Sharm-el-Sheikh

View to Tiran Island from the hotel

For the past week I've been in Sharm-el-Sheikh.  It was my first visit and it's a lovely place.  The Red Sea is beautiful whether you look at it from the shore or dive into it off the jetties that jut out in front of the many seaside resorts or from one of the boating operations that will take you on snorkeling or scuba trips.  You can almost forget that there are issues in Egypt while swanning around this place.

My invitation to Sharm was from a Saudi women whose husband was not happy that she would be travelling to Egypt because, one, Egypt is dangerous, and two, she'd be travelling alone.  I was her compromise - the role model companion who would keep her out of trouble.  Uh huh!

We landed on a blue sky beautiful day and within half an hour were at our hotel.  Everything was ticking along nicely and then I got a lesson in why Saudi people are not particularly loved in other Gulf countries as tourists.  It took us nine hours, yes nine hours, to find a room in a hotel my companion was happy with.  Nine!  We traipsed from room to room in two hotels, (she checked us out of the first one while I was out trying to find an internet connection) each one dismissed for various reasons - too dirty, too old, no view, too much view, too far apart from each other, only one bathroom for two people, too smelly, too small...and on it went.  By 10p.m. I was exhausted.  She told me she and her sister do this every time they go on holiday.  They basically kick up a stink and make demands until they get the best possible deal they can.  I tell ya, though I wasn't really that impressed with the carry on, the room I got in the end was fab!

Beach Cabana's in front of the hotel

She was actually going to Sharm for a tourism workshop and we decided there would be no harm in me just tagging along because the topic was internet marketing strategies which sounded kind of interesting to me.  She pulled the plug on the workshop within an hour of our arrival to the conference center because the bloke in charge insulted her (I have no idea what he said because I can't keep up with heated Arabic debates), so she decided to focus on the second reason for the trip - networking with tour operators and hotels.  So, we met a few marketing peeps, and spoke with a load of operating types about how they could cater to our target market.  Plus we went out on few trips to assess their professionalism and so we could provide hands-on feedback to future clients.  It turns out the tour operators in Sharm have quite smooth operations.  We were both surprised.

I had no idea Sharm-el-Sheikh was such a touristy spot, nor how many resorts are stretched along it's coastline.  There's a whole bunch of water based activities you can do from snorkeling to kite surfing, there are bars and nightclubs and loads of spas if you fancy some body pampering.  And of course you can sunbathe to your hearts content in your skimpiest bikini (and nope, I don't have one of those).

Beads at the Old Market

From my observations there are a few distinct areas for hanging out .   Naama Bay is the happening hotspot where you can sit out on the street in an open sheesha cafe of an evening and enjoy the vibe.   Hadaba is a quiet spot for enjoying the sunset from a cliff top seat.  The Old Market has that small vendor bargaining ambiance that you expect from an Egyptian market and it also has some tasty places to eat, while Soho Square is your upmarket shopping and entertainment area.  Nabq is a little further up the coast and struck me as the place for rich peeps to hang out.  Given we were only there for 10 minutes, this impression may have been completely wrong.

Snorkelers out near Tiran

And then of course you have the ocean.  Ras Mohammad which has been designated a national park marine reserve is a great draw card for divers and snorkelers.  We went out on two boat trips while in Sharm.  The VIP Ras Mohammad and the VIP Tiran.  We had to see what each had to offer, didn't we and, naturally, Saudi women would only want VIP treatment.  Both were well run.  My friend preferred the boat trip to Ras Mohammad because it's slightly closer to reach.  Personally, I preferred Tiran because more of the coral is alive, hence there is more fish, and not only is the water deeper but it's a beautiful color.  It's also the trip where we saw a load of dolphins.

I asked if there were any culture and history tours in Sharm.  For the culture we were directed to Alf Leila Wa Leil or 1001 Nights Arabian Show and Dinner.  The place is huge and has with a beautiful water featured entrance walk.  Through the doors is an inner courtyard with souvenir shops and seating around a central stage for one of the night shows.  Our dinner was in the Moroccan restaurant and included belly dancing and a snake charmer show.  Further on from here is the amphitheater with huge replica's of Egyptian monuments used a backdrop for the sound and light show and an arena for the horse show.  The only draw back is the shows run from 10p.m. - 1a.m., so if you are usually an early sleeper, get in a sly afternoon nap so you can stay awake for the night.

Memorial to Flight 604

In terms of history tours, I was informed there is no history in Sharm.
Righty ho then.
Someone ought to Google on Wikipedia!
The only tour of any historical context is to Saint Katrine.  We didn't do this tour but it sounds interesting given it's in the mountains and the information regarding the Monastery dates back to Roman times and, of course, it sits at the base of Mt Sinai.  The only local history information I received was when our taxi driver stopped beside the memorial to the passengers lost on Flight 604, and when he pointed out the now empty buildings on a hill top that the Israeli's occupied during one of their takeovers of the country.  All other conversations on the history and development of Sharm-El-Sheik were peppered with the word 'corruption'.

New mosque in the Old Town seen from the water.

Perhaps I've been in Saudi too long, but I thought Sharm gave the impression of snubbing its nose at the rest of Egypt.  Although tourism numbers are down slightly, (50% according to the hotel we stayed at), due to Egypts issues, numerous Western and European tourists roam the streets in their shorty shorts and sexy tops that barely hide the bikini's beneath.  If it weren't for the many police check-points along the roads, you wouldn't think you were in an Arab country where the majority of the people are Muslim.  I managed to console myself on the issue (it didn't take long) by deciding a couple of things - the Egyptian economy needs tourism right now, and Sharm has obviously been developed to cater to the needs of one of the country's minority religous groups.

I have to say, Sharm appealed to me more than Bahrain or Dubai do.  Perhaps it's because the ocean is so near, perhaps it's because the local people we came across are so pleasant and professional, or maybe it's the normal-ness of the place.  Whatever the reason, I liked Sharm-El-Sheikh.  I liked it a lot.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Grandchildren and Travel

Goodness me, it's been a while since I wrote a post.  I've been somewhat pre-occupied over the last few months with things that have kept me from my keyboard.  Some voluntary work, some child minding and some traveling.  All with a dash of procrastination thrown in because, if I'm being honest, at the end of the day when the decision was made post or do something else, something else won out!

Last year I volunteered to help out at Haya Tour with a few things around the office and soon found myself with a full time voluntary occupation.  The perks were great, (free trips), and I was quite enjoying being useful.   There have been times in the last five years living in Saudi Arabia, when I haven't felt particularly useful or contributory.  Sure I can swan around to coffee mornings and travel to places far from home that, for most of us, are just a dream, but feeling useful is just so much more rewarding, don't you think?  And though Hubster says that having me around is much nicer for him than his being here alone, I have to say, being here as a non-working expat woman with no kids to run around after and no real purpose for existing, other than to welcome Hubster home at the end of the day, present him with dinner and then practice ignoring him all evening so he can do more work on the computer, is a sucky kind of existence!  So, when I found myself fully occupied and useful I was pretty chuffed for a while there.

Then my grandchildren came to stay.
For three months!
So I was pleasantly busy, though I'd forgotten how time consuming and energetic young children can be.

We took them to Budapest for Christmas hoping to frolic in the snow.  Unfortunately that part of Europe was having an unseasonably snow free winter even though it was still frikken cold.  I think it snowed, very lightly, only twice the whole two weeks we were there.  But that was enough for their first introduction to the white fluffy stuff, and their reaction was priceless.  We'd been out to dinner with some friends and the kids were tired so I was taking them home.  A very light dusting of snow was on the cars outside the restaurant and the lightest flakes were falling.  They ran in to Hubster shouting excitedly, to the amusement of other diners, to announce' It's snowing!'  Of course the table of adults had to come out to see.  A child's excitement is cute and infectious.  So late that night the kids were in the park, playing in a smattering of snow and having a blast.

Then we bought them to Saudi.
I had ideas in my head of the great and marvelous things we would do while they were here.  However the Hip Hop must have hooked it as I got no reply to email requests, the music center wasn't answering their phone, (I had visions of guitar lessons as Hubster had bought the grandson a guitar.  In the end we had to rely on the internet for tuition), and the activity center over at the Localizer has closed up shop.  Although there are loads of fun parks in the shopping centers that the kids would have been more than happy to visit every day, I was more interested in finding physical activities.  After all, these two are very active outdoorsy Mozzies.   Fortunately we found tennis coaching once a week, Karate twice a week and the pool, once it was refilled, was a daily activity.

Cafe Ceramique was recommended as an art outlet to satisfy their creative side.  And we visited Azzizi Mall one day for the soap and chair making upstairs.  Plus on our walks around town we would collect up different bits and pieces and get artistic with glue and paints from Jariir Bookstore where we also spent a bit of time each week choosing new books to read.  Both kids love books.

Other days were filled with visiting friends and joining the ladies on coffee mornings.  They met loads of people and got totally spoiled.  On weekends we would head out into the desert for  picnicking, camping and searching for bones - the grandson was becoming quite an archaeologist.  They both loved camping in their tents given as gifts from Madam Louise and the granddaughter became quite adept at roasting marshmallows over the fire.

The granddaughter also formed some very definite ideas about Saudi Arabia quite early on in her visit and I take some of the blame for that.  Cursing under my breath at the driver who guaranteed he was ten minutes away from picking us up outside a bookshop that had closed for prayer, but decided instead to be an extra half an hour late didn't really give her a great first impression.  "Why don't you just drive us Nana?", was one of the questions she asked as I grumbled away.  No matter how nicely you say it, explaining to a switched on seven year old the peculiarities of Saudi male thinking when it comes to the women related issues of driving, abaya wearing and segregation makes them sound a bit like dicks.

In the second half of their visit I had to spend a bit of time pointing out the good things about the country, but I have to say, you local blokes just didn't cut the mustard for my granddaughter and she doubts she will be back here again until you can open your eyes and get your act together.  Our grandson, being five and cruisey, was pretty much just cruisin' the whole time.

Whanau on a birthday cruise: photo credit Rehua's GoPro

After three months the grandchildren had to be returned to Australia.  The timing coincided with a visit to Melbourne, where Hubster was doing some study, and a trip home to NZ (because if I'm down that way it seems silly not to go the extra two and bit thousand miles) before we set off on a Pacific Dawn cruise.  Our nephew turned 21 and, as he likes boats, his family decided the best way to celebrate his coming of age, would be on a cruise ship.  So 22 members of the family cruised their way up the Aussie coast for a week and we had quite a good time while we were at it.  Unfortunately WiFi isn't that great out at sea, so no work was done by anybody.  Fabulous.

After that Hubster and I went to the Gold Coast to get our land lubber legs back, to catch up with some of his family and to meet the rest of our brood (they didn't go on the cruise).  It was a fabulously relaxing time and a perfect end to our tiki touring ways before heading back to Saudi.

And here we are.
Back in the frey.
A few things have changed.
The Yemeni scene is looking a bit shaky.
I guess we'll all be keeping on eye on that.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Saudi Students In Ireland

For the past two weeks I have been in Ireland as "English Speaking Adult Support" for a group of young Saudi students of mixed gender, aged between 12 and 22, who were attending English Language Summer School in Dublin.  For some of them this was their first time traveling outside of Saudi Arabia.  One young man proudly showed off his very first passport to me!

There were twelve students in total, divided into two study groups - The Big Boys and The Youngsters.  For one, the eldest, this was his third trip to Ireland for English language so he was also made 'Adult Support' for some of the activities.  He, along with the other six boys, were billeted out into home stay accommodation.  A group of siblings (a brother and two sisters) stayed with relatives who have moved to Ireland while two girls were housed at the UDC campus with the Group Leaders comprised of the Tour Leader (who oversaw everything), her 2IC (who was responsible for ensuring the Homestay experience was going smoothly) and myself.  Rounding out the group was a mother of two of the students and a lady who simply came for a holiday.

It's a hard job being group leader!

The Language Program basically involved classes for half a day and outings to places of interest for the other half, and fun evening activities.  Each weekend there was a bus tour to some other area of Ireland plus a free day where each group could organize its own activity.  Every outing had to have a Language School Leader and a Group Leader.  Because this was my first trip to Ireland, I got to be Group Leader for the week day outings - it meant I did a spot of sight seeing while keeping an eye on the kids and it also meant if they wanted anything they had to speak English because, to date, my command of the Arabic language, sadly, sucks.

All of the group have taken to 'The West' like ducks to water...well, in the first week they did.  Come the second week the thrill was dying off and the drudgery of day to day expectations was settling in, and the stress of dealing with language, food and various other cultural differences was beginning to show.   (All the boys admitted missing their Mums, even the one whose mother was on the trip!)  Week three will no doubt bring a new learning curve for those who have decided to stay for the long haul!

It has been interesting watching these youngsters adapt to, or try to adapt to, their current situation.  The boys seem to have managed better than the girls, probably because they are Home Staying so have to get themselves together.  The girls still think they are at home with mothers, maids and drivers to run round after them and are less than impressed when they're encouraged to organize themselves.

Foreign students enjoying the view at Powercourts gardens.

Having the freedom to interact with each other in gender mixed classes, playing mixed sports and attending mixed activities has, in most cases, been welcomed.  However, the girls in particular have struggled with the affectionate nature of the other nationalities who are also attending English Summer School.  The Russians, Spanish, French and Italians are a loud, fun loving and affectionate bunch of teens.  The Saudi kids were initially perplexed and stand offish from all the mixed gender good morning hugs, cheek kissing and general bantering going around.  Once they made friends with their fellow students the Saudi boys were perfectly happy with how things were panning out.  The Saudi girls, however, became particularly nasty in their verbal attacks about the questionable nature of unrelated females and males who sit next to each other on buses and have a penchant for affectionately greeting gender mixed friends every day!  The tour leader spent a great deal of time that week explaining not only cultural differences but also acceptable responses to cultural differences - and calling European girls bitches because they hug people hello and they choose to sit next to male classmates on a bus is not an acceptable response!

Group trip to Kilmainham Goal.  This is the execution yard!

The other obvious area where Saudi girls did not manage so well, was anything to do with sports or walking in general. Their "Saudi Walk"  a.k.a. 'Creeping Along The Footpath at Saudi Lady Snail Pace Because Time Has No Meaning To Them' was driving the Language School Leaders slightly crazy and many a bus was almost missed while the girls dilly dallied behind everybody else.  Eventually the older boys, who managed to read the annoyance of the Language School Leaders (not to mention the other students also attending the outings) much better than the girls did, deployed themselves to G-up the girls

The school also ran a number of mixed sporting activities on the campus over the course of the program and while the Saudi boys were keen, and happy, to participate, the Saudi girls simply did not want a bar of it.  That was sad because the other students, male and female, were using this time to mix, relax, engage and simply have some fun - and our girls wouldn't even try.   What didn't help the situation was the fact the ladies in charge of this group couldn't be bothered with the sport either.  I mentioned how good it would be if the girls were encouraged to just try the sport - that good old Kiwi 'have a go' attitude.

I clapped my hands when, one night, two of the girls turned up to spectate on a game of rounders.  (The fact they had no choice because their brother was playing and they weren't to go home without him is beside the point).  And I was over the moon when, the following day, one of the girls said she would like to do the swimming - and turned up with her burkini and towel at the pool even though some of our group had spent the morning warning her against the activity.  The fact that I said I would be swimming too made everybody much happier about the whole idea, and we had a lovely hour paddling about.

Dalkey Castle was the best museum visit of the trip.  Very interactive with actors playing various roles.

What was also obvious was the lack of confidence that Saudi students have compared to other nationalities when it comes to putting themselves in front of a crowd, performing simply for enjoyments sake and accepting that mistakes can be laughed off!  Though the group put their name down to perform at the first weeks Talent Show, they pulled out at the crucial moment their name was called, their excuse being lack of practice, though in reality their was some group raruraru (maori word for trouble) where the majority wanted to pull out because their nerve was failing them.  I guess when you come from a society where standing out from the crowd is frowned on, (why else are we all dressed in a black or white uniform and discouraged from expressing excessive emotion in public - even happiness), yet where perfection is the only acceptable standard (even if you have to pay someone else to reach that standard for you), it takes a great deal of courage to throw everything you have been taught to the wind and swim against the tide.

Come the second week four of the boys took to the Karaoke with no problems at all, one of them even doing two solo performances.  He, it is safe to say, is thriving in this environment.  The girls, who I'm guessing have had the concepts of honor and decorum hammered into them from a very young age, simply watched, laughed, criticized and told me how embarrassed they were about the boys performance.  They were the only group, out of all the nationalities present, where the girls did not take to the stage for the group performance.

While the kids were in class I was free to do my own thing which, as you can imagine, involved beer and pubs, along with a museum or two, the art gallery, some chamber music concerts, cycling and watching Riverdance.  On weekends I did a bit of touring with whoever was not on duty or the Tour Leader and I would go and spend a bit of quality time with The Big Boys who were living and studying on the outskirts of Dublin, down the coast.

Though there were a few issues with the students (nothing major - things like sleeping in, missing the occasional bus, not wanting to go to class, not wanting to visit another museum, wanting to go to the movies almost every day, a rather late night for two of the blokes and not enjoying the rules of their home stay parents), there were a number of good things the group brought with them.  They had a great deal of respect for the two female tour leaders and the one English Speaking Adult Support.   They discussed everything they saw and heard with each other and the women leading the tour - no question or comment was too small or inconsequential, no act went unreported, and discussions were loud and lively.  When out as a group they looked out for each other and you could see the fabric of Saudi society in the way the older boys would watch out for the girls and younger students, and the girls would boss the older boys - well, they'd boss them to a point before the boys put them in their place.

And they ate, everywhere.  It was almost impossible to pass a cafe, ice-cream shop or restaurant without one, or all of them, disappearing inside to buy food!  Yes, I had an interesting two weeks with a group of Saudi students in Ireland, and I'm fairly certain that, as they become more comfortable here and as the boys especially begin to push the boundaries, things are going to get even more interesting!



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Walking ATM in Sri Lanka

Have you ever seen a walking ATM?  Just go take a look in the mirror!  We are in Sri Lanka and as one gentleman aptly put it, tourists are seen as walking ATMs by most of the locals trying to survive in this cash strapped country. 

Although there is a lot of natural beauty here, there is also a lot of human struggle.   And although the people know how to work hard, many have also figured out how to milk the angles out of every situation.  And we tourists are milking time, plain and simple!  

Colombo, the starting point of our trip, is the worst place for rip off artists and smiling scammers.  

Most Tuk Tuk drivers will bleed us dry if we aren't prepared to negotiate price, or walk away, every time we go out into the street.  It pays to know exactly where we are going and how many kilometers it is to the destination (thank goodness for Google Maps!), then we negotiate price on a 'rupees/per kilometer rate (anywhere from 40-60 rupees is a good rate).  Once the drivers have us in the back seat they begin a constant speil on tours they can take us on and deals they can organise.  

Hubster was working his way into a right angry mood with one guy who picked us up and, instead of taking us directly to a beach, did a detour, complete with 

constant jabbering about all the good shopping he could show us, to a souvenir shop. 

 

When Mr Tuk Tuk saw the mean look in Hubsters eye and heard the angry tone in his voice (and when someone is trying to rip him off for at least the third time that morning Hubster can get riled up real fast) he stopped talking about 'shopping and exhibitions' and even reduced his rate en route to said beach.  

Anyone who approaches with a smiling 'hello, would you like some help' attitude is out to scam us.  If we are tired of being nice (and there are so many fake people in Colombo we can get very tired of being nice quite quickly), we end up being very attitudinal (ie, not very nice). 

With all the approaches by smiling con artists it's easy to think there isn't an honest Sri Lankan in the Colombo region and that everyone is on the take.  Everyone.  

Which is sad for a lot of reasons, but from a tourist point of view, an industry the government is working hard to build up,  it's bloody tiresome and can really put a real damper on the holiday.  (Unless, of course, you love the whole 'negotiation' type of thing).

The thing is, we don't mind tipping a bit extra for good service.  But we don't like being ripped off, we don't like being taken for lengthy rides we didn't ask for and we intensely dislike being scammed. 

I could really like Sri Lanka. 

I could. 

A week into our trip I'm not sure if I do because we aren't angry, walking ATM's - there is more to us than that, and I'm hoping there is more to the Sri Lankan people than we've seen so far!