Egypt: Snorkelling at the Blue Hole

We travelled in pickup trucks for 10 min from our hotel to the Blue Hole. I got my snorkelling gear on and clambered down some rickety wooden steps. I swam out a few metres and could see coral at a depth of about 30 cm but most of it was dead.

I swam out 30m further to find live coral and hundreds of fish. Alas, till I do the PADI Advanced Open Water Naturalist course, I can't name them but can only describe them as orange, black and purple with yellow fishnet stockings.

There were divers below me. One had 2 air tanks on his back and was carrying 2 others. He obviously wanted to stay down there for hours. I could see why.

The water was especially salty, giving me a lot of buoyancy, even without a wet suit. I floated still for many minutes at a time. I swam over the reef and encountered choppier waves so I swam back to the calmer side.

After an hour I got out and rested on an ottoman. There was a row of shacks with low-slung chairs with cushions as well as a waiter service for food and drink.

In the evening, I went out with some of the tour group to see Chelsea draw against West Ham inside a restaurant that looked like a beached ship. We grabbed a BOGOF meal deal and I had noodles.

Egypt: Luxor to Dahab

The 13hr bus journey started at 10pm and we settled down to watch Tropic Thunder, not a funny film. I got about 4 hr sleep, until we stopped at a service station to get a drink and use the toilets.

We reached the Dahab Paradise hotel at 11am and it looked picturesque from the front. Each room had a balcony that overlooked a pool surrounded by palm trees, with the Red Sea in the background. However, on entering the rooms, the luxury ended, they didn't have a fridge or a TV. The hotel was one of many dropped in front of the cliff side.

I walked towards the centre of Dahab and encountered wandering camels and goats as well as a decaying cat. Unlike Hurghada, we were back to half-built and decaying buildings, amongst rubbish-strewn streets. Only the mosque looked well-built.

In the afternoon we met up with the ferry group and they looked green. Most of them were sick as their ferry was small as was flung from side to side and up and down on the choppy seas. The bus was a much more comfortable option in the end.

In the evening, we got minivans into the centre of Dahab and ate at the El Capone restaurant. I had my first Egyptian fish. It was like cod and baked in tin foil and vegetables. It was very tasty and I was glad to get some cooked vegetables as I had been avoiding unpeeled fruit and salad vegetables that might have been washed in tap water. Apparently, the water does not have bacteria that makes foreigners ill but lots of chlorine that they are not used to. So, they get sick when they drink the equivalent of swimming pool water. The food was good and we were giving a free starter of garlic bread and dips as well as a free desert of chocolate cake and tea. Some people tried the shisha but I did not.

We went back to the hotel by getting a taxi. As there were 5 of us, a pickup truck was found and 4 of us set in the sun deck.

The Apprentice: Food, Glorious Food

What is with Alan Sugar? It must be his surname. He seems obsessed by food.

In week 1, he got the candidates to sell fish.
In week 3, he got the candidates to sell pub food.
In week 5, he got the candidates to sell ice-cream.

So, 60% of the tasks so far involve shifting food.

I wonder if going to get his soon to be new Apprentice planning a new style of gastro-pub where you can get fresh fish and home-made ice-cream on the menu.

Awesome Onsen

I have just been to the onsen (hot spring) at Nishi Otsu, 10 minutes from Kyoto by train.

The indoor spring area was 7m x 2.5m.

The outdoor spring area was about two-thirds of the size of the inner spring. Both had a lakeside view. I found both areas pleasantly warm but the inner area was very humid and it was difficult to breathe after more than 15 minutes. So, I retreated to the outer edges of the outer spring.




Afterwards, I had a fantastic meal experience during dinner. The dining room was warm and pleasant. It had wood-panelled walls and was complemented by the muted western classical CD soundtrack.

Being the only guests, my companion and I had excellent service and the 6 course menu comprised:

• Fish - raw
• Fish and a Prawn - raw
• Fish & a Prawn - battered
• Corn - in a soup
• Beef - Teppanyaki (this was cooked to perfection as I had to cook it myself on the table-top frying pan)
• Double Chocolate Mousse - dark chocolate as the base and light and fluffy milk chocolate above it

Each course was modest in size but was immaculately presented and had distinct flavours.


The onsen building itself was decorated with thick carpets and wood - panelled walls as well as an indoor, illuminated water feature. It conveyed a very relaxed atmosphere. Interestingly, the men wore western suits but the women wore eastern kimonos.