Today was a great day split two ways: Hiking, and snorkeling. I am sharing only my favourite three moments, these a hard draw because everything was so wonderful –

1. In the middle of Coloured Canyon, a geological wonder, Heba’s voice quietly sing-songing “Can you guys please help me find my rock?”, and my clueless standing around until I found her crouched down and very seriously considering four rocks laid out before her.

She looked up and explained, saucer-eyes unblinking, how Alex (her Off-White beloved) ‘has purposely kept a hole in his brick wall for something but he’s not sure what and I want to take him a rock to put inside of it’.

2. The freezing cold-water shower I took a few hours later, to wash off the salt-water of an otherwise extraordinary snorkeling afternoon around the Blue Hole in the city of Dahab. (Where upwards of 200 divers are said to have died.)

This area is edged by a stunning coral reef, second only to that of Australia. Because I can be v foolish, I saw a curiously faced fish and swam after it for a period too long, until I noticed how far I was from both shore and crew. On my way back, I became properly hypnotized by refracting sunlight beneath the water. For at least five minutes, I treaded, eyes locked on the center of what appeared to be  a strobe light. It was incredible, and during the moments when I forget about the pollution, and that there can be real terror beneath the surface, I think that I would love to live the better part of my life inside the silence offered by the sea.

3. A small piece of floating orange algae that appeared to be suspended in the middle of nowhere (unlike most other algae which were just hanging out beneath the surface, as though they were attached to it). It’s colour was so vivid against the deep blue of the sea, and it was so very still and alone. I stayed with her until she began to descend and finally, fell out of eyesight. If she had a story, I would say she created a little space of pure peace and thrived happily ever after.

Today, I am grateful for:
1. The shockingly beautiful man who, from the restaurant on the 2nd floor, was stood in his scuba suit looking down, waiting for me to look upwards. Which when, as soon as I did, he flashed a heart-stopping smile and waved. I returned both in kind, and thought how that smile of his will be one of the unforgettable ones.
2. That I did not have to put into play my plan to dive off my camel, and land into a roll, with foot safely intact. Because while on my camel, another lonely camel without a rider was trotting next us, rather than in line, nearly crushing my foot between them.
3. Coral reef.

Comments closed.