EGYPT – SHARM EL SHEIKH

February 6 – 17, 2023

The plane landed in Sharm el Sheikh, or Sharm, as it is locally called. I caught a taxi to Naama Blue Hotel. The hotel came with a pool, which I didn’t use;

and a large outdoor patio, which I did use. The area is restricted to everyday traffic and I had to tell the guard that I had a reservation, otherwise the taxi would not be allowed past. A few days later, the taxi refused to even try going past the guard and I had to walk the few blocks.

It seemed like the touristy part of town with rows and rows of clothing and souvenir shops and restaurants. I ate at one, once. I found it a bit pricey and the baksheesh begging annoying.

There were also lots of little food stalls and mini marts. I bought my fruits and veggies from the local vendors, but found if I wanted more substantial groceries I had to go to the Carrefour store about a mile away. I didn’t have a kitchen in my hotel room, but I did have an electric kettle. It served well for boiling eggs or making ramen noodles.

The city lies in the middle of a desert like landscape and surrounded by beautiful but bleak mountains on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula. One taxi driver also told me that in former times Sharm was a tiny fishing village, with sheep and goat farmers being the main economic drive, with a population of about 1900. Between 1967 and 1982 the Israelis occupied Sharm el Sheikh as a result of the June 1967 Six-Day War. They are the ones who started promoting tourism. When the Israelis left the Egyptian government continued promoting the area. It’s crystal clear waters make it an ideal site for snorkeling and scuba diving. It an ideal launch point to visit other Middle Eastern countries. The addition of luxurious hotels and resorts make it an attractive holiday destination. The 2022 census puts the population at 53.658, an increase of over 350%.

Sharm had just hosted the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November. As happens with a host town, the place was prettied up. The taxi driver told me that even though they knew they were hosting the conference for a couple of years, it was only in the last 6-8 months that they really got it together and started working. Roads were widened, boulevards had trees and flowers planted, and garbage was whisked away.

I had to wonder if the magnificent neon sculptures were new additions. Surely the solar powered street lights were meant to impress the Climate Change Conference.

The infrastructure is moving at a fast pace; maybe too fast. I saw many buildings under construction. Many more buildings were complete, but empty. There was a massive resort hotel immediately behind the one I stayed at. It was built onto the side of a hill with beautiful tiered balconies. It was empty.

I went for a walk toward the centre of the city, to see what I could see. I came across a pottery maker. There were row upon row of beautiful pots. In the hills directly behind him were piles and piles of broken pots.

In the same yard was a furniture maker. He may have been the pottery maker as well, I’m not sure. He showed me how he split the wood with an axe then pantomimed how he made the furniture. His wife invited me for tea, but I declined. I wish, now, that I had accepted.

I walked past a fancy resort, some nice hotels with beautiful flowering hedges,

sculptures of pineapples and seahorses

and a pyramid looking hospital.

I finally made it to the Old Market area. The Market dates back to ancient time so I was expecting an “old” market, similar to the Marrakesh souqs. Instead, it was very modern. The only old feel was a few spice vendors

and fish mongers.

The Al-Sahaba Mosque is in the middle of a beautiful tiled square in the centre of the Old Market. It was not old either. It was built in 2011-17. However, it was beautiful! It looks like it is built out of sandstone because it is the same color as the mountains. It looked like a Disney castle. It had many domes and 2 minarets, each 76 metres high (249 ft). The minarets had decorated stonework right to the top point.

Surprisingly, I was allowed in! I had to go to a separate little room on the side where a lady dressed me in a long dress and head covering. I then went into the mosque.

One of the prayer halls had huge golden doors. The interior was a simple open room with carpeted floor and pillars with gold designs.

Along the walls were little arched niches with copies of the Quran and other prayer things.

There were a few stained glass windows. It was very plain but beautiful.

Another prayer hall had arches like the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain.

There were intricate decorative details everywhere. The light fixtures were Fanoos (almost filigree).

There was Arabic calligraphy on the cinder blocks.

There were spiral columns made of brick.

Even the handrails were decorative.

There was a tour guide at the hotel. He arranged a diving trip for me in the Ras Mohammed National Marine Park. A shuttle picked me up at the hotel, took me to the dock and had me kitted out. There were LOTS of boats going out to the same site. Most of the people were just snorkeling. The dive was pretty good, but not nearly long enough.

I don’t mean that I wanted to stay down longer, because I always wish I could. I mean it was less than a half hour. I was the only one diving and the dive master seemed rushed. I think it was because only so much time was allotted for the snorkelers.

Some snorkelers were Islamic women in full dress. I don’t know how they did not drown from the weight of their clothing.

The second dive was even worse. There were many boats all crowded together and they were zipping overhead, through the dive site. We had to constantly watch for the boats overhead, as their motors churn up the water and cause turbulence below. Again, it was only about a half hour.

The ride back was lots of fun though. A bunch of young people were dancing and singing and gave the entire boat a party feel. Taking in the sandstone mountains as the sun set was also very nice.

At the hotel, I kept running into a beautiful young lady. I finally decided to introduce myself. He name was Josephine and she was from Turkey. There had been a massive 7.8 earthquake on February 6^th . I asked if she was from the area affected by the quake. She burst into tears and threw herself onto my arms. She said Yes, she was. Her house was gone, her in-laws were gone and she had not heard from her husband since before the quake. She was leaving that night to see if she could find them or to help in any way possible. I kept in touch with her for a few weeks after, but suddenly the texts remained unread and I have not heard from her since. I can only hope she is alright. I am left with a feeling of immense gratitude for my life and the safety of my family.

The travel agent also arranged for me to take a tour to Jordan, Israel and Moses Mountain. There are separate blogs for those.

Before I knew it, my 30 day Egyptian visitor visa was about to expire. I looked online for the cheapest flight out of Sharm el Sheikh on the 17^th . I guess I’m going to Naples, Italy…..

petrol: 7.89 EGP / litre (0.34 CDN)