[Paul_Ward]

Thought I'd post some pictures of my latest AM provided trip, but *******-arrrgh!!!!! some *******-arrrghh!!! stole my camera with 512Mb memory card at Gatwick airport on the way back, so I can't show any underwater pictures I took in the Red Sea.

Here are some pictures I took last year anyhow.

Arse - I wanted to make comments as I went along. The first shot is of my son in the sea by the reef edge, about 20 feet deep and a nice snorkelling intro. Many of the rest of of Cairo and the pyramids - if anyone is heading that way, let me know - though I know it's hugely more expensive from the US. The guide we had was great, when we went back again this year, my eldest son and my wife went and had the tour. A day with a very knowledgeable and trained guide, entrance to museum, pyramids, private air-conditioned car, lunch on a boat on the Nile for $65 each. We organized ourselves and paid literally half the hotel/agent rates.

[Kellie aka Ms. B]

Nice pics. I bet the pics don't do it justice though. That's a place I've always wanted to see. Fascinates me.

[Haiko de Poel, Jr.]

Sorry, couldn't resist :nerd:

http://abestweb.com/egypt.gif
Very Cool Pics! I am fascinated with Egypt also.

[Jackie]

Ah, yes, the "eternal" Best Web." I love it!

[Neil]

i have been also.
its only a 1 day boat trip from here.
they do a 3 day cruise from cyprus it costs around $200 all inc.
boat,food,nice cabin, transfers,trips, etc,etc.

i had always wanted to go see them.
it does blow your mind when you see how big they are.
you just stand and think?? how did they get them up so high..
great pic though. :thumbup2:

[Paul_Ward]

It's the second time we've been this year. We stay at Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea, near to Ras Mohammed one of the world's top 3 dive sites and then go to the other parts of Egypt for days out.

The diving and snorkelling are superb, this year we stayed at a hotel above Temple Reef which is regarded as the next best place to Ras Mohammed, so probably one of the best hotels in the world for undersea life.

5 minutes from the hotel room, we could be with shoals of Barracuda, Lion fish, 10ft Morays etc. etc. - that's the main reason we go, the rest is (an amazing) bonus.

I find the whole culture of ancient Egypt rather claustrophobic, an extravagant "death cult", but none the less impressive for that. It makes all the difference to be able to talk to some-one who is a real scholar in the subject as our guide was. He was a young man, so we had a very intense discussion about modern Islam, terrorism etc. too.

Egypt is a very ancient place, but also modern and vibrant, the people are fantastic, they have the Arab culture whereby the guest is honoured and it is the duty of the host to make sure that he/she feels that way when in their country.

I'd recommend anyone visit, there's reason and interest for all - and my son (13 now) wants to do a PADI dive course before we go back, so he can do what Dad does.

[FourthWorld]

Are you American? If so, how was it travelling there?

Closest I've been is Malta, but next year when I go back to Malta I'm considering some time in Tunisia. Any tips for the American traveller in that part of the world would be appreciated.

[Neil]

We stay at Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea,
i have wanted to go to that resort.
but they had a bomb 2 weeks ago,
its kept everyone away.
many cypriots go there on holiday, but most of them canceled after the bomd.

the worst news i have heard this week.
a cypriot couple changed there mind about going there after the bombing.
decided to go prague instead as it was safer... then died in the greek air crash.. how unlucky is that..

to makes things even worse.
a coach crashed in sharm el , last week killing another 8 cypriots.

[Paul_Ward]

We nearly changed our minds when the bombs went off, but then thought that it wasn't going to be hit again soon.

The father of my son's best friend works in counter-terrorism and he reckoned it would one of the safest places in the world to go after the event. They had planned to go to Morocco, but cancelled, he said he'd go "If it got bombed" !

It was pretty quiet in Sharm, it's popular with Italians and their governement had advised agoinst going, so many people cancelled. The British Council had Egypt as a "high risk of attack", but wasn't advising not travelling. We thought London is probably a higher risk anyhow and I've been through there a couple of times recently.

The Cypriot crash was a couple of days before we flew back, we saw it on the BBC in the hotel room which was alarming!

A terrible tragedy - do they know why and what happened yet?

Fourthworld - no I'm not American, I'm a Brit, but it's probably pretty much seen the same way in that part of the world at the moment. I visited Tunisia about 10 years ago and didn't like it much, struck me as a more fundamentalist country, far less open and less cosmopolitan than Egypt, but that may be down to specific personal experiences in the two countries.

I learned recently of a distant relative (I've never met) who died in Morocco. There were four guys surfing and camping out. Three slept in the vehicle, while the fourth - my relative - slept in the attached tent. They'd had a campfire and he brought in the embers to keep warm through the night. When the other three got up in the morning, they found him dead of carbon monoxide poisoning - apparently embers pump the stuff out.

There's always a risk in being alive and you never know where the threat is really going to come from.

[Neil]

i think i might go to sharm next year.
its not expensive from here,
travel agents here are doing 2wk H\B,
for around 250 cyp. thats about 300 uk, $500.
its supposed to be fantastic.

[Geno Prussakov]

Paul, how long ago did you go? And where in Cambridgeshire are you?

Geno

[Neil]

i never noticed paul was from cambs.
Geno.
thats our neck of the woods.
you was signing up spies at fitz collage. :applause:
while i was getting wasted at strawberry fair :applause:

[Geno Prussakov]

i never noticed paul was from cambs.
Geno.
thats our neck of the woods.
you was signing up spies at fitz collage. :applause:
while i was getting wasted at strawberry fair :applause:

That's right (on "our neck of the woods"). Only it's "you were" (tho' I wasn't) and "college", mate! :) :) :)

Geno

[Paul_Ward]

We got back about 2 weeks ago.

I live in a village called Great Paxton, near the towns of St.Neots and Huntingdon, about 20 miles from Cambridge - it's the nearest major town.

What's this "our neck of the woods"?? - do tell....

[Neil]

i used to live on chesterton rd cambridge.
i used to drink in st Neots. god that was rough :applause:
great paxton is very very nice though.
many years ago, i would go to that club on the A1.
tudor oaks country club. do you know it ??.

[Geno Prussakov]

Paul, I studied at Cambridge (went to Fitz). Did my MPhil in Intl. Relations there. Founded Cambridge University Russian Society when at Cambridge. Drunk at too many places to start listing 'em here (Trinity College (where Prince Charles studied) and St. John's College (Samuel Butler's and William Wordsworth's place of study) included)... :)

Geno

[Paul_Ward]

Small world eh? I've lived here about 13 years (other than 2 years elsewhere) and now I think of it I've never drank in a pub in St.Neots. It's definitely a place to go to get stuff and then leave - though it is a lot better than it used to be. My eldest son who went to school here, then left for University, goes there when he comes home and sees his mates - he's always in a state of disbelief the next day about what it was like and vows not to do it again!

Tudor Oaks? I've never been, but my wife knows it well, she went there a few times before she met me apparently.

Geno - didn't know you such the intellectual! I never went to Cambridge University, I first came here when I worked for the British Antarctic Survey as a marine biologist (why I'm so pissed off at having my underwater pictures stolen) - it's not what people think though - all swimming with dolphins and being a personal friend of Jacques Cousteau. - I'll PM you about an affiliate related matter.