Sinai violence

This is the kind of thing that would've been posted to nmazca.blog, but that was then.

It's because the environment and the experiences that we were able to to enjoy in Dahab, Egypt, were so uncommon -- and we walked along this same promenade not too long ago -- that I make mention of yesterday's bombings in this space.




"Dahab, which means 'gold' in Arabic, was for years a popular, low-key haven for young Western and Israeli backpackers drawn by prime scuba diving and cheap hotels. In recent years, a number of more upscale hotels have been built, including a five-star Hilton resort.

Those who work in the town fear the attacks will drive tourists away -- for good.


"'The scene out there was horrific,' said Mohammed Gadallah, a 27-year-old Egyptian from the Nile Delta region who works at a hotel coffee shop near the bombed bridge.

"'I don't know who could have done this -- they are people who know no religion and have no conscience.'"

From an earlier edit of that story:

"Jamie Gibbs, a Briton, told Sky News that the streets of Dahab were chaotic after the bombings so he and a friend walked back to their rooms along the beach.

"'We met a couple of Egyptians we know, and one was crying. He had lost one of his friends -- he died,' Gibbs said. 'And everyone is very upset because of their livelihoods. If the tourists stop coming, they're going to be poorer than they already are.'"

And that's the absolute truth. Business in the shops and restaurants was already down when we were in Dahab in October, because of the bombing in Sharm El Sheik in July. Most of the residents in Dahab are Bedouins who had lived in the mountains and headlands until the last couple of decades. They live a fairly bare (but seemingly content) existence and have relied on tourism to provide incomes in an area where there is little other opportunity (and where they won't face as much of the widespread prejudice from Arab Egyptians).