An everlasting memory (Egypt)

Member Name: llamalove

Product:	Egypt
Date:	22/05/05 (530 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Host to the only remaining of the 7 wonders of the world, Very hospitable people, Draw-dropping scenery

Disadvantages: Beware of pushy traders in the markets, Still some security issues, Avoid airport toilets!!!

Our wedding was booked. All we needed now was the perfect honeymoon to complete it. When we headed off to the travel agents, we initially had Cuba in mind…salsa dancing…cocktails…the sexy Spanish lingo….our hearts were set. Unfortunately, flights only went midweek and being a teacher, it was bad enough persuading my boss to give me just one day off…never mind another 4!

It was a few days later when Richard presented me with the envelope…”open it” he said trying to hide his excitement. Inside were two tickets to Sharm El Sheikh on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. We were staying in what looked like the most wonderful resort I’d ever seen. 7 days of all-inclusive bliss leaving on Valentine’s Day. What more could I ask for?

During the months of waiting, I learnt all I could about this almost magical place full of history and mythology. Finally, our wedding day came and when it was all over, we were off. Flying over the rustic red deserts was a dream itself…and the views of the mountains and seas from the sky were an image I’ll never forget. I couldn’t wait to get down there.

As we drew closer to landing, I was somewhat surprised to see vast amounts of space with few scattered buildings. Nothing resembling a town. I was beginning to wonder about our hotel.

I hadn’t long to wait though and I was soon pleasantly surprised. We stayed in The Laguna Vista Beach Resort in Nabq bay. We drew up to a very architectural building full of ancient Egyptian culture – very different to the many modern Americanised resorts we had passed. The biggest surprise was on entering. My husband and I had to take a few minutes to regain our composure whilst we stood open mouthed and in awe of the décor of the main reception. Impressive was far too small a word. What we couldn’t see from the outside was that the ceilings were so high up – we estimated at 100metres plus! In the centre were huge pillars and great pieces of sculpture. The floors and walls were cream marble with fantastic engraving and inscriptions on them. The ceiling itself was a masterpiece with zodiac symbols stylishly sculpted in. As we walked through the main building, we came out to big heavy wooden doors at the back that overlooked the whole resort. With 13 pools, 5 restaurants serving a vast range of interesting dishes (many with Greek & Turkish influences), numerous bars, it’s own amphitheatre and lots of little thatched top bungalows with the sea lapping behind, it looked amazing. We were in paradise.

Gentle music played throughout the lush green gardens and because of the vastness of the resort, everything was calm and quiet as we walked to find our room. We soon approached a charming little cottage type bungalow with flowers cascading down the walls and over the porch. It was cool and breezy inside thanks to the air conditioning and the cold marble. Needless to say, the room was more than sufficient. An immaculately clean big bathroom with bath and shower, a dressing area, a huge bedroom with a bed big enough for 4 people to sleep comfortably, a beautiful dressing table…and through the long flowing white fabric drapes to a relaxing patio area where we had our own little pool, views of the sea and fabulously scented gardens surrounding us.

This holiday was going to be the experience of a lifetime.

After a few days resting and relaxing by the pools, sipping drinks at the bar and strolling hand in hand along the red sands by the sea, we decided to have a look into the trip of a lifetime…the pyramids in Cairo.

As soon as our honeymoon was booked, we knew this was something we would want to do so we’d asked our guests to give us Egyptian pounds as gifts so we could make sure it happened.

The next morning at 5am, we took an internal flight with Egypt Air to Cairo. The flight itself was something to be desired and we were glad it was only a 25 minute flight – but that’s another story. Cairo airport was another experience. It’s a military airport and once you go through all the checks and exit the building, there is a no return policy…so make sure you don’t leave anything or anyone behind!

Outside, the air was very warm and close…even in February. The air looked reasonably clear but as we set off and could see more open spaces, the problem with smog became clearly evident. It was like a low grey cloud hovering above the buildings. The drive through Cairo was eye opening. The city was heavily overpopulated and the poor waste disposal systems were obvious. Dozens of canals used to run through the city. Now they no longer filled with water but filled with rubbish. Although it’s going to take many years, the government had just started a new initiate to fill over the canals with soil and begun to plant trees and plant life instead (but what happens to the waste then?)

One of the most interesting parts of the journey was just before we got to the pyramids in Giza. We drove through thousands of little stone buildings…tombs – this was what the Egyptians refer to as ‘The City of The Dead’. Amoungst the dead and buried, here also lived the poorest of Egypt’s people.

Soon enough, we saw the pyramids rising in the distance. As we drew nearer all eyes were on the target. Goose pimples started to spread over my arms and legs as I thought about the magic and history stored here. When we finally arrived it was spectacular. Standing beside The Great Pyramid, at 5 foot 4 (and a half) I didn’t even reach the height of the bottom stones! Richard (my husband) tried to get a photo of me at this point but could not actually go back far enough to get the whole picture.

The pyramids were marked by guards on foot and on camels. At 8am in the morning, it was quiet and we were free to climb The Great Pyramid to a certain height (only at a certain point). The site where the pyramids sit is almost on a mountainside or ledge of some kind so as we climbed, we were able to look over the whole of Cairo. Fantastic.

After exploring the big one we moved on to look at the 2 smaller pyramids nearby. One was available to visit inside for a very small fee, but both of us being a bit claustrophobic, Richard and I toyed with the idea for a while but decided to pass. When some of the other visitors returned, we were glad of our choice. The pass into the pyramid was low and narrow. Visitors had to bend right down and once you were in line, the only way out was through the other side. The air was reported to be stuffy, hot and very close and tourists were advised not to stay inside for too long.

It is on one of these smaller pyramids that the only bit of limestone remains. It is now thought that it was most likely that during the 21 years of building each pyramid, a ramp was built alongside as they worked round the structure. When they reached the top, the ‘builders’ worked downwards covering the pyramids in limestone to give it a smooth surface and making it more difficult for thieves to break through. As they descended, the ramp was knocked down with them. Over the years, almost all of this limestone has eroded leaving the pyramids more venerable by making the ‘steps’ visible. Only the limestone on the tip of one pyramid remains..but no one is sure why.

After the pyramids, we travelled on down the road a bit further until we reached the Sphinx. We toured through the various buildings there, up a long high path and came out facing a large stone wall. Some people were climbing up to get a better view so Richard and I joined them. Up on the wall we had the best view of the great Sphinx….half man, half lion…a symbol of protection…protector of the tombs.

An hour or so later, we headed back to our coach and set off to a lovely floating boat restaurant on The Nile for lunch. A huge and beautiful river – it looked so calm and inviting, you could hardly believe it was highly polluted. Even putting so much as a finger in could result in finding skin-penetrating leeches!

A stroll though Cairo’s markets where the streets were paved with men smoking shisha pipes and hundreds of sellers, thrusting their goods upon unknowing tourists and a visit to the famous Egyptian Museum, ended our visit to this great city, and we set off back to the tranquillity of our resort.

After our fantastic trip, we decided to partake in a few more adventures…the seascope submarine with the glass bottom, dinner in the Sahara, shopping in the markets of the old town with the locals…but my favourite had to be quad biking in the desert. We drove out into the ‘real’ desert for about an hour where we picked up our quads. After a very brief intro on how to drive them we were off. Into the desert sands we went. At 1 O’clock in the afternoon the sun was beating down, but with the wind blowing through our hair and over our skin we felt cool and relaxed. The views were breathtaking. Every now and then I just had to stop and look around. Through periods of screaming and ‘woo-hooing’ I kept thinking to myself ‘look at me! Driving through the desert with nothing around but mountains…what a strange feeling.’ Strange and amazing.

After about 45 minutes, we came across some Bedwin people (people who live in the deserts) who invited us to stop for tea. The tea was sweet, spicy and syrupy – unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before and the people were very hospitable. As a polite gesture of thanks I bought a few pretty handmade bracelets for a few pounds and we set off again.

When the time came to finish, we felt refreshed and full of energy. We had some strange looks on the way back to the hotel and staff inside made some jokes about needing a shower asking us what we had been doing. It was only then that we truly realised how dirty and dusty we were. Our faces were brown with sand and our eyelashes and eyebrows were white! What a sight!

After our week was up, we packed our bags quietly, knowing we were going to miss this wonderfully hospitable country where we had made so many memories in such a short time. After meeting such wonderful people and having some virtually unimaginable experiences, we vowed to come back for our one year anniversary in a year’s time…another vow that we definitely plan to keep.

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