People at the pier at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort in the Sinai in Egypt

Sharm el-Sheikh is a very famous tourist resort in the Sinai area of Egypt, a tourist destination different from the other historical places that highlight the structures (or temples) of ancient Egypt. Sharm el-Sheikh is located on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, along the Red Sea (and it is the Red Sea that provides much of the attraction of the area). From time to time, there are a number of international conferences that have taken place here geared towards some sort of peace settlement or the other (for example, there was a lessening of tension between the Indian and Pakistani Governments at a conference held here a few years back). Sharl e-Sheikh is located at a strategic position with respect to the Gulf of Aqaba, and hence it became a major naval base for the Egyptian navy. During the 1956 war, the Israeli army captured it, and it was returned in 1957. Again, in the 1967 war, it was recaptured and then returned back to Egypt as part of the 1979 peace settlement. Now, there are strict environmental laws in place in the city and in the waters around, aimed to increase its attraction as tourist potential, and the coral reefs and others nearby ensure that a number of people come here for the sun, and for snorkeling and scuba diving. The photo shows people heading towards the boats and ship that take them for diving and for snorkeling.

Sharm El Sheikh (New Millennium Collection: North Africa)	View Larger Map

Vast open areas with some small hills and a lot of clouds overhead on the way from Abu Simbel to Aswan

As in some previous photos, you get a view of the terrain on the way from Aswan to Abu Simbel. The terrain is a dry, almost desert kind of view, as you could see in this photo. The distance from Aswan to Abu Simbel is around 260km with most of this route being of a deserted and dry condition. One would not think that this would be true about being a dry place, given the presence of the massive River Nile through this area, but the Nile has been famous in the past as well for fostering greenery on a narrow patch next to the river, but otherwise the most common terrain type is that of a dry place. The photo shows a large plain with a few hills in the distance, and no greenery in the place, just a vast flat area that seems like a desert. However, if you consider that the place is like a desert, the clouds that cover more than half of the sky seem to depict it to be other than a desert and a dry place.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

Shimmer of light as the sunset happens over the horizon on the trip from Abu Simbel to Aswan in Egypt

The journey from Aswan to Abu Simbel can take a fair amount of time, around 3 hours each way. Abu Simbel is a beautiful location, but it is some distance away from Aswan (taking a 3 hour journey on a highway with little traffic; or by flight - but that takes time since you need to check in to Aswan, do the procedures for security, and then disembark at the Abu Simbel airport and then make your way to the temple from the airport; or you can take a cruise from Aswan to Abu Simbel, but that can take even more time). This was on the return journey from Abu Simbel to Aswan. Given the total journey time taken around 6 hours, and if you spend some time at the temple and have left in the morning from Aswan, then on the return journey, you will be close to sunset, and that is why we got these sights of the sunset over the horizon and the shimmer happens.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

Desert like road condition on the route between Aswan and the temple of Abu Simbel in south Egypt

Desert like road condition on the trip between Aswan and Abu Simbel. This part of Egypt, the southern half, is somewhat dry and barren. The River Nile does run through this region, but the river only provides a wet condition for a small stretch of land on either side of the river, but the rest of the place would remain barren. When we traveled between Aswan and Abu Simbel, a view of the journey (a distance of about 3 hours, 260 km) showed land similar to what was in the photo. In the photo, it seems like a desert but not too much sand, more like a barren area with some scrub types of plants (at the minimum, you can see that there is not at all any kind of greenery in the place). Driving through such an area can be extremely boring, although you are able to maintain a high speed because of very little traffic and no distractions of any kind.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map