Dining in Dahab

They waited calmly for their food to arrive as their stomachs began to turn concave and any sight of food lifted their hopes, but then quickly smashed it into the ground, because they knew it was not theirs. They felt the cool sea breeze brush their skin as they turned to look at the calm waters of the Red Sea. The sun was just high enough to reflect dancing flashes of light on the little waves. The two of them pictured in their minds the wonderful life that was held just below the surface of this large calm pool of water. All of a sudden, they were interrupted by the clinking of plates and three men approached them, with plates in their arms and some carried tea and condiments. They placed a feast before them. One man laid down two large white plates filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, eggs, French fries, falafel, oranges, and a steaming dish of fooul. They began to grab their forks, but they were stopped as another man came and placed two large glasses of mint tea and a little pot of sugar. They resumed their fork collecting and were interrupted once more by a man who brought little dishes filled with hummus, babaganous, cucumber dip, a plate of 3 different kinds of bread, and one plate with ketchup, hot sauce and more napkins. By this time the two were speechless, but they managed to spit out a “shukran,” and the waiters seemed pleased at their shock and they walked away. One of them started on the foou,l which had the right consistency of beans mixed in with tomatoes, spices, and fresh garlic. The other started by cutting her falafel and dipped each piece in the wonderful dips. They both stirred sugar into their tea and kicked back, this is the life, they thought. The ocean, the mountains, the great place to stay, and the amazing food, was just the kind of relaxation they were looking for. Whew! It was not like the typical beach towns in the United States, with hoards of people, bright lights, and everything else horrible about the shores. (Cringe) They were having the most amazing breakfast of their lives, looking over the Red Sea, which is one of the best places for diving, and occasionally glancing up at the staggering rock mountains where Moses talked to god. It is a special place. Once their bellies were filled up to the brim they relaxed and chatted about what they may do for the rest of the day. They drew a blank except for going snorkeling. They left a tip of 5 EGP (1$) and paid a whopping 20 EGP (4$) for their meal. The both thought, “I sure could get used to this,” and headed to the sea.