Egyptian Xmas

The trip to Egypt was fabulous.I went with a gentleman(Bill)- no big romance as previously mentioned- but compatible enough for travelling(and he paid:) . We stayed in Sharm el Sheikh- which is basically fake Egypt- a resort area created for tourists. But beautiful regardless- and our resort- the Grand Rotana - was one of the nicest. (pays to read internet reviews- some of the places sounded terrible- we lucked out). Had 3 lovely restaurants on site. We spent alternating days hanging by the beach and going on excursions- but mostly hanging by the beach.Water a bit cold for swimming- but we went snorkeling off a boat one day and in a wet suit it was like bath water. We also went into a "town center " called Naama Bay- more fake stuff- shops etc. but more resturant varieties and quite lively. Nightclubs- but we were always too pooped after dinner to do that sort of thing.Relaxing all day can be quite tiring! Besides the snorkelling trip, we did a one day flight trip to Cairo to see the Pyramids , a bit of the Egyptian museum and a Papyrus shop. Cairo was very smoggy, dirty, and living conditions looked terrible.The "middle class" lived in buildings that were half falling down.They tax you there to paint your house or dressup windows, etc, so nobody does anything..And if the building you live in falls down and is near the pyramids- they won't rebuild- they will dig for more stuff instead. We travelled in the safety of our air con bus- with a guide- AND a security guard. (Lots of police with guns etc. everywhere- a little freaky)Except at Giza- we didn't get out to explore or mix with the locals-even for shopping. They even took us to the Hard Rock cafe for lunch- haha! But it was still a great day (and eye opening glimpse at another culture and know how lucky we are to live in the countries we do!) Also did a somewhat cheesy "Arabian Nights" meal and show in the desert at night. YES- I got my picture taken on a camel (but will have to get it scanned-unless Bill got a good one- but he hasn't sent his pics yet)- the whirling dervish dancers and costumes were quite good. All in all- it was a great getaway- with a bit of culture and historic site seeing-- I would definitely go back to relax- but would also really love to do a Nile cruise and see more- Luxor- Alexandria, etc. I hear the cruises are quite good. But at least with the Sphinx and Pyramids at Giza- I can scratch one biggy off my "bucket list". Got back about 11:30 PM here on NYE- heard the fireworks and then went to bed.But I certainly ended 2009 on a high!