Back from the Beach....

Ah... that was nice.

3 days of sunshine and lying about doing very little, chatting, eating, partying, making new friends and laughing a lot.

Stayed in a 'camp' this time.... called the Green Valley Hotel. It was cheap (only 40le for a single room) and very central- right on the beach. It was basic and the palm trees were annoying because the brushed against the ceilings at night and woke you up.... but other than that- fabulous view of both the sea and the mountains.... what more could you ask for at that price really?

As for partying- there is only 2 places really at night time. Tuta has closed down (for sale) so that only leaves Rush and Tree. We went to Rush on the friday and they had conga player accompanying the house music, and then a fire dancer too. Tree on saturday was much quieter- but the music was more to my taste ( mostly r&b/ hip hop) so we kept the dancefloor busy all night! A lot of fun. Amazing watching the sharks circling and gathering though!!!

The bus journey is the worst part of a weekend in Dahab... 9.5 hours on a bus. The way there was ok- they ran 2 arabic films and that was great for me- trying to pick out the words i actually understood! The way back we all tried to sleep, but it was cold on the bus. I really feel for unsuspecting tourists who get off the bus in Cairo though. The taxi drivers are waiting to pounce on you the second you get off the bus and they charge huge prices... the tourist police who stand by the entrance to the station not much better- persuading you that these prices are fair, when they are not (esp at 6 am when there is no traffic at all on the road anyway!!!) Would not like to have been in that situation without any arabic or without our Egyptian friend to help us through!!!

We'll see what my work rota has in store for me this summer- but hopefully it'll involve a few long weekends here and there- occasional time out, in the sunshine, is just what a girl needs to cope with the day to day pressures of life in Cairo!!!

back to work now- 3 sails today. looking fwd to it.