We had a lie in for the first time this holiday! We've been up at 7:15 every day, which is earlier than Paul normally gets up & only an hour later than I do in term time. You aren't allowed to dive within 18/24 hours of diving, so we couldn't do any more after yesterday afternoon.
We were still up in time for breakfast though. Paul had a final fling (a 3-egg omelette) and then went down to the dive centre to pay our bills. When all is said and done (gear rental paid, 10-dive package, supplement for the check dive, renting a dive computer for our lone dive yesterday afternoon), it is as expensive as skiing - it worked out as about £350 pp, plus the flights & hotel which we'd already paid (that was about £550 pp). It doesn't help it being in the school holidays but who cares, it was worth it. I tried to spend even more money buying a sinai divers t shirt but they were either men's, too small or not nice colours so I managed to restrain myself. Next time. When we checked out we got some free stickers so that made up for it a little bit. And when we come back we will get 10% off for being return customers, so definitely worth returning :-)
We went for a last walk to the beach then a last walk along the promenade and we rounded it off by having a go on a segway. I was just getting the hang of it when I managed to grind to a halt going up a slope and then after reversing it into my leg it stopped and Paul had to escort it back while I followed on foot. It was easy enough to use but harder then I thought it would be. Paul had said it was impossible to fall over which wasn't exactly true.
We were back in our chalet to pack our things at about midday then checked out and finally met the Red Sea Holidays reps whose messages and invites we had had to ignore still week because they were always there mid morning and we were always diving then. They were nice and friendly. We got a coach to the airport, accompanied by the same guy (Adam) that brought us out. Today he had been to some kind of salon and smelt strongly of some kind of cinnamony hair pomade.
There was an incredibly long queue in the airport to go through the first security bit where they scan suitcases and bags. It wove its way back and forth across the hall...does sharm ek sheikh schedule all international departures for a small window of time in the afternoon and then shut for the whole rest of the time?
Once through the bottleneck it was fine though and we spent a while air side getting ripped off buying small bottles of water for 17LE (about £1.70) and a sandwich for about £5.50. Then we squashed into the tiny Monarch plane, which this time was also boiling hot, enjoyed a few of their (also very overpriced) refreshments and made it back to Birmingham at about 10pm.
Danny & Fae had come to meet us and brought my car so we could head straight off - we definitely owe them a very big & nice meal when they are next down south. Paul drove the whole way back & I fed him coffee and sandwiches & crisps, and we got back not long after midnight, and got into our own bed, which after all turns out to be a lot comfier than the one in 103.
We were still up in time for breakfast though. Paul had a final fling (a 3-egg omelette) and then went down to the dive centre to pay our bills. When all is said and done (gear rental paid, 10-dive package, supplement for the check dive, renting a dive computer for our lone dive yesterday afternoon), it is as expensive as skiing - it worked out as about £350 pp, plus the flights & hotel which we'd already paid (that was about £550 pp). It doesn't help it being in the school holidays but who cares, it was worth it. I tried to spend even more money buying a sinai divers t shirt but they were either men's, too small or not nice colours so I managed to restrain myself. Next time. When we checked out we got some free stickers so that made up for it a little bit. And when we come back we will get 10% off for being return customers, so definitely worth returning :-)
We went for a last walk to the beach then a last walk along the promenade and we rounded it off by having a go on a segway. I was just getting the hang of it when I managed to grind to a halt going up a slope and then after reversing it into my leg it stopped and Paul had to escort it back while I followed on foot. It was easy enough to use but harder then I thought it would be. Paul had said it was impossible to fall over which wasn't exactly true.
We were back in our chalet to pack our things at about midday then checked out and finally met the Red Sea Holidays reps whose messages and invites we had had to ignore still week because they were always there mid morning and we were always diving then. They were nice and friendly. We got a coach to the airport, accompanied by the same guy (Adam) that brought us out. Today he had been to some kind of salon and smelt strongly of some kind of cinnamony hair pomade.
There was an incredibly long queue in the airport to go through the first security bit where they scan suitcases and bags. It wove its way back and forth across the hall...does sharm ek sheikh schedule all international departures for a small window of time in the afternoon and then shut for the whole rest of the time?
Once through the bottleneck it was fine though and we spent a while air side getting ripped off buying small bottles of water for 17LE (about £1.70) and a sandwich for about £5.50. Then we squashed into the tiny Monarch plane, which this time was also boiling hot, enjoyed a few of their (also very overpriced) refreshments and made it back to Birmingham at about 10pm.
Danny & Fae had come to meet us and brought my car so we could head straight off - we definitely owe them a very big & nice meal when they are next down south. Paul drove the whole way back & I fed him coffee and sandwiches & crisps, and we got back not long after midnight, and got into our own bed, which after all turns out to be a lot comfier than the one in 103.
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