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Pyrisma Hotel
Sharm El Sheikh
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Pyrisma Hotel Pool
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Julie Sharks Bay
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Ras Mohammed National Park
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Ras Mohammed National Park
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Ras Mohammed National Park
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Namma Bay
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Coloured Canyon
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Julie On A Sheesha Pipe
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Pyramid Giza
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Sunset Pyramid Giza
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Mohammed Ali Mosque
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Coloured Canyon
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Coloured Canyon
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Coloured Canyon
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Mohammed Ali Mosque
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Ras Mohammed National Park
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We had a great time in Egypt, we stayed in Sharm El Sheikh at the Pyramisa Hotel. It is a large hotel spread over a really large area in Sharks Bay and has 460 rooms, it has a own star rating of 5 but we would say its only probably a 3 star hotel, we were lucky we had a great sea view over looking sharks bay, the room was comfortable and very clean, but the tiles in the bathroom had seen better days, the cleaner came every day, he made animals, love hearts out of towels and put flowers on our beds. Pyramisa has 3 large swimming pools one has a wave machine.We stayed all inclusive basis,it has 7 restaurants, the food was O.K, breakfasts were good plenty of fresh fruit, the food in the restaurants was O.K although a bit sameish, but we had something good every day, the sweets were very nice.
Our first few hours we spent exploring the hotel and getting to know where things were and getting something to eat. Next morning we went to check out the 4 beaches, which are smallish but are very clean and have golden sand, the first thing we did was walk into the sea along a small jetty, paddling in the beautiful clear warm water, we were immediately amazed at all the brilliantly colourful fish and corals, when we saw all the fishes couldn't wait to go snorkeling, so we went straight back to our room for our snorkeling things, it was fantastic we have never seen anything like it before so clear and lots of different kinds of amazingly coloured fish, some were quite large.
After a couple of hours snorkeling we then went to find our holiday rep to book our sight seeing tours,
* 1st, Cairo by plane ?135 each including lunch, entrance to Egyptian Museum,Mohammed Ali Mosque, Giza pyramids and Sphinx.
* 2nd, trip a jeep safari to the Coloured Canyon, including lunch cost ?40 each.
* 3rd, Almera 111, boat trip to Ras Mohammed national park, including lunch cost ?30 each.
Cairo by plane
We got up early to go to Cairo 4.00 am, we watched the sunrise from our room while we had a coffee, we then went and collected our breakfast boxes that the hotel made up for us, and waited with the other hotel guest who would be going to Cairo with us we left the hotel at 5.00am. When we got to Sharm El Sheikh airport we boarded the plane, then we had to get back off after we had taxied to the runway and all the way back to the departure lounge, we learned that our flight was delayed because of smog in Cairo. After half an hour we were back on the plane, the flight lasted 40 min?s. We then met our guide for the day he was called Bob he was very knowledgeable and had a good laugh and also our security guard for the day, who went everywhere with us and carried a gun.
Firstly we visited the Citadel and Mohammed Ali Mosque also known as the Alabaster Mosque. Before going into the mosque we had to remove our shoes and Julie had to wear a gown.
The Citadel was built in 1176 by Salah ad Din but was demolished by Sultan al Nasir and he then built a stripped mosque, which was the demolished by Mohammad Ali so he could build his mosque and palaces. The Mohammad Ali Mosque is built from alabaster (this is why it gets the name, Alabaster Mosque). It was built between 1824 and 1848, although some of the domes are recent builds done in the 1930s.This mosque is the best known in Cairo. It's an impressive building, and dominates the Cairo skyline, with minarets and silver domes that gleam in the sun. The domes are made of tin. The inner courtyard has marble floors and is surrounded by columns and arches. In the center is an ornate fountain (Muslims wash before taking prayers). There is also a clock tower; the clock was given to Egypt by King Louis Philippe of France as a trade for the obelisk that stands now in Paris. Our guide told us that he clock has never worked.
On the right as we entered the mosque there is a bronze grille, which is the mausoleum of Mohammed Ali. Inside the mosque it?s lit with chandeliers, glass globe lights, colourful lamps and by the beams of sunlight that were streaming in through stained glass windows. It has red carpets covering the floor, which are said to be original, and fit exactly to the floor. Our guide told us they were recently removed, cleaned, and then re-laid. The domes are striking from the inside highly decorated with bright coloured greens reds and gold.
The mosque is unusual, it has two minbars for sermons. The largest and more elaborate one was put in by Mohammed Ali, it is in the center of the mosque and because of the buildings acoustics, the sermons can't be heard very well, it also has an upper terrace where the women would pray. From the outside courtyard we had a good panoramic view of Cairo. Form here we went to the Cairo museum.
Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
This famous museum is usually known as the Cairo Museum, but is really called The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. It was opened in 1902 under the patronage of Marriette. It's an amazing and absorbing place, at the moment it is too small and houses only a small fraction of the collection of the museum, which are on display, the museum is a disorganized collection items and are not labelled very clearly, so we were pleased that we had a knowledgeable guide, it has coffins and statues stacked up along walls in the halls. There are roughly 135000 items on display, including the treasures of boy King Tutankhamun and the solid gold death mask encrusted with Lapis lazuli and his glittering golden jewellery, there's also a Royal Mummy Room. We never went in the Royal Mummy Room with eleven royal mummies, which you need to, but extra tickets. In the basement of the museum there are said, there a further 45-50,000 items. No photos are allowed in the museum but we saw lots of people taking photos with their cameras and phones. There are plans for a much larger museum near the Giza that will house the entire enormous collection. Next we went to Giza.
Giza Pyramids and Sphinx.
Surely everyone who visits Egypt would like to see the Pyramids, which are on the Giza plateau close to the outskirts of Cairo. We thought that the pyramids were out in the desert, and were a bit shocked when we found that they are actually so close to Cairo, we wondered how people got all those great photos you see on postcards, although if you go far and walk a long way from the pyramids you will get great photos, but as with many excursions we didn't have time to go very far.
Visiting the site I wanted to go into one of the pyramids, Tickets are sold separately for entering the pyramids and are limited and cost ?1, our guide got us ours, so I went inside with a guy a met on the trip, Julie and his wife didn't want to go inside, opting for the experience of just sitting on a pyramid and watching the hustle bustle of tourists and people offering camel rides one man on a camel was stoned by the tourist police for harassing the tourists lots of people even the tourist police ask to take your photo then want money off you, so beware.
On the site there are the three huge pyramids. The Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Cheops). the Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre), and the smallest of the three, the Pyramid of Menkaure. There are also Queen's pyramids also on the site, as well as other tombs. There is also a Museum at the base of one of the pyramids.
Great Pyramid of Cheops/ Khufu.
The largest of the pyramids, is that of Khufu (Cheops) a massive stone monument that is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Very little since has ever rivalled the monumental effort used to build these gigantic stone pyramids. We were shocked at the enormous size of the pyramid that dwarfed us. The pyramid originally measured approx 140 meters high and 230 meters square at the base. There are roughly 2.3 million blocks of stone in the pyramid, which weigh about 6 million tons; some of blocks are as tall as 6 ft high. No one is really sure how the pyramids were built, although the myth that they were built by slaves is only a myth. The myth came from a Greek historian Herodotus, who said that the pyramid took over 30 years and the labour of 100,000 slaves to build. This is unlikely our guide told us, that peasants probably built it during a river Nile flood. And they were paid in food for their labours. It is built of stone blocks and was then clad in white limestone. Which has been stolen, taken as souvenirs, eroded, or collapsed, over the many years.
Over the years the pyramid has shrunk about 30 feet in all directions. The tomb was completely looted, only 1 tiny statue of Cheops has survived, it was found nearby the pyramid it's now in it the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This is the pyramid we went inside, it was a little claustrophobic in there, firstly stooping down going up and down stairs and along narrow white passages until we reached the burial vault, you are not are allowed photos but yet again people did take photos!
Sphinx.
Below the pyramids, is the Sphinx, which is probably the most well known of all Egyptian monuments. Theories of its origins range from Chephren, pre-dynastic Egyptians and even aliens from outer space had built it.. Modern archaeology dates it to the reign of Chephren, and that the face on the Sphinx is a likeness of him. The sphinx is badly ruined and has been badly repaired over the years. A huge outcrop of stone was carved to create the human head and the body of a lion. The outcrop is of softer limestone; it measures 240 feet long and about 60 feet high. The head and headdress are of a harder stone, and is less eroded. The sphinx is not built from blocks of stone, but it was dug out of the outcrop, down to the bedrock in spite of the way it looks after the many repairs.
The face of the sphinx is very well known, but sadly is incomplete. The nose and beard are missing. It is said that it had been used for target practice by armies; the theory that the nose was blown off by artillery shells isn't supported by fact.
Some Egyptologists claim that the sphinx may be as much as 2600 years older than first thought, some base this idea, on the erosion of the body, which they claim was done during a period of heavy rain and flooding.
In the 19th century, it was assumed that it was older than the pyramids, basically because it looks older, with its weather beaten face and body, make it look as if it has been around for a much longer time period. In fact, Khafre?s (Chephren) name was mentioned on the Dream Stele, which sits between the paws of the great sculpture, it has been said that Cheops, Chephren?s predecessor, built his funeral temple beside the sphinx, implying that it was already there at the time. Most Egyptologists theories are, mineral salts and the wind caused the erosion of the sphinx. In fact, if the Sphinx had not been covered in sand for most of its life, it would have long since crumbled. It is in a lower part of the site the desert sands encroach on everything. If the sand is not cleared away from time to time, it can fill up the basin where the sphinx sits within fifteen years. It is believed that the Sphinx was buried in sand shortly after its creation. Tuthmose IV first uncovered it, after he dreamt that if he uncovered the monument, he would be king. He did, and subsequently became King. The "dream stele" that sits between the Sphinx?s paws also tells this story. The sphinx has three tunnels, 1 behind the head, 1 in the tail, and one on the north side and a few others that have been dug into by looters and treasure seekers.
I'm not sure what to believe about the origin of the sphinx. Although I do think that the head looks very small on the large body, as if it has been re carved and originally was had much better proportions, and was carved to resemble the likeness of Chephren?s face, years after the body was first carved.
After the pyramids we went to the Imhotep Papyrus Institute where we were given a brief demonstration of how papyrus was, and is, traditionally made, we had a look around the gallery were there are many paintings for sale. Then went for something to eat and later on to a perfume shop, as we were nearing the perfume shop which is close to the pyramids we saw the sunset over pyramids, so I quickly went back around the corner from the perfume shop and took a photo of the sunset over the Pyramids lucky me, perfect timing. After a long day we headed back to the airport and Sharm EL Sheikh.
Jeep safari to the coloured canyon
We went from our hotel by 4x4 jeep there were 8 people in our jeep plus the driver and our security guard, to a muster point were we met other jeeps for the long trek up the northeast coast of the Sinai peninsular towards Dehab, it was a 160 km drive by road, it took round about 2hrs 30 mins along time sat in a cramped jeep, but well worth it, there wasn't much to see on the journey there, or return just dessert, high mountains and goats, in Dehab we went through a check point and our passports checked for our visas, we then headed to Nuweiba, the Coloured Canyon, is situated between Nuweiba and St Catherine?s, from Nuweiba then we went west towards to the entrance of the canyon which was a little more interesting and can only be reached by 4 wheel drive. It lasted about 20 min, off road, up and downhill, over rocks, sliding about etc good fun.
When we arrived we stood and marvelled over the vast canyon. We set off down the mountainside for a 1hr 30min hike through the canyon which was of absolutely stunning beauty. The rocks are many colours ranging wonderful shades of blue, green, white, yellow, ochre, pinks purples and red, our guide painted our faces with the red soft rock powder, that he mixed with a little water.
We saw lots of fantastic rock formations that contained fossils in the valley walls, which show that at one time it was beneath the sea. It was incredibly imposing looking up at the gigantic rock formations. As we went further through the canyon we had to crawl under and between rocks, crevices, sliding down through a hole in the rock. We then had a short rest hearing of stories about how the Bedouins made fires and how they would find water, before continuing through a large sandy valley, to a shaded tented area where we had another short rest and bought some coke, we saw a snake here but I wasn't quick enough to take a photo of it as it slithered away. Then we had a very steep climb from the bottom of the valley floor back up to the top Julie said she felt like a mountain goat HA HA, were we had another much needed rest.
From there we went in back the jeeps for the drive to Nuweiba for lunch in a beachfront restaurant, where over the sea we could see in the distance the mountains of Saudi Arabia, here we could snorkel or swim. We then drove to Dahab and down the red sea coast, then back through the desert to our hotel in Sharm El Sheikh. A great day out.
Almera 111, boat trip
We set off from our hotel at 7.30am, we went to habour at Sharm El Sheikh it was really busy with hundreds of boats. We set off to the Ras Mohammed national park we had a good day relaxing and snorkeling and looking at he coast line heading up towards the Suez canal we passed mangrove trees in the clear turquoise water, we saw colourful corals and fishes, we saw a really big fish don't know what kind it was though. The lunch we had was very nice.We arrived back at our hotel at 4.oopm.
Nights out
We went to Namma Bay a couple of nights, we went with 8 friends that we met in the hotel, for a very nice meal, later we went into a bar and tried a sheesha pipe. Next day it was time to go home , we will go back to egypt only next time to Marsa Alam or Hurghada so we can visit Luxor and the valley of the kings.
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