18th June 2009, 16:39
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| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR
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| Egypt - Asia to Africa, Mediteranean to Red sea I am sure it’s the Pharaohs, Mummies, The Pyramids, and Nile etc that strikes us the moment we think about Egypt has a lot to offer apart from the pyramids, and the famed pharonic temples in Luxor and aswan that were built more than 4000 years back. This is a country that has some of the most beautiful deserts, mountains and breathtaking beaches and crystal clear seas. Many of you must be surprised to hear that Egypt has the world’s second best coral reefs after Australia. I was pleasantly surprised myself My Mom and mother in law have been here with us in Egypt for the last three weeks and most weekends we traveled to places in and around Cairo and it was only this week that we planned for a longer holiday. In Cairo there are abundance of options but it was easier to decide this time as it was a place of religious significance, parents love that, don’t they? St Katherine, Mount Sinai and Sharm El Sheikh. It's said in the Bible that the Israelites traveled through Sinai as they sought the Holy Land. It is where God is said to have spoken to Moses at the Burning Bush. And the Bible says that God delivered the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai's peak. Total KM covered 1600KM Left home on Thursday at 3 PM – returned back on Saturday at 7:15 PM  We had decided not to take our car as it might be uncomfortable for five of us for a long journey instead we rented a SUV from Europcar. We took our driver along with us, not for driving but for language and ease of communication with the authorities and locals enroute. The plan was to leave home by 2:00 PM and reach the destination by 9:00 PM. I left office a little earlier than usual and by the time I reached home, the guy from Europcar was waiting with the Grand Cherokee at our apartment. Finished the paper work and after a quick lunch we were all set for the 600 Km drive, as usual we were late by an hour and it was 3 PM, by the time we drove out of our compound on to the ring road and from there to the Suez road that connects Africa with Asia. After driving us out of the busy Cairo roads which can be quite a hassle during the weekend, it was time for me to switch over to my favorite seat in a car, no prizes for guessing which one.  We reached Suez tunnel and after a brief stop at the security crossing we were allowed to proceed down the tunnel that’s below the Suez Canal on to the Asian side of Egypt. Once on the other side, you have the deserts and canyons and the mountains towards my left and on the right, it’s the red sea in its pristine glory with the twilight sun adding its own charm to the crystal clear waters of the red sea. The beauty of it was so overwhelming that I forgot to take pictures even though this was my third drive on this route. The Grand Cherokee 4.7 L, beautiful desert road immaculately maintained, not a single pot hole, well defined road marks, various stretches where it is a straight line for as far as the eye could see, I could not control my feet instead it was controlling us and the speedometer was reading 180 KM + and the constant reminders from our driver about his wife and family and I had to remind him to look behind and take comfort, its my mom, mother in law and my wife with me. Milestones are covered in minutes and there are turns where the majestic desert mountains come right into you. A quick stop for refueling at 7:30 PM and the driver for his much needed smoke we continue our journey and reach Sharm El Sheikh by 9:20 PM. We check in to our hotel, a quick shower and after a light dinner we hit the bed to be woken up by the bright day light which was actually blinding the eyes. Looking outside the window it looked as though it was well past noon and I quickly head for my watch to only realize its just 6 AM. The black and Red line on the map was the route taken |
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18th June 2009, 17:15
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| Senior - BHPian  | Hmm... A travelogue from Egypt.  More pictures please! Quote:
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18th June 2009, 17:17
| #3 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai
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18th June 2009, 17:18
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18th June 2009, 18:30
| #5 |
| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR
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| PS: some pics are with family. Day 2: Plan for the day was to travel to Mount Sinai and St Katherine which is a further 300 KM from Sharm and back to Sharm in the evening. After a quick breakfast at the lavish buffet, we start at 9:45 AM and if I thought the road from Suez to Sharm was breathtaking I could not think of words that could describe the road from Sharm to Mount Sinai. I had never seen the deserts, and the mountains and the canyon in different shades of white, yellow, cream, green, red, brown, grey, black, what a creation and what a road in the desert wilderness.         |
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18th June 2009, 18:58
| #6 |
| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR
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| The terrain is mountainous and enigmatic, and driving through it you see goats and camels wandering through and large quantities of desert shrubs and plants, this indeed is a terrain of incredible beauty eventually climbing the valley, leading to the foot of the 2285-metre Mount Sinai where St Katherine’s monastery is located. Quote” St. Catherine's Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula at the foot of in Egypt. One of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, St. Catherine's incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and contains many valuable icons. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/e...ines-monastery.     |
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18th June 2009, 19:09
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| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR
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29th November 2009, 20:36
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| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai
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30th November 2009, 10:17
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Hyderabad
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30th November 2009, 10:34
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| BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune-Bangalore
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| Amazing pictures. By the way , sir, where do you work ? I mean I remember seeing your travelogue driving across Europe and this time its across Egypt. Truly unique. I wonder which organization allows you such generous holidays  . Please add some more pictures.By the way the landscape though barren and arid does have its own beauty and romance. Thanks for sharing. |
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30th November 2009, 11:07
| #11 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ahmedabad
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1st December 2009, 12:35
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| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR
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