The detour (Sharm el-Sheikh)

We left Dahab for the big trek to Aswan in the south of Egypt. On route our tour made an unexpected detour to Sharm el-Sheikh on the southern tip of the Sinai Penninsula as the ferry that was supposed to take us across the gulf to Hurghada did not sail due to bad weather. This was of course decided after 3 hours of waiting around at the port after assurances that the ferry would be going at some time. The very unfortunate extra detail was that the ferry would not run for another two days! Once the news was broken we were given the option of an 11 hour bus ride around the gulf to our destination. In addition to this, the tickets for the ferry would be used for this special bus. Interestingly enough, the regular bus that makes the same trip (which left just 1 hour before we were told the ferry wasn’t running) costs 10$CDN where as the ferry costs 50$ per person. The tickets for the ferry would still be good two days later and as we were planning on taking a 9 hour overnight bus from Hurghada to Aswan after the ferry ,we thought perhaps a couple more days in the sun couldn’t hurt anyone. We picked up our bags and trekked on in to the brightly lit strip and touristy streets of Sharm el-Sheikh. The city was created by the Egyptian government for the sole purpose of tourism and contains miles upon miles of hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, resorts and of course beaches (which you must pay to use). The result is an ugly conglomeration of flickering neon, poor service, over-priced food and hotels and of course the constant calls of “taxi?, taxi?”, or “you want to buy something?” or “just take a look in my shop!” Needless to say it was not exactly our cup of tea. Haggard and tired from the trip from Dahab and the wait at the port we managed to haggle a good price for a room and get some sleep (the kicker, we had to also book a tour of Ras Mohammed national park through the hotel which we planned on seeing any way). The national park is one of the richest marine life havens in the red sea. The reef stretches for miles in many directions and is home to thousands of different coral and animal species. The snorkeling was incredible and the four of us really enjoyed ourselves (Despite the 90’s euro rave music pumping at extraordinary decibels from the boat speakers). We returned to the hotel where we argued with the management over the cost of the tour (they said equipment was included and upon arrival we had to rent it) and managed to get our money returned. We were quickly tuning in to the fact in Egypt the tourism industry will try any way to squeeze a few extra bucks out of your wallet. Especially in Sharm el-Sheikh. The next day we checked out of our hotel (thankfully) spent some time on the beach (which we paid for) and caught the ferry to Hurghada. We were on our way to Aswan! All we needed to do was catch the overnight bus at 10:30pm. We got a bite to eat and found the bus station with time to spare! 10:30pm arrived, no bus. 11:30, no bus. Finally at a little after 12:00am the bus arrived….and it was packed!! Standing room only for an 8 hour trip! As we stood in stupefied contemplation a kind Egyptian let us in on the fact that the 1 o’clock bus would be arriving shortly if we could wait. We unloaded and settled in to wait. 1:30am and the bus arrived, we scrambled for some seats and the bus was off! The ride was a nightmare! The bathroom door to the bathroom on the bus did not close, allowing for septic smelling, freezing air to whistle in past our seats. The man behind began snoring so loud that even Jeff’s ipod couldn’t drown him out! If there is a bus that Hades uses to transports souls around hell this was it! 9 grueling hours later and with little sleep we arrived in Aswan, 3 days later than when we left Dahab. A good time was had by all.

Photos:

1- Erik snorkeling at Ras Mohammed

2- Anelia waiting and sleeping at bus station

3- Anelia snorkeling at Ras Mohammed

4- Jeff snorkeling at Ras Mohammed

5- Jeff going swimming at Sharm el-Sheikh

6 & 7- View of Ras M. from snorkel boat

8- Can you find the snorkelers?

9- The gang on the snorkel boat