December 26th, 2018

My November trip to Egypt was a good one. In a strange way, it dovetails my trip to Peru, Machu Picchu more than a decade ago. During my university days, I read this book called 'Fingerprints of the Gods'. Described as an pesudoarchelogy book, the author Grahan Hancock gave an interesting take on the possibility of an ancient civilisation or race that helped created all these phenomenal ancient monuments.

Due to my busy schedules, I did not have time to prepare for the trip. I was ready to take in all the sights and sounds, good or bad, as part of the time. Let me summarise all the good and all the bad: 

The Good 

• Relatively safe. I did not once feel uneasy or that anyone would assault or rob me. 
• Amazing monuments, structures and relics. It's amazing how all these structures could be built using pre-B.C. technology! 
• Great insights and learning. I am certainly more well-versed in Egyptology now than several months back. 
• Nice food. I like Egyptian food, especially the bread and hummus. I am not a fussy eater haha.
• Good weather. Hot and dry in the day, but cool in the evenings. 

The Bad

• Hygiene standards. Not advisable to drink tap water. Several member of our tour group suffered from food / water poisoning and it was not a nice sight. 
• Lots of touting and tipping. We were expected to tip almost everyone for everything. And the touts were persistent. 
• Lots of squatters and buildings that were built halfway and then left as they are. Certainly an eyesore in the city of Cairo. 

After 12 days, however, I was fatigued and tired out. While doing a land tour (with Intrepid) was convenient and safe, as the tour operators planned everything, towards the end of the trip, I could see that everyone was tired out and wanted more alone-time haha. 

When the tour ended, and with two days left, we decided to "take a gamble" and booked an airplane ride to Sharm El Sheikh. Sharm el-Sheikh is an Egyptian resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. It's known for its sheltered sandy beaches, clear waters and coral reefs. Naama Bay, with a palm tree-lined promenade, is filled with bars and restaurants. Ras Muhammad National Park is a major diving destination, with marine life around the Shark and Yolanda reefs and the Thistlegorm wreck. The Red Sea is supposed to be the best waters for diving, so we did some snorkelling and then returned back to Cairo.