Around the World in 106 Days with Ray & Claire!! Part 8 – Sharm El Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh is on a promitory overlooking the Straits of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port and Navel Base for the Egytian Navy It was captured by Israel during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and restored to Egypt in A United Nations peacekeeping force was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six DayWar when it was recaptured by Israel Sharm el-Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai Peninsula was restored again to Egypt in 1982 after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979

Climate data for Sharm El Sheikh MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear Average high °C (°F) 21.6 (70.9) 22.7 (72.9) 25.4 (77.7) 29.8 (85.6) 34.0 (93.2) 36.9 (98.4) 37.5 (99.5) 38.9 (102) 36.6 (97.9) 32.2 (90) 28.0 (82.4) 24.2 (75.6) 31.2 (88.2) Average low °C (°F) 13.0 (55.4) 13.6 (56.5) 16.1 (61) 19.9 (67.8) 23.5 (74.3) 26.1 (79) 27.3 (81.1) 28.7 (83.7) 26.3 (79.3) 23.9 (75) 18.6 (65.5) 16.1 (61) 20.8 (69.4) Precipit ation Precipit ation mm (inches) 0 (0) 1 (0.04) 2 (0.08) 0 (0) 1 (0.04) 0 (0) 1 (0.04) 5 (0.2) Sunshine hours ,804 Source: Climate Charts [4] [4] The average temperatures during the winter months (November to March) range from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius (59-95°F) and during the summer months (April to October) from 20 to 45 degrees Celsius (68-113°F). The temperature of the Red Sea in this region ranges from 21 to 28 degrees Celsius (70-84°F) over the course of the year.

Not much to see at the Dockyard except our mini coaches

Sharm el-Sheikh is sometimes called the "City of Peace” - referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there Environmental zoning laws currently limit the height of buildings in Sharm el-Sheikh so as to avoid obscuring the natural beauty of the surroundings....but that doesnt necessarily seem to apply to the 450 plus hotels !

Just a bit different to Cairo!

Soho Square Naama Bay Casino Naama Bay centre Naama beach

Hey!! Stop the coach. I want to take a proper picture of this roundabout.

A hot dusty journey

Time for a cuppa!

The trees in this mangrove commemorate Americans who were stationed in Sharm-Al-Sheik, and who were subsequently killed whilst in action in Vietnam

An Arabic welcome (Ahlen wa salen) to the site of the Sharm-All-Sheikh reefs - but in stone

Was it cold Claire?

Yes...even with a tee- shirt and a jacket, it was b******g freezing!! But the coral and the fish were absolutely amazing

There are more than 250 different coral reefs and over 1000 species of fish We were told that it was perfectly safe to snorkle and/or scuba-dive

But, unfortunately no one had told the sharks because on 1 December 2011,four tourists – three Russians and a Ukrainian - were attacked and injured by Oceanic Whiteip Sharks in three separate incidents off Sharm- el-Sheikh! One victim lost a leg and another an arm. The Egyptian authorities subsequently claimed that the shark responsible for the attacks had been captured alive, but the identification was disputed by the diving industry based on eyewitness and photographic evidence. On 5 December an elderly German woman was attacked and killed by a shark whilst snorkelling at the resort. But we had no worries, as

We had our own Lifeguard

Bedouin Bling

..and then it was back once again to the waiting Ship