by Penny Ashley

Back again! Doesn’t time fly when you’re having a good time? Mind you, out here Time is a funny thing. Several times I’ve been told about weeklies that come out fortnightly and monthlies that come out quarterly and some things that never come out at all.
And it never fails to make me smile when I go in to pick up the TV listings magazines and find they won’t be available till around the middle of the month. I can hardly contain my excitement at all the good films I’ve missed!
And how many times do we get told something will only take one hour? Which hour? The hour before dawn; the midnight hour; the rush hour; the happy hour? And why is every hour at least 90 minutes long?

by Pia Kurro

Trying to find way to somehow systematise my first impressions of the life in El Menoufiya, there are so many, what about by factor of importance or how much one or the other influences our everyday life here, disturbing it or, perhaps also, enriching it? In that case the first on the list is undoubtedly:

NOISES
That life in Egypt is somehow noisier than it is up in the northern countries, that people here like their TVs and music louder, and really work their car horns – is not a surprise, but it is still a surprise after life in Sharm, how MUCH noisier everything is.

by Penny Ashley

Hope this finds you all well. Collo tamam. I am trying to learn Arabic but it’s not easy is it? I don’t really want to get bogged down with anything remotely grammatical (I’m still struggling with apostrophes so don’t even mention glottal stops) but I just want to make myself understood when I’m out and about.

I was in Metro one day (aren’t we all at some time or another) and was searching for some Flora margarine, as you do. I looked on the shelf where I normally found it but it wasn’t there. I wandered up and down every aisle but to no avail. Eventually a little guy in a red stripey shirt came up and asked if he could help me. Yes please! I told him Flora margarine. His eyes lit up and he disappeared. I waited for a few minutes. He came back. With a box of tissues. I gave up.

by Penny Ashley

Welcome to the inane ramblings of a post-menopausal ex pat. Well it’s good to get off on the right foot I always think. A word of warning though. You’ll need a British sense of humour or at least an appreciation of it and a finely-tuned sense of the ridiculous. Hope you like the pic, I had it taken specially because I always think it’s nice to be able to put a face to a name and we always like to be recognised in public. Mind you I hadn’t realised that the nasal hairs had grown so long and let’s not even mention the ears. Apart from that I reckon it’s a pretty good likeness.

I don’t want to raise your expectations too high, especially as I’m only five foot diddly squat. Small but perfectly formed as I tell everyone. Me and my other half (affectionately known as the o/h) haven’t been here long. That’s why we still love the place. We love waking up every day to vivid blue skies and glorious sunshine. As I sit here bashing my pudgy little digits over my keyboard I have a spectacular view over the desert to the mountains. And out of the living room I can see the sea. And out of my kitchen window I can see the wall of the villa next door, but let’s not get picky. And on a clear day I can see Saudi Arabia (well it’s a little more romantic than the Isle of Wight). And when I’m really hot and sweaty I can put on my cozzie and jump in my pool. And then I can sit under my pergola and dry off. Now I couldn’t do that back in the UK.

by Rasha Hassan

No one is the same 100% through his entire life. Events change us,and the flexibility to change is an art we have to learn because being stiff and Rigid against the world rules would break you and make u isolated and different.

That doesn't mean you change your principles, you only apply them differently. You could always be honest and sincere but in the same time polite and sweet.People sometimes refuse the reality but if sweetly informed they will accept it.

Destiny could never be changed, it is our attitude that makes it different.

Life is a daily gift that most of the people waste without understanding it.

At the end, all paths lead u to 1 single end:
"The Grave". So think of what you get with you in the grave,that the longest time you will ever spend, make it nice for yourself.It is after all your decision.

Editor: Maike Munck
Translators: Doro Reinecke, Dr. Adel Taher

Day 1. Bahariyya

We left Cairo at 8 am, to the oasis Bahariyya, 420 km southwest of Cairo, the outset for our safari in the magnificent western desert of Egypt.
After we left the Cairo suburbs behind, the surroundings became dull and monotonous. Only close to Bahariyya the ground opened all of the sudden: an enormous valley with a complete different landscape appeared, with mounts and strangely formed mountains.

by Rasha Hassan

It is hard to advice others on love because this issue is different from one person to another, only love as a topic is the same.

Amazingly, that despite the extra technology era we are living , we are still extremely attracted to all what relates us to feelings and emotions.
Unfortunately, it is very common now to hear from anyone that love has vanished from earth and all of us complain from the same signs and indications of such an idea.

Well, first we have to contemplate ourselves a little because after all ,we are the responsible for our lives outreach and outcomes.

Making a Proper Decision!! (1)
by Dr. Ibrahim Yehia

Introduction

Relationships between foreign females and Egyptian males entail a wide range of aspects to discuss and evaluate. Despite the existing successful relations, many other similar relationships fail as well. In the later group, not only we can find that one partner is a victim of the other partner’s attitude, behavior and understanding, but also, in many cases, both of them could be victims of such relation!!! Why? Because both of them could not understand and respect each other’s mentality, culture and needs.

Liberating Truth
Some people believe that there is only one truth. But actually, truth doesn’t have an absolute general meaning. It is mainly measured by everyone’s perception, so it may differ from everyone’s angle of view. For example, if you look at the pyramid, it is square at the base, triangle at all sides, and just a point at the top. All these visions are right.

by Rosana Sparano

Divers Intl. Sharm el Maya - Nov. 1996    

Autumn 1996 it was just another working day at the Divers Intl. Dive Center,  but with a slight difference, it was raining !  

 As usual the day started with coffee and a quick chat, as we were talking there was suddenly an incredible noise.

The wall, dividing the garden of the dive center and the hotel had literally exploded and we were abruptly invaded by litres and litres of filthy water.

The dive center was approximately 1-2 metres below sea leve

by Heidemarie Kling

               Corniche - Alexandria

You want to listen for about 30 days, every day the words INSHAALAH and BOKRA? Go to a governmental office and try to solve something.

And if you want to get close to madness and loose a lot of money, try to bring your car from Germany to Egypt.

Maybe I was stupid or naive, when I thought:

I have my life here in Egypt, why should I not bring also my car.

by Christiane Bahr

Preparing their engagement Theresa & Amgad

This article actually was initiated by Osama Anis, living for more than 12 years in Sharm. Osama Anis and his wife Sophia Nicola are in preparation of the engagement of their daughter Theresa to Amgad Adel, which is going to take place on November 2, 2006. Let us all congratulate the bride and groom and wish them all the best.

You may think that an Egyptian wedding is like any other wedding, but I can assure you that an Egyptian wedding is a very special historic ceremony. It is the most important ceremony for Egyptian girls. I am sure there are certain rituals for marriage in many parts of the world but the Egyptian wedding ceremony has been carried on from generation to generation since the times of the Pharaohs. While there are many western aspects, the enthusiasm and grand festive atmosphere of an Egyptian wedding is simply amazing.

by Doro Reinecke (orig. published in Mix Magazine Jan. 2006)

Naama Bay, 1975
Herbert & Edith Reinecke and friend

It is the year 2006 and you are sitting at the hotel bar looking forward to a dinner in a fine Restaurant, followed by a night in the Pacha Disco or another hot address in Sharm.

That could be the evening of any modern tourist in Sharm, but 35 years ago that was a complete different story:

The Israelis were occupying the Sinai, and had built some houses in the city they called Ofira at the Sharm El Sheikh (sharm being the name for a big open bay in Arabic).

And they had opened the first hotel in Naama Bay, the Helnan Marina.