Travel Blog Egypt take 2 Day 4-5

A few hours later, we finally found some boats at a wreck. I was convinced that this was going to be an easy transition. They were tasked to take me to the Coral Princess.
The guys on the Italy 2 which I was now on did not speak any English and just grabbed my drinks out my hands and placed others in them. You just do as they say…
When we zoomed past a boat with the Wild and Blu sign on it, I dashed to someone to point out that they had missed my drop off point and could they stop so I could get off, they refused!
I was getting hysterical for the second time that day as I watched the Wild and Blu Coral Princess fade into the distance. Tears were streaming down my face as I scrambled for my phone again and called Saffwat for the 4th time that day.
The Italy 2 were taking some very rude Italians snorkeling my a reef and they were not concerned about me at all.

A grey dingy was sent for me, and I watched it zoom past, head to some other boats and zoom past again back to the Coral Princess. Another call and some more sniveling later, they came back and got me. Finally I was about to see the rest of the crew.
It was lunch time on Thursday. My trip had started on Tuesday.

Getting into a little grey dingy with some more Arabs I did not know was the least of my issues, I had seen the boat and I was finally going to get there.
Arriving at the boat and seeing Pears and Charis made my week. I managed to scramble aboard and everyone greeted me with gusto and I managed to get to Pears before bursting into tears with sobs so hard it wracked both our bodies. They really did not know what to expect and they were supposed to be headed out to a dive.

After Chazzy shoved a sweet down my throat to calm me, I insisted that they go on their dive and I wormed my way to find Asha and Romy on the front deck sun tanning.
They were trying to calm me down, which Romy did a fabulous job of when she suggested we head for a swim along the reef. Mask and snorkels in hand, I had my first experience of the red sea at last.

I was amazed at the coral reefs. Even from the top of the water, they were so colourful and amazing.
So many little fish, big fish, funny looking creatures all around, busy playing, fighting, chasing each other around the reefs. It was amazing.
Also amazing enough for me to get some sunburn on my back (The spot I did not reach with my hands putting sun block on).

The divers got back an hour later in time for some lunch. Food on the boat was cool. I tried to stay away from any meats, and did a Chazzy and remained veggie for the time I was on the boat.

Apparently the entire group had the worst jippo guts imaginable at the beginning of the trip.
They were weak and miserable and were discussing disembarking the next day.

Travel Blog Egypt take 2 Day 3-5

So day 2 waking up in Egypt with croissants and rolls (blah) sufficed enough for me to be in reception checking out in time for my lift.
Even the reception guys talk about you with you in front of them. Really rude.
Women don’t work in Egypt, so the balance is really out in the work place.

So it turns out that the dude that was supposed to fetch me overslept and they had sent a taxi that the manager had paid for. I was not happy about this. I was told there would be someone to collect me and when a bunch of arabs all babbling trying to force me into some dodgy taxi I got hysterical.

They made me leave my (what was left of my) luggage on the pavement for me to confirm with the dude at reception that I was to go to the port in the taxi, I reluctantly got in.

Of course I am now kitted out in a baseball cap and sunglasses and never shall they leave my head.

The taxi driver tried to make some conversation, but gave up half way up the road.
I was not playing ball anymore.


He dropped me off at the port and luckily I had the number of the tour operator and I called him for further instructions.
He told me he was sending a guy.

I saw some dude stride past me and I thought I recognized him, but he did not look up and there were hundreds of westerners (Brits, Italians etc) getting into the port.

A phone call later, we met up and I was not allowed to go with him until I had spoken to the tour operator on his phone.
I was plonked on a boat and told to stay there. Some people got on and some got off, but the guy that met me at the port stayed there until the boat set sail. I was finally on my way to meet the rest of the crew.

Travel Blog Egypt take 2 Day 2 - 5

So I decided that my initial ideas about the Egyptians were completely wrong.
I spent a lot of time wondering if I was going to be sold for camels and I did not like the way they look at you and constantly ask if you are married (No ring – big mistake) or have a boyfriend.
They constantly ask your name and to see your eyes. Bugger. Those baby blues were a cause of great interest all the time.

I was not able to get onto the boat on my first day.
I was escorted to a really nice hotel though – which I had to fork out another $90 for though, but I was told to send my luggage on and I would be contacted shortly to let me know when I would follow.
I did not know what the hold up was, apparently, I was told later that they did not have a permit for me. Humph! So a day at the pool being some what harassed by the locals (And I thought they were just being nice.

Late afternoon, I decided to find the beach, 50 m from the hotel. It was beautiful with a coral reef just meters into the ocean.
There I met another local, who was very interested in getting me to sit on his chair and later on show me all the disco’s in town. I think not.
He kept on asking if I was married, in a relationship and eventually came to the conclusion that if I was single and over 30 that I was a hooker and very openly asked me if I wanted to go make sex. Charming.

Anyway, it eventually got so uncomfortable, I made some lame excuse about meeting the rest of the group for dinner at the restaurant. He said he would wait for me to finish and we could go to the disco’s. Yeah right.
I ate a selection of salads and fruit salads for dinner and was haggling the waiter for the slip to sign when the manager came to explain that they had charged me only $79 Egyptian instead of the usual $125 Egyptian because I only ate salads.
Considering the exchange rate is pretty much 1:1 to the SA Rand, it was an expensive salad.

I decided to do a slow jog (Read: sprint) to my room to avoid the dude waiting on the beach seeing me, and decided that breakfast in my room would be the best thing.
I proceeded to watch an Arab version of the Series channel for the rest of the night and not venture outside.
Eye contact with the locals would be avoided like the plague.

Day 3 will be up tomorrow...

Travel Blog Egypt take 2

On Friday I leave for my second ever trip to Egypt.

I am very excited to head out to the red sea and do some more scuba diving, as this was probably the only part of my previous trip that was not traumatic.

I went 4 years ago to Cairo and Sharm el Sheik. I pulled out some of my notes from the previous trip, this is how it started:

Yikes, I managed to get onto the plane last night and curl up and sleep.
The Arabs are quite forward, I think it is the language barrier, but they just do things like put food in front of you and take stuff away without much consultation.

I have been quite nervous about the trip and rightfully so.
There is nothing here, everything is grey and sand coloured.
And there is a lot of sand.
Arrival at the airport saw 18 Casa’s lined up with military signature on them. We could do with a few of those as jump ships for sure. Skydiving planes in South Africa are few and far between.
There is a lot of security personnel and lots of strange people staring a lot.

The men look at me funny, like a curious look. Not ashamed to stare. But very respectful and smile a lot.

I got off the bus at the entrance with the entire Bafana Bafana team. Damn, these guys are clueless. They all just wander aimlessly around the place.
I saw Ahmed with a sign for me, so I got through the initial check ok.
Then onto passport control.
Lots of people get turned away, some dude was traveling on a British and SA passport and they did not want to accept his British passport and visa.
He was told to go somewhere else and he refused to move without his passport, which they refused to give him.
Eventually, they made me push past him, with Ahmed’s help, got through 3 more security checks. This type of attitude starting to make me nervous...

There are lots of Ahmed’s brothers that work at the airport, doing the security thing with helping people get through the system.
He pointed out 4. No wonder there is a network of note in the middle east.

So I am an hour early for my flight and no one else around. Quite intimidating. The check in and waiting area is completely deserted.

I did manage to find out the Ahmed lives an hour from the airport, by the pyramids.
He travels to work each day with his brothers. Car pooling should help save money.

I asked about the fighting over the way. The wars seem so close in the middle east.
His reply was, "they eat, they drink they fight. Sometimes it affects us, but not much."
Sweet answer.

He was amazing and showed me where to get coffee, find the loo and sent me off to the gate.

Thank goodness I had some dollars on me, so I could pay him for his help. It was all worth it.

On the bathroom, there was a lady that services it to the T.
Hands you a wad of loo paper, practically washes your hands for you and switches on the drier.
The lady was very sweet and asked straight away if I was from SA. And cheerfully bantered on about the SA soccer team.
Of course she wanted a tip too, so a few more dollars were parted with.
This came to be the norm. Paying for safe passage through the ranks of the Arab world...

And so the adventure begins.

If you like Nickelback, you will like these guys

This small band out of South Africa knocked my socks off!

Elusion is a Johannesburg based band that I saw recently at a live gig in South Africa.

The music scene in SA is very small and unsupported, but amazingly enough, the talent comig out of the country is awesome.

Check them out and let me know what you thought!