We arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, known as "Egypt's answer to Las Vegas" or the "Red Sea Riviera." When we went down to the beachfront promenade we immediately encountered a Hard Rock Cafe, TGI Friday's, KFC and McDonalds. We stayed at a beautiful B&B run by an Italian couple and located in a nearby village with a mountain backdrop. Local food, goats and camels running around...much more our speed!
Lucky for us, Sharm is also known as a "scuba-diving paradise." We came here only to dive...as did EVERYONE else! We did get to complete two "checkout" dives and see how amazing the crystal clear water really is. Unfortunately for us (and some Russian and German tourists) there were two shark attacks in two days (and later a fatality). So we were unable to dive the Thistlegorm, a 129m-long cargo ship that sank in 1941...Dean's dream dive.
We moved an hour north to Dahab, the "Ko Samui of the Middle East." A backpackers dream.... crystal clear diving, golden beaches and a rugged mountain backdrop. We snorkeled right off the promenade, and it was amazing!
We stayed at a great apartment in the village (again, lot's of goats and camels). Dean and Tim (the owner), on the rooftop arisha. Ocean view on one side and mountains on the other.
Our first dive site was the Canyon...a long narrow trench that runs perpendicular to the reef shelf. Divers descend 30m to the bottom of the canyon, so you can see bubbles coming up and out of the ground. Very beautiful! Afterwards you drink tea and eat lunch at one of the many pillow strewn restaurants.
Our second dive was at the famous Bells and Blue Hole. This is the Bells, a narrow breach in the reef table, named because of the noise the tanks make as they ring against the rock on the way down. You descend through a chimney, exiting at 27m. It is like riding a glass elevator!
Above you can see the Blue Hole....a gaping sinkhole that drops straight down- some say to as deep as 130m. Unfortunately, the site has claimed many lives...thrill seekers that have gone to far, or divers who have lost all sense of direction in the "blue." It was very much like sky-diving!
The Bedouin's and their camels. You can take a camel safari out into the desert, even spend a few nights. You can also take a Bedouin-led camel convoy on a dive trip...the camels carry the scuba tanks and dive gear!
Our last day we intended to hike from Blue Hole out to Ras Abu Gallum Protectorate, 400 sq km of coastline with excellent snorkeling. Two different locals told us to grab a taxi (ie. back of someones truck) and once at Blue Hole, begin hiking on the coastal trail. Which we did...until we reached the "Egyptian Tourism" policeman, who informed us we had to have "permission" to go further. To make a long story short, we met up with some other hikers and managed to bribe the policeman to allow us to continue. All of which took about an hour...making us very late for our scheduled taxi ride home. We did get to snorkel...and justice was served when we realized that our taxi driver was the deliverer of the Tourism Police's now cold (since we were held up) lunch! HA! On to Amman, Jordan for a night.
We arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, known as "Egypt's answer to Las Vegas" or the "Red Sea Riviera." When we went down to the beachfront promenade we immediately encountered a Hard Rock Cafe, TGI Friday's, KFC and McDonalds. We stayed at a beautiful B&B run by an Italian couple and located in a nearby village with a mountain backdrop. Local food, goats and camels running around...much more our speed!
We moved an hour north to Dahab, the "Ko Samui of the Middle East." A backpackers dream.... crystal clear diving, golden beaches and a rugged mountain backdrop. We snorkeled right off the promenade, and it was amazing!
We stayed at a great apartment in the village (again, lot's of goats and camels). Dean and Tim (the owner), on the rooftop arisha. Ocean view on one side and mountains on the other.
Our second dive was at the famous Bells and Blue Hole. This is the Bells, a narrow breach in the reef table, named because of the noise the tanks make as they ring against the rock on the way down. You descend through a chimney, exiting at 27m. It is like riding a glass elevator!
Above you can see the Blue Hole....a gaping sinkhole that drops straight down- some say to as deep as 130m. Unfortunately, the site has claimed many lives...thrill seekers that have gone to far, or divers who have lost all sense of direction in the "blue." It was very much like sky-diving!
The Bedouin's and their camels. You can take a camel safari out into the desert, even spend a few nights. You can also take a Bedouin-led camel convoy on a dive trip...the camels carry the scuba tanks and dive gear!
Our last day we intended to hike from Blue Hole out to Ras Abu Gallum Protectorate, 400 sq km of coastline with excellent snorkeling. Two different locals told us to grab a taxi (ie. back of someones truck) and once at Blue Hole, begin hiking on the coastal trail. Which we did...until we reached the "Egyptian Tourism" policeman, who informed us we had to have "permission" to go further. To make a long story short, we met up with some other hikers and managed to bribe the policeman to allow us to continue. All of which took about an hour...making us very late for our scheduled taxi ride home. We did get to snorkel...and justice was served when we realized that our taxi driver was the deliverer of the Tourism Police's now cold (since we were held up) lunch! HA! On to Amman, Jordan for a night.
My kids could eat there! KFC and McDs. I'll have to add it to our list of potential destinations.
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