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Best travel advice to save money and have fun on any budget!
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I received an e-mail from Air France with "such a deal" I had to pass it on to you. If you've never visited Cairo or any place in Egypt, it is because:
- You are afraid of terrorist activity or
- Your budget won't allow.
Let's address both reasons. Living in a country that unfortunately is shown for drive-by shootings and crime, I, Sheila, laugh in the face of "potential" terrorism. I do not laugh over the prospect of visiting countries where danger is high, and warfare is taking place. The key word here is "potential." Between 2000-2006, there have been 11 incidents of terrorism resulting in 198 injuries in Egypt. Compare that with 38,648 fatal car crashes in 2006 alone. United States statistics only. Come on and take your very insignificant chance in Egypt.
Continue reading "Air France Has A Great Winter Package to Egypt" »
NOW - Desert adventures in the Sinai desert are easy to book and you can be assured of enough to eat. No more stale bread, fighting over tins/cans of food with ample places to replenish the food stores. You can:
- Do it as you go and book day tours from Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Eilat or any of the towns along the Sinai coast.
- Contact one of the many tour operators on the internet for a package. Select Egypt has a 9 day/8 night, Desert Ecotours, Neot Hakikar (e-mail them at: neot@hotmail.com, and click on the Adventure Finder on the left of this page to browse Adventure Center's Egypt trips (all beginning in Cairo).
Continue reading "Sheila's Fast and Easy Sinai Peninsula in Egypt" »
There were just two more camps to go before reentering civilization, getting a full meal and a chance to use a toilet. A little potty talk here on what to expect. It is never difficult urinating anywhere but defecating was an entirely different matter around most of our "camping grounds." To be environmentally correct, a person is supposed to dig a hole in the sand, do your business and bury the waste. Easy in the loose sands, extremely impossible when we camped on hard sands in wide open areas. You'd need a shovel to dig into the very hard-packed sand and walk out a mile or so to get out of eyesight. In the clear desert air, you can see for miles and miles and miles. So impossible, I focused every ounce of willpower and mental energy and told my intestines to "wait until Jerusalem."
The main road (then, and possibly still now) followed the coastline and once the drivers headed towards the interior, it was an adventure through the beautiful, scenic and tough wilderness or "wasteland", whatever adjective you choose to describe it. The southern high mountains are composed of igneous rocks and wadis that include Mount Katrina (Catherine), Umm Shumar and Mount Sinai. The wadis drain towards either the Gulf of Suez or the Gulf of Aqaba.
Continue reading "The Geography of The Sinai Peninsula and What to Expect" »
The last night of bedding down in the sand, something ex-Marine was ecstatic about and I wasn't too far behind in exulting. Done with the more adventurous side of Sinai, the day was spent swimming and snorkeling at different locations along the coast. The Red Sea is known for its fantastic snorkel and dive sites. The Straits of Tiran lie just 7km/4 miles northest of Sharm el Sheikh and is part of the African Trench making it the deepest part of the entire Red Sea.
Ras Nazrani/Nasrani was the day's snorkeling stop on the way from Sharm el Sheikh to Dahab. We grabbed snorkel masks (the only equipment available THEN and just waded out into the sea from the stony shore to its fringing reef. NOW - Divers can go down to a depth of 30-45m/100-150' with unbelievably clear visibility, 30m/100'. Tennis shoes on, I happily floated above the reef with a small kick every now and then to propel myself along when an excruciating pain shot through the top of my foot. (Sheila, before accident...View image...)
Continue reading "Ras Nazrani, the Straights of Tiran and Nabeq in The Sinai Desert" »
THEN - On the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm el Sheikh was nothing but a strip of sand along the Red Sea dotted with empty, rusting oil drums, deserted pieces of military equipment from the war, and an occasional full oil drum used to store spring water. The drivers would stop to refill the 5-gallon jugs we drank from with water from these oil drums. The pure water came from deep aquifers in the Sinai and no one in the group ever got sick despite handing the 5-gallon containers from mouth to mouth for drinking.
There were occasional gas/petrol stations along the shore road and whenever the driver stopped to refill, we ran to empty bladders in the toilets. It didn't take long to discover that this was a big mistake. The toilets hadn't been cleaned in years and were totally disgusting. One of the two big questions asked of me by friends and families is, "But, where do you go?" The trip in the Sinai was my watershed in life, the spark that enables me to "go" anywhere, at anytime. Give me sand, trees, or bushes any day.
Continue reading "Sharm el Sheikh in 1984 - Sinai Desert in Egypt" »
There are several prehistoric structures known as "Nawamis" and found only in southern and eastern Sinai. These circular inward leaning buildings were constructed using sandstone slabs, each with a small opening facing west. It is thought that the Nawamis were probably ancient burial chambers but no one knows the identity of the people buried here. There are more than 30 Nawamis next to the road from Nuweiba to St. Catherine's Monastery. Archaeologists have unearthed shell bracelets, colored beads, flint tools, as well as bone and copper tools that were most likely funeral offerings and many date back to the Copper Stone Age, 4000-3150 BC. A short stop here to explore and then on to the Rock of Inscriptions and Ein Khudra Oasis for another busy day.
Riding through the desert hour-after-hour was a surreal experience. Waves of heat rose from the sands making it difficult to stay awake and keep eyes open. While dozing, it wasn't unusual for a dozer to bash his/her head on the top of the truck while jolting along or even fall off the sideways-facing seat. The distant mountains changed colors by the minute and resembled a three-dimensional movie set. Unfortunately, all this was before Digital Cameras when film actually cost money. That cut down on one and all's picture taking including mine. Wouldn't it be interesting to do a Groundhog Day just with travel experiences?
Continue reading "Nawamis and The Rock of Inscriptions in The Sinai Desert" »
It was pitch black when the group assembled at 4:00 a.m., and stood shivering in the cold. Off we went on the Steps of Penitence (also called the Path of Moses), one step after another on the first of the nearly 4,000 steps (I did try to count but kept forgetting what number step I was on), onwards and upwards hoping for an epiphany. Was God going to appear in the form of a burning bush? Enlighten any of us? Perform a small miracle? I'm not trying to be funny. After all, we were supposedly climbing in the footsteps of Moses and Mount Sinai is a sacred place for Muslims, Christians and Jews with a small chapel at the top constructed on the ruins of an older 16th-century church.
Step after step, quadriceps burning, through a natural amphitheater and occasional stops for big breaths, all the way to the top of Mount Sinai in time for the fabled sunrise over the mountains and Sinai Desert. I could lie and report that ex-Marine and I did feel an other-worldly, spiritual feeling on top of the Mount Sinai's 7,498-foot peak but we felt nothing but relief that the climb was over and hunger pangs!
Continue reading "An Early Morning Climb Up Mount Sinai" »
THEN - Before we got into a few verses of "...Let my people go..." on Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) itself, the group checked in to what we referred to as the "Sinai Hilton", a campground close to St. Catherine's Monastery and at the base of Mount Sinai. The campground consisted of a large open area protected by the mountains from the wind and blowing sand. Sleeping quarters were large square rock walls with a white canvas, tented roof while the inside had rows of clean and nice sized cots with blankets for the cold night ahead. Everyone slept inside. The Bedouins, drivers, guides, our group - the only tourists in the Sinai Desert - and only a few local camels stayed outside.
NOW - Thousands of travelers come on a daily basis to climb Mount Sinai on a day trip from either Dahab (2 hours away) or Sharm el-Sheikh (3 hours away) on the coast. It should properly be called a night trip since the drive and hike takes place at night to view the sunrise from the top of Mount Sinai. Almost anyone can attempt and complete the climb. There are two ways up and if you poop out at the half way mark, there are plenty of Bedouins waiting with their camels that would be happy to give you a ride to the top for the right price. This was definitely not available in 1984 but even if it had been, there is no way I'd get on top of a swaying camel with big drop offs on all sides of the mountain. Give me feet any day...
Continue reading "Bedding Down at The Foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt" »
St. Catherine's Monastery isn't always open to visit but it was today. It is Greek Orthodox and a UNESCO World Heritage Site built on what is reputed to be the site of the Old Testament Burning Bush. St. St. Catherine's Monastery was constructed in 330 AD and has very rare manuscripts and icons within. UNESCO calles it ...the oldest working Christian monastery in the world.
The monastery encloses the Chapel of the Burning Bush, ...that burned with fire, and was not consumed..., and the living bush on the grounds is "supposed" to be the original. (That...is very difficult to believe.) There is a very long story about St. Catherine who the Chapel is named after, but the pithy part is what I like best (I have a sick sense of humor). St. Catherine was initially sentenced to death on the wheel for conversions. However, when this failed to kill her, she was beheaded. If that had failed to kill her (think...nearly headless Nick in "Harry Potter"). What would they have tried next? There is a monastery in Rouen that claims to house Catherine's fingers and wouldn't you like to know exactly how many churches, temples and monasteries around the world claim to have "relics" (fingers, toes, hair...) from different saints... Shall we ask "Yahoo"?
Continue reading "St. Catherine's Monastery in The Sinai Desert, Egypt" »
After lunch in Nuweiba, the convoy carried on inland to the first camp, on the way to St. Catherine's Monastery, tomorrow's destination. What can I tell you about my first camping experience? I thought it was exciting. After all, it was only the first night. The guides made a huge fire and set to work concocting dinner. More bread, tomatoes, salami, hot soup, cans (tins) of fruits and vegetables, chicken and wine.
While they worked on this, ex-Marine and I unrolled the sleeping bags in the sand, changed into long sleeves, sweat pants and climbed in for a fast nap until dinner. We had flown directly from the United States to Israel via Amsterdam and had severe jet lag. Soup on, the guide woke us for dinner and after dinner, the entire group hunkered down around the camp fire for introductions and games, Each person was asked to stand, tell a little about themselves and why they signed up for the Sinai Desert Adventure. Great reasons, interesting backgrounds but need I say that when ex-Marine (never one to pull punches) got his turn, guides and group were momentarily at a loss for words when he stood, abruptly said, "I carry Sheila's bags" and sat back down. He was not happy...
Continue reading "Camping in The Sinai Desert of Egypt" »
Neot Hakikar is a tour company founded by Israeli settlers in 1961 who began running trips to the Sinai in 1967, after Israel captured the area of land between the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba during the Six-Day War. When Israel ceded the Sinai back to Egypt as a result of the peace treaty, they joined forces with Jabaliya (the Arabic word for highlanders and the name of the Bedouin tribe that lives in the High Range of the Sinai) and merged. Their main office is in Tel Aviv, 67 Ben Yehuda Street
, and can be reached by e-mail at: neot@hotmail.com.
Neot Hakikar's packing list specified: a daypack, good walking shoes and sandals, shorts and t-shirts for day, warmer gear for night (it gets very cold in the desert at night), water canteens or bottles, flashlight, sun hat, sunglasses, suntan cream, lip balm, bathing suit and towel, etc. We were too naive (or dumb) in the early stages of travel to even consider bringing extra munchies just in case...
Continue reading "The Sinai Desert Adventure in Egypt Began in Jerusalem, Israel" »
Israel began taking tourists into the Sinai Desert in 1967 after they captured this triangle of land between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba during the Six-Day War. Egypt regained control of their territory in 1982 as a result of the peace treaty with Israel and just two short years later, a brochure came in the mail describing an "Adventure Tour in the Sinai."
Tourist infrastructure has grown by light years since that 1984 trip into the deserted Sinai Peninsula. The Red Sea area has become a mecca for divers and snorkelers from around the world with major resorts in Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, El Gouna, Taba, Hurghada and Makadai Bay offering holiday activities, luxury accommodation and restaurants. Sharm el-Sheikh is the most popular area with divers and tourists because of the huge drop-offs, wrecks and around 28 sites located along the coast that are easily reached by boat.
Continue reading "Exploring The Sinai Desert of Egypt in 1984" »
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