Safaga, Egypt - Nov 11

Fri. Nov. 11th Safaga Egypt

By Jain

We arrive in Egypt at 7a.m. Egypt is one of my favorite countries and has lots to see and do for the tourist. However, I don't know why anyone would go to Safaga, Egypt. Of course I know why our ship is here. It has a nice port for our ship to dock and it is the closest point on our trip to Luxor and Valley of the Kings, some of Egypt's biggest attractions.

Eight years ago we cruised on the Nile and saw King Tut's tomb, Luxor Temple complex, and the Luxor Museum, so we pass on the shore excursions to these places.  Our fellow passengers who did go (which seems like half the boat) only have to endure a 3 ½ hour bus ride (one way) Luxor's 95 degree heat and part with $295.00 each. Take it from me if you want to see the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor go on a trip down the Nile.

There is nothing for a tourist to do in Safaga town unless you stop at a cafe to drink tea and smoke a hookah pipe. So we decide to take the shuttle bus to the Lamar resort where for a mere $15.00 you can use the hotel facilities, their private beach and swimming pool. I looked up the Lamar resort on the internet and it looked fabulous. The reality is that it's old, worn out, tired, crummy, broken down hotel. I guess you can say I didn't think much of it. Egypt is one of those countries kinda like China that once something is built it never gets repaired. They just let things crumble away until eventually it turns into sand. Of course, judging by how the the pyramids have endured that could be a long, long time from now.

Safaga is just one of those bad towns. It is dirty, falling apart, there is nobody on the streets. I did not see any redeeming qualities except for the port… which is new, modern, clean, and huge. Safaga is, however, especially popular with kitesurfers and windsurfers, it is very windy here. Safaga is also billed as a favorite spot for sunbathers for its sea water that is highly salinated and rich in minerals, beneficial to the skin, specifically rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. While at the Lamar resort we took one look at the beach and headed for the pool, it didn't look therapeutic to me.

The locals are nice and friendly. The shop owners are too friendly. Nobody shops here cause they will chase you down the street and bug you until the "cows…. I mean, camels come home". The town seems deserted, except for the few locals in sidewalk cafes sipping their tea. Tea in Egypt is their national drink. Even our shuttle bus driver stopped the bus in the middle of our 3 mile return trip to the ship to go in a sidewalk cafe and get a glass of tea. Egyptians like their tea sweet, and I mean sweet. They usually put 3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar in a small glass. I recently read there is a sugar crisis in Egypt.  The scarcity of sugar is due to Egypt's economic crisis and purchasing power. I saw some huge newspaper headlines that said "People are Going to Snap Without Their Sugar." Just think if you are used to drinking 10 glasses of tea each day, with three or more teaspoons of sugar and suddenly there is limited sugar it would cause anybody to snap.

We are now safely on board ship again, counting our blessings. We have a nice clean ship, a great pool and plenty of sugar. In retrospect it was a good thing we got off the ship today because tomorrow we embark on our longest stretch at sea; 4 days!! I told you I like sea days… well let's just see…. only the sea will tell.

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