinerary due to safety concerns, it seemed that Southern Sinai was deemed the hippest, most relaxing region in all of Egypt. I could not turn down an opportunity for some peace and quiet, so after multiple reassurances that it was only Northern Sinai which was dangerous, and constant reminders that I would regret not visiting the Red Sea coast, I relented.


After my lovely excursion to Siwa, I arrived in Alexandria, tired and sweaty. I could have opted to stay the night in Alexandria; after all, it would have been cozy to get a nice hotel room and shower, but I decided instead to head back to Cairo. The trains were all sold out for the southern Egyptian cities of Luxor and Aswan, which had originally been on my itinerary. Time in Egypt was running short, and I thought: "I guess I'm spending the rest of my trip in Sinai." I booked a bus that day.

I arrived in the lazy coastal town of Nuweiba and rented a hut at Soft Beach Camp. It was an extremely basic accomodation set at the foot of a beautiful stretch of beach. The water was pure blue, and you could see Saudi Arabia in the distance. For several days, I was at peace. Every day I would swim once or twice, lay in the sand, listen to music, and eat delicious fish (cooked by the camp). On the third day, I took a side excursion to go snorkeling in a coral reef. It was a truly eye-opening experience.

The pickup truck took us at 10 in the morning, and we began our ride to Ras Abu Galum, a coral reserve. It was an extremely bumpy ride, through rough desert and mountain terrain. The sight was spectacular: miles upon miles of brownish-red mountains. When we finally reached the body of water, it seemed to burst forth, a sea of bright blue against the rock of the desert.

The snorkeling was something else. Hundreds of fish, in different sizes, shapes and colors darted around the mountains of white coral. The variety was astonishing, and the water was clear enough to see every little detail. It was like being dropped in the middle of Finding Nemo, only there were no animators needed. This was real life. This was a real place, an entire ecosystem hidden from us land dwellers. I felt like an unwelcome visitor on an alien planet, peering into a neighborhood in which I didn't belong. Throughout the day, I went back into the water a second, third, and fourth time, never being able to get enough of it.

As the sun set, we took the bouncy truck back to Soft Beach. This is what I came traveling for. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Cambodia
    Costa Rica
    Egypt
    Experience
    Food
    India
    Indonesia
    Israel
    Jordan
    Laos
    Lebanon
    Maldives
    Money
    Movies
    Nature
    Nepal
    New
    New Zealand
    Philosophy
    Recipes
    Retrospective
    Singapore
    Site Update
    Sri Lanka
    Thailand
    Travel Tips
    Trekking
    Vietnam

    Author

    My name is Yonah Paley. I quit my job in the United States to travel. I also write movies and do photography. As I backpack across the world, I share stories, philosophy, and travel tips.

    Archives

    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    February 2016
    December 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Country Guide
    • North America >
      • United States
    • Central America >
      • Costa Rica
    • South Asia >
      • India
      • Maldives
      • Nepal
      • Sri Lanka
    • Southeast Asia >
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • The Middle East >
      • Egypt
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Lebanon
    • Oceania >
      • New Zealand
  • Resources