Day 13: Sharm to Cairo

By morning, my burn was feeling a little better and I did not want to leave Sharm without snorkeling at least once. We headed out early under a less harsh sun and jumped off the jetty. Paul was just trying to take care of me and keep me out of the sun the day before when he told me the snorkeling was not as spectacular as in Dahab! I guess he was truthful in saying it was not as “spectacular” – the coral was not as brightly colored and there were less fish – but the fish were different and I would have been sad to miss seeing the Four Seasons’ reef! The most interesting fish I saw was HUGE black fish with a long yellow stripe up top and big orange eyes. I splashed frantically away when I first saw it – it had an open mouth filled with big white teeth! Once I realized it was just eating coral and likely wasn’t hungry for Haases, I swam cautiously back over. Just then another HUGE purple and green fish swam right up to my feet! I was scared all over again, but it was so exciting! I loved seeing the giant fish.

On my way out to snorkel!

After our snorkel, we had a great breakfast of fresh fruit smoothies, omelets and crepes and headed out in the transport Paul had booked through the Four Seasons the day before. Cold towels and waters were waiting for us in the back seat and our luggage was in the trunk by the time we arrived at reception. Our driver even took us into the airport and helped us navigate security, which was quite confusing with e-tickets. Security is set up before the airline ticket counters, and yet security requires tickets for entry. With the help of our driver, we got it all straightened out and were set for our flight to Cairo.

On our way to breakfast - a pretty morning!

The flight was short and easy and on time. We were greeted by our Abercrombie &Kent tour coordinator and driven to our hotel on Zamalek – a long island in the middle of the Nile. It was the first hotel all trip I actually disliked. Despite the excellent trip advisor reviews, the hotel is old, the towels are a bit dingy, the shower is rusty, and the carpet is lumpy. And the hotel staff are not friendly. We have a beautiful view across the Nile, although we look out on the Four Seasons and it calls to me…I guess I got quite spoiled from my 1 day in Sharm! I have my complaints, but I swear I have a little perspective too and know that our hotel is just fine for a 3 night stay in Cairo.


View from our room.

In the evening we headed out to Taboula, a restaurant that Lindsay recommended from her time studying in Cairo. We were a little nervous to venture out into the city on foot, but we were far more unwilling to deal with the hassle of cabs, so we decided to walk. We walked over the bridge from Zamalek and down a few busy streets and a few scary dark streets (that happened to house the US and British Embassies) and made it to Taboula in no time. It was buzzing with all the Muslims there to break the day’s fast, but after a few minutes we were seated. I tried to order a few of the dishes that Lindsay had recommended, and I liked trying to picture her time in Cairo.

On the way back the streets were so busy. I understand the comparison of Cairo to New York – both cities are big and dirty with bright lights and billboards and both cities are ALIVE.



Cairo at Night!