Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt,
I am starting to really like and appreciate life here. Yes, it is a poor country, everything is messy, the streets are dirty, infrastructures are crumbling, and every piece of goods has a dubious quality and origin. But above all, it still has its charm and I understand why many ex-pats and nomads choose to come here. Life is simpler, and people are happier in general. There is less fuss than one can encounter in a big city. There is no security issue, everybody leaves their bikes unlocked everywhere. Even though it is a small town, there is a variety of restaurants and accommodations that is staggering considering the size of the city. Also, I think I never saw such a concentration of ‘digital nomads’, many people are working with their laptops in cafes and restaurants. Maybe it’s the Covid effect… But frankly, I saw fewer digital nomads in the Canaries for example (maybe because they are hidden in coworking and diluted in the mass of tourists).
Yesterday, I was able to work with a good focus, thanks to the fact that I went to a ‘coworking cafe’, it is a little expensive for Egypt but allows me to get the right focus.
I also was able to contact and schedule one of the biggest places that hold lions in the world, about 30 or 40 lions. I have an entire day of recording lions scheduled for January when I will be in Cairo. I am excited and a little scared about this session. I am quite thrilled to be able to do that as it will be ultra-useful sounds. I also know exactly what and where I will be for New Year. Now I can focus even more on some work tasks. I will also try to go and record some camels I spotted on the road. The underwater world seems the most interesting around here, and I still have my custom homemade hydrophone made out of Mikrousi which I need to try out again.
