Sun and sand at Sharm el Sheikh

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Geo: 27.8518, 34.305

After a peaceful cruise along the Nile interspersed with temple visiting, we flew here yesterday . This is the resort city of Egypt, filled with visiting Europeans, especially Russians.There are many huge resort hotels next to each other along the foreshore. We walked along the beautiful path between these and the beach checking out the many restaurants. At Naama Bay at the end of the strip there are many souvenir places all filled with the same tacky gear. It is certainly the Gold Coast equivalent and has nothing much to do with Egyptian culture. One aspect that is striking is the number of restaurants and bars where you can sit and smoke the water pipes which look like hookahs.We ate a a great seafood restaurant last night and there were several men sucking on these things.
We have found the trip very relaxing as well as informative. We have certainly seen some iconic and ancient places. After seeing them in films and having read so much about Karnak and the Valley of the Kings it has been amzing seeing them for real. I will have to go back and watch the Bond film where he dodges around the columns at Karnak and also reread Agatha Christie's Death of the Nile.

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