Newcoming to Egypt
As promised before, the full article.
I bet most of us in winter dreamed of getting away to a warm place, somewhere where it is very warm, there’s plenty of sun, and there isn't any necessity in wearing too many clothes. Egypt might be an option, and destination of your dreams. So, we with Alena, when we finally got confirmation about her vacation, we chose Sharm El Sheikh as the destination of our dreams about warmness, the sun, beautiful sea and long deserved rest from the hectic of everyday routine.
First impression
It’s funny to realize that after a couple of hours you could happen to be in a place, where you wouldn’t have to wear a winter coat, a hat and a scarf (optional). With Egypt being in the same time zone as Belarus, it’s weird to think that only 4-5 ago you were in that bloody cold country, amid snows and piercing wind, and now it’s hot, the sun is shining and trying to burn you. I try hard to make me believe this and that tomorrow morning I won’t wake up and see that grey sky and snow.
Before landing, I was looking through illuminator and was impressed how it all looked like from above: big mountains, blue waters of the sea with corals taking various shapes at the coastline and small oases with life appearing here and there in that vast desert. After the landing, we had some trouble with finding our luggage, as the racks were not marked properly. But anyway, the process of getting the visa in the airport was very quick and the customs officers were really nice.
Another thing that you might notice when going to your hotel is the style of driving. You will hardly find any traffic lights in Sharm El Sheikh, mostly the road in the city has two lanes for each direction where drivers are free to do what they want to. The only communication means between them is horns, you will definitely hear lots of them when driving on the streets. Another traffic regulation means is road bumps, in order for the drivers not to get into a race mood. And in most cases in order to make a U-turn, a driver has to find a specially marked place for this.
Blueness of the Red Sea
The first thing you will definitely fall in love with in Egypt is the Red Sea. It’s so colourful, full of motley fish and corals of various shapes and colours. Once you dive in, you can’t help but stare at all that beauty you can find in this underwater, picturesque world of the Red Sea.
Another thing you will like about the Red Sea is that its temperature never falls below 20° C; it’s one of the warmest and saltiest seas in the world. It’s no wonder that divers from all over the world come here to enjoy all that beauty. We met an Australian diver, who dived almost all around the world and he admitted that the Red Sea is one of best diving spots in the world.
I think, it must be declared another national treasure of Egypt, after the sand, corals and, of course, the pyramids.
Opportunity to Touch the History
When going to Egypt, the first thing on my to-do list was not to miss the chance of seeing the pyramids, I think most people decide to see them in the first place. We chose to go there by bus, which we decided later on was a big mistake. The trip to Cairo from Sharm El Sheikh will take your whole day away, exhaust you and at the same time enrich your experience, leave lots of memories, evoke only positive emotions and will give you a unique chance to sense and touch the history.
Before going to the pyramids themselves, we had a tour around Cairo, an excursion to the National museum. The size of the city itself impresses, as well as its traffic. About 20 million people live now in Cairo. It must be a disaster having to live in that hell of a city, and I think every day it would be a stress for you to get to and back from work. That feeling of living in hell, or very close to hell, would get you especially in summer, when, as I was told, even two air-conditioners wouldn’t manage to cool down your place and your forehead would be dripping sweat.
I wouldn’t say that the tour around the National Museum was an enjoyable one, as hundreds and hundreds of tourists fill that place making it hard to find your way inside the building and making it almost impossible to enjoy the beauty of this or that exhibit on your own. Also, there were many ancient wooden tombs, and I thought it was even too many for me. The thing that attracts all tourists is the chamber of Tutankhamen with everybody wanting to see the famous golden tombs and mask of King Tut.
The boat tour on the Nile was actually a nice one, seeing the beauty from the river will definitely leave only remarkable impressions. I found lots of modern cafes and hotels built on the river banks which showed all the signs of urbanization and globalisation. Except those modern buildings, you will also like the architecture of old mosques which make the city’s skyline and add contrast and unique features to the appearance of the city.
Then we were taken to Giza, the residence of the pyramids. You will definitely be impressed by the massiveness of those monuments, and after you see them, your mind will be struggling to find an answer to the question: “How on the Earth those ancient people managed to build this?”. You wouldn’t be the only ones puzzled by this question, though the scientists believe that these glorious pyramids are the creation of ancient Egyptians. The figure of Sphinx, famous guard of pyramids, lying a bit below the pyramids, as if saying: “Be careful, I’m watching you”.
I’ve Learnt Your Language to Rip You off
To succeed in tourism business, most local businessmen learnt many foreign languages to attract tourists. So, do no be surprised when you walk down the streets and hear in your language: “Hey, brother, how are you? Come in!” etc. You must be careful and not accept that as an act of hospitality and cordiality, that’s all done to make a bigger profit from you. So, when you first hear the price of something you want to buy in the market, immediately state that you will only buy it half price. If that doesn’t work, try to make an impression that you liked the “thing” and then immediately leave the shop, that worked in most cases for us, and I must admit that Alena was quite good at it. Though, there have been the cases when the colour of her hair and skin played the crucial role in getting a big discount and making a nice bargain. An option might be is taking your friend Arab, if you have any, shopping with you and let him/her talk about the price.
Summary
I think after you have been to Egypt, and seen some of its beauties, you are definitely going to come back some time later, to discover other beautiful things that are still undiscovered by you. Egypt definitely has lots and lots to show you. Egypt is a wonderful place for a refuge from a cold winter with lots of sun, amazing sea and majestic historic places and monuments that will take your breath away.