Egyptian Love

Footprints in the golden sands

It all began back in May 2009, when my friends and I went on a girlie holiday. We were the typical tourists. We partied hard every night down in Naama Bay, then sunbathed during the day with the biggest hangovers you could possibly imagine. It was amazing in Egypt.

The Egyptians are generally really genuine, nice people, although we did come across a couple of exceptions. You are bound to meet some friends for life though when you take a holiday to Egypt.

The nightlife in Naama Bay was out of this world; we had a ball every night. We had such a laugh every night trying our best to talk our way into the VIP areas. If you like your clubs, Pacha nightclub is one of the best places to go. The atmosphere is certainty added to with an American military base been located very close by – lots of lonely, single, American soldiers also loving the partying and nightlife!

The crystal clear waters are full of colourful little fish!

On this trip I met an American soldier, and for this piece of writing we will just refer to him as Wayne. We had so much in common and laughed so much together, our personalities were perfectly matched.

We did some of the excursions on offer while we were there, including a boat trip to the Tiran Island. I found the other guests on this trip were not people I would like to socialise with, but the diving instructor was very easy on the eye so was definitely worth putting up with these people for!

I returned to Naama Bay in November after keeping in contact with Wayne, where we met up again. On this trip the football was on and Egypt were playing and won. The whole of Naama Bay went crazy and the atmosphere was electric, as if there was one big street party. The Egyptians had flags, drums and all their faces were painted. The place was alive. This had got to be one of the best nights I had ever had in my life! Wayne and I got closer on this trip. We spent a lot of time together, touring during the day and enjoying the evenings together too. I think at this point I was falling for him and really hoped for this to go somewhere. After returning home from this trip in November I still kept in contact with Wayne and said I would return as soon as I could afford to.

In the December I returned. I travelled with my mum, as I was seriously considering moving to Egypt, and knew it was a leap of faith. I wanted her to see the place and check out the area. I met up once again with Wayne and we did a quad biking trip in the desert. We had a really amazing time. We paid extra for a private guide so we could make the most of the trip on our own rather than with a group of people.

Quad biking in the desert

By the end of this trip, I had made my mind up that I did want to spend some time out there with Wayne, to see if we could make it work. I am planning to travel out in the spring to work and live there with the added bonus of having a boyfriend too, which I hope will last forever.

If it can happen for me it can happen for anyone. Egypt is a fabulous place and I have found something special that will hopefully stay with me forever.

By Claire Barnard