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OVERLAND EXCURSION ROAD TRIP Text and additional photograph courtesy of Katie Roberts TWO TABA HEIGHTS RESIDENTS SET THEIR SIGHTS ON THE CAPITAL CITY OF CAIRO, EMBARKING ON A GIRLS’ ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE SINAI. “Let’s drive to Cairo next Thursday,” said Victoria as we sipped glasses of wine in El Fuego on a cool February evening. Her suggestion was inspired by my need to find a way to the capital to catch a flight for my upcoming trip to Thailand. Victoria is a seasoned traveller and expat, having lived in Turkey for five years, but she hadn’t ever been to Cairo. As a nine-year resident of Taba Heights, the idea of driving to Cairo from Taba wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to me. In earlier times the trip would have been an easy but barren fourhour trek through the middle of the Sinai Peninsula. Recent political turmoil, however, has closed the direct road to foreigners, leaving expats like us with no other choice but to go southwest to Sharm El Sheikh and then proceed north to Cairo from there. This doubles the length of the journey, and the eight-hour trip sounded like quite an undertaking for two young single females. But the thought appealed to our sense of adventure (which was enhanced by the wine we had with dinner), and soon we found ourselves making concrete plans for the trip. The day of the journey arrived and we left around 1 pm, armed with water bottles, lots of music, and our rising excitement. Would we be stopped at the checkpoints Would we make it before dark Would we be able to get petrol for the journey The lack of answers to these questions only heightened our sense of anticipation. With the music on full blast we sang along, feeling something like Thelma and Louise. As we drove past the port town of Nuweiba and proceeded to the checkpoint at Dahab, one of our questions was answered: no, there wasn’t any petrol at the station. Katie and Victoria used a company car, and their extensive prior experience living in Egypt and other places in the Middle East made them comfortable travelling around the Sinai unaccompanied. It is widely recommended that foreigners take all precautions and use licensed tour guides when travelling in the Sinai. 14 Taba Heights Magazine
We stocked up on other supplies and continued south, having been assured that we would find petrol in Sharm El Sheikh. The landscape was dry and rugged, punctuated only by a few trees and bushes. Just as our eyes had accustomed themselves to the monotony, a black cab of the sort commonly seen in London appeared on the desert road like a mirage. We turned to each other in stunned silence before asking in unison, “Did you see that!” Years of living in Egypt has made it difficult for anything to take me by surprise, but the sight of a black cab in the middle of the Sinai proved I’m still capable of being shocked. Regaining focus, we reached Sharm El Sheikh and made our way directly to the nearest petrol station, which had petrol, thank God (or alhamdulillah, as the Egyptians would say). After filling up the car we were confronted with the challenge of finding the road that leads from Sharm to Cairo, neither of us being familiar with the area. We followed a strategy that was part guessing game, part me shouting directions, and part Victoria pulling off some quick driving manoeuvres, and soon we managed to get on the right road. At the Sharm El Sheikh checkpoint, however, we were informed that we might have to wait for a convoy of other vehicles. But after a few quick words in broken Arabic and a flutter of the eyelashes, we were on our way! By 4 pm we were heading northward, and the sun was slowly starting to set. It was a beautiful scene: the colourful sky behind us, the Gulf of Suez to our left, and the stunning Sinai mountains to our right. We rode along with Katy Perry and Coldplay to keep us company in the darkness. An uneventful drive of around four hours led us to the Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel, which takes you beneath the Suez Canal, away from the Sinai and onto the Egyptian mainland. Upon reaching the tunnel we realized we were at the end of a very long line of trucks waiting to pass through, with increasing numbers of cars queuing up behind us. Being typically British, we waited patiently in line, but as we watched vehicle after vehicle move over into the opposite lane of traffic to get to the tunnel entrance more quickly, we decided to follow suit. Victoria’s driving skills came in handy as we five-point-turned our way out of the queue to follow the other cars. The Travellers Katie Roberts is the Public Relations Manager of Taba Heights Marriott Red Sea Resort. Originally from North Wales in the UK, she has lived in Taba and Nuweiba for nine years, working initially with Longwood Holidays before joining the Marriott in January 2011. Victoria Learmonth was a TUI Team Leader based at the InterContinental Taba Heights. She had lived in Turkey for five years before coming to Egypt, where she worked for six months before returning to the UK in April to pursue her career in her home country. As we approached the tunnel, however, we realized that the tunnel guards were turning back the cars that had broken the queue and were forcing them to return to the line. Had we just made a major mistake “Wait,” I said. “Let’s just see what happens.” When it came our turn to be turned back by the guards, we opted to play the role of confused foreign girls who didn’t understand what was happening. With a few more flickers of the eyelashes and some coy smiles, they let us pass through. We made our way through the tunnel and out the other side, reaching Cairo an hour later at approximately 9 pm. The room service and comfortable beds at the JW Marriott were the perfect end to a long journey. Would we do it again Absolutely! SUMMER 2013 15
Page 1 and 2: TABA COMPLIMENTARY SUMMER 2013 ISSU
Page 5 and 6: TABA HEIGHTS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2013 D
Page 7 and 8: Seafood Nights, held on Tuesdays an
Page 9 and 10: Golfing Environment The Taba Height
Page 11 and 12: SPRING 2013 9
Page 13 and 14: Souvenir shopping comes high on the
Page 15: Indulge at Hyatt Regency Taba Heigh
Page 20 and 21: TABA HEIGHTS SHOPPING DIRECTORY FOO

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