happy new year to the sharks and crocodiles...

today is New Year's day- well it is if you follow the islamic calender. In fact today, Ras as-Sana al-Hijreya, is the 1st day of the year 1432AH.

However, the majority of muslims i asked what year it was couldn't answer me... unless they read the newspapers here often, since it is written on the top on the page, alongside the 'western date'.

In reality all that seems to happen is a public holiday for schools and offices... which at least means the traffic is quite for a change!

Oh- on a completely different note. Those of you reading this who have staying with me over the last year will know i was most upset that my bourganvilla wouldn't flower.... well... it has now! Lovely orangey blooms... not many of them but I was beginning to wonder if ii had been sold a dud!!!

Oh and thanks for all the responses to my blog about the shark attacks in sharm. seems they closed the beach wed-fri, reopened it on sat, and a german woman was attacked on sunday. Hmm. You would think they might check these things a bit better... Here's what Egypts News has to say about it; http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/environment/expert-blames-sharm-attack-on-illegal-shark-feeding.html

and another piece of breaking news... one of my dressers saw on the news that 4 people had been eaten by crocodiles in the Nile!!!! Seemingly with various food shortages further up the nile the crocs are having to swim further north to find food... and they found it in human form!Fishermen seemingly who were complaining becuase they were losing fish to these smiling competitors!! we are talking about the very south of Egypt here... but still, it makes one think of pharonic times when these were the monsters of the Nile, along with hippos- wonder if they will make a reappearence too?

so sharks and crocodiles in Egypt... eating people. It's all very excting, and a bit scary. Especially as all incidences are due to an ecological imbalance in nature!

Breaking news- Shark attack in Sharm- yesterday.

I have it on 1st hand knowledge that 2  Russian woman were attacked in Sharm el-sheikh snorkling yesterday. The one I know about lost an arm and a leg. She was arms reach from the jetty, ie not in deep water. The man who pulled her out the water spent the evening in hospital in shock (a sales rep, not even a lifeguard). The sea all round Sharm is closed today to swimmers and divers. Both women are now in Cairo hospital, seemingly in stable condition, according to the news.

There a very few fatal attacks in this area usually... a french woman was attacked in January this year, but not in the Sharm area, further south near Marsa Alam. The last Sharm shark attack was in 2004.

The attack has been reported today in arabic, but as yet no-where in English. I worried about writing it up becuase i hate to think of the effects it might have. But I also reasoned- that if google translate can work it out, then it won't be long before the rest of the world media does too.

http://gate.ahram.org.eg/News/18312.aspx


I worry.

I worry that this will have a bad effect on Egypts economy since a lot of this countries income comes from the red sea resorts.
Please come to Egypt- it is a fabulous country! (I admit I won't be swimming in the sea, but there are still lots of lovely hotels with great swimming pools and the weather is good for tanning all year round!). And of course... Cairo is no-where near the red sea- so come here and see the sights!!!