Sharm El-Sheikh


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Africa » Egypt » Sinai
January 13th 2006
Published: January 28th 2006
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Hotel BadawiaHotel BadawiaHotel Badawia

Just a 3 star hotel...
Sharm el-Sheikh (شرم الشيخ, also transliterated as Sharm ash Shaykh), often known simply as "Sharm," is a city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina', Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai.

Ten years ago, Sharm El Sheikh was barely big enough to qualify as a sleepy fishing village. Today, it has become a sinonim for turism! City without real inhabitants, just men working in tourism (it’s too expensive for them to live there, so whenever they can, they drive back home to Cairo, Dahab, Taba…). Major luxury hotels, such as The Ritz-Carlton and The Four Seasons, as well as franchises like Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe, can be found in Sharm el-Sheikh. A number of international hotels and noted restaurants are gathered around Naama Bay, with golf courses and other leisure facilities further up the coast.
You probably wonder what I was doing alone in city of Russian young couples, golf players and German old ladies...Well, Sharm has a dramatic landscape, year-round dry and temperate climate and long sections of natural beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various
Hotel BadawiaHotel BadawiaHotel Badawia

even better from this side (photo by Tamara)…
water sports, particularly scuba diving and snorkeling (which many consider to be among the best in the world).

Sharm el-Sheikh was captured by Israel during the Sinai conflict of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. In 1967 Six Day War was recaptured by Israel and renamed Mifratz Shlomo, Hebrew for "Gulf of Solomon". Sharm el-Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1982.

The city was struck by two major disasters in recent years. On January 3, 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed into the Red Sea shortly after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh's airport. On July 23, 2005, a series of bombings killed more than 80 persons. But that didn't stop me. I packed my things and .... Instead of postcards, here you have some pics of my first days in Egypt.




Additional photos below
Photos: 24, Displayed: 23


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a relaxing morninga relaxing morning
a relaxing morning

..yeah, after all that work in Ljubljana, this is the perfect morning for me...
a relaxing morninga relaxing morning
a relaxing morning

and for them...
what is behind this paradise?what is behind this paradise?
what is behind this paradise?

smells like...Oh, shit, is that a rat or just a cat?
on the lefton the left
on the left

now, this looks better!
safetysafety
safety

There is always one security guard and security check in front of a hotel. Beep, beep.
go-karts (right)go-karts (right)
go-karts (right)

You won't believe it, because you can't see it, but kart racers race each other on a outdoor track in Sharm too!
downt town area of Sharmdownt town area of Sharm
downt town area of Sharm

The old town around Sharm el Maya (Moya) is not large, but there are any number of restaurants and nightspots, such as the Hard Rock Cafe, and various well known fast food chains.
old marketold market
old market

Though this is Sharm = tourism, this looks like a real bazaar (suq).
old market - shopsold market - shops
old market - shops

Shops one ater another are selling the same things. From the outside...
old market - shopsold market - shops
old market - shops

... and from the inside.
restaurantrestaurant
restaurant

fancy a kofta or falafel?
ToiletToilet
Toilet

so you could run to the toilet? But don't worry, even in ancient Egypt, toilet seats were made of limestone.
Bar on the beachBar on the beach
Bar on the beach

Or have a Karkade,a sweet tea made from hibiscus flowers, in a Beduin Bar.
barsbars
bars

rugs and sisha
barsbars
bars

in the night (sisha and vodka)
to the beachto the beach
to the beach

"Need a taxi?" La'a!!!! "Money, no problem. For free! Only for you. What your name? Where come from? Very beautiful."
beachbeach
beach

From the left side...
beachbeach
beach

... to the right
beachbeach
beach

But if you look down...
beachbeach
beach

and behind...
beachbeach
beach

or get lost in a place with a superb view.


10th June 2007

hello from Romania
I'm going to be in Sharm at the end of the month staying at Falcon hotel( was this a really bad choice????) and I have a few questions ..if you please would be so kind as to 'enlighten' me about what to expect when i get there... If you could tell me a few things about the hotel, the tips, the excursions from sharm,or what else you thing women should be aware of when they get there:) Thank you in advance. Blessings
10th June 2007

Congratulations
I forgot to congratulate you for the nice words about Sharm , how u detailed and explained things.Wonderful!

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