During the night, the Pacific Princess headed northwest across the Red Sea to the port of Sharm el-Sheikh on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. While technically it is part of Asia, the area that divides the Red Sea into two Gulfs, Aqaba and Suez, is claimed by Egypt. Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the country's most popular resort cities.
The No. 1 tour offered by the ship, which was sold out before any passengers boarded in Ft. Lauderdale, was called Desert Caravan: Tea in a Bedouin Camp. Everyone who went on the buses to this camp of nomads proclaimed it as one of the greatest experiences in their lives. They loved learning about these desert people who moved from place to place and riding their camels. Anything to do with the camel caravan was the best thing ever. Many passengers took as many camel rides as possible during their time in the camp. All of this sounded great until these happy campers told us that the tea was catered by the Hilton Hotel. In 2008, Sara had taken a trip in a four-wheel drive vehicle into the desert across roads that no one could see except the driver, and no bus could ever navigate, to a desolate area that housed a Bedouin camp. The experience of the ship's passengers and hers were remarkably different. But who is say which group had the more real experience?
Of course, we never knew about the tea until long after we had boarded the ship and learned that it was sold out. So we decided to walk into the old town area and take a taxi to see the beaches. From the area of the new port that opened since the last world cruise, we actually walked past many of the beautiful beaches ending in dark turquoise blue water. As part of our walk, we had to wave away all the taxi drivers who wanted to give us a ride. It was a very pleasant two-kilometer stroll to the Central Market.
Unfortunately, the shopping experience was not a good one. Sara continued to demonstrate to Ken the joys of shopping. Even after all the experiences he has had in the malls, markets and souks on this world cruise, he still hated shopping and earned failing marks in Shopping 101. When it comes to dealing with Egyptian vendors who reign supreme as the Monarchs of Harassment in the entire world, Sara might score a C- on a good day because she actually smiles at them and glances at their wares. Ken would be lucky to earn an F (he needs a guard on his wallet) so the amount of time spent in the market was minimal.
To participate in a more pleasant experience, we decided to walk back to one of the beaches and take a glass-bottom submarine tour. We definitely made the right choice. The tour books claimed that this area of the Sinai Peninsula was one of the world's richest marine environments. That was an understatement. We had taken a glass-bottom boat cruise in 2006 when we visited the Great Barrier Reef off of Cairns, Australia, and this experience was much better in respect to the species of fish and the vividness of the coral reefs.
The enjoyment was increased by a seven- or eight-year old boy who became extremely excited whenever our guide announced a "bikini fish." He obviously recognized a beautiful woman at his young age. Sara also enjoyed ensuring that an adorable little blond girl had the best seat in the house. When she asked her mother what language the girl spoke, her mother replied, "Russian." We were probably the only people who spoke English on the boat, except for the limited English of our guide to describe the different types of fish and coral. It really is a small world!
After we walked back to the ship and had lunch, Sara went back to the Central Market with five other women to engage in serious shopping and haggling with the Egyptian vendors. Their favorite come on lines were "very cheap" and "almost free." They also engaged in a bait-and-switch type tactic in which they tell the potential customer that everything is at the same low price. Once the customer chose an item, the vendor announced that it costed two or more times as much because it was of a much higher quality. The original price was for a greatly inferior item. The vendors' favorite line when a buyer asked for the original price was, "You break my heart." Too much of this type of shopping can be very tiring. Sara's big purchase for the day was six cans of Stella and six cans of Saraka beer, which earned her the title of "World's Best Wife" from the other five women.
We enjoyed a wonderful private sail-away party on our balcony involving toasts with Egypt's favorite beers.
Nice pictures. You really did have an amazing sharm el sheikh luxury holidays>
ReplyDelete