Scuba diving the Red Sea.....a dream come true! Sharm el Sheikh, Feb 2009

There are some things that, for whatever reason, you've just always wanted to do.  For me, scuba diving in the red sea was right up there on the list.  Egypt has always seemed like such a far off, foreign place.  For a Canadian, it is literally on the other side of the world.  However, once you move to Europe you realize that it is just across the Mediterranean.  As such, it was an easy choice when looking for a week get away to choose Sharm el Sheikh, a resort town on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.

Now, at this time, we'd still only been living in Europe for just over 6 months so when it came time to booking an all inclusive, we simply walked into the nearest travel agent and booked.  Little did we realize that this meant the resort that we were staying at would cater exclusively to German speaking guests.  What this meant was that only a few if any of the staff spoke English, and our German was still pathetic.   The consequence was any number of misunderstandings each of which made this vacation a little more of an adventure than the next.

It was so refreshing to see palm trees in the middle of February.  It was still a little early in the season for outrageous temperatures and we even had a little rain!

Yup, you're right, not a bad room.  Unfortunately, ours was the upstairs one but essentially each room was pool side

Now, as soon as we realized that Sharm would be the destination I got onto the web looking for dive shops.  The idea was for the GF to get certified so that we could dive together.  Unfortunately, it wasn't to be as asthma kept her out of the water even after seeking a second opinion from the guru of scuba diving medicine in Egypt.  With this disappointing news, an opportunity emerged. The guide who she had been working with was now free for the week.  Seeing my chance I seized the opportunity to book him for private lessons to get my Advanced Open Water PADI certification. (I had previously competed my Open water in Phuket Thailand)

This was on second dive on the second last day.  We missed a whale shark here by about 20 mins.  I can not begin to explain how great the diving is in Sharm.  The only disadvantage is it's crowded unless you go off season like I did!

This is a tremendous course as you're doing multiple dives each day in a location supporting arguably, the best diving in the world.  We did drift dives, wall dives, shore dives, boat dives all of which culminated in two dives at the SS Thistlegorm wreck, a world war two supply ship that was sunk fully loaded, while it waited to pass through the Sinai canal.  Two dives on the SS Thistlegorm are not enough but it was my first time actually navigating my way through the holds and hallways of a wreck....incredible!

Unfortunately, this trip was before I had my Go Pro camera so recording the dive to SS Thistlegorm wasn't possible.  This obviously isn't it but it was another cool wreck that we saw along the way

When we weren't on a dive boat, we decided to fly to Cairo for a day to take in the wonders of the Ancient Egyptian empire.  After an early morning flight, we drove through Cairo to the great pyramid of Giza.  Unfortunately, we just happened to be there during a sand storm which actually gave a whole new appreciation for just how inhospitable the desert can be.

The Great Pyramids are truly amazing.  Unfortunately for us, the visibility was horrible because of the sand storm.  Anything white, including my sunglasses were never quite white again!

For a brief moment the sun broke through and I captured this photo.  Really just an interesting perspective on the Pyramids.  What you can't see if that each layer of the pyramid is almost as tall as a person

We also travelled to the Sphinx where I was disappointed to see that 180 degrees from looking at the Sphinx you can find a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet.  It was a very different experience that what I had expected.

I love this photo.  Unfortunately, the visibility still isn't good but it gives and erie atmosphere to the photo.  If I had turned 180 degrees from this spot I could take a photo of the KFC store.  Very disappointing

Our guide did a great job of speaking to the politics of the country, a conversation that I can't help but remember given the recent changes in Egyptian politics.  He also welcomed us into the "university" of Islamic teachings, a massive Mosque close to the old shopping area of Cairo.  This was my first experience entering a Mosque and it was quite different from what I expected.  I have to say, I was thoroughly refreshed by his approach.  He believed that Muslims needed to be much more transparent with their teachings so that others could better understand and even participate.  What a novel concept!
Unfortunately, the following day, in the exact spot where he explained his philosophy to us, a bomb was detonated killing a few tourists.  It's sad to think that others can't be as open, welcoming and tolerant as he.

This was my first experience in a Mosque.  Our guide was very open and asked us to take photographs.  His philosophy was the more people witnessed and understood, the less they would fear.  I tend to agree

All in all, Egypt absolutely delivered on its promise!  The diving and resorts in Sharm exceeded expectations.  The town itself is far too touristy for my liking but really, it's wrong to expect otherwise.  And finally, getting a glimpse at Cairo and the Pyramids was truly an experience I shall not soon forget. (sampling "traditional Egyptian cuisine" at TGI Friday's on the other hand was a different story).  I will absolutely return to Egypt as I feel we've only brushed the surface, not only from a diving perspective but also from a historic and cultural one.  The Valley of the Kings and a cruise down the Nile are both still on the list!  Stay tuned.