The Red Sea

For my last week in Egypt, I decided to take a trip to the Red Sea Coast for a few days. It is one of my favorite places in the world and I wanted to share it with you! 

This picture was taken from Shark's Bay in Sharm el Sheik.  The lighter color water shows where the coral reef is and then it drops off into the sea where it is darker blue.

Snorkeling is one of my favorite activities when I go to a warm destination and the Red Sea Coast is perfect for that and especially for diving. 

This picture shows a few people snorkeling in the sea and a group of people on the dock about to enter, learning how to dive.  

Any hotels that have a coral reef out front also have a dock to protect the reef from any damage from humans. 

The city of Sharm el Sheik is located at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula and you can see it on the map below. What is interesting is that most of Egypt is in the continent of Africa, but the Sinai Peninsula is actually in Asia. 

There are many great places that you can go to enjoy the Red Sea besides Sharm el Sheik. Some of the other popular cities to visit along the Red Sea in Egypt are: El Gouna, Hurghada, Dahab, Nuweba, and Taba.

The abundance and variety of sea life is spectacular with over 1,200 different species of fish, 300 species of coral and over 10% of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

When you go underwater, you step into another world.  Here is a sample of some of the sea life you may encounter in the Red Sea:

  Picasso Trigger Fish

Trigger fish have their name because of the shark-fin shaped trigger they are able to raise in defense. They use this to jam themselves into a crevice in the coral. The trigger is actually the first spine of its dorsal (top) fin. 

Giant Moray Eel
I will never forget snorkeling and having a huge eel swim right underneath me.  I just froze until it swam all the way by. I was scared, but they will not harm you unless they feel provoked or threatened. 

Lion fish
These are truly majestic and beautiful to see when you are underwater. You can even see them on the banks because many swim close to shore.  They are poisonous, so if you see one underwater, make sure not to touch them.

Masked Butterfly Fish

You generally see them in pairs or large groups.

Butterfly fish are small, and colorful with a continuous dorsal fin. Most species are active during the day, resting among corals or rocks at night. Many species are heterosexual pairs that may remain together for years, if not life.

Blue Spotted Stingray
When you discover one of these, it looks like the blue spots are glowing.

Surgeonfish

  This picture was taken right from the shore.  You can see some beautiful fish without having to snorkel or dive.
Surgeonfish are found in small groups with a dominant male fiercely protecting his females over outer reef flats. They feed on plankton and algae.  


Napoleon Fish/Humphead Wrasse
These are large, gentle creatures.  I chose this picture next to a diver to show you how big they can get. 

An adult humphead wrasse are identified by thick lips and a prominent hump on their forehead, while juveniles are a light green color, with two black lines extending from behind the eye. The species changes in body form, color and can even change sex during its lifetime. Adults are found on the reef during the day. At night they rest in reef caves and under coral ledges. 
Humphead wrasse feed primarily on mollusks, fish, sea urchins, crustaceans, echinoderms, and other invertebrates, using their strong teeth. The species may be one of the few predators of the toxic crown of thorns starfish, boxfish and sea hares.



Masked Puffer Fish/Panda Puffer
They feed on algae, corals, sponges, sea squirts, crustaceans and mollusks.
 When they are threatened they will puff up like a football to deter predators.The bodies of Pufferfish are covered in a toxic mucas. So, if you see one, make sure you don't touch it! 



Masked Banner Fish
The Red Sea Bannerfish has an elongated white dorsal filament with a base color of white with two wide black stripes.  The soft dorsal and causdal fins are yellow, and there are black marks above their eyes.  You may have seen on in an aquarium or even in the movie Finding Nemo!

Parrot Fish

You can see why they have their name with their beautiful colors and a beak.  When you are snorkeling you can hear them feeding off off dead corals to get the algae; it's a light crunching sound. 

They are not territorial and live in harmony with other species.  At night they create a sleeping bag made out of slimy bubbles to protect them against predators.

In the Red Sea, you will also find a variety of Sea Turtles, dolphins and sharks. Here are just a few:

Hawksbill Turtle

Spinner Dolphins

Whale Shark

Fun facts about the Red Sea:
1. It is one of the warmest seas in the world.  The average surface water temperature in the summer is 79 degrees in the North and 86 degrees in the South. There is only about 3.6 degrees variation during the winter.

2. There are over 17 different shipwrecks in the Red Sea. Divers come from all over the world to explore them.

3. The Red Sea stretches towards the north to the city of Suez starting from the straits of Babl-Mendeb. It extends up to a distance of 1450 miles with a width of 205 miles. Average depth of the Red Sea ranges from 2500-3500 feet with its deepest point located north of Straits of Tiran. 

4. It is located between Africa and Asia; the Red Sea covers nine different Countries.

5. Scientists believe that about 30 million years ago, the Red Sea was created as a result of the movement of the plates of the earth’s surface. During that time, the Arab Peninsula was torn off from Africa, forming a thin break line that was filled by the water from the ocean.  

6. There are 25 islands in Red Sea; they have excellent snorkeling and dive sites all around them.

7. Due to the pressure built along the shoreline (beach resorts, housing, etc...) and industries, the coastal region of the Red Sea has become environmentally fragile and regulations have been put in place to protect the coral reefs and sea life.

This is my final post from Egypt.  I hope that I have inspired more of you to visit, not just for the history, but for the beauty throughout this great country too!

Masalama, Mrs. Otto

The Sahara Desert and Bedouin Tribes

Although the majority of Egyptians live along the Nile River Valley, more than 90% of Egypt is covered in desert areas. On the map below, you can see that there are separate deserts (i.e. Western  Desert, Eastern Desert, etc...), but they are a part of the Great Sahara.

Here are some interesting facts about the Sahara Desert:

1. The Sahara Desert is the world’s largest "hot"desert and one of the harshest environments on the planet. The largest desert overall is actually Antarctica.  At 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometers), the Sahara, which is Arabic for "The Great Desert," engulfs most of North Africa. 

2. The Sahara is so big that you could fit the continental United States inside and still have a few thousand square miles of desert left over.

3. It is home to about two million people.

4. Temperatures can get as hot as 136 degrees and can often reach below freezing temperatures at nighttime. 

5. There are close to 1,200 species of plants that grow in the desert.

6. Over 2% of the Sahara is covered in Oases.

People who live in the desert areas are called Bedouins. They have their own unique culture and many live in an Oasis like the ones you see in the map below (i.e. Siwa, Al-Faiyum, Sinai Peninsula, etc...).

Altogether the Bedouin population is about 4 million and their communities are in many countries, besides Egypt, including Syria, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq in the Middle East and Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in North Africa. 

 The Bedouins are recognized by their nomadic lifestyles, special language, social structures and culture. Only few Bedouins live as their forefathers did in camel- and goat hair tents, raising livestock, hunting and raiding. 

Their numbers are decreasing and nowadays there are approx. only 5% of Bedouins still live as pastoral nomads in all of the Middle East. Some Bedouins of Sinai are still half-nomads.

Bedouins have different facial features by which they can be distinguished from other Egyptians and also they generally dress differently.

The Bedouin men wear long 'djellabaya' and a 'smagg' (red white draped headcover) or 'aymemma' (white headcover) or a white small headdress, sometimes held in place by an 'agall' (a black cord).

 

The Bedouin women usually wear brightly colored long dresses but when they go outside they dress in an 'abaya' (a thin, long black coat sometimes covered with shiny embroidery) and they will always cover their head and hair when they leave their house with a 'tarha' (a black, thin shawl). Traditionally a woman's face was hidden behind a highly decorated 'burqa'ah' but this is now only seen with the older generations. The younger generations cover their face simply with their 'tarha' (shawl). 

 

The Bedouins have a rich culture and their own Arabic ‘Bedawi’ language, which has different dialects depending on the area where they live.

Here is a video clip on one Egyptian Bedouin Tribe in the Sinai

The first converts to Islam came from the Bedouin tribes and therefore (Sunni) Islam is embedded and deeply rooted in the Bedouin culture. Prayer is an integral part of Bedouin life. As there are no formal mosques in the desert, they pray were they are, facing the Ka’aba in Mecca and performing the ritual washing, preferably with water but if not available they ‘wash’ with sand instead.

'The Bedouin' is generally open-minded and interested in what is going on in his close and far surroundings since this kind of knowledge has always been a vital tool of survival.  At the same time, the Bedouins are quite suspicious and alert keeping a low profile about their personal background.

Modern Arab states have a strong tendency to regulate their Nomadic lifestyle and modern society has made the traditional Bedouin lifestyle less attractive, since it is demanding and often dangerous, so many Bedouins have settled in urban areas and continue to do so.

The Bedouin people are faced with challenges in their lifestyle, as their traditional Islamic, tribal culture has begun to mix with western practices.

Men are more likely to adjust and interact with the modern cultures, but women are bound by honor and tradition to stay within the family dwelling and therefore lack opportunity for advancement.

Today unemployment amongst Bedouin people is very high. Only few obtain a high school degree and even fewer graduate from college.

I hope this blog post gives you a better idea of the Bedouin culture and life outside the Nile River Valley.

*Most of the information provided for this post came from http://www.bedawi.com/Bedouin_Culture_EN.html

Driving and Traffic in Egypt

As a foreigner coming to Egypt, the only way you can stay relaxed while being in a car, is to completely give up all control that you think you have.  Then you need to trust that your Egyptian driver knows what they are doing and put the rest of your trust in God!

I am actually more relaxed riding in a car in Egypt than I am at home, but if you are new to the chaos of the traffic here, you may have the opposite reaction.  There are lanes, signs and lights, but they are merely suggestions.  There is a rhythm and flow to the traffic that is unlike anywhere else. It is common more to hear horns than not.  The way you honk is it's own language.  I do not know this language, but I can definitely tell if it is a pleasant message or not.

There was even a documentary made called "Cairo Drive" and here is a trailer for it to give you a better visual of what it is like:

Here are some warnings and suggestions that I found from a website for foreigners moving to Egypt who want to drive: 
"Egypt has many road hazards to contend with. These include a lack of stop signs and traffic lights, drivers’ disregard for lane markings, and donkey carts in the road. Drivers are also likely to encounter stationary vehicles in the middle of the road, trucks driving the wrong way down one-way streets, and mini-buses stopping suddenly to allow passengers to disembark in the middle of the road. Drivers in Egypt are also reluctant to use their headlights in the dark and are also not good about indicating before turning. It is best to avoid driving at night if possible." 

If you are riding in a vehicle, I highly suggest you keep your arms inside the car at all times. Cars come inches from each other in crowded traffic. I have been in more than one vehicle where the side view mirror had been ripped off from other vehicles getting too close and passing.

It is truly and adventure riding in Egypt, especially in crowded and busy Cairo.  You never know what you are going to see. Here are some examples of things you may see (pictures found on the Internet):

Massive Traffic Jam.  Sometimes there are traffic police in the middle that help direct at certain intersections.

Donkey carts are very common.  You will see them carrying a variety of items. This particular cart has propane because a lot of people's hot water in their homes run on it.  You know when they are passing through your neighborhood because they clank the side of one with metal.  If you need one, your bawaab (doorman) or yourself goes outside and they exchange your old one for a new one.  


Delivery of bread


I believe this is a truck carrying garbage that has been collected

                           A herd of goats needing to cross the street

People walking through traffic to cross the street


Families riding together on a motorcycle; you rarely see anyone with helmets on.

When I was coming from the airport last month, I witnessed a man laying down, on his stomach with his legs out like superman, riding a motorcycle down the freeway!  Talk about living life dangerously; I wish I had a picture of that to share!!!




Every restaurant delivers in Egypt


Horse carts...



Tissue salesman.  You will find people selling a variety of things where there are traffic jams and it is slow moving.

The best way describing having to cross a busy street as a pedestrian is comparing it to the Atari game of Frogger.   Which also reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld Episodes; does anyone remember this? 

Ok, back to crossing the road in Egypt.  The safest way to do it is to position yourself next to an experienced Egyptian who is also crossing the street and go as soon as they do.  You always have to remember that pedestrians do not have the right of way here.



So, I hope that gives you some insight to what driving and traffic is like in Egypt.  If you come to Egypt, be ready for an adventure as soon as you leave the airport.  It is definitely an experience you will never forget!