Cairo to Sharm el-Sheik

  Sharm el-sheik, Egypt
Sunday, September 25, 2005

This morning was very early! Brandi and I were up at 4 in the morning (after one hour of sleep) to get all of our stuff and get to the airport for our 7am flight to Sharm el-Sheik (whoo hoo)! By 5am we were all packed up and waiting in the hotel lobby with Brian who was flying back to Maryland that morning (please note, the pronunciation is not Merry-land... and if you pronounce it that way people will laugh at you... trust me!) We had never actually asked if we could jump on the shuttle bus to the airport, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal... and boy were we wrong! We were 20 minutes late leaving the hotel because they didn't want to fit Brandi and I onto the bus that fits about 10 people... and Brian was the only other person on the bus!!! While we were waiting we talked one last time to our friend at the front counter, and he said that next time we're in Egypt we have to stop by and say hello, and also if we want to go to Sharm el-Sheik again he has a place there we could stay at! Anyhow, once things were sorted out we were heading to the airport. At the airport we said our good-byes to Brian and checked into our flight to Sharm el-Sheik (whoo hoo!) (And in case you're wondering that became our catch phrase the last day of the trip so that any time Brandi, Mark, Howard, Brett or myself saw one of us we had to yell it out!)
 
The flight passed very quickly, due in part to the fact that I only got an hour of sleep the night before, and I slept the entire flight which is not a normal thing for me (I don't remember take-off and hardly remember landing)! Once we were out we grabbed a cab. We had a lonely planet guidebook that said how much a taxi should cost, so we were trying to barter one down (he quoted like 4 times as much as the book)... well he wasn't coming down, and we were exhausted and figured the price had just changed and said fine. It turns out he DID rip us off, AND there was a hotel shuttle bus at the airport that would have driven us to the hotel!!! Anyhow, we were dropped off near the hotel strip and told to walk in a general direction (taxis can't go into that area) to find our hotel. We walked, and walked, and walked... until finally I saw a large H that looked like it could be right, and it was! I have no idea how I thought it could be correct, because we were looking for the Marina... but we later found out that the hotel's full name was the Hellnan Marina! We walked into the hotel a little worried that we wouldn't be able to check in since it was only 10am, but luck was with us and we checked in right away! As soon as we got to our room we dropped all of our stuff on the floor, closed the curtains, and slept! Around 4 in the afternoon we both woke up from our 'nap' and showered and dressed for the 'day'. We checked at the front counter to see what room Brett, Howard and Mark were in, but the hotel staff had no idea who they were or what room they were in, even though we gave them all three of their full names! Then we walked around for a bit and decided where to eat. We were technically in Na'ama bay, and there's a main strip area with shops and restaurants. All the restaurants were open air (although you could eat inside if you wanted to) and each one had their menu out in the front, so it was nice and easy to pick where you wanted to eat. We basically walked down the entire strip and back before deciding what we wanted and then sat down to eat. We each had our food, and were enjoying a drink when the strip started to pick up. Sharm attracts a lot of European travellers, and they tend to have supper later in the evening. As it was picking up there were people who's entire job it was to get people to come into the restaurant. They'd just stand by the menu and try to entice you to eat there! Anyhow, we were sitting when Jennifer, a girl from our tour, walked by and chatted with us a bit. Apparently she wasn't able to find Brett, Howard or Mark either, although she didn't even know what hotel they were staying at. We talked for a couple minutes, but to be honest Brandi and I never really clicked with her during the tour so she went her way and we went ours.
 
After supper we decided it was about time to do some shopping! And we shopped until the wee hours of the evening. The shopping in Sharm was great! Everything was really cheap, and it wasn't too crowded so you could take all the time you wanted to barter. The only time we had trouble was when we were buying tobacco for our shishas. At one point we had to walk back to the hotel and drop off all the stuff we bought so we could go back and buy more, and I think I spent more that night then I had on souvenirs the rest of the entire trip! I think what made that shopping the best was simply that the merchants didn't hassle you. We were able to wander around and just look at stuff without anyone coming up to us! That night I purchased an Ankh at a jewellery store. The jewellery stores in Egypt absolutely crack me up. They sell the silver and gold by its weight, so the merchants always weigh it then pull out a calculator. As you're bartering they randomly punch numbers into the calculator and then enter the number they want you to pay and act as if it's some sort of intricate calculation! I also bought my dad an alabaster chess set at a little store just off the strip. Brandi and I were wandering through the store and the guy asked if I was interested in anything. I thought the chess set was pretty so I asked how much and he said EŁ200. I liked it, but I wasn't going to spend more than EŁ100, so I said "100". He counter offered, and I kept saying "100". Finally he went to 110, and said "what's 10 pounds", to which I countered, "what's 10 pounds... 100", and he relented! In the end I was pretty proud of my 'bartering' skills! Brandi also bought something there, and he ended up giving Brandi a little hippo statue and myself a little crocodile statue since we were now friends now. That night Brandi and I also found out favourite store ever! I think we spent over an hour in a little store that is as small as the dining room in my apartment! At this place I went a little crazy and bought two statues of the Egyptian god Bastet (okay... I bought two cat statues), a fancy thimble for my mom, a couple ashtrays and scarabs galore! After all the stores were closed, around midnight, Brandi and I headed back to the hotel and fell asleep after a very satisfying day!!