Blogs from Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt, Africa - page 2

We said goodbye to our boat and crew in Edfu. Abto met us with a car for the 2-hour drive to Luxor where we could get our police permit for the 3-hour drive east to the Red Sea town of Hurghada. Police permits are required for any and all road trips outside the limits of whatever Egyptian city or town you are in. We drove over speed bump scarred roads. Past mud-brick villages and busy crossroads crowded with donkeys, horses and pedestrians. Every few miles we stopped for military checkpoints manned by bored looking soldiers. Their weapons resting against trees and walls close at hand. At most points when the officials saw two westerners sitting in the back seat they simply smiled and waved us through. The terrain flattened out into a stony desert landscape. We ... read more

We arrived last night at about 9pm and got checked in. We got walked to our room at snails pace cos the bag boy – bless him – was trying to wheels 6 peoples luggage on the trolley and wanted to do it all alone with no help. So we patiently walked behind him and half way Ben and Mike (another guy on our tour) had had enough and snatched 2 bags off him and started marching up the stairs to our rooms! We were pretty hungry and tired and tolerance levels were low! Haha :) We got to our 'double' room and once again we had 2 single beds so thought 'oh we may as well ask if they have a double room spare' cos it was a massive resort with id say maybe 500 ... read more

Eight and a half hours and two inflight movies we touchdown… As the door opens on the plane and everyone jumps to get into the hustle and bustle we like to call the aisle, the heat overwhelms the air conditioning like a warm blanket and you take your first breath of warm air. Reborn you feel as thought the holiday has just started and you make your way to the exit onto the on ramp for customs. This time we decided to skip with pre-booked transfers grabbed our bags before the locals and headed for the taxis outside. We do try to travel lightly and this is great unless you’re pulling your bag along and the local bag carrier is attached to you and the bag, protesting that he should be carrying it, it’s his job! ... read more

Had a good sleep and were up at 7am to the most amazing view! Took a moment to enjoy our veranda and view of the sea/beach before we headed to breakfast! Had a buffet breakfast and then had our optional cruise boat excursion which we didnt expect to have. Sherif organized this boat cruise so that we could go snorkelling and so the group could actually experience the Red Sea before they left today for Cairo. It was actually chilly on the boat, but nice in the sun so everyone picked out different sheltered areas on the boat to sun tan. We stopped at 2 snorkel spots which were both wicked! The water was freezing but most people braved it. I stuck right with the snorkeling guide in the water as he fed the fish so ... read more

(12th Jan)Day 103 – Luxor (Karnak & Luxor Temples) to Hurghada Not too early a start this morning, our guide was there at 7:30am to pick us up. Breakfast was just leftovers, stew/soup or cereal and some really yummy bananas. We all had to check out of our rooms though and pack the truck with our gear as we wouldn’t be coming back here, the truck would meet us in town for lunch. Packed and good to go, most were on the mend, still a few not feeling well. It was only a 5 minute drive to the Karnak Temples complex, just around the corner, some of the group had walked there last night for the light and sound show, it was a little too expensive for us… Karnak Temples is the biggest site in Egypt ... read more