Через терни в Лэйлу или долгая дорога в Египет Through the thorns to Leila or the long road to Egypt

A little bit about everything. How can I help. I warn you to read a lot.
And so we went. Unfortunately, the unrest in North Africa brought down all my plans and a trip to Egypt in February, alas... was covered. And how many tears I shed, how many nights I did not sleep in anticipation of a change in events, only God knows, the transfer of the tour to March did not give any results. Alas… The Russian Foreign Ministry imposed a ban on visiting and selling tours to Egypt, and I think I was not alone in waiting for the lifting of this ban. In the end, my expectations came to an end, and I decided to take the money for the ticket and wait until autumn.
(I want to note that the money was returned to me without any questions, every penny) and As soon as I took the money, after a couple of days the ban was lifted. I immediately went to a tour company for a new voucher, to be honest, a new voucher for the same 10 nights cost me 1.500 rubles. cheaper, that's nice, a mini compensation for my expectations))))) I read so much about Egypt that I could become a guide))), but still some worries bothered me. AIRPORT, PLANE, these two words horrified me, I called the airline several times and found out what was possible and what was not. As it turned out, half of my worries and experiences were in vain. But as the saying goes: "be careful, God saves. "

And so the morning of April 18, the airport, on the advice of experienced travelers,
from the reception, the main thing is to get into the stream, and everything will go well there, because I had no idea where to go and what to do))))). Having gone through the procedure of all formalities, the waiting room for landing was waiting in front. Airline "Ural Airlines". Excitement before the flight, I endlessly smoked. Although I specifically asked for a seat by the window…. and not in vain. And now I'm already on the plane… and the plane leaves the runway for a few minutes and…………. . THE GRAY ST. I got a little worried and calmed down, the neighbors came across two good, very cheerful men, thanks to whom my flight itself went quite calmly without unnecessary worries.
As a small child, from time to time I looked out the window and commented on what we were flying over. And now the sea and green landscapes were replaced by a permanent view of the desert. The aircraft began to descend. That's sweet Africa.
For some reason, lines from a poem floated in my memory, about Dr. Aibolit, which I paraphrased:
But look, some kind of "bird"
Getting closer and closer through the air rushes.
And in the "bird", look, Margarita is sitting
And he waves his hand and shouts loudly:
"Long live dear Africa! "
And all the children are happy and happy:
"Arrived, Russians, Hurrah! Hurrah! "
It was the first flight from St. Petersburg after the ban was lifted, for which tickets were sold, two flights before it were those who rescheduled the tour.
On the eve, I decided to look at the weather forecast in Hurghada +28, which I was very pleased with. . Landing in Hurghada went off with a bang, to the applause of passengers. And these words of the board guide WELCOME TO HURGHADA OVERBOARD +39 I will never forget)))) +39 dear mother. We arrived around 2:30 pm local time.
Hurghada met me with the hot embrace of the African sun.
WELL HELLO, MYSTERIOUS AND REBELLENT EGYPT.
Tears of joy rolled down, which I tried to hold back.

Further along the knurled, flow, official procedures, luggage and... now I'm on my way to the hotel.
I really want to note the work of TEZ TOUR well done. Met, showed where to go and what to do. Moreover, there were the most tour guides at the airport.
Arrival at the hotel:
About 10 people arrived at the hotel from one flight, which made me happy at least there would be someone to talk to in their native language. Beauty, I walked along the main street and couldn’t believe my eyes, finally I’m here, finally I got to Leila. They settled in right away. I, like an eternal capuha, filled out the last card, at the reception I immediately gave not 10 bucks, but a gift that included a chocolate bar, nesting dolls and a magnet. I didn’t think about money, but they immediately gave me a normal room without money, I asked for the second floor, preferably with a view of palm trees and quiet. I got the second floor and a palm tree, but there was a problem with silence, but I got used to it, the fact is that, as it turned out, in front of me every evening there was a disco in the bar until one in the morning. I gave up on this, although I was immediately warned that if something was wrong, the number would be changed. I was glad that the water works, nothing flows, everything opens and closes. Room overlooking the main pool. Well, thank God. No flies, no mosquitoes, let alone other animals in the room I noticed.
The hotel was somehow half-empty, but every day people arrived, and Russian speech was heard on every corner.
In the evening there was a meeting with the guide, I immediately scored a bunch of excursions that I planned.

The next day I went to the beach to swim, I DID NOT KNOW how, as it turned out later, in sea water I was even a more tolerable float. ))) And I can hold out on the surface. Well, more on that later. Frankly, the beach did not impress me. And I immediately noticed that Dana has more sand, but the beach (entrance to the sea) of Leila, alas, is littered with stones and you can’t enter the sea at all without coral slippers. Although there is not a big piece of sand. It is there that all the sun loungers are always occupied, and then there are plenty of free sunbeds.
Beach towels leave much to be desired 90% would not hurt to replace with new ones.
Of course, I was impatient to visit the shops, so after half an hour of sunbathing, I went shopping, the rows go to the right and to the left immediately opposite Dana Beach across the road. Well, for some reason, I was drawn not to Cleopatra, but to the left where the Yolka Stick shop is from the corner. Having bought a couple of T-shirts, I went out into the street and then they persuaded me to visit a store with aroma oils or perfumes, the devil knows. I will never forget the seller called himself Alexander, persuaded me to write a review in Russian, as a result, I bought several empty bottles from him (the perfume did not attract me), and...... he persuaded me to buy a local connection, I really learned from the first days that most of the merchants are liars and the deceivers asked to put 150 pounds on the room, gave the money, and received only 100, as it turned out already at the hotel. Well, to hell with him, let him not get rich from this. Even later, he had the audacity to come up and ask why I didn’t go to him. Well, I told him everything that I think about him. )))))))))))))))))) politely....))))))) In the same rows you can buy fruit. I bought strawberries, melons and mangoes. Everything is very tasty.
Stunned by the aroma of the shop (I'm very sensitive to different smells), I went to the hotel. Frankly, later I just shied away from perfume shops, I just felt sick, from so many smells in one closed space.

Since the first day I tried to study the location of restaurants and learn the way to my building, then on the second day I decided to explore the entire territory thoroughly. And I did it. The merchants in the hotel are a little annoying, but no one was forcibly dragged into the shops, of course, no one wanted to give up prices, you see, you see the crisis))))) And even in Hurghada, trade is somehow sluggish, of course, the revolution and the lack of tourists affected. But nowhere were they grabbed by the hands and dragged by force. I would even say that they persuaded me very politely, they were afraid to scare me. It was as if someone had told them not to touch tourists))))))))))))))))))))). Well, about how many times I was declared in love and offered to get married, I generally keep quiet, after a couple of days I was just tired of it.
After the phrase: “WHAT YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL”, I immediately pointed to the ring and spoke loudly. I AM FOR A HUSBAND, A GOOD HUSBAND, RICH EVERYTHING IS WELL, AN EGYPTIAN HUSBAND IS NOT NEEDED))))))))))))))))))))) Although there were a lot of jokes, I can talk a lot about merchants. I learned to bargain, fun and not forced. But I liked visiting stores with fixed prices more. Moreover, they deceive even in stores with fixed prices, they do not give change, so be vigilant.
Day three, or rather night. Excursion to Cairo. I won’t talk about everything, otherwise I won’t have a review, but a detailed chronicle of my trip. I got a little cold on the bus, at night, but I had a warm jacket. I went through the road to Cairo and back normally, still not walking)))) we drove in a column of 3 buses from TEZ TOUR in each bus 2 drivers and a security guard. So our safety is taken care of. The first stop was the Mohammed Ali Mosque, everyone liked it especially the view of the city skyline and the pyramids in the fog in the distance like a mirage. So I saw the pyramids for the first time. Then we were taken to the Cairo National Museum. The consequences of the revolution still remained, you could see the inscriptions in English on the fences about Mubarak, something in Arabic. There is a burnt-out administrative building next to the museum. The entire area that I saw daily in the news was fenced off and there is construction going on, the guide said they are making a parking lot.
After the museum, lunch and a walk along the Nile, the lunch was chic. Since we walked everywhere in the mosque in the museum, I was already pretty tired and after dinner the Pyramids and the Sphinx.
Exhausted and exhausted by the sun, I ate moving, the meeting with the pyramids made me happy, but . . fatigue made itself felt. Next were a perfume shop and a jewelry store. Didn't buy anything.

I returned to the hotel at the beginning of the first, all the restaurants were already closed. And I'm tired and hungry.
The guide said that on his return there would be a late dinner for those who were on the tour. NOTHING LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! I came to the reception and said I was on an excursion in Cairo, I want to eat the restaurants are closed. He handed me a lunch box. I didn’t start it in the morning, because there was nothing to eat there, only an apple and a banana, three unleavened rolls, not edible at all, I can’t stand apple juice, jam, butter and two small but edible buns. I returned this box to him and said, I don't want breakfast, I want dinner. I went to the room all in tears, just such a hysteria came over me, from resentment, from fatigue, from hunger. I called Tez Tour support, all in tears, explaining that I hadn’t been at the hotel for a whole day, is it really so difficult to feed just one person. As a result, they brought me a whole plate of sweet buns and tea to my room. TEA is hot and tasty, this is what we needed, something hot, not cold apple juice. The fact is that the schedule of the restaurants in my room was in English, so I did not understand which institution is open 24 hours. But in the morning I went and asked in Russian. Only after that, it became clear to me that tea and coffee can be drunk around the clock in the lobby bar))))))))))))))))))
In the morning I looked at my legs and I felt sick, they were swollen just terribly. That's what it means, the habit of driving everywhere by car. I'm not used to walking so much, but tomorrow there is an excursion to Luxor, oh-oh, what to do. I went to the pharmacy at the hotel, they offered me an ointment there for 360 rubles ($ 12), the price tag went off scale, but I’m a thrifty aunt with us and I have my own ointment brought from home. Smeared like a little bit better.
I won’t tell everything about Luskor, I liked everything, I also went a lot and saw a lot of things. In Luxor I bought a silver cartouche for my daughter TEZ TOUR gave a guarantee that the silver is real, well, it seems that it has not turned black yet)))) well, nice.

Then there was an excursion to PARADISE ISLAND. About this in more detail: in the morning, they brought us to the pier and gave out masks and fins to those who needed them and to the yacht. The guide was cheerful, we arrived at the corals, the guide immediately said if you see a shark, say that the Russians will swim away))))))))))))
And I really wanted to take a picture of the fish, especially since I specially bought a case for underwater shooting on a camera. I don't know how to swim, they gave me a life jacket. I sank into the water at the very fear, at least put on a diaper)))), I’m afraid to come off the stairs, even though I’m wearing a vest))))))). I flopped, flopped at the stairs with a pipe and did not understand what to do and got up. I hung up and put on my mask. She went back into the water. At the stairs I got some air and decided to look into the water. MOTHER DEAR, this is great. Then the guide decided to help me, he also dived and helped swim to the corals (I clung to him, my dear mother, I’m scared, I can’t swim), he calmed me down, I caught my breath, he says I will hold you, let’s look down. DESCRIBE what you saw is not possible joy was like a child, coral fish, my God, not a single photo will convey this.
Well, whoever saw this charm will understand me. Then the guide took a photo camera from me and took a picture of me and the fish and corals and me))))) Delight knew no bounds. Although I drank sea water)))) Of course, I thanked the GUIDE for the help, gave a little money ($ 10) and presented a magnet with views of St. Petersburg, although he didn’t want to take the money, but I convinced him. What time they give it is necessary to take it. )))) Then we went to the island.
Oh, this is really a paradise island, well, at least because the coast is sandy there, I went into the water up to my waist, then one girl persuaded me to take my feet off the ground and swim, she persuaded me for a long time and……………. and now I was already hanging in free swimming like a float. What it meant for me, I don’t even want to talk, having a panic fear of water and completely unable to swim. Getting my feet off the bottom used to mean one thing for me - DOWN. But the Red Sea gently held me. In general, I had so many impressions that day that I can describe for a long time.

Then there was an excursion to El Gouna, they promised dolphins, but alas, we didn’t see dolphins, we were on corals there, too, the guide tinkered with me))) but not like that, she also thanked him, and he didn’t want to take money))) then there was fishing, and El Gouna aquarium and home were already less impressions than from a paradise island. And the last excursion Bathyscaphe. A boat with glasses liked a lot of things I saw. And not for a long time already 12 was in the hotel.
About trips to Hurghada. From the hotel you can catch a micro bus and get there for 1 bucks, by taxi 2 bucks. Taxi drivers from Hurghada demand 5 bucks. But I can’t live without adventures, so I’ll tell you how I went to Hurghada 3 times.
The first time I was afraid to go alone, I agreed with a young man from the hotel, he went shopping to my friends for 10 pounds. I took a walk and bought some food back, taxi drivers are like one fife dollars and even if you crack. I see there is a Russian couple, a man and a woman, they had to go to Aladdin, well, sort of on the way. Then some kind of mess came out, a taxi driver drives up, I agree to go perfectly for one dollar. We sit down, we go along the road, we find out that this couple with the same taxi driver went to Hurghada, and he took 4 euros from them instead of 4 bucks. Well, here and there, and my aunt tells him I won’t pay you anything, you deceived us when you brought us here. It turns out they don’t give money, he follows them. Well, in short, he left with nothing, but I had to go further, then I became scared, I’m going to be taken to the desert alone, or something else, the thread will throw out the number of which thread, then he starts yelling at me friends mani, friends. I am but friends to him. I drove to Leila, I gave him 2 bucks and drove off. I suffered fear.
The second time We went with a neighbor in the building with Ira (hello if you read my review), well, we got there by minibus, a crowd of people sang songs, thank God we drove carefully, the driver didn’t drive recklessly.

Taxi drivers went shopping back again fife dollars. Got it. We caught the minibus again, they offered $ 2, okay, we’re going, at the beginning he drove his brothers, then he took us, I’m sitting next to me, I feel his hand is not on the gear lever, but on my leg))))) I tell him to hold the steering wheel and take your hands off. He does not understand laughing. Well, in short, we had fun so we drove closer to the hotel, he began to say habibi, laughed and had fun. Arrived.
The third time I decided to buy melons home, I also went with Olya, my neighbor in the building.
We took a taxi from the hotel for 2 bucks. We bought everything, we go back, the story is the same, taxi drivers ask for 5 bucks. I already wanted to catch a minibus, a taxi driver drives up (that dollar is ok), well, if I agree for 2 bass, we sit down, then Olya gives him 2 bucks and he starts yelling that they say 2 dollars from each, I understood it that way, rummaging through the depths of my memory I began to understand that this was the same driver with whom I first traveled from Hurghada.
I tell him you said that dollars okay now what do you need. We screamed, we screamed. I say come on, mani, we will catch another taxi. He is in no way. We look at a young man wearing a yellow T-shirt TEZ TOUR. I’m showing him stop the tour, we called him, we explain that this moron agreed to go for 2 bucks, and now he still needs to argue, arguing, in the end I gave him another 1 buck drove us. I don’t feel sorry for the money, but since we agreed on $ 2, it means $ 2.
Well, now more about the hotel and the Easter dinner.
The hotel is of course very beautiful, but I am a very WONDERFUL lady, so I notice EVERYTHING, both good and bad. I can say that I did not feel wild delight from the external beauty of the hotel. Although the eyes were happy. The hotel is already in need of a good facelift, and in some places a major one. The decoration in the rooms is such that I would have torn off the hands of these workers. A hit and miss especially the tiles in the bathroom on the walls. Well, for a 4 * hotel, everything is quite tolerable. In some places it would not hurt to paint the facades. Most of all, I was struck by the number of all sorts of lamps and chandeliers, there are probably a million of them.

All the restaurants are located almost in the same place, on the first day I ran through all the conclusions that, in principle, it was almost the same everywhere and constantly ate in the main restaurant, since it was closest to my building. The strangest names of dishes are exclusively in English and German. INFORMATION FOR GOURMETS. From this year there are no entries in other restaurants, you can dine wherever your heart desires without prior appointments, this + difference in dishes, of course, there is, but not significant. The choice is yours.
In general, the food was good, meat, fish, but the potatoes were always either undercooked, or not baked, or undercooked, steamed vegetables)))) were also present. Lemonades, yupiks, tea, coffee to your heart's content around the clock. just in different places.
Packaged juice is available in the lobby bar.
Very tasty cakes and buns, to which I am not a sweet tooth, but I really came off on the cakes in full. Melons, this is a dish I would eat all day long. I can eat watermelons and melons not in limited quantities, so I ate in the restaurant to restrain myself so as not to take everything)))))))))))))))))) Also on Mondays there were crabs for dinner . From fruits oranges, apples, bananas and melons. Well, if you have any questions about food, ask, I will answer. And we, as they say, AT LEAST MEAT, AT LEAST FISH AND THANK YOU FOR THAT...
Animation, during the day at the central pool, aqua aerobics, belly dancing, animators in French, English, Russian and German. .
There is a playground for tennis, volleyball, ping-pong, billiards, I didn’t know for sure, mini golf. Well, a bunch of all sorts of paid services, such as baths and spas and other services.
Evening show every day, watch all you like
museum for free. In the morning from 10 am to 12 pm and in the evening from 6 pm to 9 pm.
In one of the bars there is a disco until one in the morning. By the main pool.
Easter dinner or DIFFICULTY IN TRANSLATION: on Easter at the hotel they threw a feast for the whole world, everyone put notes in the rooms what and how it will be, they didn’t give me anything, I found out about it on the eve from a neighbor in the building. Well, okay, the three of us came. A LOT OF PEOPLE, everything is so beautiful, the uncle plays the violin on the stage, the sea dishes are all gorgeous.

We began to look for where to land, found a table, put a couple of plates, went on to serve food, the Germans came to our place, we tried to explain to them that we were sitting there, they told me like: English? I told them: “no, parle franç ais))))) in short, we didn’t understand for a long time, we weren’t proud and went to look for a new table. found, sat down. They left Ira to guard the table, while we were walking other Germans came and started to kick her out, she tried to explain to them for a long time that there were three of us, and here we came up, that screams of abuse began in English, German and Russian. At the same time, for some reason, the hotel staff did not consider it necessary to translate something to us and explain what was the matter, the Germans were recognized as victims, they immediately dragged two tables to them, set them up and brought two bottles of wine in a bucket of ice as compensation. WELL, it's a shame, honestly, but why are we worse than them.
As a result, we asked for wine to bring, but the mood is fucked up to the point. And we have zero attention at all. Then Linda came up, this woman is always present at the reception in Russian, she speaks without a single accent. I don’t know what kind of position I have, but something like an administrator. Then she decided to handle how we settled down, well, we told her, why are we worse than the Germans? As a result, wine was brought to us. But how sluggish. And then I got tired of it and I suggested to my fellow travelers to conduct an experiment. I say: “Let’s call the waiter, give money and wine, we will at least get drunk. ” And so it happened, the waiter was running around like scalded with boiling water, we did not have time to drink, as the table was replenished with new glasses. And quoting the famous phrase from the famous film that even teetotalers and ulcers drink for free, I drank very well at dinner. )))))
And in fact, I drink very rarely, but the wine was fuller and very worthy.
Since I would definitely not drink any garbage. Even with all inclusive.
She reached the room on her own without incident. I didn't have a headache in the morning.
But the sediment remained in my soul, the Germans in the hotel still have a special attitude. I’ll tell you a secret and the rooms where the Germans are accommodated are much more comfortable. Yes, to hell with them. Because our tour operators buy the cheapest standard rooms.
For children there is a swimming pool, some kind of animation and a mini club. A new building was built on the site of the former children's club.
Planes fly over the entire coast, this information worried me a little. but on the spot, it didn’t bother me, although I love silence. One day in the morning military fighters were flying. Che, I got hooked on treason at the beginning, and then I thought that there are a lot of military bases in the Hurghada region, so this is a normal phenomenon, most likely, and the war did not start)))).

Here's another interesting topic to talk about. Upon arrival, I needed to iron things, went to the reception to ask for an iron. But there is no iron, only a paid service. Well, it's okay, I gave things to iron. 3 blouses and 2 pairs of trousers. Bring. Your mother's cotton trousers are folded, that they ironed that they did not iron. Well, I quickly laid them out on the second bed, like nothing was smoothed out while they were still warm. In the morning, while I went to the beach and went shopping to the room, my trousers were neatly folded on the bed, the opera house, the fucking janitor. He doesn’t have an eye, that it’s not just laid out like that, but that it wouldn’t be wrinkled. And he didn’t boom boom in Russian, went to the reception, found Linda and asked her to explain to him that the next ironing would be at his expense.
Well, sort of figured it out more, he didn’t touch my things on the second bed. At the end of the trip, I bought myself a tunic; I also need to iron it, I explained that it was necessary to smooth all the seams all over it. They smoothed it out and neatly put it in a bag and rolled it up, I had to pull it out again on the fly and lay it out on the bed. Apparently in Egypt they hardly understand why things are ironed. )))))))))))))))
In general, I liked the hotel.
I brought home halva, melons, mango juice, a bunch of all sorts of souvenirs and they also offered hashish at customs, but I said thank you, I don’t need it)))))))))))))))))))))))
The most important thing is to take a good mood and a suitcase of humor and jokes with you and everything will be fine.
Well, it seems that I wrote a little about everything. I don’t know guys how to read to you, but I’m a little tired of writing))))) most likely I forgot to write something. But I'm connected. . .
SO, IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK, I WILL ANSWER IN COMMENTS. I'll add some more pics later and maybe a video.