Sharm El Sheikh contained no historical value, no Egyptian architecture and definitely no Egyptian hustlers. It was strictly planned as a warm, sunny, relaxing stop. We did enjoy the warmth, we did soak up much of the sunny rays and we did find much time to relax. We also took part in one of my "bucket list" items, riding a camel. Let's just say, riding a camel is nowhere near as glamorous as the Sex and the City movie portrays. Camel rides are comparable to a wooden roller coaster (you may relate if you have ever ridden a wooden roller coaster). They are a bumpy ride, very high up and you are just waiting for the moment you fall off. When the camel stands up, it is like ascending to the highest peak of the coaster, when the camel sits down, image the steep angle and fear associated with a giant drop. The ride also became much more interesting (scary) when Ryan dismounted his camel and prior to me dismounting my camel, his camel decided to turn around and try to BITE my camel. My camel was not having any of it, he shot up (I had already braced myself for the sitting and was no longer holding on for dear life) and a large amount of high pitched screaming spewed from my mouth. Do not get me wrong, I am happy that we rode camels and I am thankful I can check it off my bucket list, but I could have done without the "kicking the bucket" feelings during the ride.
Ryan was able to participate in an activity that he has been talking about for quite some time, scuba diving. He signed up to take an introductory course through a company affiliated with our hotel. He did some research prior to our trip and discovered the Ritz Carlton of Sharm El Sheik is known for their diving company and they have a private (actually very nice) coral reef off their hotel (the hotel is on the shores of the Red Sea). Originally, he planned to become certified during our stay, but there is a time restriction between a deep water dive and plane flight (something about decompression sickness). He decided on the introductory course and convinced me to join him. I was willing to give scuba diving a try. Sure, why not, how bad could it be? The sitting, learning the facts, book portion of the class was a breeze for me. I knew every signal, knew how to hook up the equipment, I was a pro. Then things started to go downhill or more realistically, I was in over my head. Our instructor had us "suit up" wet suit (check), vest (check), weight belt!?!?!(check, but was really questioning this addition), respirator and oxygen tank (check, but goodness, gracious, this thing is heavy), face mask (check), and flippers (check).
After much slow and awkward penguin walking, I finally made it to the edge of the pool. I was ready for the next portion of the class, pool instruction. I should have known things were not looking good for me when the instructor simply walked off the edge, into the pool, then turned around and motioned for me to "walk in." Let me fill you in on Ryan, up to this point he is like a scuba diving master. He dominated the knowledge portion and walked into the water like he was going for a Sunday stroll. I, on the other hand, finally found the courage to walk in. To shorten the story and give you the main stand out moments, I spent the entire time (approximately 10 minutes underwater) with one hand cemented to my respirator, making sure it did not come out, shaking my head no and pumping air back into my vest every time our instructor released air. Do not try to visualize this too much, it was not a pleasant sight. Again, Ryan was a fish, master of the water. I finally clawed my way up the pool side, to the water surface and clung for my dear life. Ryan finally told the instructor that his efforts were great, but there was no way I was going to proceed to the third portion of the class, open water dive.
As soon as the instructor unsnapped my weight belt, removed my oxygen tank and I ripped off my flippers, I felt like a human again and no longer a handicap frog. Ryan proceeded to the open water portion and I made a straight shot to the beach. I poured my heart out to the beach attendant as he prepped my towel and beach chair. I told him of my failures with scuba diving and he simply shook his head and responded with, "if you want to look at fish, you don't need to scuba dive, I'll bring the fish to the pool for you." After the beach attendant's kind words and the glorious warmth of the sunshine, my breathing finally returned to normal rather than the short, gasping breaths I experienced in the pool. Come to think of it, the lovely, fresh, oxygen filled air surrounding me may have been the primary cause for my normal breathing. Ryan found me after his open water dive and filled me in on all the fantastic underwater sights.
Prior to the scuba diving class, we had signed up for a snorkeling boat trip the following day. Even after my scuba experience, I was still ready for snorkeling. The snorkeling was beautiful, I have never seen such impressive corals, giant fish and we found Nemo! Again, Ryan was a fish. He spent every possible second in the water, free diving and exploring. We even had some lovely dolphin tour guides join our boat and guide our path through the water!!
Enjoy the photo album. Sharm El Sheikh, the place for many first (and last) experiences.
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