EgyptAir has new sporty jets, complete with leather seats, a wider isle and a schedule that fits working Cairenes rather than the package tourist. My Egypt Express, Brazilian-made Embraer-170, came complete with a striking pale blue livery and three gangs of expatriate men who had been guzzling Heineken in the departure lounge before boarding and one even managed to start a fight that brought the Captain out of the cockpit, scared bystanders and reinforced the Euro-trash stereotypes of loud, drunk and ugly. "He assaulted me, he assaulted me, the chubby guy with blond curly hair kept shouting whilst pointing to his flabby pale arm, in the most pathetic show of European superiority one could hope never to witness. I am glad I carried on north to Dahab, because these "boys on tour were heading to the Sonesta Resort in Sharm El-Sheikh where they were on an 'all you can drink weekend' that was costing them around LE 300 each. Don't worry; they were going to get their monies' worth. Tourism on the Red Sea is booming and not that far to the north is Gaza, which one and all appear to have been written off as doomed. Why not fly these gangs of boozy lads up to Gaza for a weekend in a war zone? If they want to fight then war tourism maybe just the shot. Tourism is a bit like war. Like war, it is good for the economy, but wrecks cultural havoc for generations. On Friday night at the Dahab Hilton, my friends and I were entertained by a floor show during dinner. Now, the Dahab Hilton appears to cater almost exclusively to Europeans who like to wind surf, and as we know Dahab has plenty of wind! But I couldn't help but wonder during the Whirling Dervish if this too was cultural exploitation. Isn't whirling part of a Dervish religious ceremony? Many religions have come and gone, and surely part of the survival of any religion is keeping its cultural integrity. You don't have hotel dinning rooms in Florida or Mallorca wheeling in choir boys from London's St. Paul's Cathedral or Italian resorts offering the sanctity of the Catholic confessional prior to dinner for a fiver. Do you? Also on the bill was belly dancing. Now, as far as I know belly dancing has always been entertainment. Sure it may have been the preserve of the Abbasid's Court or on offer at the caravansary, where the weary traveller could rest and unwind. But it isn't a part of a religious ceremony. But why does the dancer still have to encourage the male hotel guests onto the stage, pull up their shirts and wobble their fat beer bellies. Ok, it is funny, but I bet Randa Kamel or Dina don't drag up half naked overweight hairy males of the species for a waddle and a wobble, it's just plain wrong. It has been two years since I have been to Dahab. Sharm now has a great modern circus tent masquerading as an airport, though still only one coffee shop. But Dahab still maintains all its charms. Development is inevitable, but Dahab appears to be trying hard to get the mix right. A number of new hotels, Bedouin cafes, and Portuguese and Italian restaurants have opened north of the main shopping center. The Blue Beach has added a beach bar and a fully air-conditioned café with walls of glass. The board walk running along the rocky coast must now extend almost a kilometre. No doubt it will eventually run down to Reef 2000's dive operation and the Bedouin Moon Hotel. Dahab's unique feature has always been the relationship between the local residents and the tourists. Children seem to play in and around the cafes, Egyptians and foreigners run the diving business and there seems to be plenty of mixed couples amongst the residents. More than any other place in Egypt, Dahab maintains that feeling that you have really gotten away. The touts at the souvenir shops, which there are many more in the last two years, are as chilled as Dahab itself. Dahab is a community where the cultural mix gives off a great vibe, where everyone smiles, possibly because they already know paradise on earth. On Saturday night I sit in the airport, my Egypt Express flight is an hour late. Like Dahab, some things never change.
