Bedouin Camp Saint Catherine, Egypt, 08-06-11
Life in Saint Catherine
Saint Catherine to Dahab
(1 cycle day; 134km; 518m)
Serious thinking
Cycle touring is not really on the list of things to do this month and Ali's broken ankle is not the only reason.
Life in Saint Catherine is simple. We get up each day, face beautiful blue skies and contrasting red mountains, eat freshly baked bread from the bakery and give a local cat something to start the day with too. We both wander to the restaurant area - well Ali actually hops there - and we both sit working all day at the computer keys and sipping tea.
As well as keeping a close eye on things happening in the Middle East, we are taking the opportunity to do a bit of website work. Sheikmousa.com has been optimised; BedouinCraft.com is in the making; Sonali.tk has been revamped and Marnix de Nijs has a whole new website; Cycling Egypt and Bedouin Experience are both about to be created. And Tour.tk is being completely overhauled...
Tip
of the month: How much tip should I leave behind?
"Is tipping
customary?" This is one of the many
cultural questions that pops
into a travellers' mind when stepping
from one country to the next.
While it is commonplace in the
US,
it is not necessarily the norm in other
countries. For example in
Mexico and Central
America, it is usual to tip the kids bagging
your groceries, whereas in
Korea and
Japan it is considered rude to leave a tip behind
in eating and drinking establishments.
In fact, you'll have the waitperson running
after you to give you your change back.
The best advice would be to
do some homework before you leave home.
There are a multitude of country info websites
out there to peruse for this sort of information.
One such site is
Worldtravelguide,
but cross referencing is always a good
idea. Another way of knowing what the
custom is, is to watch locals closely when
it comes to paying in a restaurant or supermarket.
It's not that hard to work out what is
going on through body language and gestures.
See money
tips for more
tips on handling your money while travelling.
Country
specific tipping customs can be found on
our individual country
information pages
St. Catherine - Dahab (Egypt)
Kilometres: 133 km and 600 m
Riding days: 1
Alti meters: 518 m up
Weather: sun, sun, sun
Best accommodation: Hotel Jowhara in Dahab: cosy, warm and welcoming at very affordable prices.
Special thanks to:
Once again to Salah for being a really helpful guy • Sheik Mousa's Bedouin Camp for giving me the chance to conduct work interviews over their telephone line • Anja for her love of Bedouin creativity and use of her photographs for the www.bedouincraft.com website • Mohamed El Hashash and his wife for being special people • Sonya's Mum & Dad for all the organising of her educational and official documents - and all the other countless phone calls and running around they have done • Sherif from know-egypt.com for the great conversations • Anthony for the laughs, the company visiting the Saint Catherine Monastery and the long ride to the Red Sea Coast • Anja for the beautiful walk through the mountains to Mount Sinai Ecolodge • Tracey and everyone at Hotel Jowhara in Dahab for making our stay so pleasant
Breakdowns:
06: tyre disintergrated in the freezing temperatures of St. Catherine (Son)
