SUNNY EGYPT

alexandria was not such a good experience for me. i just stayed there for one day and then came back to cairo. the buildings have a colonial fascade but the town is unkempt and unclean with a lot of litter. the public beaches are not near to the ones on the sinai and it seems the whole city comes to the beach on the weekend. alex was certainly not my cup of tea although they have good restuarants

this was the best place i could be. heaven on earth for short. dahab always comes to amaze you. the town is very versatile with a base for scuba divin, mountain climbin, ATV,wind surfin and what more partying. its got a very lively scene and most of the inhabitants are young and some not so young but young at heart.

places of interest for snorkelin and divin:

the lighthouse

blue hole ( this is the best)

the laguna

for mountain climbin:

MT sinai

wind surfin

the laguna

ATV :

all over the town

lets start. the main part of dahab which is the most happenin one is the el mashrabe street(sharae). this is the street where all the low cost budget hostels are located as well as the scuba divin centres etc. the corniche connects to the lighthouse to these hostels most of whch are located on the corniche or have approaches to it.

hilton is located not far off and also has a party scene but nothin like the one on the corniche.

dahab is a base for scuba divin where one can do introductory dives for around 20 usd the best time to go is june-july which is kinda the off season and nov - dec should be avoided as prices tend to increase a lot at that time. the divin around the lighhouse is not as enrichin porobably because of too much ppl pollution.

the blue hole is the best part for snorkelers and divers. i have heard that no one has been able to touch its bottom and experienced divers have gone down never to return.that sends a chill!!!

anyways the sea life and corals are amazin here and unspoilt atleast they were and the fact that the approach road is unmettalled would give the area a longer time to be spoilt. one should also keep in mind not to go near the corals as it could damage them and besides while swimmin should avoid gettin close to the rocks because if the tide is strong then there have been instances where injuries have been reported due to ppl collidin with the rocks. there is no better way to spend the afternoon than to be at the blue hole with its calming waters and just appreciating nature at its best. theer are some small inns where one can keep bags etc and order a bit of snacks and thats it.

the scenery is truly exhiliratin. at one side u have moutains with no vegetation on them bare moutains with the sun over them perpetually and at the other side u have the red sea and this hole. i truly recommend ppl to atleast go to the hole three times because the area is so large that one would not be able to scout the whole place i mean snorkel!! besides entrance to the hole is free although there r lots of checkpoints which in one sense is good since it keeps the crime element away but u have to return at evening because no one is permitted to stay. thats about the blue hole but its bigger than the words which i have described it with aside from me bing a very lousy writer.

after returnin to the hostel at evening there is just one thing to do frab a bit of rest to be in shape for the night party. there is this quite racious bar called TOTA where entrance for foreigners is free and thus one can enjoy the fruits of this life for free and since i dont drink what better way to spend time and have fun. TOTA is designed like a submarine and the locals who come here r the ones ownin the guesthouses and tryin to have fun since local women r almost non existent in dahab!! lolz!!

sharm is a good place but the accomodation, travellin , transportation is all very difficult to get and very expensive. the beaches are all closed and u have to pay to use them cmon we r backpackers we aint got money to feed ourselves how come we come up with the money!! sharm city is a good place where there are lots of eateries i really liked one its the most famous of them and its got amazin sheesh kebab and hibiscus juice.besides the sharm bazar is up every day where you can get a lot of things at great bargain.

anyways didnt meet a lot of young people there most of the old and well to do ppl come here although it gets very hot indeed and without sun block u get big sunburn. my whole skin came off!!

but still the experience was good but not worth the dough.

cairo has a lot to offer. i started my cairo trip from tahrir where i stayed in canadian hostel a good place which was clean for 20 LE. tahrir could be termed as the focal point of the city since it is kinda the middle of the city one can easily go to giza , old city etc , the subway is here as well so transportation is not a problem.

the pyramids are stil amazin great pieces of art. aside from that cairo offers good cheap food definitely try the felafel from felfela and the food at gad , restuarant, is also good. those of you who like subway sandwiches you would forget them once you eat momen which is a local chain.

egyptians pasttime is shoppin and eating and that you can always experience.in cairo there are loads of places to go. starting from the old city , the citadel ( al ala) as it is called is an amazin piece of architecture. besides one can also go to al azhar university and the recently opened park i failed to recall its name but this park pictures included is beautiful as it breaks the monotony of the city and it has some amazin views of the old city. the khan e khalili souk is also a must see especially if one wants to see bargaining but one can be easily in the labyrinth of alleys. for belly dancin viewin one can go to sharae harm although some of the areas there r a bit off limits i mean creepy.

nasr city is the new city. this is where the big shopping malls are located like city stars etc although branded stuff in egypt is very expensive. but there is this amazin coffee scene here and with guys and grils hangin around like in any country. it seems evy guy wants a girlfrnd to show around anyways that was funny but who am i to pass a judgement??

for people wantin to stay put in cairo i would recommend do their shoppin from saudi super market for the week where prices are knocked down and they can save a lot of money and it can easily be reached by metro from tahrir.

qasre nil which is where the nile flows is also a place to go to and where in the evenings most of the ppl come to take a ride in a boat. had fun dancin to the egyptian tunes. the boat ride is inexpensive to say the least!!