Back on the camel trail….

Well its been a long time since i have posted…..i was gone but i hadn’t forgotten.

I went through a dramatic period in my life from early February until end of July, i thought all was lost and all my work finished with the Bedouin community here in Dahab. But i never gave up (even when i was on my last legs, i was given signs to keep me going), maybe i will go into this in more detail another time. But thankfully it seems all is almost as it was in January.

Some things have changed, lessons learned, new experiences gained. But through it all i am back on the camel trail with the Mozina Tribe in Dahab. Sheikh Salem House is open and we have now an excellent team of staff. Ok not all the time but nobody’s perfect, we are growing and learning everyday. We are an unusual place to stay, really the house of the Sheikh Salem again! We have several staff called Salem and even more staff called Gomer at the moment there is 5 (or Juma, Goma or there are many more spellings!). Gomer is Friday in Arabic and is the name usually given to boys born on a Friday - which is the holy day in Islam.

Shortly after we re opened we were greated by a lazy camel on the beach on several mornings. It turned out he was taken to eating the roof of our cafe arisha (arisha means outdoor seating area, usually covered with the leaves from the palm tree) and he would then laze on the beach until midday.

A few mornings after our last sighting we found he had bought a friend along! They made quite a nice job of trimming one and half sides, they still have a bit to go. But they havent been around so much recently, maybe there owners have better control of them now or more food for them. But the funny thing is our cafe is called the Lazy Camel and sure enough there he was for several days after we re opened!

So we are all back on the camel trail, doing what we all love best. Helping people to get the most out of their visits to South Sinai, providing incomes for our local families and bringing about positives vibes to our little town of Dahab.

We still have a long way to go and we still have to face adversity and criticism, but at least the spirit of Sheikh Salem is alive again in his house. He was a strong Sheikh who wanted the best for his tribes people. He was keen for their growth and development and above all their service in the local tourism industry. His wish is fulfilled at Sheikh Salem House, the house he built for his family.

Our work involves women as well as men, we have started projects to develop handicrafts and have a fair trade bedouin craft shop in our guest house. Our work currently provides income to many women in Dahab. We provide cultural information and useful local information so if in Dahab come and do what the local bedouins do….come and have a bedouin tea and chat.

http://www.sheikhsalemhouse.com