I love perusing local markets whenever we travel—farmer’s markets, craft fairs, bazaars, souks in Egypt, flea markets, night markets. It’s even better if they are happened upon spontaneously. Some of our best meals while traveling have been at outdoor markets in Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei, Berlinand Brussels.
While staying with my aunt in Kiev, Ukraine, we went several times to the local bazaars to look for souvenirs, clothes, household items, vegetables, and even wedding veils. It was definitely one stop shopping.
I was reminded that in a lot of parts of the world, people don’t go to a grocery store or a department store to buy the things they need. Going to an outdoor market and haggling for the best price is a daily occurrence and one of the best ways to experience a culture as a tourist.
I liked the texture of these knit shawls. I can’t imagine how much work it would take to make one.Wool gilets and fuzzy slippers. My mom bought wool socks for the whole family and a warm vest for me. I am a crybaby when it comes to the cold. Thanks, Mom!My cousin with me while I tried on a mink hat. It was very warm but… poor mink!Rows of colorful embroidered linen shirts. Some are embroidered by machine and the ones done by hand are more expensive (and rightly so!).My sister is getting married so we checked out the multiple aisles of wedding dresses and accessories. The dresses were about $100.One of the many aisles of the market, thankfully with a roof for the winter weather.Souvenir t-shirts. The ones in yellow and blue say Ukraine and display the three-pronged crest.These meat pies were baked in a clay oven. The dough is thrown against the walls of the oven and sticks to the side as it bakes. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like it.Bags and bags and bags of onions. My aunt says that people stock up and keep them in their cellars. This guy’s wife is probably telling him over the phone how many onions she wants.I thought it was funny this vendor had a couch in his watermelon truck.Everything you can imagine, pickled, brined or fermented and for sale!These look like colorful, waxy candles, but they are actually like dried fruit roll-ups.Every variety of shallot and onion imaginable.These winter pears were so juicy. There were lots of signs that said, keep your hands off!Trays of cranberries just in time for the holiday season.Peppers, onions, beets and more for sale in bulk.
When I was in Ukraine, my cousins took me on a city tour. We covered a lot of ground and it was one of my favorite days of the trip. When Robert and I travel, we long for the local experience from a local’s perspective. I was lucky to have that on this trip, probably more so than any other travel I’ve done. My cousins knew where to go, how to get there, where to park the car, how much things cost, what to eat and drink, etc. Those things are important when you’re a tourist and can make or break your trip. I didn’t have to do an ounce of planning or prep. Thank you, family!
In a car ride earlier that week I had spotted a “Lady Liberty” type of statue in the city center. We started the tour there in the memorial complex of National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War. The statue is called Mother Motherland and she towers over the area that includes the museum and the nearby famous church, Pechersk Lavra. Mother Motherland has Communist roots (“Mother Russia”), as do most things in Ukraine because Ukraine has only been independent from the USSR since 1991.
Mother Russia watches over the city.
The last time we were in Ukraine, in 2004, I remember seeing a lot more statues of Lenin and Stalin and the like. This time around, I learned that the Ukrainian parliament outlawed Soviet and Communist symbols in 2015. Because this particular statue is a part of a World War II memorial, it’s allowed. Her shield has the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union. Especially with the current conflict with Russia, I don’t know how modern Ukrainians make sense of the horrific legacy of Communist dictators. The reminders are everywhere. The trips back to Ukraine always foster a sense of gratefulness and survivor guilt—my parents were able to leave when so many couldn’t.
View of Kiev across the Dnieper River from the top of Mother Motherland.Sculptures in the Alley of Hero Cities depict the 1941 German invasion and terrors of the Nazi occupation.A cat resting in the alley of statues.An artistic map of Ukraine with red poppy flowers. Ukraine chose the flower as a remembrance symbol for World War II victims.A military tank painted in the colors of Ukraine’s flag, blue and yellow. The blue represents the sky and the yellow, fertile fields of wheat.
Next, we walked to the nearby Pechersk Lavra Orthodox Christian church. It’s also known as Kiev Monastery of the Caves because of the underground caves containing the catacombs of male monks buried there. We did not go inside because it was a sunny day and I’m not a fan of dark, enclosed spaces. Too much to see on the outside!
Leaving the WWII memorial complex, you can spot the domes and bell tower of the Pechersk Lavra church.Entrance to the Cathedral complex and park of Kiev Pechersk Lavra.The Monastery of the Caves church and the Great Lavra Belltower behind it.One of the entrances to the Pechersk Lavra. The colors in this picture remind me of Rome.
We kept walking through some cool downtown districts. The buildings very much reminded me of Prague with their pastel exteriors. We came upon the Memorial in Commemoration of Famine Victims in Ukraine, also known as Memorial to Holodomor victims. There is an exterior statue called the Candle of Memory. Underground, there is a Hall of Memory museum that contains artifacts and a book of names of people who were lost in the famine. My cousins found some of the names on their family’s side.
This statue, named the Bitter Memory of Childhood, is dedicated to the most vulnerable victims of starvation—children. The little girl is holding five stalks of wheat because that is all that was allowed. Picking up wheat left on the collective farm fields after harvest was considered a crime and was punishable by imprisonment or death.
One of the horrific legacies of the Communist era was the man-made famine imposed by Stalin in 1932-33. Holodomor means extermination or genocide by hunger. In order to stomp out the Ukrainian independence movement, Stalin sent his soldiers to take every ounce of food away from Ukrainian people. By the end, more than 4.5 million people died (the actual number is probably higher). Most of those were children; two-thirds of children did not arrive to school in September 1933. And not because of some agricultural or natural disaster, because of the actions of one dictator. I was teaching “Animal Farm” to my students and I tried to explain it to them, but no one can really explain it or make sense of it, can they?
Inside the Hall of Memory museum, there is an art project called One Grain One Man. It uses grains of wheat, Ukraine’s greatest source of wealth, to visually depict how many people died during the famine.
Next on the, “In a complicated relationship” front is the Friendship of Nations Arch dedicated to the unification of Russia and Ukraine within the Soviet Union. In light of the current war in East Ukraine and those de-Communist symbol efforts, the rainbow arch is going to come down. Behind it lies a beautiful panoramic view of Kiev along the Dnieper River.
Side view of the friendship arch.Views of Kiev and the Dnieper River.This city landscape includes the golden St. Nicholas “on the water” Church to the right.My cousins and I with this “Masha and the Bear” bear. It’s funny because one of my cousins is named Masha.
Last, we made our way to the city center’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti or “Independence Square.” Ukraine’s independence movement and political rallies started here in 1990 and it was the site of the October Revolution in 2004 and 2014’s Euromaidan, or “Ukrainian Spring.” The last conflict started when Ukraine made moves to join the European Union. But, of course, Russia opposed it and started the conflict that is still occurring in East Ukraine.
These signs showcasing 25 years of independence were all over town.Views from Maidan Nezalezhnosti, “Independence Square.”
At this Independence Square, more than 100 protestors died in February 2014 as a result of sniper and open shootings on unarmed protestors. There is a memorial to their deaths including pictures of all the deceased.
A cross stands to commemorate the deaths of the Euromaidan protests in 2014.Memorial for killed Euromaidan participants at Heroes of Heavenly Hundred Alley.Bracelets of yellow and blue and flowers left at the memorial.The sign on Independence Monument states “Patriots Liberation Headquarters.”
Despite its tumultuous past, I felt very safe the whole time I was in Kiev. Both my mom and I were very surprised to find a modern Kiev unlike the one that we remembered from 10+ years ago. The city is beautiful and very affordable for travelers. There is no conflict in Western Ukraine where Kiev and Lyviv are located. There is no visa required for U.S. travelers. If you ever find yourself in Europe, add a couple of days in Kiev.
Earlier this November, I had a chance to visit my family in Kiev, Ukraine. The last and only time I returned to my country of birth was 12 years ago in 2004, when I was a college student. From Cairo, Kiev is only about a five-hour flight so I knew I had to take advantage of the proximity.
During the week, my mom (hi, Cascadian Val!) and I stayed with my aunt and uncle and their three children. One of our tourist outings was to the small town of Pirogovo (Pyrohiv) outside of Kiev to see the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.
According to the introductory sign when we entered, the open air museum contains an outstanding collection of traditional Ukrainian farmsteads of the 1960s-1970s representing every region of Ukraine. We walked from one region to another.
To the left, there is an Orthodox church, the Dniprov region and the Carpathian region. To the right, is the singing field and mid-20th century village.
Each area has a different type of architecture reflecting the climate of the area—Polissia, Carpathian Mountains, Western forests, Central forests, Eastern forests and Southern Ukraine. In total, there are 47 homes or structures that were reconstructed post-war and brought to this museum. Some of the structures include the main residences, garages, summer kitchens, barns, sheds, cellars, storehouses, chicken coops, wells, etc.
The green-domed Zarubincy village church is from the Cherkassy region and was built in 1742.
Construction of the buildings on the museum territory was carried out by local craftsmen from the regions in order to preserve building features authentic to each place. All of the structures are located along a central road, depicting the appearance of a traditional street in post-war, Socialist Ukraine.
This 19th century home has kalyna hung over the doorway. Kalyna is a red berry similar to cranberries and is a national symbol of Ukraine.A sign explaining the origins of the home. The home and a kalyna tree are in the background.We were able to see into the interior of some of the homes. This is the kitchen and main living area. It has the traditional red embroidered linens and flowers and herbs drying on the walls.A caretaker sweeps the front of one of the village homes. This one had a fresh wheat thatched roof.More village houses with thatched roofs.
As we walked around, we spotted some snack stands, beer gardens and restaurants. Admittedly, in November, there was not a lot of activity. My aunt says that it is a very popular place to come in the summer with a picnic. There are many festivals and weddings held on the museum grounds. You can also rent a bike and ride through each of the villages.
The restaurant “Shynok” boasts home-cooked meals.Some of the grab and go snacks.The “Baltika” beer garden.
On top one of the hills, near the “Carpathian region,” stand several windmills.
View of all the windmills on the hilltop.This windmill reminded me of the story “Baba Yaga,” a Slavic folktale about a witch who lives in a chicken-legged hut.
It was a fun day spent wandering through the grounds from one village to another. My mom and aunt reminisced about what their parents and grandparents house looked like during this time. At the end of the trip, my mom said this was one of her favorite experiences.
Can you guess what these are? My aunt says they are bee hives.The last of the fall flowers and foliage.Dasvidaniya (goodbye) until next time!
I was really excited to try the koshari at Abou Tarek, one of the most well-known restaurants in Cairo.
The koshary dish at Abou Tarek. This is a small portion and I had a hard time finishing it.
Koshari (koshary / kushari) is a typical Egyptian dish. It’s very filling and is originally a peasant/lower class food. It is still very inexpensive (think $1 USD or less) with giant portions. It has rice, macaroni and vermicelli noodles as a base with cooked lentils and chickpeas on top. On top of that is a light, red sauce and fried onions. You can also add a lemon garlic sauce and/or hot sauce. I like both. And koshari is vegan so how exciting is that?
The restaurant is located in a busy area. I took this picture from the second floor looking down at the street where these men were enjoying the national pastime of people watching.
My first koshari was delivered to my house from Zooba; the restaurant also makes a whole grain version with wheat pasta and crushed wheat that I’d like to try. I’ve also had it from the local chain Koshary El Tahrir. But the one at Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo is the best because they make everything fresh, including frying the onions. The crispy onions make it magical.
Takeout from Koshary El Tahrir. This was dinner and then breakfast the next day.
I have to admit, the ingredient list of koshari doesn’t sound that impressive, but put all together, it works. I usually have pasta, lentils and red sauce at home so it’s easy to make my own quick version.
One of my city tours included the Cairo Citadel. I didn’t know much about it except that the last time I drove past it was during Eid (one of the religious holidays) and it was packed with people.
I learned that the citadel used to be the city center and was fortified/walled to keep out the Crusaders, who were trying to spread Christianity through a series of religious wars. The walled complex used to be much larger, but was split in two when a major highway was built in the middle of it.
The citadel is now just a site that includes several defunct museums and three mosques, the most prominent of which is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. It was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1848 and is not related to the American boxer who took the same name. Side note: Muhammad, Mohamed and Ahmed are very popular names here; parents name boys after the Prophet himself.
It cost about $6 (more or less depending on what the dollar is doing on a given day) to enter the whole site as a foreigner. For locals, the cost is very minimal and as a result, it’s a popular gathering place. No shoes in the courtyard or interior of the mosque, obviously, but I didn’t have to cover my head. I wore long pants and a t-shirt and had no problems. It was a worthwhile trip to see the most recognizable white alabaster mosque in the “City of a Thousand Minarets.”
First glimpse of the mosque as it sits on top of the city. I believe there is a Holy Quran in the driver’s car as well!Approaching the walls of the Cairo Citadel. The mosque sits at the summit of the walled city.A group of women near the mosque. Coming to the Citadel is quite a social/spiritual event, especially during holidays and holy days.The limestone exterior and iron windows. The mosque is built in the Ottoman/Turk style.Looking up at one of the minarets. The mosque is one of the most easily recognizable in Cairo.The alabaster covered courtyard of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.Standing in the courtyard of the mosque and the clock tower. The clock tower was a gift from King Louis Philippe of France in 1845 and my guide said it was a bad gift because the tower didn’t have lasting power and started crumbling (see the scaffolding around it?).The interior of the mosque. My guide mentioned that it is distinctive because of its red carpet. People were relaxing and hanging out. It was in between prayer times.The “minbar” of the mosque (center left) is where the prayer leader sits and leads prayer and service.Walking out the door to views of the gardens and city of Cairo.Corridor of arches along the exterior of the mosque.Views of Cairo from the top of the Citadel. Can you spot the two largest Pyramids of Giza in the haze?It’s me!Exterior view from the gardens.A peek of the green-domed Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque behind Muhammad Ali.The crescent moon and star, symbol of Islam, sits on top of one of the white domes.
I had first read about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in one of those Buzzfeed articles about beautiful libraries around the world. When I think of beautiful libraries, I imagine open yet cozy spaces with shelves of jewel toned book spines with gold script and overstuffed chairs. Even more so for a library with a location home to an ancient civilization.
But on my trip to Alexandria, I discovered an ultra-modern facility built in 2002. UNESCO supported the rebuilding of the library and held a design contest. The exterior of the building has writing from 120 different world scripts.
There was an ancient library called the Library of Alexandria, but it was destroyed in several fires and sieges by Julius Caesar and later when the Muslims invaded Egypt. It housed the ancient world’s largest collection of papyrus scrolls aimed to have all of the world’s knowledge in one place.
I wandered through the main floor of the library, where there were exhibits with vintage printing presses as well as books in Arabic, French and English. You cannot check out any books from the library, only read them while you are there. There is a university nearby so I saw many students studying and using computers.
I got my fix for ancient books in the Manuscript Museum, where I saw a piece of papyrus originally thought to be in the first library, illustrated copies of the Quran and first editions of Arabic books.
The “Fac-simile des monumens colories de L’Egypte” is one of the original books in the library. It was an illustrated history of ancient Egypt done by the French. It’s how we now know what the temples used to look like.The slanted roof has skylights and blue and green colors aimed at peace and relaxation.The modern facilities of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.The French collection of books on the main floor. France donated 500,000 books to the library, making it the largest French collection in the Arab world.Art and exhibits, including a linotype machine created by the ‘second Gutenberg’ Ottmar Mergenthaler.A student studies/takes a study break on her mobile.A Shakespeare book bench.A copy of Shakespeare’s “The First Folio,” published in 1623.The oldest manuscript in the library, one of the Quran.A copy of the Holy Quran.The copy of the “Gutenberg Bible,” the first book to be printed on a printing press in 1456. It looks like it was transcribed by hand to me!A page from the “Description de l’Égypte,” which was the collection of observations and research which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French Army.A copy of a papyrus scroll from the original library.“The Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)” is a copy of the original at the British Museum. The book held stories or spells that helped the spirits navigate the afterlife.
There are many things I miss about Japan, but festivals have to be near the top of that list. This weekend marks the 368th anniversary of the first Kawagoe Matsuri, the main festival event in our former hometown.
If you’re in the area, take some time and check it out. Kawagoe is less than an hour from Tokyo by local trains. In the meantime, enjoy our posts from the 2014 festival and the 2015 festival.
I had a three-day weekend due to the Islamic New Year on Sunday, October 2 so I decided to take advantage of the time off and head out to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, or the Egyptian Museum, in downtown Cairo. The coral building is easily recognizable in the famous Tahrir Square, the site of the 2011 Revolution protests.
View from the side of the museum and its gardens. Can you spot the Cairo Tower?
I hired a guide and I’m glad I did; the museum is a jumble and maze of mostly unmarked artifacts. It’s not the most organized or clean or secure museum I’ve ever been to—thousand-year-old stuff is strewn throughout rooms with signs that essentially say, do not lean on or touch the priceless tomb/statue/carving. But people do. The concept is very culturally Egyptian—proud but lackadaisical.
Entrance ticket is about $8.50 and to take photos, $5.50.
What it lacks in interpretation and modernity, it makes up for in dusty coolness factor. The museum is made up of items collected from various pyramids, including the entire collection of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Wikipedia says it has more than 120,000 items, not counting the ones that were gifted to Austria and other countries.
The main hall of the ground floor. I hope nothing falls over!
We started on the first floor (ground floor) with the collection from the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. First, I saw the statue of King Djoser (Zoser), who built the world’s first stone step pyramid, which I had previously visited in Saqqara. The statue was collected from his pyramid and features the life-size (small!) king with the false chin.
King Djoser.
Next, we headed through the main hall to see a stone pyramid top, or the Benben stone from the Pyramid of Amenemhat III. The pyramid below it has since crumbled, but the carved capstone or tip remains.
Guide Asmaa next to the capstone carved with a phoenix bird, which is a part of an ancient creation story.
At the end of the hall is a colossal statue of Amenhotep III and his wife, Tiye, grandparents of the famous Tutankhamun. This statue is significant because it’s the first time a woman was depicted as the same giant size as her husband. Notice the size of their daughters at their feet. I later saw Tiye’s eerie mummy (see a photo on Wikipedia), complete with hair in the mummy room (no pictures allowed and that’s fine by me).
Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.
We headed to check out the artifacts surrounding King Amenhotep IV, who was the first pharaoh who decided to worship only one God. His story was featured on Morgan Freeman’s “Story of God” series (go DVR it right now). The show features the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the turn to a monotheistic (one God) worship by this king. He later changed his name to Akhenaten to include the name of the God Aten, or “sun.” Unfortunately, he became somewhat of a religious tyrant and his followers scratched out his name in his coffin so that his spirit would NOT return in the afterlife. His successor returned to a polytheistic rule.
Akhenaten’s wooden coffin found in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. Look at the middle strip of the coffin. Can you see where the cartouche, or the symbols for his name, has been scratched out?
The second floor houses the pieces of the famous kings and more solid gold bling. Namely, all of the 5,000 things that a boy king Tutankhamun could ever want for the afterlife. We saw his gold ceremonial chair, three funerary beds (in case he wanted to bounce from bed to bed, I guess) and four shrine gold boxes that held his sarcophagus and death mask.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
The third bed has a crying lion, grief stricken by his king’s death.
The wooden throne of Tutankhamun features an image of him under the sun (‘Aten’ for his birth name Tutankhaten) while his queen applies perfume on him.
The first funerary bed of Tutankhamun has a pair of cows.
The second bed featured the heads of hippopotamuses.
One of King Tut’s outer golden coffins decorated with lapis lazuli and turquoise.
Due to all of the grave robbing, precautionary measures were taken to hide the body within the layers of gold coffins. I guess it didn’t matter too much because the location of his tomb was lost, not to be found until the famous discovery in 1922.
I also saw the museum’s masterpiece, the famous gold and colored mask of King Tut with the long false chin. It is 24 lbs. of solid gold. Alas, no pictures were allowed.
I hope to return again and explore the museum more on my own.
In the first of what I hope will be many pyramid trips, I recently joined a trip to the Sakkara (Saqqara) Pyramid complex. Although it’s not the most well-known group of pyramids, like the Great Pyramids of Giza, it has very impressive hieroglyphics inside the tombs. The trip was led by Community Services Organization, a nonprofit in Cairo designed to provide services for expats (like me!).
We first arrived at the Pyramid of Djoser. The pyramid has six limestone “steps” and is thought to be among the earliest known stone structures in the world—according to our guide Ahmed—built around 2667–2648 BC. The credit for the step design is given to Imhotep, the architect who was the right hand of the king.
It was a slow day for tourist camel rides at the Pyramid of Djoser.
The steps were thought to symbolize a stairway to heaven. The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids not only to be tombs for kings and nobles, but also to house the spirits and facilitate a happy afterlife. This included physical offerings of food and worldly possessions as well as hieroglyphics (symbols for the alphabet) and pictures telling the story of the person’s life on the walls.
A line of Uraei (cobra) with the Pyramid of Djoser behind it.
Next, we moved through the complex of crumbling pyramids and headed underground to the tomb of the Pharaoh Unas. Although we had to climb down a very narrow tunnel, the passageway was well-lit, which helped discourage claustrophobia.
Following Ahmed down the passageway through the Pyramid of Unas.
At the end, when it was safe to stand up straight, there was a white limestone room completely filled with hieroglyphics. A few of us gasped!
The walls and ceiling of one of the chambers of the Pyramid of Unas.Columns of hieroglyphics in Pharaoh Unas’s funerary chamber at the Pyramid of Unas.
The adjoining room was the chamber for Unas’s body, which included a black sarcophagus and stars on the roof to symbolize the heavens. It’s a good thing these spirits had all these signs to tell them if they were in the right place; these pyramids are a maze! The body/mummy itself is not in the sarcophagus, it was probably looted along with the other offerings and riches in the tombs.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
Columns of hieroglyphics in Pharaoh Unas’s funerary chamber at the Pyramid of Unas.
The symbol that I’m touching is the ankh, also known as key of life. This series of symbols means “He lives, he lives, he lives.”
King Unas’s funerary chamber with black stone sarcophagus.
After we came above ground, we went to the tomb of one of Unas’s daughters, Idut. While Unas had numerous hieroglyphics/symbols in his pyramid, Idut’s tomb had the most impressive “Pyramid Texts,” realistic pictures and murals, some still with red and black color. Different chambers of her pyramid had pictures of the Nile, offerings of food and drink and pictures of scribes.
Pyramid Texts in the tomb of Idut describe a fishing scene on the Nile. Can you spot the hippopotamus, crocodile, fish and the cow being separated from her calf?
Workers used metals and minerals like copper to make paint. Did you know that slaves were not utilized to build the pyramids? Only paid workers. The National Museum has a papyrus record with names of all the workers who were employed and their payment.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
Pyramid Texts in the tomb of Idut describe a fishing scene on the Nile. Can you spot the hippopotamus, crocodile, fish and the cow being separated from her calf?
The large figure is Idut standing in a boat. To the right, young scribes are depicted.
Last, we went to Ka-Gmni’s tomb, where we couldn’t take pictures, but it had massive murals similar to Idut’s tomb, and underground to Titi’s Pyramid. We also made a stop at the Imhotep (King Djoser’s architect) Museum, which housed a mummy. It was a little too realistic!
Our guide Ahmed at the entrance to Ka-Gmni’s tomb, which also had very well preserved and ornate drawings.
I learned today that Egypt has anywhere from 50 to more than 100 pyramids, depending on how one defines a pyramid, still standing or fallen. I’m sure I’ll be back to learn more!
After two weeks of school, I already had my first week off for a religious holiday. My school observes both Orthodox Christian and Islamic holidays so I’ll get to experience the full gamut this year.
This past week, it was the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, that was celebrated throughout practicing nations including Egypt. This holiday is also called the “Sacrifice Feast,” because it honors the sacrifice of his son that Abraham was willing to make for God. To celebrate the holiday, goats and sheep have been penned in the streets waiting to be given out as meat for the holiday. I did not witness the bloodletting.
Instead, a co-worker and I decided to take advantage of the time and head to the resort town of Sharm el Sheikh along the Red Sea on the Sinai Peninsula.
We spent five days, four nights vacationing along Egyptian families also away on holidays. There was also a smattering of Eastern European tourists. But for the most part, there were not many people in town. In fact, it was a bit of a ghost town. We enjoyed it because it was quiet and relaxing, but there were many hotels, empty, half-built, abandoned.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
A mosaic mural on the road to the beach.
The Sharm-el-Sheikh airport welcoming visitors to the City of Peace.
It looks like construction stopped halfway on some building and hotel projects.
In general, tourism is down in Egypt, but especially in Sharm after a flight to St. Petersburg crashed in October 2015. ISIL claimed responsibility. Since then, many countries stopped direct flights to Sharm el Sheikh. Now, tourists must fly to Cairo first then transfer to a domestic flight to Sharm el Sheikh.
It wasn’t a problem for us because we are living in Cairo. After several security checks, it was only an hour flight to the town on Egyptian Air. Somehow, we ended up in Business Class, which was a nice treat.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
Sunset pink hues.
Footprints in the pink coral sand.
Clear waters of the Red Sea.
Camels going in for the night, done being photographed by tourists like me.
A secluded beach.
Coastal murals advertising the fish that can be seen in the reef.
The terrain on the Sinai Peninsula is like nothing I’ve seen before. The dusty red mountains rise up, rocky and defiant. The sea is a cobalt blue from a distance, clean and clear close up. The sand is pink and filled with white shells and coral. When we first arrived, I could see this as a setting for the Biblical tales I had heard of.
Click any photo in the gallery to see a larger version and start a slideshow view
Looking down on shallow coral.
A tropical fish zips through.
Tiran Island was visible from our resort.
The view from the hotel’s dock, where we could dive into deeper waters.
Looking back onto the seaside village from the diving boat.
The front of the boat.
Dusty mountains and blue waters.
First snorkeling and dive site off Tiran Island.
The second dive site, the wreckage of a sunk ship.
A boat sits waiting for snorkelers and divers to finish exploring.
View of the shore from the boat.
We spent a whole day snorkeling the Red Sea at three different sites. I saw angel fish, a (venomous) lionfish, a stingray, neon parrotfish, clownfish, butterfly fish, and yes, even Nemo! I also loved the variety of colors and types of coral.
In my opinion, the coral reef and snorkeling was just as beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia. I kept thinking how we spent more than $100 Australian on a snorkeling trip. The price at Sharm el Sheikh? Thirty US Dollars.
We had a perfect trip. We felt safe. And we could wear whatever clothing or bathing suits we wanted. We saw everything from bikinis to burkinis.
Did you know that Egypt was a destination for diving and snorkeling in its Red Sea reef? Enjoy the pictures!
