1. Tenerife airport disaster (March 27, 1977) was probably one of the worst aviation disasters ever seen which was a culmination of a series of unfortunate reasons including terrorism , bad weather, mechanical failure, air traffic control miscommunication and pilot error. It involved collision of two Boeings (747) on the airport runway, one of which was a Pan Am jet and the other being a KLM flight. The worst accident in aviation history occurred when two Boeing 747 aircraft – Pan Am Flight 1736 and KLM Flight 4805 – collided on the runway of a Tenerife airport. Essentially, the KLM proceeded with a takeoff from the airport’s only runway without permission, colliding straight into the Pam Am aircraft that was taxiing along the same runway. Conditions were foggy, so it was hard to maintain a visual from either of the aircraft and there was also confusion over various radio instructions. This accident resulted in the deaths of 583 people, the highest death toll in any Air craft related mishap excluding the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11.

2. Japan Airlines Flight 123 (August 12, 1985) A Boeing747 domestic flight of Japan Airways flying from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport to Osaka’s Itami International Airport crashed into the a ridge near Mount Osutaka ,100 kilometers from Tokyo killing 520 people but surprisingly leaving 4 survivors. The mid flight rupture of an aft bulkhead negligently repaired earlier following a tail strike incident the aircraft was involved in, caused destruction of part of the airplane’s tail .This destroyed the crucial hydraulic systems needed to maintain control over the aircraft as well as the rudder controls and the jet flew uncontrollably for over 30 minutes before crashing into a mountain forest. A JAL maintenance supervisor later committed suicide, while the president of the airline resigned, accepting full, formal responsibility for the crash and visiting victims’ families to offer a personal apology. The Japanese government was severely criticized for delaying the rescue operation for potential survivors of the air crash as it was later realized that a few people died awaiting the rescue team after surviving the impact of the crash.

3. The Charkhi Dadri mid air collision (November 12, 1996) Catastrophe strikes over the night sky of a village in Haryana (India) only 100 km away from the national capital New Delhi, as an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane from Kazakhstan (Flight 1907) collides in midair with a Saudi Arabian passenger Airlines killing all 349 people aboard both planes and making it the deadliest mid-air collision the world has ever seen. A pilot for the U.S Air force was the sole eyewitness to the event as he was making an initial approach in his airplane and he saw a cloud suddenly flashing into bright red. The investigation that followed the disaster revealed that the Kazakh pilot failed to follow ATC instructions due to communication problems and tragically none of the airplanes were equipped with a TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system).Following the mid air collision the TCAS was made mandatory on all flying aircrafts in the world.

4. Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (March 3, 1974) Known as the “Ermenonville air disaster”, from the forest (near Senlis, France) where the aircraft crashed, the accident resulted in the deaths of all 346 on board the DC-10 in operation for the Turkish Airlines .The cause for one of the most notorious and gruesome crashes ever was traced to a poorly designed cargo door that had burst from its latches leading to the depressurization of the aircraft and collapse of the cabin floor above the hatch. This further led to the impairment of cables to the rudders and elevators affording the pilots little to no control over their own aircraft. From the crash site only 40 bodies were visually identifiable. Nine passengers were never identified. In fact the wreckage had been so extensively broken up that immediate investigation suggested that a bomb had been placed on-board

5.    Air India Kanishka Flight 182 (June 23, 1985) The Air India Boeing 747 en route between Toronto and Bombay (now Mumbai) was blown up by a bomb exploding in the cargo section of the aircraft while it was in Irish airspace, at an altitude of 31,000 feet. The airplane fell into the Atlantic Ocean killing all of the 329 people it was carrying .Sikh separatists Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were accused of planting the bomb by investigating bodies in Canada who also cited shortcomings in baggage screening procedures, screening equipment, and employee training as a reason for the security lapse which led to the gruesome terrorist act taking place. A second bomb, intended to blow up another Air India 747 on the same day, detonated prematurely in a luggage facility in Tokyo’s Narita Airport before being loaded aboard.

6. Saudia Flight 163 (August 19, 1980) Barely six minutes into its journey to Karachi a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar plane of the Saudia (now Saudi Arabian Airlines) returns to Riyadh following an in-flight fire that broke out right after departure. Though the crew is successful with the emergency landing of the aircraft, for reasons unknown, the pilot taxies the aircraft down the runaway for 2 minutes 40 seconds after the landing instead of stopping at the earliest and commencing an emergency evacuation of his aircraft .The wide body passenger jet airliner then sits with its engines running for more than three minutes and before the rescue team can reach the aircraft at the far end of the runway and start the rescue evacuation, the aircraft  is consumed by a flash-fire killing everybody aboard.

7. Iran Air Flight 655 (July 3, 1988) An Iranian Airbus A300 was shot down by the US Navy destroyer Vincennes over the Straits of Hormuz toward the end of the Iran – Iraq war. According to the US government the crew of the Vincennes mistakenly identified the Iranian Airbus as an attacking F 14 Tomcat fighter while the Iranian government maintained that the Vincennes knowingly shot down the civilian aircraft with two surface-to-air missiles. All passengers and crew aboard IR655 were killed, totally 290 deaths, 66 of which were children. The United States decided to pay a monetary settlement to the families of the Iranian victims. However, the United States has never admitted responsibility, nor apologized to Iran for the incident.

8. American Airlines Flight 191 (May 25, 1979) This DC-10 crash became infamous as the worst aircraft incident in the US (until September 11, 2001) with 273 fatalities and also lead to the temporary grounding of all DC-10s across America as investigation by the NTSB pointed towards faulty engine pylon design and airline maintenance procedures of the aircraft. Just after the flight’s takeoff from the Chicago’s O’Hare airport one of its wing is damaged severely due to an engine detachment which is followed by the aircraft pitching 90 degrees and crashing nose first very close to the airport within exactly 31 seconds from the aircrafts’ engine separation. As it hit the ground the aircraft explodes in a huge fireball, visible from miles around, disintegrating the craft and everyone on it and also killing two people on the ground.

9. Pan Am Flight 103 (December 21, 1988) A Boeing 747- 121 flying from London Heathrow airport to JFK airport in New York exploded in the night sky over Lockerbie (Scotland) killing all the 259 people in the aircraft as well as 11 people on the ground over which the doomed aircraft’s burning debris fell. Two Libyan agents, one of who was convicted (Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi) while the other went on to be acquitted (Lamin Khalifah Fhimah), were held in connection with charges over planting of the bomb in the flight. In 1992 a U.S. federal court also found Pan Am guilty of willful misconduct due to lax security screening.

10. Korean Air Lines flight KAL007 (September 1, 1983) A Boeing 747 passenger flight of the Korean Airways which deviated from its original intended air route from New York to Seoul was shot down by a Soviet fighter plane as it entered the soviet air space near Sakhalin Island (North Pacific) unaware. It was suspected to be a US military spy plane by the Russians keeping in mind the cold war era between the US and Soviet Union and the tense relations they shared during that time. All the passenger and crew of the flight, a total of 269 lives, were lost in the tragic incident and the investigation carried on by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) attributed the erroneous deviation of the plane to a considerable degree of lack of alertness and attentiveness on the part of the flight crew.

Cattle, Argentina

Coal mine in South Africa

Sha Kibbutz, Israel

Military cemetery in Verdun, France

Suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark

Favelas in Rio de Janeiro

Ruins of the medieval city of Shali, Egypt

Switzerland

Gullholmen, Sweden

Denver, USA

Fraser Island dune, Australia

Pena, Portugal

Amazon River, Brazil

Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa

Machu Picchu, Peru

Walled City of Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Changping District in Beijing, China

Cattle near the Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

Tasmania, Australia

Bazaar of Istanbul, Turkey

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Hashima Island, Japan

Stockholm, Sweden

Boats stranded on the dry Aral Sea, Kazakhstan

Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Pigeon Houses Mit Gahmr Delta, Egypt

Varanasi, India

Solar plant in Andalusia, Spain

Easter Island, Chile

Epicenter of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan

Mountains near Jengish, Kyrgyzstan

Freeways in Los Angeles, USA

1. Lose a Hammer, Find a Horde

In November 1992, a farmer living near the village of Hoxne in Suffolk, England, lost a hammer in one of his fields, so he asked Eric Lawes to use his metal detector to search for it. While looking for the hammer, Lawes happened upon something else of interest – 24 bronze coins, 565 gold coins, 14,191 silver coins, plus hundreds of gold and silver spoons, jewelry, and statues, all dating back to the Roman Empire.

As required by British law, the so-called “Hoxne Hoard” was reported to the local authorities, who declared it a “Treasure Trove,” meaning it was now legally the property of Britain. However, the government is required to pay fair market value for a treasure trove, meaning the farmer and Lawes split a cool £1.75 million. The Hoxne Hoard is now on permanent display at the British Museum, drawing thousands of people every year.

Sadly, there is no word on whether or not the hammer was ever found.

2. Arkansas is a Girl’s Best Friend

W.O. Bassum found a giant of a gemstone in 1924 – a 40.23 carat diamond. It might surprise you to hear that he wasn’t digging in one of the famous South African diamond mines at the time, but was near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, at a site that is now the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Sitting on top of a volcanic pipe (a geologic tube formed by an ancient underground volcanic explosion), the park is the only diamond site in the world that is open to the public. Best of all, the park’s policy is: “You find it. You keep it. No matter how valuable it is.”

Bassum’s big find – nicknamed “The Uncle Sam Diamond,” the largest diamond ever discovered in North America – was later cut down to 12.42 carat and sold for $150,000 in 1971 (About $800,000 today). But his wasn’t the last valuable rock dug out of that Arkansas soil.

In 1964, “The Star of Murfreesboro” was discovered at the same site, weighing in at 34.25 carat. Then, in 1975, came the 16.37 carat “Amarillo Starlight Diamond.” The 6.35 carat “Roden Diamond” was found in 2006. And the crown jewel of the park has been the “Strawn-Wagner Diamond” (pictured), a comparatively small 3.09 carat diamond, that was dug up in 1990, and expertly cut down to 1.90 carat. Despite its smaller size, the Strawn-Wagner stands out because it was given a “Perfect” rating by the American Gem Society – the first diamond to ever receive such a high grade.

But don’t think this list of big gems means the site has been tapped out. On average, two diamonds are found every day at Crater of Diamonds. They’re not all as big as The Uncle Sam Diamond, but maybe you’ll get lucky. There’s only one way to find out…

3. The Declaration of (Financial) Independence

We’ve all heard of the man who bought a $4 painting at a garage sale, found an original copy of the Declaration of Independence inside, and sold it for $2.4 million. A once-in-a-lifetime story, right? Not so much, actually.

Michael Sparks was visiting a Nashville thrift store, where he bought a candleholder, a set of salt and pepper shakers, and a yellowed print of the Declaration of Independence. Sparks figured the document was a worthless, modern reprint, so he paid the asking price – $2.48 – and headed home.

After looking over the document for a few days, he wondered if it might be older than he initially thought. So he hopped on the internet to do some research and soon realized he had purchased one of only 200 official copies of the Declaration of Independence commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820. Of those 200, 35 had been found intact; he had number 36.

It took a year for Sparks to have the print authenticated and preserved, and then he put it up for auction, netting a final sale price of $477,650.

The salt and pepper shakers, on the other hand, were still worthless.

4. A Good Heade for Bargains

One day, an employee at a tool-and-die company in Indiana spent $30 for a few pieces of used furniture and an old painting of some flowers. When he got his new stuff home, he decided to strategically hang the picture to cover up a hole in the wall that had been bugging him.

Some years later he was playing a board game called Masterpiece in which players attempt to outbid one another for artwork at an auction. Much to his surprise, one of the cards in the game featured a painting of flowers that looked a lot like the one he had on his wall. So he went online and found that his painting was similar in style to the work of Martin Johnson Heade, an American still-life artist best known for landscapes and flower arrangements.

Through his research he found the Kennedy Galleries in Manhattan, which handles many of Heade’s works, and asked them to take a look at his painting. They agreed and were able to verify that the piece of artwork covering the hole in his wall was a previously unknown Heade painting, since named Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth. In 1999, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston purchased the painting for $1.2 million dollars.

I emailed the Museum to ask if the painting was covering a hole in the wall, but I didn’t get a reply.

5. It’s nice, but it’s no Middleham Jewel…

Every Sunday afternoon for the last seven years, Mary Hannaby had gone for a walk with her metal detector. She’d never really found anything of value, but she liked getting the exercise, so she kept at it. On one Sunday in June 2009, her detector beeped, and she bent down to dig up what she thought was going to be another common coin or old nail. Instead, she uncovered a postage stamp-sized gold pendant featuring an intricate carving of the crucifixion of Jesus. Maybe she had finally hit the jackpot.

Upon inspection by the British Museum, the pendant was described as “an important find,” and they estimated the market value to be around £4,000. Still, they decided not to purchase it for their collection, so Mary took the pendant to Sotheby’s. The experts at the auction house felt the piece was much more valuable, because it was believed to be one of only three similar items known to exist. Their initial estimate was £250,000, but said it could easily sell for as much as £2.5 million thanks to its resemblance to another English treasure also found with a metal detector, the Middleham Jewel.

But as the saying goes, “Never count your millions until the auctioneer bangs his gavel.” Sotheby’s put the pendant up for auction on July 9, 2009, making it the highlight of a large lot of antique sculptures. Clearly the expectations were high. The bidding started at £30,000, but as the final call was made, the best offer was only £38,000 – far below the reserve price to make a sale.

6. A Possible Pollock

In 1992, Teri Horton, a retired truck driver, went to her local thrift store to buy a depressed friend a gag gift. She found a rather large painting – 66” x 47” – that she thought was pretty amusing because it was, in her opinion, so ugly. When she asked the thrift store employee the price, they said $8. She haggled and only paid $5. In the end, her friend didn’t want it (she, too, thought it was ugly, plus it wouldn’t fit through the door of her trailer), so Teri took it home and tried to unload it at her garage sale. A local art teacher saw the painting and suggested it could very well be a Jackson Pollock. In response, Teri famously asked the teacher, “Who the f*** is Jackson Pollock?”

Since that day, Teri Horton has been struggling to prove that her thrift store treasure is a lost piece of artwork potentially worth well over $100 million. However, due to the painting’s lack of verifiable history of ownership (called “provenance”), the piece is disputed by many fine arts experts as simply another artist’s work inspired by Pollock. To find proof of Pollock, Teri had the work examined by a forensic specialist who claims to have found a fingerprint that matches one in Pollock’s studio. But even the fingerprint evidence has been disputed by the art world, leaving the painting, as yet, unsold.

Teri, her painting, and her battle with the art world elite became the subject of a 2006 documentary called, appropriately, Who the *$&% is Jackson Pollock?

Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book “Hungry Planet”

Come see What The World Eats. A few years ago photographer Peter Menzel and his wife Faith D’Aluisio started to photograph what family’s around the globe eat and wrote down what their weekly expenditure is. In 2005 they published an award winning book called Hungry Planet: What The World Eats.

This project turned out to be so educational that he’s currently still giving lectures at universities about this very subject. A current exhibition is held until May 9, 2010 is hosted by the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota.

As you look at the photographs and see what they spend per week, you can draw a lot of different conclusions about their dietm their surroundings, their personal/economic circumstance and how globalization has influenced what people eat.

A quote from his website about his book:

Today we are witnessing the greatest change in global diets since the invention of agriculture. Globalization, mass tourism, and giant agribusiness have filled American supermarket shelves with extraordinary new foods and McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Kraft Cheese Singles are being exported to every corner of the planet.

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City

Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45

Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken

China: The Dong family of Beijing

Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Family recipe: Pig’s knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Family recipe: Okra and mutton (goat meat)

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage

United States: The Caven family of California

Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream

Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar

Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings

Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis

Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15
Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding

Courtesy:  TIME magazine photo galleries of “Hungry Planet” part I

During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls without falling over.

“I think it will probably be overblown. Obviously, China is going to protest. I don’t think it will have a long-term effect, but in the short term it will become a point of friction between China and India,” Professor Fravel, who is widely considered to be the leading authority on China’s border issues.

Asked if he felt the Dalai Lama would be advised to tone down political rhetoric, Professor Fravel replied: “I suspect he doesn’t even need to be told by the Indian government.”

“I think he will characterise his trip as being one of a religious nature,” Professor Fravel said. “The Chinese government will not see it that way, but that’s how he will characterise it.”

He says the Indian government has not allowed foreign journalists to cover the visit to reduce any fallout.

“I think the Indian government is doing it to de-politicise the visit as much as possible,” Professor Fravel said. “The Indian government has a long track record of trying to limit the political nature of Tibet-related activities in India — allow large gatherings or demonstrations on Tibetan issues.”

“I think the Chinese government will see it as follows:

“As an Indian effort to symbolically affirm control over Arunachal Pradesh (India).”

“Second, they will see the Dalai Lama’s visit as a way for him to internationalise the dispute with India. Wherever he goes, he will have an international audience.”

“A third perspective (is that the visit is) perhaps legitimating India’s claim to the area and questioning China’s claim.”

But China has more a serious cause for worry, Professor Fravel believes.

He points out that there is an important Tibetan monastery in Tawang.

“It is possible that a future Dalai Lama could be reincarnated there. That could create a huge problem for China,” Professor Fravel says, citing precedent for a Dalai Lama, the sixth, Tsangyang Gyatso, who was born in the Tawang area.

“In the long run, what worries China is that the reincarnation will occur in an area that China does not control — which, most likely, will be in this one very small part of Arunachal Pradesh, which does have a historical link with Tibet.

Source: Rediff India

STRESS vs TIME

The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Visitors also eat huge amounts of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstel (sausages) along with Brez’n (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage)

To keep the Oktoberfest, and especially the beer tents, friendly for older people and families, the concept of the “quiet Oktoberfest” was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 PM, the tents only play quiet music, for example traditional wind music. Only after that will Schlager and pop music be played, which has led to more violence in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 decibels. With these measures, the organizers of the Oktoberfest hope to curb the over-the-top party mentality and preserve the traditional beer tent atmosphere.

Size

The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People’s Fair) in the World. In 1999 there were six and a half million visitors to the 42 hectare Theresienwiese. 72% of the people are from Bavaria. 15% of visitors come from foreign countries like the surrounding EU-countries and other non-European countries including the United States, Canada, India, Japan, Brazil and Australia.

Besides the Oktoberfest, there are other public festivals that take place at the same location, in April/May: The Munich Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) and Winter Tollwood in December with 650,000 visitors.

Starting in 2008, a new Bavarian law banning smoking in all enclosed spaces that are open to the public will be in place at the Oktoberfest. This will mean a complete smoking ban inside the tents. However, after heavy losses in the 2008 local elections, the state’s ruling party wants to grant special exemptions to beer tents and small pubs. In 2008, the organisers used a special exemption in 2008 for temporary structures so smoking was permitted in the tents although the sale of tobacco was not. This policy was extended to the 2009 event.

1 . Stonehenge, UK :

Famous for its astonishingly huge stones. The summer solstice ceremony held by druids and New Agers confirm it as a cathedral to mystical paganism.

Reality: Tourists can’t touch the stones, can’t walk inside the area, can’t wander about its space and have to pay an entrance fee to see it.

Why not: Go to a place where access is easy and there are no restrictions. And what is this about entrance fees?

2. Petra in Jordan :

It rises out of rose-red sandstone in a hidden valley. Firmly featuring on the itinerary of every traveller to the Middle East since the days of the Grand Tour, Petra is one of the most visited sites in the Middle East.

Reality: The tourism village that has grown up around Petra now threatens to outsize the ancient city itself.

Why not: Go to a place that’s off-beat and where the only face you can see is that of your beloved.

3. Colosseum in Rome, Italy :

A breathtaking sight for tourists.

Reality: The sight is often crowded and usually has long queues. The entire building is a traffic roundabout and the interior is too precious to host concerts. Then, there is the danger of tourists falling victim to pickpockets.

Why not: Honeymooners don’t have the time to stand in queues! Every moment is precious, remember?

4. Machu Picchu in Peru :

It is South America’s most-promoted destination. It has held the top spot for travellers eager to see the majesty of the Inca for several years.

Reality: The journey to Machu Picchu is not pleasant, and the entrance fee has risen to more than 25 pounds.

Why not: What is it about entrance fees?

5. Angkor in Cambodia :

It boasts of some of the most jaw-dropping Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia. The dozens of spectacular temples here are crowned by the peerless Angkor Wat – the site’s largest monument – in a memorably atmospheric setting among gnarled jungles and glass-like paddy fields.

Reality: There’s no escaping the crowds here. The days when Angkor was a remote and challenging destination are sadly long gone. The temples are now firmly on the international sightseeing circuit, making it hard to appreciate their majestic architecture and profound religious significance in anything approaching peace and quiet.

Why not: Well, since most honeymooners to be by themselves with no living being in sight, this destination will have to change.

The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs, as well as larger hotel complexes belonging to International chains, plus about all the amenities one could expect of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.

A place which gave the Red Sea an international reputation as one of the world’s most extraordinary diving destinations in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh is spread over 42 square km with over 40.9% of its area “affected” by tourism. It’s a magnificent place that unveils Egypt’s exotic nights far away from the desert.

Unique resorts are rare and irreplaceable, and Sharm El Sheikh has them both. But other than amazing diving sessions to see the beauty of the depths, the resort charms with its bustling nightlife, luxurious five star hotels, great entertainment and lovely sights for you to see.

Four miles south the southern section of the town stands on a cliff overlooking the port. and is a great view.

Na’ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities. Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing into a resort town of its own.  Most hotels at Na’ama Bay have their own, private beaches with comfortable amenities such as chairs, shades and even bars.

Shark’s Bay is also nearby, and again is a growing resort community with more and more to offer, along with several diving centers.

The small harbor known as Sharm el-Moiya is located next to the civil harbor, has accommodations for boats, and includes a Yacht Club with rooms.

For those who live to shop, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall provides shops with both foreign and local products, including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and books.

It has been said that this is a must visit for all diving enthusiasts.  There are many diving sites along the 10 mile beach between Sharm el-Sheikh and Ras Nusrani.

Since you definitely won’t be at the beach all day, how about a fantastic boat ride to the beautiful National Park of Ras Mohammed. You’ll get to enjoy some fabulous snorkeling to see the stunning sea life and the amazing corals of the Red Sea. Of course you’ll have to make sure your health is in a solid condition, and another important aspect … go there with a budget in your mind. Egyptians are very good salesmen and they’ll try to sell you as much as possible.

And while you’re there, you may want to spend a moment to view the sun going down over the sea and the desert — the whole spectacle is between 5:00 and 5:30pm. Everything is so breathtaking you can’t resist to stay silent and remember how great Earth can be.

Sharm El Sheikh is also renowned for its nightlife, so why not give it a shot in one of their chic open air clubs, with stunning cocktail bars, outdoor pools and private VIP rooms that come with terraces overlooking the action.

Pearl of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm El Sheikh is the most exotic, the most beautiful and the most elegant resort at the Red Sea. A much needed vacation in a place that has so much to give, it’s one of Egypt’s best and shouldn’t be missed while there.

Climate

Average temperatures during the winter months (November to March) range from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius (59-95°F) and during the summer months (April to October) from 20 to 45 degrees Celsius (68-113°F). The temperature of the Red Sea in this region ranges from 21 to 28 degrees Celsius (70-84°F) over the course of the year.

Transportation

Sharm’s marina has been redeveloped for private yachts and sailboats, with a passenger terminal for cruise ships and scheduled ferry service to Hurghada and Aqaba.

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in addition to scheduled flights to Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor, Alexandria and 5 weekly flights to London (Gatwick), Sharm’s airport is served by frequent charter flights to Italy, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, among other destinations.

Sharm has frequent good quality coach services to Cairo leaving from the Delta Sharm bus station. There are three companies on the route charging between 70 and 100 LE in 2008 for the 6 hour journey.