RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 12

A load of nicely tanned guests went away this morning and were immediately replaced by a load of pale faces. You can see that at the latest when they lay on the beach.

It's always interesting to watch people especially when they come from different countries and share a beach together. We know immediately if our neighbors are English because they are all tattooed. We couldn't find a single man  who wasn't. It went from a discrete tattoo to the nearly whole body, back, front and arms. Some of them looked as if they would wear a T-shirt ! The Germans are not tattooed not even the younger once or the girls. Depending on the age the tattoos look from ugly to awfully ugly.

As there are no Russians this year, everybody behaves very well and everybody is friendly. There was only one English "lady" who had put her crutches over the table, which looked a little strange because her husband had hardly space for his plates.



The animation team came into the restaurant to invite you for a sketch show. But seeing the pig ears and the outfits, Nicole wasn't inspired at all and me neither. Instead we spend a nice evening in the lounge.



There are also snooker tables, which I hadn't discovered yet



On my way to supper.



Around 11 each day a drink is served at the beach and an employee asks you if there is everything OK and if we have any complaints. Which we didn't have.



This morning I discovered this man who fills bottles with sand and creates fishes, camels or other designs with different coloured pigments which he mixes with the sand. He does it layer by layer and pushed the sand until you can see a fish or a dolphin. It takes him 4 hours to make a medium sized bottle ! It looks very pretty, but I have already one which Mr. G. had had made for me with a cat inside.



While sitting with my computer in the lounge, I discovered a new profession ! A fly catcher ! There was an employee standing at the entrance with a kind of tennis racket and hopped around to touch the flies with his racket which made a strange noise because it was a kind of electric chair for flies.

RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 11

It must be a boring job to be a weatherman in Egypt ! Every day sunshine and more or less the same temperatures, the only thing which changes is the wind !



This night it must have been very stormy because I saw this wooden umbrella laying there, although it is cemented in concrete !

We didn't go to any show the last two days because being so lazy is very tiring and we were so tired that we went into our rooms at 9 pm. Fortunately there was a movie on TV in German but in French there is only one channel talking about the miseries in the world. Not the ideal programme for holidays.

We had tried to watch a movie on YouTube, but with this zigzag internet it was always interrupted and finally we gave up ! Internet in the hotel is not strong enough for all these people now with their smart phones and tablets !



Nicole with her tablet and I with my laptop in the lounge



There is more and more Christmas decoration, and I just listen to the reindeer with the red nose !



The restaurant for lunch



at all steps stands this X-mas plant



Even the entrance to the beach has a garland !



Today we saw a lot of divers taking the ship



and English and German guests playing Boccia together. Both groups made an effort to understand each other and had a lot of fun. I listen to this conversations and had my fun too !

RED SEA HOLIDAYS, DECEMBER 10

The wife of the German couple which whom we often sit together, celebrated her birthday. Her husband had invited us, for coffee and cake. At 3 we met in the lounge and the waiters all sang "Happy Birthday" in Arabic ! and then in English !



They laughed and danced and it was really nice. The cake was offered by the hotel we found that really very nice.

We spent the evening in the cozy bar and listened to a young Russian female singer who also had a beautiful voice.

When I went down for breakfast I didn't see Nicole, but her bag on a chair, because there are 3 cats on it. I thought she was looking for her coffee and put my bag besides hers on the chair and also went for my coffee. When I came back, there was still no Nicole and her bag had disappeared. As there were a lot of newcomers yesterday I thought maybe somebody had taken it and put it on another chair as there was suddenly a woman who sat at this table.

I turned twice around the breakfast tables, still no Nicole. Suddenly looking out of the window I saw her walking to the beach. She had thought that I had overslept, hadn't seen my bag and prepared the beach beds. Having run around in circles, I was "exhausted" lay on my beach bed with a lunch interruption and left the beach at 3 pm. It's getting quickly dark, at four it's nearly night and then gets cool. For the first time in all these years I had to put the heating on !



"Bad weather" ! One little cloud in the sky !



At the entrance of each of the 3 restaurants there is now a little Christmas tree

RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 9

As usual we started our working day at the beach, laying in the sun. For the evening we were invited by the travel agency to a special supper together with all other Belgians in the Hotel. As it was in a special restaurant, we unfortunately agreed to come.



What a disaster ! They were about 30 all Flemish people, that in itself wasn't a catastrophe, but there were some they didn't speak any French or even English ! The one in front of me was very proud that he only spoke Flemish and told me the whole world should speak it ! I said I am sorry you write in Dutch, you speak in Flemish but even in the Netherlands nobody can understand your Flemish. His wife who spoke a little French and was not such a stubborn nationalist translated, he wasn't very happy but at least he shut up.

The food wasn't very good, they had tried to make it Belgian (what an idea !) and we prefer by far the food of the Hotel restaurants. We both had as much fun as on a funeral and the ambiance was nearly the same. No way to defreeze them they remained all silent and slurped there soup, swallowed the rest and then disappeared. We escaped to the dancing where a trumpeter was playing.

After that we had a Fakir show.

The fakir was a boy of the animation team and did an amazing job ! Some women couldn't even look when he lay down on the nail bed and the chosen people from the public climbed on him.







Then he walked on broken glass and also carried the girls and boys. Amazing.

He nailed with his head a nail in a plank just protected by a tissue and



then this big guy smashed the hammer on the brick and broke it in two ! If only Mr. G. could nail nails with his head into our walls ! He hasn't enough strength in his hands anymore.

He then took a sword leaned his chin on it and carried all these people !

After the show we were tired and went to bed. It is still very warm but in the mornings and evenings very cool. I even had to put the heating on in my room ! That's the first time that this happened to me in all these years I go to Egypt !

We are getting into Christmas mood, with the beautiful Christmas tree and there is more and more decoration. For the moment I hear "Rock around the Christmas tree" !

RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 8

A show waited for us in the Arabian restaurant where we always eat in the evening. There were drummers and dancers, unfortunately my pictures didn't come out very nicely.



Nicole in the Christmassy decorated dining room

For the first time we went to the daily evening show in the hotel theatre and disco. The show was Egyptian folklore dances





a Dervish



and a belly dancer



At the end of the show, the public participated and some of them tried belly dancing ! What a laughter !



Nicole had had some bracelets made by this young Egyptian artist. I thought about Christmas and bought some things too. I watched him how he put one pearl or stone behind the other, taking the strings in his mouth, sometimes 3 at one time. I thought what a work, but he did it very quickly.



Today it was very hot in the sun and quite cool in the shade, we had to change place all the time. Some people did aqua gym in the water, others did it outside ! The fun was the same.

Tonight a Fakir show is on program and maybe that in the future we will sleep on nails !

RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 7

Yesterday evening after a delicious supper, we went again listening to the life music in the bar. The young woman who sang had such a beautiful voice that Nicole was convinced that the song was just a play back and she faked singing !



Finally I asked the barman and to the big surprise of Nicole the girl really sang ! Even Whitney Houston, Madonna and Abba !

Today we had a very nice day because the wind had slowed down. The animation team took the opportunity and did aqua gym in the sea instead of the swimming pool.



I only watched the young man did it very nicely and the people had a lot of fun !



On the beach this young man makes necklaces and bracelets with the material and colours you can choose. All jewellery which is on sale he had made himself. Nicole found some nice things to buy for friends and family.

Now I am sitting here again in the lounge on the second floor, there are 3 in total. The singers always perform on the third floor. Days are flying by so quickly ! Tonight we want to see an oriental dancing show, if .... we are not too tired !

RED SEA HOLIDAYS DECEMBER 6

Yesterday evening we attended a concert, a young singer gave at the bar. He really had a very beautiful voice and sang all kind of songs from Elvis to Robbie Williams. We met a German couple and started to chat with them, of course I had to translate for Nicole, but nevertheless we had a lot of fun. These people came from near Berlin and were very funny.

This morning when I woke up, the sun was shining as usual, but it was cold ! My mood sank. But then when I went down to the Breakfast room, I saw these men putting up a huge Christmas tree !



They were laughing and when I took out my camera they laughed even more, waved with the branches and wished me a Merry Christmas ! It was a lot of work to put the branches together and I thought it would take them at least the whole morning ! Even in the breakfast room some tables had little Christmas trees.



But to my surprise when I went up to my room to put on my bathing suit it had already been decorated ! That was real  quick !

At the beach we were now spoiled with Christmas songs. That was OK as long as they were funny, but "Silent Night, Holy Night" sounded a little strange when you are laying at the beach and let the sun shine on your belly !



We had our usual lunch, fresh salad, Nicole a piece of chicken, I a piece of fish.

When I had enough of the sunshine I returned to my room and now the tree was fully finished even with gift parcels underneath.