Dahab and the revelation of touts!

I realized the other night that I ‘donated’ my headlamp to the Bedouin who took us to the desert in Egypt.  I loaned it to a guy, saw it near his head the following morning and did not grab it, as he was asleep and taking something from near someone’s head while they sleep has always felt squishy to me, like I am violating some unwritten rule.  Placing something near someone’s head would be fine, kind even, but to take something, even something belonging to me, I couldn’t do it, and now I am torchless (as the Aussies/Brits would say). 

Anyway.  Dahab has treated me well, I suppose by leaving me to my own devices.  Today I was going to dive, but it became quite windy by the afternoon and that was that.  I might have a swim in the morning with a guy staying at the ‘camp’ where I am, try my hand (lung) at some free diving.  The town is kind of a tourist boom town – it has over 50 dive operations (the place I dove before had 1), 25 of which are on a ‘blacklist’ for one violation or another.  I had hoped to dive today, having waffled on it since I arrived (there have also been several shark attacks in Sharm, about 80km south of here), but it was too windy which solved my problem for me.  It was intimidating to try to choose an outfit from so many, almost every third or fourth shop is a dive shop.  There are also lots of shops selling standard crap, and lots of abandoned or incomplete hotels or resort type places.  And a lot of trash flying around outside of the main drag of town.  It’s a combination of lovely vistas and a depressing economy, certainly common to similar places around the world.  I’ve been frequenting a grocery that is a strange combination of 7-11, a spice shop, Woolworths and the dollar store with a deli in the back.  It is mostly nice to be able to buy a can of beans, have some control over my food purchases and cook (finally!). 

I took some photos of the main areas of town, along with some of the harder spots to try to give a flavor.  

El Salaam camp

The beach front!

Behind the beach front, with dog ears

More back way roads

Waves caused by the same wind that canceled diving.  There's a dive shop or three on the right.  

I leave Dahab tomorrow (whatever day it is now I write this on Saturday evening).  Walking the streets of Dahab (street really), with some time on my hands and passing the same vendors a few dozen times, I settled a bit on the haggling, hasseling, touting culture of North Africa (and certainly lots of tourist places in the ‘developing’ world).  I’ve had a few conversations about it, people from all perspectives and opinions, and witnessed a number of interactions both very positive and quite negative between western tourists and Middle Eastern sellers.  Here are my thoughts (once again submitted with an uneasy eye on the ‘blog’).  First of all, Egyptians and other sellers are not millionaires; most are struggling to get by, and I would guess that many of them have their dreams beyond the stand from which the accost passersby.  Additionally, like almost any internal frustration, this one seems to be sourced close to home.  Tourism creates touts, not the other way round.  It is exactly hypocritical of me to wander around here without Arabic in my back pocket and expect to be treated the same as everyone else.  Mostly, after a number of folks in hostel complained of being treated like walking ATMs, I realized that to Egypt I am a walking ATM.  To most of the world I am a walking ATM.  A quick humanizing thought toward the guy who asks me if I need a taxi as I walk into the train station gives him a family to feed and bills to pay and not enough fares to go around.  Of course he asks, what else would he do?  It probably doesn’t make any more sense to him than it does to the guy who keeps offering my perfume when I walk by his shop.  He’s tired like I am tired. 

If this doesn’t make sense or ring for you, I’m guessing you’ve not traveled in this kind of environment, it is unrelenting.  It has been incredibly hard for me to travel in tourist areas (and equally if not more difficult to avoid them) because of the suspicion I am forced to apply to everyone I encounter.  It has been especially stunning to me when I have faced unselfish kindness, which has happened countless times in the form of directions, impossible bus stops, impossible bus ticket people, and many other forms.  I wavered between doubting everyone and trying to trust everyone, which wasn’t working.  I realized tonight that, similar to every other situation involving people, humanizing the other is the only way to survive with an intact heart.  I can’t defend myself against the human world, nor can I be naively vulnerable to it.  When I treat the human world like the chorus of voices in my head, it complicates things, but it allows me to be myself as well. 

Of course, I figure this out the day before I leave Egypt.  Sadly I’m confident it will also be helpful in Turkey, where C and I will be enjoying the sights and sounds of touts along with the wonders of the crossroads. 

For the past few days I have been feeling that kind of inside tired – possibly in sympathy with my co-workers who are approaching winter break.  It has felt good to spend time doing close to nothing, though it has taken me the full three days to really settle into that feeling.  Tomorrow, back to the dusty trail, though this time I have a destination in mind to keep me focused.  Thanks for reading!  Be well!