At the beginning of the trip we passed through farm land and communities.
Extensive irrigation canals crisscrossed the area.
Without this water this area would be a dry as the next 120 miles.
There was only one oasis, entirely man made, on the desert part of the trip.
As we approached our hotel we started to see more vegetation.
Close inspection revealed extensive drip irrigation.
This was easily the most plush resort we have ever visited.
Everything was included and available whenever we asked for it.
The desert table had fruit as well as the expected variety of sweets.
Looking down from the hotel were pools, tennis courts, beach, and the Red Sea.
One day we ventured out to the sea shore to see some sea sights.
Terns followed along and were rewarded with treats tossed by the crew.
The dolphins appeared as we were leaving the harbor.
One unsettling note was this pleasant fellow who had a very impressive machine gun under his coat.
He traveled with us to the dock and on the boat.
His job was to protect us from terrorists.
There had been guards with us during most of our travels in Egypt but it just seemed wrong here.
We stopped at a island where there were a lot of Egyptian and foreign tourists.
Looking back we saw we were in Paradise.
That is probably why the guard's presence seemed so out of place.
Sand castles had a local flavor.
Snorkeling here had a lot in common with our impression of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
We saw many of the same fish.
Ok, the same varieties probably not the same fish
We did see one that could have been Nemo both places though.
Directly under the boat was a place for many to congregate
Pipe fish
Our underwater guide pointed out some interesting nooks and crannies with unusual denizens.
Schools swirled around us.
School of fish.
Other of the reef's inhabitants were fascinating even though they hardly moved.
A sea urchin and a giant clam.
Or didn't move at all.
Lots more varieties.
I wish we had days not hours to see them.
The city of Hurghada was built entirely as a resort.
The only businesses are there for the tourists or those who support them in one way or another.
All the water for the city and the surrounding resorts is piped in from the Nile more than 130 miles away.
Another of our adventures had us speeding across the Sahara on our way to a Bedouin village.
No actual road, just rough rutted tracks which the drivers took pleasure in traveling at top speed.
An unscheduled addition to the ride was signaled by a loud grinding and a rapid loss of speed.
A quick inspection revealed a wheel sitting at a nonstandard angle.
A broken axle.
The eight of us started inventing stories of our ordeal -- no water, no food, days in the desert...
Actually within minutes the driver had called another on his cell phone and we were on our way to the village.
Our nightmare had lasted no more than 15 minutes.
Dust in the air made for a surreal landscape.
The village wasn't very large, though it may have a few more people on occasion.
A small mosque with the police station behind it.
This woman and her very cute little girl were our hostesses.
They made flat bread which was cooked on a sheet of iron over a camel dung fire.
Despite what you may be thinking it tasted good.
One of the shelters had a display of some desert rocks.
One of them looked like it could have been an ancient artifact.
Camels were available if you wanted to ride one.
We still think that bactrain, two hump, camels are more comfortable with their built in saddles
They both lurch around while getting up which is a little more precarious on these dromedaries.
Atv and horseback riding were also nearby.
This strange dome on one of the buildings at the tour center served as a pigeon dovecote.
A belly dancer performed and encouraged members of the audience to join her on the stage.
This guy twirled for seven minutes straight.
Part of the time blindfolded.
Another performer walked on broken glass then carried three men and walked across the glass again.
He also had people stand on him while he laid on a bed of nails.
A little fire eating just to complete his part of the show.
A snake charmer performed a number of feats I had never seen before.
He kissed the top of a cobra's head and pressed it to the mat.
In the last picture he is about to catch the cobra's head in his mouth.
