Where presidents rest

Not lucky to us with a climate: that frost is to slush, then rains pour. Every morning looking out the window, we console yourself: Nature has no bad weather. Then we rush to work, covered with an umbrella, step by huge puddles and as a magic spell on the nose: "I love you, my rains. " What else remains!

But somewhere far from our slushful Moscow all year round shines with a bright sun, and the warm blue sea licks the heels spreading on the sand holiday. To be in their place, you only need to open the door of the nearest travel agency and buy a plane ticket, which will take the course to Egypt.

Egyptians our tourists are truly happy – no visa, nor strict customs formalities, no questionnaires with stupid issues: For what purpose came (as accepted in some very developed countries). What’s question?! Of course, we are going to rest: swimming and sunbathing, staring at the pyramids and spend money without an account, so we have accepted.

On the street, each Counter Egyptian will certainly give you a welcome smile and say hello in our: "Hey! How are you?" Local people in some mysteriously unmistakably determine in the idle crowd of our holidaymakers (and no European CID will disappear). Any street trader will explain: "How ours find out? Woman – beautiful, man – not greedy". Somehow in Cairo I drank in the labyrinth of the streets, so three volunteers arrived at the hotel immediately. They delivered directly to the entrance of the intake and preservation – and they refused from Tipov, and for the farewell, they had a long hand: "Russia is good!" Egyptians still remember our help, about the joint construction of the Asuan dam. Remember because good is not forgotten and love for it. Our brother-tourist replies to them: only last year 112,900 ours visited the resorts of Egypt.

Time is afraid of pyramids

Almost every tourist arriving in Egypt does not pass by Cairo. Cairo itself is an amazing and distinctive city, but still the main goal of tourists – the pyramids, the most famous, Heops, Heffren and Micheer, are not far from the capital. I remember well the feeling when I came to the Giza Plateau for the first time: I wanted to pin myself to check if I could not sleep. Everything was nothing, the picture from the school textbook came to life: three giant pyramids were frozen on the edge of the desert, and nearby, as before the jump, froze the majestic Sphinx. So the eternity looks like. Egyptian proverb says: "Sun is afraid of time, but time is afraid of the pyramids", – And this is absolute truth: the time retreated before the grand creations of man. Who knows, perhaps some otherworked forces keep them for descendants.

Only after waging a couple of days in the Cairo Museums and admiring the pyramids, you can go to the sea with a clean conscience.

On one sun bed with Yeltsin

There is a sure way to choose the best resort in any country – ask the locals where they prefer to spend holidays and follow their example. Egypt, in this sense, no exception. For example, the Minister of Tourism of the country (he knows the best of others in the rest) spends his holidays on the Sinai Peninsula – in Sharm El Sheikh. Persistently run rumors that our former president will soon go there the same – tired of the works of the righteous Boris Yeltsin will correct health in Sinai. What to say is the right choice. If we hurry and buy a tour right now – you look, we will be on the occasion in neighboring sun beds with Boris Nikolaevich.

Sharm el-Sheikh – the most respectable and prestigious resort of Egypt: everything is here for the highest category – both hotels and services and prices. It is great different from the popularly beloved Democratic Hurghada, where every hotel is a separate fortress. In Charm El Sheikh, everything is different – on the shore of the beautiful bay lined up on the European manner of chic, drowning in the green hotels with cascades of pools, not separated by the fences. According to the total promenade, attached palm trees, walking does not hurry past numerous restaurants, cafes and shops. This place is called Naama Bay and is ideal for those who love a fun holiday among the people, where you can and village with evening dress "bring to people", and money in expensive restaurants spend, and in advanced disco until morning.

The island of the dead ships

Anyone who craves silence and peace and to whom the brown party is tired of the house: at 15 to 20 minutes from Naama Bay, for example, expensive five star "Pyramis" or modest "Bedouin village". Inexpensive bungalows on the seaside, divers and young people usually stop. Coral reefs begin right at the shore: put on the mask and flippers, stepped into the water – and you are already in the fabulous underwater world: multicolored fish, giant turtles, winks and mollusks.

If you do not regret 50 – 60 dollars, you can go for a whole day to the National Reserve Ras-Mohammed – such a variety of corals, like here, where you meet. A little cheaper is the sea walk to Tyrant Island, near him got a stranded ship during the Second World War, and it remained. Tourists nicknamed Tyran Island of dead ships. Advanced divers usually rent a boat for a week and immerse yourself. If you only dream of underwater immersions, then you need to start learning with an instructor. Each resort will have a dozen good diving centers. Offer a variety of services – from one dive, curiosity for the sake of a full course of study with obtaining an international certificate. On small quick boats, there is everything you need for fishing – catch a huge fishing fishery even a baby. For this, the fishing rod is not needed by and large. If you stretch your hand with a piece of bread over water, then multicolored fish, like trained dogs, jump out of the water. While the fishermen are engaged in their business or swim with a mask along the reefs, the team of the boat prepares a royal dinner – from just caught fish. It is more profitable to engage in diving in Hurghada, there prices for equipment, boats for 20 – 30 percent are lower than in Charm El Sheikh, and sea beauty is not worse. Another place for those who want to save – Dahab, which is north of Charm El Sheikh. This resort is very popular with European students: let there not secular shine and sterile purity, but there are inexpensive pensions and cheap restaurants (by 5-10 dollars, you will join the dump), but most importantly – cheerful youth party and eastern exotic.

First Sightstitality – Monastery of St. Catherine. Rimnitsa buses from early morning headed into the depths of the peninsula. Basically, it is carefree tourists who, under the supervision of a guide, want to take pictures from the Orthodox shrine. Small part of coming – real pilgrims, they know how to pray and know about these amazing places all.

At the foot of Mount Horiv unfolded biblical plots three thousand years ago. The Prophet Moses lived in these places carefree with a young wife in those times, when he was not yet holy. But once, God came from a flame of a burning bush – the nesthal bunk – and ordered the lead of the children of Israel to Mount Choriv. So it happened, on the mountain, the Lord Moses was tested with ten commandments, and from the very moment people were convinced of God. Now the pilgrims rise at night to Moise Moise, so called Choriv now to meet dawn there, and pray. The rise is not from the lungs and takes several hours, but, obviously, with God’s help almost all reach the top.

In 330, a monastery was laid near the Mountain near the Neanalized Kupina, who surprised never destroyed wild tribes, nor Muslims. What only tricks did not have to go to monks: for example, one day, to save the monastery from destruction, they built near the bell tower of the mosque. And the invaders -Musulman retreated, because the land where the mosque is worth, for them was also sacred. And the minaret and the bell tower remained standing nearby. Until now, the Orthodox monks live in peace and harmony with local Bedouin nomads. Bedouins strongly help fraternity – take tourists, work in the garden, they are even called monastic servants.

From the monastery by hand to the natural Sinai miracle – Canyon Canyon. Deep gorge, along the bottom of which the trail is laid, painted by nature itself in different colors. Sometimes the canyon is narrowed so that it is difficult to squeeze between the stones. But this is not confused by tourists – the stunning beauty of the landscapes compensate all the inconvenience.

And you are excite, "Faraosha"!

At noon on the trading street Hurghada Silence: Tourists dine or relax, so everyone passing by the Individual in white shorts with a camera on the neck is found by Merchants of Emotion Merchants: "Come in, look! Don’t buy buy, just look!" Yielding to calls, we go into a small bench, naked with multi-colored baubles. "Look, this is my grandmother", – Smuglolic, the Music Merchant holds us a cheap statuette of Pharaoh Joser. "Looks like", – I say I. The seller breaks down in a smile, for him it is a compliment.

– How much do you want for "Grandfather"?

– Thirty dollars, but you discount

– For 20 give! Here’s still – look!

For half an hour, everything can be sly on me, everything that can be found in the shop: a bright Eastern dress with monisti, embroidered with a little hat, on every finger – by "Golden" (at least this believes the seller) Ring, on the wrist – a duty silver bracelet, on the neck – turquoise sword, a symbol of good luck and wealth. In one hand, I have Joser (the price of which he dropped during this time to five dollars), in the other – tambourine. We traded a long time, gambling and with pleasure, every time I try to get out of the bench, "Descendant of Pharaoh", clutching the head with a scream "I’m ravaged!" Reduces the price, I’m returning, in reconciliation strongly behaved in the tambourine. Even after half an hour, dopping the carcazez – the Master’s treat, we finally satisfied with themselves, we leave from the shop, hung by purchases and in the company of a two-dollar Joser, who was not going to buy in general. The joyful trader waves for us long following: "Come back tomorrow!"

Now I understand why I don’t like Moscow stores: in them to me, to the buyer, do not show the slightest interest.