Sharm el Sheikh

For three days we had planned to stay in Sharm el Sheikh and take a vacation from our trip to go to the beach and relax. Sharm is located just a few hours southeast from the Mt. Sinai on the Red Sea. It is famous among Russians, Italians, and Brits and you find them staying all over the area. They all come because the Red Sea has some of the nicest beaches and bluest water in the world. It is absolutely stunning! It is a perfect place to go snorkeling or diving, as there are a million different type of fish in the water and coral reefs all around. Also, it is extremely different than most other parts of Egypt and much more secular- there are clubs, places serving alcohol, and people dressed provocatively! Hence, European tourists love it as it does not have the cultural restrictions that other places in Egypt tend to have.

The dock at the hotel's beach

It was nice to be able to stay in one place for a few days and just relax from traveling. We went to the beach, laid by the lovely pool, and did a lot of sleeping! And of course, we went snorkeling. Our hotel's beach was a bit hard to swim at, but it was really best for snorkeling and water activities. Guests only had to walk out to the dock and jump into the water with a mask and right away you can see an amazing array of fish and coral reefs down below. We took one day in itself just to be in the sea. There were so many fish of every color combination possible- big, small, scary, cute, and one even with every color of the rainbow!

Ready to watch Spain in the semi-final!

At night we ventured into Naama Bay, just a few minutes down the main road, where there are a ton of bars, cafés, and restaurants (many American!). One night we went to the old souk (market) for a change, but it was just another tourists trip filled with souvenir shops and a few places to eat. Overall it was a wonderful couple of days on the Sinai Peninsula, and we really

enjoyed our time on the sea.

The view from our balcony

On July 8th we got back on a bus to Cairo, changed our bags, and got back in the car late at night to drive north to Alexandria to spend the next 2 days! The traveling never stops!