Sharm-El-Sheikh-Tui-Magic-Life – Day 4

Slept in and had a good breakfast.

Afterwards we went to the house reef again to check the fishes. In the morning the sun is on the 30m deep wall. Thus, the visibility is much better than in the afternoon.

The rest of the day flew by. In the heat, it’s best to stay in air-conditioned rooms or in the pool.

The food at the specialty restaurant “The Flavour” was not for vegetarians. Nicer ambiance, but no real option without meat and fish. We didn’t go to bed hungry, though, because you could stop by the “normal” buffet briefly afterwards.

Reiner

19-06-28 – Sharm El Sheikh – TUI Magic Life

Today we snorkeled extensively. To do this, we only had to walk the hotel’s own jetty into the sea and could directly admire the coral reef and many colorful fish. A lifeguard is also on site in case someone has problems swimming. It goes steeply over 30 m into the depth. But you just have to let yourself drift. The water is clear and we had no problems with the current. Of course, some idiots step on the corals. There, too, the lifeguard has to use his whistle more often.

In the evening we went to the Egyptian specialty restaurant Sofra. A very nice atmosphere and table service.

I like the food for vegetarians better at the Magico Restaurant Buffet. Afterwards we had a party in the lounge and some cocktails.

Silke

Ps: Have both sunburn on the back despite LF50. The sun’s rays are more intense in the sea.

19-06-19- Farmstall – Bagatelle Game Reserve – Marien

We enjoyed our breakfast today in the sunshine wearing winter jackets and gloves. It gets warmer very quickly after sunrise, but starts at about 1 degree Celsius. Then we sat down in the reception to book a flight and accommodations over coffee. We then continued north past Bremen.

Once again we went to the Game Reserve Bagatelle. This time we booked a campsite and a sundowner game drive with cheetah feeding via the internet. After we had eaten our dinner, polenta with vegetable schakalaka, we were off. The cheetahs have come here partly as orphans and would most likely not survive long in the wild. Bzw. be shot by poachers. The oldest cheetah here “Etosha” is 17 years old. He likes to be cuddled during feeding time.

We both once took the opportunity to be very close to the beautiful animals. “Kiara”, a younger female cheetah still has to learn to become more relaxed and that she can trust people. The animals are fed with fresh meat three times a day. Since in nature they also eat small portions of fresh meat several times a day. They have a total of 8 cheetahs here in the Game Reserve, living in large enclosures of 3 groups. Cheetahs are super fast animals (up to 120 Km/h) and they need a lot of exercise. Breeding is not allowed in captivity. That’s why the cats here are separated into male and female. We had the impression that the big cats like it here well and they are kept as species-appropriate as possible and lovingly. There were then still at sunset drinks at a bar on a dune. “Sundowner!”. We walked to our campsite and planned further with a cup of tea.

Silke

Sharm El Sheikh – TUI Magic Life

We enjoy ourselves here. In the morning a round in the pool – then delicious breakfast buffet.

Afterwards, we walked a bit into the “village” to buy sunscreen, an air mattress and flippers. We took the opportunity to visit Abdullah briefly. In the afternoon we had a Zumba lesson.

In the evening again big buffet. Reiner had however no appetite. Thus I was eating alone for a short time. Afterwards we played a round of Carcassonne on our terrace.

Silke

19-06-26 Cairo – Sharm El Sheikh

A very nice cab driver took us to the airport this morning. Our plane took off at 12:00 and brought us to Sharm El Sheikh within 1 hour. In the airport we met Abdullah who was flying to Sharm El Sheikh to work.

His brothers picked him up from the airport and unceremoniously took us by car to our club – hotel TUI Magic Life. We need time off from vacation and just want to relax here. A hotel stands here next to the other and it is very touristy. But as I said, to let the soul dangle just right.

The weather could not be better with its 41 degrees daytime temperature and our room is wonderful. There was a great selection at the buffet even for vegetarians and everything tasted great.

Silke

19-06-25 – Cairo – Egyptian Museum – Khan Al Khalily Bazaar

In the late morning we walked along the Nile to the Egyptian Museum. Good 3.5 hours we have looked at the exhibition. Among other things, the golden death mask of Tutankhamun, the statues of Rahotep and his wife Nofret and many funerary objects.

Somewhat macabre (a bit like the roofer in the lead cellar of Bremen Cathedral) is the exhibition of royal mummies and animal mummies. They vary in condition and are displayed in “glass cases”. Afterwards we strolled to the Khan Al khalily bazaar. Ali, a nice Egyptian with knowledge of German, showed us the way into the alleys. “I am not a rascal” he emphasized, but he wanted to sell many spices and rose oil. After we bought a small package of anise tea and about 20 more times “No thanks” said, we said goodbye to the hustle and bustle. If one has desire, one could buy here great also high-quality souvenirs. But since our space in the backpack is very limited, we have only looked at everything.

Many cats sit in front of the stores and of course you are approached everywhere and invited in. But very friendly. Our cab driver back to the hotel was really a rascal though. He actually wanted to collect double the agreed price on arrival. But we didn’t let ourselves in for that. For dinner we bought yogurt in the supermarket and fruit at a street stall. From “strolling” and the heat we fell tired into bed.

Silke

PS: The blocked hotel claimed to Booking.com that they had moved us to another hotel. Fortunately, we had made proof photos and sent them to Booking.com. They are now taking care of the refund.

Cheops Pyramid – burial chamber – Cairo – Hotel ???

Since the mother of our host was hospitalized the night, we got today understandably unfortunately no breakfast. We went again on the (foot) way to the pyramids and looked at the biggest one, the Cheops pyramid from the inside. Cameras are not allowed inside. A nice family from Tampa/Florida, who therefore separately explored the pyramid, watched as long as we were inside with on ours. Smartphone cameras are allowed by the way. Just not in the burial chamber!

A tunnel-like passage on stairs and wooden walkways, some of which you can only walk stooped, leads steeply up to the burial chamber, where there is an empty sarcophagus. It was very warm in there, but not stuffy. With our walking shoes no problem to walk the way. The atmosphere is gloomy and mystical. You feel like you’ve been transported back thousands of years. The pitfalls and rolling stones have fortunately been cleared out of the way beforehand.

The streets here are colorful, dusty and full of horses, camels, donkeys, goats, dogs and cats. We checked out at noon and ordered an Uber cab to Cairo City. When we found the Down Town Hotel Cairo after a long search in a high-rise building, we were faced with a door locked by the police or the health department. The janitor had already tried to explain the situation to us in Arabic, but since we even received an email from the hotel today asking us what time we were arriving, we had to see for ourselves. Thereupon we sat down first in a café and looked for a new place to stay with a big cappuccino. By cab we went to the Horus House Hotel Zamalek, which is located on an island in the Nile. For dinner we had noodle soup after a long time. The heat (up to 41 degrees Celsius) makes quite tired. Therefore we rested the rest of the day.

Silke