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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