We were able to get away for the weekend and take the hour drive to the Egyptian coast. We went to Ain Sukhna at the Movenpick Hotel enjoyed the beach and the pool. We couldn't help but quote The Ten Commandments on the way there. Well, it was more just talking in a deep voice and putting "Lo" and "Behold" before everything you say. Throw in a "so let it be written, so let it be done" and you're good to go.
Movenpick at night
The drive there is the calmest drives we've had in a long time. There is nothing for miles and miles and plenty of desert to keep your attention. The road is freshly paved, there are 0 potholes AND hardly any cars on the road. That was a vacation in itself. As you approach the coast you notice the terrain becoming more rugged and you see the mountains ahead. The mountains that border the Red Sea (in our case the Gulf of Suez) are very rocky and rugged.
Attempting to take pics while Seth was driving
Is that a themed Ocean Gingham outfit? Oh you know it is..
We like to rock an Ocean Gingham outfit any chance we get.
Rest Stop?
Hugging the coast, water to the left and cliffs to the right
Benjamin enjoyed the sand. At first that's really all he wanted to do. The first couple tries to get him in the water were unsuccessful. We had to get resourceful for fear of a water-less trip to this beautiful coast line. We discovered his ultra hatred of floaters for one. Can't stand them at all, but he doesn't mind his (best way I can describe it) raft. He sits in the middle and has a blast. Once in awhile we would hear his little "get doww", but a quick disappearance under the water by Seth followed by a rising up and laughing had Benny laughing again. We spent a lot of time in the pool because sand in a toddlers diaper or sand in a toddlers mouth isn't fun to deal with.
Really calm water, excellent for a toddler
Mom forgot a change of pants, Benny had to go white trash in a shirt and diaper. He didn't seem to mind.
Seth in his new role as Sherpa Dad
What would of been the raddest pic if it wasn't for my shadow. Curse you shadow!
Discovery on Day #2- the enemy to all beach lovers. Boo to you jelly fish
We let the boy play with it anyway. What's a little sting going to hurt?
Just kidding to the Granny's and Mimi's reading this...we, after much debate and experaments, found that these particular Jellies didn't sting.
Did Benny enjoy relaxing in the water, maybe laying low in a chair? No, as anyone who has met the child knows, he is going to walk and walk and walk and walk...and walk
But after some bribery he was able to chill for about, maybe, 10 minutes or so.
"Hey, you with the camera...you know what would be super great? Some chicken. You wanna make that happen pretty soon?"
The (in his 30's, so not "old")Man (and boy) and the Sea
The beach is very quiet and almost like a lake. There are not any waves which we loved because that made it much easier to get Benny to enjoy the water. We were so excited to see a lot of dolphins in the water. This wasn't like the dolphins you see when you drink your morning coffee in Destin- where you see a flutter in the water and the occasional fin pop out. These were legit. They did flips out of the water and were amazing to see. We also saw a sting ray. Hopefully next time we go we can snorkel and enjoy the world's best deep sea sights. It's impossible to do that with a little guy in tow.
If I had good camera skills this would be the most epic dolphin picture ever. Ah well, that's his splash.
Our room and the accommodations at the hotel were all very nice. They offer breakfast and dinner with your room. Breakfast had a lot of local favorites like fuul and assorted yogurts (or yoguhurt in this part of the world). Dinner was excellent with fresh locally caught fish, a grill station with kofta and shawarma. Benny enjoyed eating cereal in the morning and all kinds of things at night.
The hotel occupants were mostly local families with a couple of foreigners in the mix. I was hesitant to swim at first because a lot of the women were fully covered in their hijabs and either sat on the sidelines or wore a burkini. I got over it as the day grew hot. Plus once the other foreign people started to show up I figured I was okay. Seth pointed out how on the rules for the beach that were posted by the lifeguard station said what i was wearing was totally appropriate. I doubt I'll feel inhibited next visit- it just took a little coaxing. And several Euro women wearing next to nothing.
We had a great time at Ain Sukhna! I'd like to go to El Gouna for our next weekend outing, Inshaa'Allaah
Benny and El Mono are all partied out
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