El Andalous - No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

El Andalous - Walkway by Shops

I had this great idea to visit my brother in New Zealand next February – I felt it would be a good use of some of the inheritance money from my parents and also I’d amassed quite a few airmiles (216k to be precise) that I’d been half-saving for a NZ trip in order to fly business class. I am now not limited by time either, so I can go at my leisure. It all sounds good, doesn’t it?

Ha! Well, it just wasn’t so easy.

First of all, as already reported, the guy at EgyptAir hadn’t heard of New Zealand and I discovered that, although EgyptAir was part of the Star Alliance, they wouldn’t let me book a flight with my Star Alliance miles because my card was with Swiss and not EgyptAir.

I wasn’t too sure at this stage whether this meant that I could book flights only with Swiss or whether I just had to book through a Swiss office. I looked online and the Swiss booking system didn’t allow award flights as far as New Zealand since online booking was limited to only some airlines in the Star Alliance.

Anyway, after a bit of searching, I discovered that I needed to phone the Swiss Star Alliance office in Cairo. I was not keen on this idea since even simple phone calls are fraught with problems over here and my query was pretty complex (what are my options to get to New Zealand using my air miles, were there flights available that I could use my airmiles with, could I book using any Star Alliance partner; indeed, how did I book?).

I emailed the office instead and waited for a reply. After four or five days, I got an email from Lufthansa in Germany (phew!) asking me for my Swiss PIN and they would see which flights were available. I replied straight away and got no reply.

Meanwhile, my brother pointed me to a NZ website which allowed me to find alternative routes myself and filter results by Star Alliance only.

After getting no reply, I simplified my query by suggesting a route and asking which dates flights would be available for me to book with my airmiles. Again, no reply.

I simplified my query further and asked them to book me a specific flight. Again, no reply.

In the end, I decided I would have to phone. I dialled but got a message saying the number was wrong. I tried a few other permutations but only one got a response and it was a recorded message in Arabic with music in the background. It didn’t sound like Miles and More.

I gave up and asked my brother in New Zealand to book it for me. Unfortunately, it turned out that he was off on holiday in a few days’ time. However, he did his best before he left. He looked at the first leg of my journey (well, second leg, to be honest) and found the times and availability for that and dug up another website that I could try.

Unfortunately, whatever the website, it still held that there were only limited Star Alliance partners that permitted online booking of award flights and I was reluctant to book the first (second) leg without knowing whether the next leg of the flight would also be possible.

I was stuck. How on earth could I book this flight?

I returned once more to the Swiss website and found an online form I could fill out. This, at least, got me the helpful reply that booking via email was not allowed and that I had to phone the Cairo office to book my flight award. The reply was from one of those addresses where you’re not allowed to reply back. So, back I went to the online form to explain that the Cairo number they provided did not work. They replied that it was the correct number.

Are these award flights a myth?

In the end I decided I’d just book the leg of the flight that I could do online and then pay for the other flights myself. I had an itinerary all worked out. 

I went online, picked my times, only to find that when I clicked on the link, I could only book on a route that used an extra change of planes. This wasn’t what I was expecting. Moreover, my return date that I was allowed differed from the one I had planned.

Consequently, I had to find out if it was easier for me to fly direct to the place where I changed planes or go to my original point of departure. And I had to check that my connecting flight still flew on the new date. It was all so complicated.

Finally, I booked this one return leg of the journey. It wasn’t even free as it still cost me GBP 500 in fees and taxes. Moreover, I didn’t have enough miles left to book the next part of the journey, even if I could. At least paying for myself makes the options a lot easier.

All done, finally? No!

My next step was to ensure I had a place on the tour we wanted to go on. I emailed the agent to ask, not really expecting a problem, but she informed me that the dates I wanted in early March next year weren’t guaranteed and she strongly recommended booking the tour before or the tour after. Argh!

Never mind, I thought, I’ll just change my flight booking online. However, when I went to do this, the options of eligible flights had changed and a date that was available earlier was no longer free. So, once more, I sat there working out various new itineraries.

Eventually, I changed my flight. All was good. Or was it?

No, I had an email from Swiss saying that I needed to pay a fee for changing my ticket (not much and I expected this, but was surprised my online booking hadn’t requested it) and could I ring Cairo to pay it? Again, this email from Swiss was from a no-reply address, so I couldn’t explain that the Cairo number didn’t work. Anyway, that’s one of my “let’s just leave that to hang” strategy items, so let’s see what disaster awaits.

I still have to book Singapore-Auckland, but I’m hoping this will be less traumatic than the rest, since I’m paying proper money for it. I’m beginning to think the airmiles are a bit of a con as it is is so difficult to use them and the fees are so high. In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t booked with airmiles and had saved them up for a special deal instead for maximum benefit, but it’s all too late now. Maybe someone out there can learn from my experience. It would have been easier if I weren’t in Egypt, as well.

Hurghada - A Trip to El Gouna

El Gouna - Egyptian Luxury

We managed to fit in quite a lot while Geraldine was here. I’ve already blogged about a few of the suggested itinerary items before, but one thing I haven’t mentioned much is El Gouna. I stayed there when originally looking for a property to buy in Egypt (see September 2013: Flashback - Flat Hunting), but I haven’t been back since.

We went into the tourist agency in the Old Town in Sahl Hasheesh and one of the many things they offered was a trip by boat to El Gouna. After discussing, we returned to buy the tickets, but they insisted on giving us the whole sales pitch again. Somehow the trip details differed on the second telling and, in addition, the chances of sighting a dolphin dropped from 95% to 80%. Never mind, this is Egypt.

I haggled on the price as a resident and got a small discount (see, I am settling in after all!). Even though El Gouna is the Venice of Egypt (every country has at least one), the trip still had a certain Egyptian flair.

We were told to wait outside the office at 8.15am on the day, which we dutifully did, but nobody was there to meet us. A security guard came up to us and asked if we were there for the tourist agency, so we nodded and he started to phone them. At this point, the bus arrived, so all was well.

After 45 minutes, we arrived at a marina off a hotel in the middle of nowhere towards the North of Hurghada and it was like a bus station for boats. About 7-8 boats were moored there taking on passengers and, as each ship left, other boats were already hanging around waiting to dock. The ships varied in quality, so it got to be a bit of a guessing game as to which of them would be ours. Even our guide was on the phone trying to find out which one it was. It turned out that ours was one that we hadn’t even spotted because it was parked behind another boat and we had to climb over the first boat to get to ours.

Similar to the boat for Jac’s birthday (March 2014: Hurghada - Jac's Birthday), getting on felt quite scary and when we mentioned that the waves were rough, we were informed it would all be OK by the afternoon. This seems to be the standard patter. As is always the case, we had to remove our shoes (even though they were only swimming shoes) while on the boat.

We’d originally been advised to go on the Wednesday trip as that was the English-speaking tour, but when they realised that for us it was Tuesday or nothing, since Geraldine was leaving on Wednesday, they magically made a phone call and ascertained that the Russian trip on Tuesday would also have English. This turned out not to be true. There were four other Brits on board, but all the commentary was in Russian (and all other passengers were Russian-speaking).

Consequently, it was maybe just as well we had two explanations of the trip, because we didn’t have much of a clue what was happening from whatever was said on board. It also pretty much set the tone for the day, which was that the aim for the company was to make as much money as possible from the tourists rather than to ensure the tourists had the best possible experience. This is (a struggling) Egypt.

The tour guide counted everyone on the boat, but it seemed to be a bit haphazard, due to the numbers of people and everyone wandering about as she counted. Indeed, the ship and all subsequent travel arrangements were over-full. We couldn’t get seats on the top deck, so had to sit on the food deck (what a hardship). In the end we sat right at the front of the boat, which was actually pretty good and it ended up being the spot where male Russians would pose for macho photographs showing their bravado as they stood dangerously on the bow. We spotted some dolphins en route and had a good view from down the front end.

Fortunately, the guide for the snorkel stop introduced himself to me and Geraldine in English, which made him easier to identify and helped us to know what was happening. He had bread to attract the fish, which I found annoying as I really just wanted to search for fish that I hadn’t seen before, but I guess for the tourists it’s great to see the huge shoals, or swarms, of fish coming to eat it.

For me, it was a delicate balance of keeping my eye on the snorkelling guide and doing my own thing, but it all worked out. As a joke, one of the Russians kept on diving down in front of me and waving each time I tried to take an underwater photograph. I’m not sure I appreciated it at the time, but I can see the funny side now!

As the ship approached El Gouna, we saw at least 60 kite boarders scooting along the coastline and performing some impressive jumps; another one appeared to be crossing the sea. Either that, or he was lost. Finally, we docked.

The bus waiting at El Gouna to drive us to the boat for our lagoon trip did not have enough seats for everyone (some stood), but it was only a two minute drive. Then we struggled to squeeze onto the lagoon boat; at one point I wondered if we would all fit on. When I looked round at other boats, though, they too were full. The Russian-speakers sitting by us complained that they couldn’t hear what the guide was saying and for us it was redundant since not a word of explanation was provided in English.

Still, the lagoons were a beautiful turquoise colour and the flowers all around made El Gouna appear very Mediterranean. The expensive villas looked like show houses, although many seemed unoccupied. We stopped off at the aquarium, but the fish in the sea looked healthier and happier, I thought. Following this, we had a half hour’s coffee stop in a cafe; Geraldine and I decided to wander and explore the old town instead.

We made our way back to the cafe at what we thought was the appointed time, but when we got there, it was empty. Everyone had already left. We dashed back to the long boat only to see it pulling away from the dock. I shouted, and the boat stopped, hovering by a boat tied up at the dock, while we leapt over it to get to ours. Apparently, the guide had counted twice, thinking she’d miscounted the first time. So much for the counting technique is all I can say! It’s obviously a matter of counting until you decide you’ve counted the number of people you think you should have, regardless of what actually holds.

Being the last on the boat, it was a struggle to find somewhere to sit, but everyone huddled along and the girl next to me sat on her boyfriend’s lap so that I could have room. Off we went. However, water washed over the front of the boat and flooded the front seats as soon as we picked up speed. People leapt up, much shouting occurred, and the guy steering the boat slowed the engine down. A number of people ended up having to stand. I had a wet bum by the end of it as the water gradually filtered down the boat.

Then we got off the boat. Geraldine and I eagerly got on the first bus with a load of other people, keen to secure a seat. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong bus. However, at least we were pulled off it before either of the buses departed, although I ended up having to stand after all that.

Back on our sea-faring ship, the next item on the agenda was fishing. It wasn’t with proper rods, but just with a hook attached to wire wound round a wooden holder. I’ve seen people using these on El Andalous beach as well, so they must be pretty common. It was quiet as everyone stood looking down at the water where they’d thrown their lines. Suddenly, we heard a yell, and I thought someone had caught something huge in the first few minutes, but it turned out that we had a man overboard. The boat was a diving boat and wasn’t secured at the end at all where the divers usually jump off. I would say that we’d had no safety instructions during the trip, but we may have had them in Russian for all I know!

But all’s well that ends well. We arrived safely back in Hurghada.

Now, however, none of the Brits could remember the name of the company we’d booked with; the Russians were OK because they had their guide. There were loads of empty buses sitting and waiting for people. Anyway, the first bus we asked claimed it was going to Sahl Hasheesh, although I was not entirely convinced. The Russians also appeared to be confused and, before we knew it, some of them joined our bus. They hadn’t been there when we came! Then, after some debate in Russian outside, these people were moved from our bus to another bus and we were joined by another person going somewhere else. Meanwhile, we checked with the driver, and he still claimed he was going to Sahl Hasheesh. To my surprise, it did end up at Sahl Hasheesh, so we did OK.

Despite the various mishaps and the overcrowding, the boat journey was beautiful, the water was warm, the snorkelling was great, and El Gouna was enchanting. I don’t regret the trip and would recommend it, but do insist that you go on a day where your language is pre-planned! Nevertheless, the Russians were a friendly bunch and even though we couldn’t speak the same language, they made an effort to converse with us with good humour and much hilarity. I just hope that the guides weren’t relying on us catching fish to eat in the evening because I think only one person caught a tiny fish and that was it.

Hurghada - A Visitor's Impressions

Mosque from the Marina

One of the good things about having a visitor is that you get to see some of the things that you’ve already taken for granted in your new setting. Although I try to capture most of the differences between here and Europe in this blog, sometimes I just don’t get round to mentioning some things if they don’t fall within topic and, to be honest, at other times I simply overlook them.

Geraldine was surprised at how large El Andalous was when she arrived (she described it as a palace, but given all the complaints from owners here, I think she was maybe being rather polite!) and also at the size of Sahl Hasheesh as a resort. Sahl Hasheesh spreads over something like 12km of coastline, I think, so it’s perfectly possible to stay in a hotel here and be nowhere near where I’m living, even though not all of it is developed yet.

It’s the same with Hurghada. Hurghada is spread out along the coast (but unfortunately is built up so that it’s not always easy to see the coastline, which is a shame), so if you stay in a hotel in North Hurghada, you can be quite a way from South Hurghada. And Sahl Hasheesh is itself yet further South (El Gouna is to the North of Hurghada). Anyone holidaying in Hurghada would need a taxi to visit me and would need to set aside pretty much at least a half hour drive.

As I think I’ve said in earlier blogs, there are many half-built buildings just waiting for the economy here to pick up before being re-started or sold to a developer. For now, they are just a sad testament to the problems that Egypt has had over the last years.

Taxis are always a good topic of conversation / provide room for adventure. Esmat drives well, is pleasant to talk to, and is reliable. Having warned of the dangers of other taxi drivers, we ended up having to get a random taxi at one point for a short trip within town and actually ended up with someone who was very good. The car was of good quality, the driver was quiet, and did not argue over how much we should pay. If only it were always like that!

Anyway, I think Geraldine was surprised to find that many cars in Hurghada don’t have safety belts. Well, they do, but there’s nothing you can click them into – no clunk click, just a band that slides and has nowhere to go. I don’t think twice about this now, but it’s really pretty common.

It used to be that no one in Hurghada used their headlights at night either because it was standard belief that if you used your lights, your battery would run low. Consequently, I’ve been told by many, you’d drive down roads in pitch black without knowing whether a car was approaching you in the opposite direction. This practice has now been made illegal, and everyone has to use lights at night, so fortunately it’s not something I’ve really had to experience.

Geraldine wondered why they thought that the lights took up battery energy but not the car horn, which Egyptians use liberally at every opportunity (it’s mostly taxis touting for business, or cars tooting to warn you that they are coming up behind you; Lena and Holger also commented on all the tooting here, but allegedly it’s a lot less than it used to be).

Esmat said that they’ve recently passed a law to ban people from driving if they get too many points on their license, similar to Europe. It will be interesting to see whether driving habits change at all.

Anyway, on one occasion Esmat couldn’t make it to take us back home one evening, so he sent a friend of his to fetch us. In Egypt, “friends” are invariably also relatives (as are spouses, come to that), so he was also Esmat’s cousin. He was an extremely pleasant guy, but he seemed to think that speed bumps were there as a challenge to speed and then break in quick succession and he spent rather a lot of our journey turning round to us in the back and showing us pictures on his mobile phone of all the huge fish he’d caught at various points in his life rather than focusing on the road. It was a very Egyptian experience.

Another difference that Geraldine picked up on was the ring pulls on diet coke cans. Here, a bit like the toothpaste that dries up as soon as you squeeze it out the tiny hole at the top of the tube, it’s a return to the 1970’s. The ring pulls are those that you pull right off; they don’t bend back and stay on the can. This probably also fits in with the generous, free use of plastic bags that I’ve mentioned before at the supermarket. There’s not much consciousness of keeping the environment clean here, although that is allegedly also something that may be marked for improvement over the next few years. Let’s see!

El Andalous - Visitor

Bird Wading on El Andalous Beach

Sorry, I've got a bit busy while my friend Geraldine is visiting, so I won't manage to write this week's blog until Thursday. Next blog after that will be the following Monday, as usual!

Hurghada - Things to Do

Sand City - King Kong

I have Geraldine visiting for a week as from Wednesday, so I’ve been thinking up some things to do with a view to not all of them being swimming and snorkelling related (which would be my desire!).

I thought I may as well share my thoughts here in case anyone stumbles across this blog wondering what to do while they are in Hurghada.

To my surprise, I’m finding it hard to fit everything in within one week, but maybe it’s good for someone to leave with more to do for another visit. Anyway, here are some suggestions to you random people out there!

1. Wednesday night is Marina night. There’s a festival at the Marina every Wednesday. I can’t remember if I reported back on this blog when I went with Nicole. There are special (reduced price) menus at the restaurants and out on the walkway there are bands playing, men on stilts, close-up magicians, etc. It’s surprising how many Egyptians go, so it’s not even just foreign tourists.
2. I definitely reported on South Beach before – decent food at good prices (now with specials each evening at reduced rates, eg, curry night, pizza night, etc) with live music most evenings and karaoke on Fridays (I’ll be avoiding Fridays!). During the day (and night too, I guess), you can lounge on the beach while having your cafe latte or eating your cheesecake.
3. Believe it or not, the SubZero bar next door to South Beach did actually open. It’s a bar made out of ice, so you step from 35 degrees natural heat outside into subzero temperatures! Where else in the world can you do that? I’ve not been yet, and the entrance fee is fairly steep, but includes a few drinks and use of warm clothes that are provided. I believe you are allowed to stay inside only for 30 minutes.
4. Senzo Mall. OK, so not the most exciting of places for tourists maybe, but foreign supermarkets are always interesting as they give you a bit of insight into real life. Spinneys is in Senzo mall and is the largest supermarket in Hurghada (other chains are Abu Ashara and Metro). Senzo also houses KFC and McDonalds and some more local (and decent) restaurants too. There’s also the cinema, which we may try out since I haven’t been there yet; there’s even a 5D cinema (you can find one of these in the marina as well, I think). It’s a mall, so there are other shops too, of course. It’s a welcome relief here, since otherwise you have to traipse all round town to get to various shops; Senzo Mall is not really a typically Egyptian experience!
5. The mosque and the fish market. I’ve already blogged about these.
6. Glass-bottomed boat. I believe this goes over to Makadi Bay from Sahl Hasheesh. You sit in a part of the boat that’s underwater with glass all around you and you can see all the fish and coral without getting wet. It’s a 90-minute journey. There’s another one that goes from the Marina and I think form El Gouna as well.
7. Sand City. This is a new attraction in Hurghada and is conveniently situated close to Senzo Mall. It contains sculptures made out of sand created by various artists around the world. There’s a whole children’s section of cartoon characters (also fun for adults!) and then an adult section with the Sphinx, various Egyptian pharaonic figures, Neptune, Cleopatra, etc. The size and detail is impressive. They were promising a sound and light show from September, but it’s not on their website, so I assume that’s still a work in progress. Currently open from 8am to 6pm.
8. El Gouna. Created by the Sawaris with everyone mocking that it wouldn’t work but quickly became one of the prime locations in Egypt. A man-made town of lagoons with a hospital, a university, mini-golf, proper golf, a marina or two, and still expanding. There’s a boat trip round the lagoons that you can do and probably a lot of other stuff that I don’t know about.
9. Fruit and Vegetable market at the far end of El Nasr Street. I’ve never been as it’s rather a long way to go for fruit and vegetables, but I’ve heard it’s worth a visit and has more than just fruit and vegetables.
10. Dendera Temple complex. This is a day trip if you want to get a taste of Ancient Egypt but don't have the time to go to Luxor (you need three days, at least, in Luxor - one for travelling (allow 2 x 4 hours), one for Luxor temple and Karnak, and one for Valley of Kings/Queens). A well-preserved site. I haven't been there yet myself, so cannot comment much, but have heard many good reports about it.
11. Other places to eat are Thai Garden and the Lebanese restaurant in Mamsha. You may as well spend a little time walking up and down Mamsha while you’re there, but with few tourists around, it can seem a bit quiet (but all the more reason to give them your support). From here, you can also wander up and visit the El Kawser area, which is where the Egyptian hospital is (where I was treated for my broken foot). It’s not really easy to browse shops in Egypt as they are quite far apart and you risk your life each time you cross the road, but it’s part of the experience! Another good venue for an evening out is the Viking bar (already reported on in this blog) which has food and live music on Fridays. That’s just off Sheraton Road near Bombay restaurant (supposed to be good), which is signposted from Sheraton Road. So, if you go there, you can take the opportunity to explore Sheraton Road as well, but be warned during the day in the heat it is tiring and you may find shopkeepers inviting you in to look at their wares all the time. It’s part of the experience (although, to be honest, I don’t find it too bad). Heaven in the marina has been highly recommended; try B’s at the Marina for camel or buffalo. Actually, there are loads of places and I’ll go on all day at this rate.

So, even if you don’t like beach holidays or snorkelling much, there are still plenty of things to do. Jim went on a quad-bike while he was here and said it was fantastic. You can hire boats for the day. If you’re here for longer, Luxor is less than four hours away by taxi (you pay around 400-500 LE); Cairo is a plane ride away with one-way flights starting from 250 LE with a new airline that’s just started up.

On the other hand, you can have a great time just swimming, snorkelling and diving. The seascape continually changes, of course, because the fish move about.

Anyway, that's my sales pitch over. Have a safe journey, Geraldine!