In Egypt, they just call it "cotton"
As I was walking up the stairs to the plane yesterday, to board the big 'XL Airways' 767 plane and mentally preparing for the 5-hour charter flight, I looked down at my shoes. It was the first time I'd worn them, and was quite excited to be sporting these new pink, peep-toe shoes just in time for summer, admiring how the white piping would show off my (sure to last no more than 3 days) new tan. Then I did a double-take at them. With the exception of their bright pink colo(u)r, they appeared remarkably like something my grandmother used to wear. She called them 'house shoes' and I believe are really more like slippers, not to be worn out of the house, but rather, inside the "house" (as the name implies, I suppose). Yes, the £17 new shoes I am so proud, of, rated one of HEAT magazines "must have" items for summer...and they're really just an old pair of house shoes! Gotta love fashion trends! And so, I digress...my trip to Egypt is probably much more exciting to write about, so I shall!At the recommendation of an Australian colleague of mine, who also desperately misses the sunshine and beach, I planned a week-long holiday to Sharm el-Sheikh, a diving resort on the tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. Sitting right on the red sea, it is a resort town, laden with miles and miles of beaches. It might be familiar to you as the site of the massive bombing that happened in July 2005, right after the London bombings. As such, the security is intense, and I couldn't have felt safer. All of the hotels are guarded, with metal detectors and security staff literally every 10 paces. My hotel was right on the beach, and I honestly had no need to leave (there were also 4 pools!).
Usually when I go on a vacation to a new place (on a new continent, no less!), I am decently prepared. (Not as prepared as you, S Choi!), but I've usually at least bought a Lonely Planet and looked at a map. This time, however, I was so mentally exhausted, to be honest I hadn't so much as even looked at a website. All I was concerned with was: had I packed enough bikinis and suntan lotion? Seriously.
I landed Sunday evening and was greeted at the airport by the tour company I had booked my holiday with (and about 9,087 Russians, who apparently also get really good packages to Sharm). They (the tour co, not the Russians) also met me the next morning at the hotel to give me maps, information about excursion, and a strict warning not to drink the water, drink anything with ice or even so much as a salad (or anything washed). In light of not wanting to do much at all, instead of opting for the amazing-sounding day trips (via planes) to see Cairo, Luxor and the pyramids, I booked 3 rather low-key excursions, spread over the 7 days I would be there.
The staff at the hotel could not have been nicer, very welcoming and friendly. I had breakfast included, and I quickly learned that this would be the best meal of the day, and over-ate as much fruit, yogurt and cereal as I could manage to keep me going. I got cover-to-cover through 4 books and 3 magazines over the course of the week, and even managed to build a little tan.
The Sinai penninsula is 80% inhabited by 'bedoins' (desert nomads), with the majority of Egyptians coming over to work in the tourist areas and bring money back for their families. These guys could not work any harder; they work 7 days a week (generally 16-18 hr days) for 2 months at a time, then get 10 days off to go back to their families, before coming back to do it again. You'd see the same guys in the restaurant at 6:30am serving breakfast, and still there at 10pm serving dinner. One of the strangest things is that, with the exception of the tourists, there were no women anywhere. All employees were men, and being a Muslim country there were subtle indications, such as a tiny sign indicating the direction to Mecca on the desk in my hotel room, special things in the bathrooms, and a pretty high tax on alcohol.
My first excursion was an evening 'stargazing' trip in the Sinai desert, and it was amazing. We saw Saturn, Sirius and the moon (super up close) through high-powered telescopes, and learned about the constellations in view. Since we were in the eastern hemisphere, everything was flipped over in reverse from what I am usually used to seeing, which was pretty cool. As part of the evening, we sat in a bedoin tent and had some traditional tea (good for stomach aches, apparently) and made bread with them (I helped!). Some of the guests smoked the 'Shisha' pipe and we were treated to a dance by some of the tribe members.
It was an amazing evening, by far my favorite of the trip. I've just realized that this post is getting a bit long, so I will write more later. (Actually, I really just want to go down to TopShop and check out Kate Moss's new line, which launched while I was away!) More later... (PS, I've just realized that you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger)
posted by Eleanor @ 8:32 pm
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