The
sun cracked open before us, through the early morning haze and clouds,
oozing red-ish orange color across the sky. It's 5:30 a.m. and the
painted sky in front of us through the windshield of the car turned
hues of pinks, purples, and reds as we drove north from Mansoura
through the delta region of the Nile, toward the northern border of
Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. We opted to drive the long distance
during the day light, as vehicles on the road in Egypt don't use their
head lights, even when it's pitch dark out. There have also been
security issues in the past on the Sinai Peninsula, so we wanted to be
alert and vigilant during our 8 hour drive to Sharm El-Sheikh. The
views are breathtaking. Driving north towards Damaietta, through the
Delta region, it's a mass of water, fisheries, tributaries and fertile
farm land. We head East toward Port Said, up to the mediterranean sea,
and cross the new 2 year old bridge, across the Suez Canal, which is a
magnificent sight to see - the engineering wonder that connects the Red
Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, and fuels Egypt's shipping and trade
revenues. we're now on the Sinai Peninsula heading south down the East
side of the Suez, past Ismailiya, toward the Red Sea. There's a point
where we leave the Nile Delta region and the landscape turns almost
instantaneously from lush waterways to windblown desert. It feels like
we've landed on the moon, and like we're nomads in a deserted, arid
region. The only forms of life we see; the random camel and a Bedouin
(local Egyptians who live in the desert) - looking mysterious in their
flowy long robes, head scarves, and dark weathered skin. They
seemingly float across the sand, as they walk to where we're really not
sure... we don't see life, homes or any buildings or bodies of water or
land that's farm-able... for as far as the eye can see it's flat, white
sand, desert. The Bedouins we see seem to be all alone, nomads... and
some don't even have a camel, it's just themselves and the wide open
dunes.
As
we drive along the Suez Canal, the view is surreal. The sand dunes
block the water level from our sight, and all we see are large
container ships that look like they are cruising in the sand, through
the desert. It's a magical sight. We drive through the desert for
hours and we begin to see the Red Sea to our right hand side...
brilliant, sparkling blue water. It also looks like some resort
complexes and holiday villas have been under construction here, off in
the distance on the shore line, but for some reason, never completed.
Wire structures grow from the tops of unfinished roofs, additional
levels of houses still waiting to be built. We're told that if a
building remains incomplete, there are no taxes levied by the
government on the property owner. That certainly explains why even in
the big cities, much remains incomplete. Here on the Sinai Peninsula,
however, it reminds us of towns on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, where
there had been big tourism plans, but buildings were never completed,
and the towns remain vacant ghost towns... such a shame here, as the
water and beach, and underwater scene is incredibly inviting. We head
through Abu Zenima and down into Sharm El Sheikh.
Our
trip has been slowed by the very regular security stops. We are very
fortunate to be traveling with Kim, Dennis and their driver, who are
all considered Egyptian residents. We don't need the typical "police
security escort" vehicles which are usually compulsory for foreigners
driving overland here in Egypt. We are traveling however, with a
special letter certified by Dennis's company along with copies of our
passports which are regularly requested every 50 or so kilometers by
security guards at checkpoints. Security here remains incredibly
tight, given that there were three significant bombings in Sharm El
Sheikh in 2005. Now, only hotel shuttles can drive through the streets
of Nama Bay in Sharm, and even they are scrutinized before entering.
It took us around 8 hours to make the drive and w were so fortunate to
have had the opportunity to make the trip by land... it was a real
treat to see the change of landscapes from north to south. A huge
thanks to Kim, Dennis and Adal, for showing us this magnificent
landscape!
