People and their activities at a train station early in the morning

Some photos from a railway station. I had recently gone on a trip and the train had a stop at a train station (located in a semi-urban area of India). It was in the winter months, and hence there was a hint of fog, you could see people wearing winter clothes, and in winter there seems to be more sluggishness in movement (could be because of the heaver amount of clothes they wear). I took some photos of people at this time and liked how they turned out. Here are some of those photos.

Elderly sikh man paying a vendor at a railway station for some service tendered
This elderly sikh gentleman was walking along the platform of the station. He had not got down from a train, but seemed to be either waiting for someone, or could be that he would come to the station once in a while as a kind of walk. I could see him making a payment of money to the other person, but did not get a chance to see what the payment was for. The shawl draped over his shoulders gave him a look of dignity, although it is very easy to think of such a person as a loner, even forsaken by his family or not really cared by them. He did have a fair amount of money in his hands, so it seemed that he was fairly well off.

Lady, seemingly burdened by her load, walking off after getting down from a train
This was a lady who had just got down from a train that had recently come to the station. A number of people departed, but she had taken some time to get off - it could be that she was waiting for somebody to come, and that person did not turn up. She finally took her luggage in her own hands and walked off, burdened by the load (although it did not seem too heavy).

Milk vendors doing some kind of work on the utensils between the train tracks

This photo was the most perplexing to me. What was the vendor doing ? He could not be cleaning his milk utensils since there was nothing there to suggest cleaning; there was no source of water, no soap, not even a cloth that could suggest any kind of cleaning operation. Unfortunately he was still doing this when my train departed, and hence I did not get to see him when he left.

Water splashing due to the diving of dolphins below the water surface

Splashing on the water as the dolphin moves under water, near the Egyptian town of Sharm el Sheikh

Water splashing around as the dolphin dives below the surface of the water in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Disturbance in water almost over soon after the dolphin dives below the surface of the water near Sharm el Sheikh

We were having some fun time at the Egyptian town of Sharm el Sheikh (located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula) after having visited the ancient monuments of Egypt (and many of those monuments built by the pharaohs are still in an incredible condition). After the visit of the monuments, we decided to go to some fun areas, visiting the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh with the great temperature and the attraction of the Red Sea nearby. In the Red Sea, there were a number of coral reefs and one could go snorkeling in the coral reefs. But on the way to the coral reefs, we saw some dolphins on the way and spent some time just watching. These photos are of the time when they finally decided to leave and made their way under the water, creating a nice splash that took a moments to clear off.

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Cliffs and shoreline near the Sharm El Sheikh tourist town in Sinai in Egypt

Shoreline near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt with coral reefs below water in the Red Sea

Water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh, near the coral reefs of the Ras Mohammed Park

Rugged cliffs of the shoreline near the city of Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea

The portion of the Sinai Peninsula in the Red Sea near the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh has some cliffs including near the marine park called Ras Mohammed park (famous for the coral reefs and the marine life), and the land over there is fairly barren. In these photos, you can see how the whole land mass looks barren and there are some cliff like structures. Tourists can either take ships to come near the coral reefs from the water, or there are land tours organized that take people over this dry desert type land to the edge of the water (I don't know whether they offer an option for snorkeling or not). The coral reefs are located near the shore, and that is where a number of ships make a stop nearby, so that tourists can don their snorkeling gear and swim the short stretch of water from the ship to the reefs. These reefs almost come to the surface of the water and in fact, one cannot swim over many of them, since there is not enough water over the surface of the reefs.

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Dolphins in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Dorsal fin of Bottle Nose dolphin over the surface of the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Bottle Nose dolphin breaking the surface of the water in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Part of the body of the Bottle Nose dolphin above the water level of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

This was an incredible sight. There were these dolphins on the surface of the water, sometimes below, all the time very graceful. How did we come to see these dolphins ? We had done the proper tourist tour of Egypt, seeing all the monuments related to the pharaoh, had a trip to the museum in Cairo to see the mummies of those incredible kings of the past. But once done, we wanted to break away from the past and get into a different kind of environment, and the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh provided such an opportunity. Sharm el Sheikh presents a beautiful and temperate environment, and draws a large number of tourists. The Red Sea right next to it has some great coral reefs, and that is where we were headed for doing some snorkeling and on the way we came across a pod of Bottle Nose dolphins, with some 3-4 visible on the surface of the water. We spent around 10-15 minutes there while the dolphins remained in the area, and once they moved away, all we were left with were memories and these photos.

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Ships in Sharm el Sheikh harbour heading towards open waters ..

Large number of ships at the harbour of Sharm el Sheikh at the Red Sea in Egypt

Ships heading to the coral reefs at the Ras Mohamed water park near Sharm el Sheikh

Open water in between Sharm el Sheikh and the Ras Mohammed sanctuary in the Red Sea

The harbour of Sharm el Sheikh is a very busy area. During the tourist season, there are a large number of tourists who come to the region, located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsular. In the last 70 years, this area has traded ownership a couple of times, having been conquered by Israel twice during wars, and then given back as part of peace settlements. During this period, the region continued to be developed as a tourist center and is now a very famous tourist center. The weather here is very nice, especially when large parts of Europe and other such areas are suffering freezing winter conditions, and the water conditions promote tourists to come here in large numbers. They come here for the water, for the beaches, and for the coral reefs that provide good conditions for snorkeling and scuba diving. So, here you can see the ships in large numbers at the Sharm el Sheikh harbour, and then a smaller number of ships in between, and then finally a clear patch of water.

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Head of the Bottle Nose dolphin moving out of the water near Sharm el Sheikh

Body of dolphin emerging from below the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh. For around 10-15 minutes, we just watched these Bottle Nose dolphins moving in and out of the water surface.

Head of the Bottle Nose dolphin causing a wave in the water of the Red Sea in Egypt

The Red Sea is a narrow stretch of sea, primarily between the countries of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This sea has a number of coral reefs along with the associated marina life. The area near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh boasts a protected water sanctuary called the Ram Mohammed Park; and a large number of tourists come to this area to see the coral reefs - both at the surface in the form of snorkeling, and under the surface through the form of scuba diving. We were on our way to this area on a boat, when we saw that a number of ships in front of us were all circling around and soon the staff of our ship told us that they were all circling a small group of dolphins. Now the prospect of seeing dolphins in the wild was something very exciting, and so we also soon reached the area. This was the first time I had seen dolphins outside of a movie, and it was an incredible site, watching these intelligent mammals on the surface and below the surface. Dolphins are estimated to be the most intelligent out of the various species in the water, and humans have a fascination for these animals.

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The sight of dolphins at the water surface at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

The head of the Bottle Nose dolphin emerging from the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh. It was great fun watching these mammalian creatures moving fluidly in and out of the water.

Dolphin emerging in and out of the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Dolphins are supposed to be one of the more intelligent species of animals in the world, counted among the whales, elephants and other animals that are supposed to have a high degree of intelligence (next only to humans and some of the ape species). Dolphins are also killed world wide, many times caught in the major industrial fishing operations, and also hunted down as well. Other species such as river dolphins face problems due to the increasing amount of pollution in rivers and also the various restrictions on the free flow of water in these rivers (dams, and other such restrictions). We got a sight of some Bottle Nose dolphins near the Ras Muhammed marine park near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. We were on our way to the coral formations for some snorkeling, and on the way, came across these dolphins on the water surface. For around 10-15 minutes, we had a sight of 3-4 dolphins on the water surface, and sometimes under the water surface. Finally, they left and then we moved on from that area.

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Presence of dolphins under surface of Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

The shape of the dolphin can be clearly made out below the water surface of the Red Sea

The dorsal fin of the dolphin visible on the surface of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Why do people get excited over some sights ? Well, when you watch something magnificent, the sight looks incredible. One such sight is the view of animals in the wild such as whales, dolphins, and sharks. People think about sharks with fear and about whales and dolphins with great enjoyment, even paying sums of money for trips where you could get to see dolphins and whales in their own surroundings. We got to see some dolphins near the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, on the way to the Ram Muhammed water park. In this park, there are a large number of coral formations, along with the beautiful marine life that accompany such coral formations. On the way, we noticed other tourist ships stopped and circling and could see that they were circling a group of dolphins in the water. As we got closer, we could see that there were around 3-4 dolphins present, and they were there for around 10-15 minutes before sliding under the surface of the water and vanishing.

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Appearance of Bottle Nose dolphins under the water surface of the Red Sea

Shadow of Dolphin under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Shadow of 2 Bottle Nose dolphins under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

It is a treat of nature to watch wild animals (especially large animals). So people go long distances to watch whales in their environment, people spend large amounts of money to go to the vast animals herds in Africa and to watch great predators in action. And them sometimes one comes across some wonderful animals in the wild, almost by change. We were in Sharm el Sheikh as part of the final leg of the tourist trip to Egypt (after having visited a number of ancient temples, the pyramids, the Sphinx and also having done a cruise on the river Nile). In Sharm el Sheikh, we were on our way to the Ras Muhammed marine park, a protected sanctuary which houses some amazing coral formations. The plan was to do snorkeling at 3 different locations, and we were promised some wonderful coral and the marine animals that lived there. However, there was no mention of dolphins, and so it was a huge treat when the ship slowed down on the way to the coral formations, and we could see dolphins in the water (there were around 3-4 dolphins that were visible), making their way on and under the water surface, such as can be seen in these shadows of the dolphins under the water. It was a magnificent view.

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Dolphins diving under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Bottle Nosed dolphin diving under the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Spectral shadow of the diving dolphin as it dives under the water of the Red Sea

This was one of the plus points of our trip to Egypt. Now most people who go to Egypt go there to admire the ancient heritage, the various monuments that attest to the history of pharaohs in Egypt (and some of those monuments are incredible, leave you with a feeling of awe and grandeur). But Egypt also has another location which draws a large number of tourists - this is the city of Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm el Sheikh is located near the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, and sees a large number of tourists. Sharm el Sheikh has excellent weather, especially in the winter months which are very cold in Europe and Russia (which draws tourists from those regions to Sharm el Sheikh). In addition, the water of the Red Sea, the beaches, all these factors make it more attractive. And then there are the coral formations, and the marine animals. However, on the way to these coral formations, we came across these dolphins in the Red Sea, and we were near them for 10-15 minutes before they finally dove under the water.

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Dorsal fin of bottle nosed dolphins on the water surface

Dorsal fin of the Dolphin as it dives below the surface of the water near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Splashing of water around the dorsal fin of the dolphin in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Most people do not get a sight of dolphins in the wild, in their natural environment even if it is from the distance of a ship. We had this luck. After this experience, I realized why people have the wish to see animals in the vast wilderness of Africa, or pay a lot of money to see whales through whale tours. It was an incredible experience. We had headed out from Sharm el Sheikh harbor in a small ship along with some other tourists towards the Ram Muhammed water sanctuary around 12km away, and were close to the destination when we saw the ship slowing down and other ships slowly circling ahead. Our guide grew very excited and told us that there were dolphins in the area, and we all crowded the front area of the ship to see these dolphins. There were not many that were to be seen, around 3-4, and they were there in the area for around 15 minutes, swimming below and on the water surface and coming up to breathe. It was great fun.

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Bottle Nosed dolphins in the Red Sea near the town of Sharm el Sheikh

An ephemeral shadow of Bottle Nosed dolphin under the Red Sea water surface

Sharm el Sheikh is a tourist town near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. A large number of people arrive there from all over, with many charter flights reaching there from different parts of Europe (especially in the winter months when it gets bitterly cold in those regions and the weather remains excellent in Sharm el Sheikh). There is a protected marine sanctuary near Sharm el Sheikh called Ram Muhammed Park, where commercial fishing is not allowed (except in certain times of the year) and the coral formations and marine life remains protected. Because of this protection, the coral here remains safe and thriving, and that brings in a large number of tourists on a regular basis for snorkeling and scuba diving. At the same time, the Red Sea also houses some species of dolphins, and we were fortunate to come across some of these dolphins while on the way to the coral formations. For around 10-15 minutes, the dolphins remained there, and we also were on the boat circling around them, watching them until they decided to leave.

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Rocky shoreline near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea in Egypt

Rocky cliff near the shore of the Red Sea in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Multiple ships near the shore of the Red Sea in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The portion of the Sinai Peninsula in the Red Sea near the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh has some cliffs, and the land over there is fairly barren. In these photos, you can a number of ships near the barren rocky area. Even the coral reefs are located near the shore, and that is where a number of ships make a stop nearby, so that tourists can don their snorkeling gear and swim the short stretch of water from the ship to the reefs. These reefs almost come to the surface of the water and in fact, one cannot swim over many of them, since there is not enough water over the surface of the reefs.

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Ships in the harbour of the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Police boat near a number of tourists at the pier in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Multiple ships in the Sharm el Sheikh harbour in the waters of the Red Sea. We were there during the winter months, and there was a huge crowd of tourists in the location. Sharm el Sheikh sees a large number of arrivals during the winter season (especially when there is the frigidness of winter in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere and the weather in Sharm el Sheikh is far better). People come here for the sun and the beaches, and also for the water. The temperature of the water of the Red Sea is temperate, providing good sunning capabilities for tourists, especially on the long beaches and the numerous resorts in the location. The other major activity for tourists is snorkeling and scuba diving in the coral reefs of the region. The protected environment of the Ram Mohammed National park close to Sharm el Sheikh protects the coral reefs of the region (and the abundance of marine animals draws tourists here for snorkeling and scuba diving). To get there, there are a number of ships that set out from Sharm el Sheikh pier every morning, as you can see in the photo of tourists waiting to board these ships.

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Ship near the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt on the Red Sea

Ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, with mountains in the background

Short hills in the Sinai peninsula off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

This is a place that a number of tourists see on a regular basis. The town of Sharm el Sheikh is very famous, primarily for the excellent weather in the region (especially during the winter months when it is cold everywhere else in the Northern months and there is sun to be had in Sharm el Sheikh, especially on the beaches) and for the coral reefs that can be found in the Ras Mohammed National Park near Sharm el Sheikh. The Park is a protected marine environment, where commercial fishing is banned and there are coral reefs very close to the shoreline. If you go to the area, you will see a lot of people doing snorkeling close to the shoreline, and at further distance from the shoreline, a number of people will be doing scuba diving in some of the famous reefs (and at a sunken ship - that also attracts a number of divers). Because of the popularity of the coral reefs, and the colorful marine life that is present in the area, a large number of tourists come to the area, and hence there is a steady procession of ships to and fro the park and Sharm el Sheikh. The region around Sharm el Sheikh has a number of short hills and seems a bit barren, with very little vegetation in these areas.

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Dolphins at the water surface in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Blowhole of the bottle nosed dolphin in the Red Sea, off the town of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Upper part of body of bottle nosed dolphin above the surface of water in the Red Sea in Egypt

This was a sight that was incredible, given that it was not something that we were expecting to see. You see dolphins in movies, and see them doing amazing stuff in videos from places such as water parks; but seeing them in the wild is something else. Dolphins are mammals, and are supposed to be one of the most intelligent species in the wild; it was incredible seeing them like this. We were in a ship that was taking us a protected marine sanctuary, the site of some great coral reefs and the marine animals that are present in such places. Now, the coral reefs was where we were going to do snorkeling and catch a view of some great fish, but this was a bonus in between. During the route, we suddenly a number of similar ships that were stopped in the route, and seemed to be circling around. Out ship captain informed us that the ships had caught sight of a small pod of dolphins, and had stopped. We were eager to get there, and once there, we could see a small number of dolphins near the water surface, and we stayed there for some time till the dolphins finally went under the water surface and left.

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Water and dolphins at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

Tail of a diving dolphin as it dives into the water of the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Dolphin in the water with moutains in the background at the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh

This water seems incredible. In fact, the entire location was incredible. We had done a round of Egypt, going through some of the ancient tourist attractions such as the Pyramids, the Abu Simbel temple, the Valley of the Kings, and so on. These were all incredible, but since we were a large group, historical locations were not everybody's cup of tea. For such people, Sharm el Sheikh was an incredible place, given the long stretches of beach, the resorts having their own beaches, the excellent weather (I was coming from a place that was freezing in winter, and here the weather was excellent), and the beautiful waters of the Red Sea. The other great stuff about Sharm el Sheikh is the coral formations over there along with the marine animals that exist, not really visible from a ship; these are visible through either scuba diving or snorkeling (and a large number of people come here to do that). One of the greatest sites we saw were these dolphins, and all the tourist ships were moving around these dolphins, since tourists from everywhere got real excited at the prospect of seeing these dolphins.

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Dolphins on the surface of the water near Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Couple of bottle nosed dolphins on the water surface at Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea

Dolphin emerging from the waters of the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

We had gone on a trip to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh. This is a town located on the Red Sea, near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It is very different from the rest of the tourist destinations in Egypt, which focus on the monuments from ancient Egypt (from the time of the pharaohs). However, Sharm el Sheikh is an entirely different location, more famous for the water, the excellent temperate weather, and the long beaches. People come here to relax on the beaches (and many of the large resorts located here have some great beaches of their own), especially in the winter months when many parts of the Northern Hemisphere are drowning in snow and ice (and many countries in Europe have temperatures below to or close to the freezing point). Another great attraction of Sharm el Sheikh are the protected water sanctuaries that protect coral formations (and the large amounts of marine animals in these coral reefs). People come here to do scuba diving or snorkeling, and once in a while you can get to see a sight of dolphins that also live in the Red Sea. These were a set of such dolphins that we were able to see while on the way to the coral formations, and it was incredible seeing them, since I had never seen a dolphin except on TV.

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Dolphins under the water surface, off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh

Dolphins just under the water surface in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

Bottle nosed dolphin, just under the water surface in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

The waters off the coast of the city of Sharm el Sheikh are a very rich place; being a protected place in the Red Sea. A large number of tourists come to Sharm el Sheikh all around the year, with some excellent weather (especially in winter when North Europe and North America is freezing under the bitter cold) with the weather being temperate all year round. In addition, the blue water, the coral formations in multiple locations, and the scuba diving and snorkeling available with such coral reefs draws a huge number of people the year round. The Red Sea also contains dolphins, and with many chunks of the marine area having been declared as protected area, these animals do not face any threat from fishing, and the coral formations are also protected. Tourists take boats or small ships to these coral formations, such as we did. On the way to these coral formations, we came across a pod of dolphins, and had some great fun watching them (especially since for city slickers such as us, the chance of watching dolphins in the wild would never happen). In these photos, the dolphins were under the water surface, but clearly visible.

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