Pirate Ship in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

I knew next to nothing about Egypt when I moved there. I knew it was hot, and the language was Arabic. I expected chaotic driving and a change of pace. 

I never expected the water to be so blue. 

We flew to Sharm el Sheikh after a few weeks of living in Cairo. The temperatures were pushing 100 degrees, and a seaside escape seemed like the thing to do. We reserved a room at the Mövenpick, and checked in sometime after midnight. The next morning, we were dazzled by the views. We ate a late breakfast, then wandered down to the beach. There was an empty cabana and hardly anyone around, so we stayed all afternoon. 

The water was mesmerizing. Shades of turquoise and sapphire blue. I had never seen so many colorful fish. Angel fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish. Schools of color swirled around us while rays of sunlight reached for the white, sandy floor. 

The next day we hired a boat to sail us further west along the Sinai, toward Ras Muhammad. Once aboard, we realized we were last minute add-ons to a Russian tour group. The boat itself turned out to be a giant pirate ship, complete with pirate flags. We were the only Americans on the ship, and I was a little disappointed as our boat headed out to sea and Russian pop music played over the speakers. This wasn't the epic voyage of free-spirited exploration I had imagined. We were pirate-boat party crashers. 

Justin Dragon @rendowan

Once we started sailing, everything changed. There was plenty of space, and turquoise for miles. Words were lost in translation, but we communicated well enough with laughter and shared smiles. The captain didn't object when we started diving from the upper deck, or when we climbed out onto the bow of the ship and the ocean spray caught us by surprise.

We spent the day sailing from one incredible reef to another. Our last stop was a sand bar island that was almost too beautiful to believe. 

The next morning, it was 105 degrees outside. We found a shaded cabana on the beach and cycled between snorkeling and naps. At sunset, we rode horses along the beach.  We were a world away from Cairo, and we had only just crossed the Red Sea.