November 14, 2006 Hurghada – Sinai Peninsula (Sawa Camp), Egypt

November 14, 2006
Hurghada – Sinai Peninsula (Sawa Camp), Egypt

This morning B and I were up before our 6:45 wakeup call (which was really a wakeup knock on the door). We met the others in the lobby at 7:30. From there we jumped in our minibus headed to catch a ferry.

As we were leaving the hotel there was a lot of confusion. Our first full day without Dan did not start well. The hotel staff insisted that they were underpaid and needed more backshish (tip). Next, we went to the wrong dock. Still, we got to the correct dock just before 8:45.

We sat around with the other passengers and ate our breakfast (bread and cheese) while we waited for Chris to figure out our tickets. We did not get on the ferry until about 9:30. Surprisingly, the boat was incredibly nice and modern. The seats were very comfortable and the bathrooms incredibly clean.

Even so, we did not shove off until 10:30. For some reason the ferry was delayed more than an hour. We passed the time playing a card game called 500 (similar to Some R Set). We continued playing throughout the journey and the 90-minute ride went by in a hurry.

We arrived at the Sinai Peninsula and tracked down our baggage. From there we boarded another bus. We rode the bus for more than 2-hours before arriving at Sawa beach camp, near Nuweiba. It is one of many beach hut resorts located on the Aquaba gulf (I was later told that most of the camps have been abandoned).

The camp was astonishingly beautiful. Each person was given a person straw hut. Inside we had a mattress (on the floor), a mosquito net, and room enough to store our belongings. Each hut has an amazing view and none are more than 20 meters from the water. Even more incredible, from the beach we can stare across the water to Saudi Arabia – Jordan boarder. I am told that on a very clear day it is also possible to catch a glimpse of Israel. The entire setting is extraordinary.

Once everyone had settled into his or her huts we sat down for lunch. Even though our group is the only one at the camp, the encampment is equipped with an on sight chef. I decided to go for a quick dip in the warm water while I waited for my pizza. The water was quite warm but the bottom was rocky and very shallow…

After lunch I had another quick dip in the sea. I spent the remainder of the afternoon buried in the John Grisham novel I started on the felucca. Once the sunset (around 17:00), we started a campfire. Dinner, and the remainder of the evening, was spent hanging out around the fire and enjoying the warm evening on the beach.

Most everyone went to bed very early. By 21:30 Slanty, Travis and I were the only ones left by the fire. We spent the next ½ hour stargazing. We were treated to one of the most vibrant shooting stars I have ever seen.

At 22:00 I headed back to my hut to get some sleep.