| July 9th, 2010 | 43126 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/07/09/couchsurfing-adventures-in-athens/CouchSurfing+adventures+in+Athens2010-07-09+10%3A37%3A29Ryan | Greece, Travel

It’s just after midnight in Athens and we’re just arriving. We spent the last sixteen hours sitting at the Cairo International Airport and then we hopped on a very short two hour flight from Cairo to Athens. We’re exhausted!

We pass through immigration, snatch our bags from the luggage belt and find our way to the public bus which will bring us to Dafni. Dafni is bus station and also a metro station that is very near to where we’re staying tonight. The last time I spoke with our soon to be Couchsurfing host, she said she would meet us at the Dafni bus stop. Fifty minutes later we find ourselves at an empty bus stop. There’s not a soul in sight. It’s 1:00 AM and my mobile has no credit left on it. We’re two foreigners with oversized backpacks full of gear, and no backup plan. Plus, right about now we’re looking like the perfect targets for a robbery, something that happens quite often in Athens. Especially at night. (more…)

| July 2nd, 2010 | 4299No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/07/02/review-shams-restaurant-dahab-egypt/Review%3A+Sham%27s+Restaurant+Dahab%2C+Egypt2010-07-02+05%3A29%3A32Ryan | Egypt, Reviews, Travel

Greetings from Sham’s Restaurant here in Dahab!

We loved Sham’s so much that we ended up spending a lot of our days here. It’s okay though, because we have nothing else to do! Sham’s is a relaxing sea side restaurant with bedouin style seating with hundreds of big puffy pillows, colorful rugs, and small sit down coffee tables.

The staff make this place a fun atmosphere to hang out at, and one of the most important services that Sham’s offers is the free Wi-Fi internet. As far as food goes, Sham’s has the best value for the money. The food quality is excellent and tended to taste much better than the other restaurants that we tried during our visit to Dahab. The prices are on point and are much cheaper than our hotel’s restaurant (Penguin Restaurant).

We’re known here on a first name basis now. As I walk up to Sham’s each and every morning I hear one of the owners yell “Hey, my brother from another mother!”. They treat us very well here, and usually bring out desserts on the house, give us discounts on meals, and more. If you’re in Dahab and you’re looking for a chilled out spot with good food and good prices, head to Sham’s.

| July 1st, 2010 | 42686 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/07/01/pictorial-snorkeling-at-eel-gardens-in-dahab/Pictorial%3A+Snorkeling+at+Eel+Gardens+in+Dahab2010-07-01+06%3A00%3A06Ryan | Photography, Pictorials, Travel

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| June 29th, 2010 | 4232No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/06/29/the-distractions-of-dahab/The+Distractions+of+Dahab2010-06-29+18%3A27%3A25Ryan | Egypt, Travel

There’s something about Dahab that makes us very sleepy. It must be something in the water. We’ve been lounging here for a week now and we pretty much do the same thing everyday. First we wake up and head down to our favorite sea side restaurant called “Sham’s” to grab breakfast and our early morning dose of free Wi-Fi. After an hour or three of lying in the Bedouin style seating we get up and head for a sunny spot so that Liz can catch some rays and I can swim like a fish.

Over the last few days we’ve tried our best to actually do at least one activity during our long days filled with napping, lounging, eating, swimming, snorkeling, and conversing with our friends about how great life can be when traveling the world.

Here’s a sneak peek on what we’ve been up to these last few days…

Swimming:

We hear that there’s a sandy beach called the “Lagoon” and it’s about a 30 minute walk from our hotel. It’s supposed to be a prime spot for swimming, snorkeling and especially windsurfing! About 20 minutes into our stroll down to the Lagoon, we’re offered a ride from a local named “Friday” and he takes us the rest of the way. When we arrive we’re amazed by how many shades of blue there are. There are hundreds of windsurfers here today, so many that I’m not sure how they avoid running into each other. I jump in and spend about an hour swimming around while Liz bakes in the sun.

There are many places to swim in Dahab, but if you want a sandy beach, the “Lagoon” is the place to go. If you’ve got water shoes, or flippers head straight into the sea at any point along the boardwalk and you’ll be sure to find all sorts of great swimming spots. You can swim along the whole coast if you’d like! (more…)

| June 25th, 2010 | 42116 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/06/25/dazed-and-confused-in-dahab/Dazed+and+Confused+in+DAHAB2010-06-25+14%3A32%3A13Ryan | Egypt, Travel

We’ve been in Dahab for three days now and we just absolutely LOVE this place. Our days consist of lounging around in the endless piles of pillows along the sea front, walking along the ocean, haggling at the shops, eating falafel, wasting our days away on the free sea side WIFI, snorkeling, and more.

We’re staying at a super cheap sea side budget hotel called Penguin Village. We’ve got a double room with ensuite bathroom, full sized bed, and air conditioning all for a measly 90EGP ($15 USD/per night). Our friend Crumb has his own single room with two twin beds, a fan, and shared bathroom and he’s paying only 40EGP ($7.03USD/per night). The rooms are immaculate and the grounds are extremely clean. This is the cleanest place we’ve been to in Egypt so far. (more…)

| June 21st, 2010 | 419513 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/06/21/a-scary-day-in-the-sahara-desert/A+Scary+Day+in+the+Sahara+Desert2010-06-21+08%3A57%3A14Ryan | Egypt, Travel

Our 4×4 tears off from our desert guides home. Were a group of nine; 5 in the first jeep, 4 in ours. A few miles from siwa and were entering the desert. Giant sand dunes surround our 1980 something Toyota land cruisers. There’s obviously no speed limit in the desert, our driver is making that quite apparent.

Five minutes into the desert and we’re climbing this huge dune. All of a sudden there’s a loud boom! The water pump explodes… (more…)

| June 21st, 2010 | 4177No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/06/21/heading-to-siwa-oasis/Heading+to+Siwa+Oasis2010-06-21+07%3A49%3A30Ryan | Egypt, Travel

Its cooler tonight. We arrive at Mawkaf Mohram Beh station. It’s dark here. Not because it’s 9 pm but because there’s currently a power outage at the station.  The only lights  here are the ones from the buses and taxis which are barely enough to illuminate the parking lot.  Our group of nine Couchsurfers somehow arrange a meeting spot through text messages.

Our bus arrives and we quickly jump on to evade the rash of mosquitoes. The bus departs at 10:05PM and within minutes the air conditioning is on full blast and the Quran is blasting so loud that it’s actually over powering my iPod. Excellent!

Every so often the bus swerves followed quickly by an air horn from hell. This is going to be one long 8 hour bus ride.

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| June 16th, 2010 | 41615 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/06/16/welcome-to-alexandria-egypt/Welcome+to+Alexandria%2C+Egypt%212010-06-17+00%3A12%3A29Ryan | Egypt, Travel

Alexandria. A beautiful coastal city that lies on the north coast of Egypt. The sparkling aqua colored Mediterranean Sea crashes along it’s coastline.

By train from Cairo it’s only a mere two and a half hour ride. We’re glad we purchased our second class tickets for 37 EGP ($6.51 USD). From the outside the train looked like it survived World War II.

Inside was another story. Clean, comfortable reclining seats and a breakfast cart that passes by two times through out the short trip. Liz claims it’s the most comfortable train she’s ever been on, and we’re on second class? We sit and wonder what first class is like. (more…)