Synopsis of Egypt

I have now spent nearly 8 weeks without leaving the boundaries of Egypt and I consider that a fair amount of time to have a reasonable opinion about the places I've been, food I've sampled, and people I've met.
I spent over 2 weeks in Marsa Alam, about 2 weeks in Sinai, over 2 weeks in and around the waters off Sharm el Sheikh, at least a week in Cairo, and several days in Alexandria, so I can only speak for these places.

Locations:
Egypt is a desert. There are few clouds, endless stretches of sand, hot sun, cool windy nights, and very very little humidity. I did not see a single drop of rain during the course of my entire stay and nearly experienced dehydration while drinking several liters of water daily. The thing that never ceased to amaze me about the country's flora and fauna is that while it is entirely desolate on land with scarcely enough brush to imitate greenery, the underwater world of the Red Sea is home to one of the most vibrant marine ecosystems I've ever laid eyes upon.
Marsa Alam is the best example of the contrast between the vast desert and booming reefs. It is a sparsely populated desert with scorching temperatures and no shade. The marine environment on the other hand is pumping with life (see last post about the awesome pinnacle dive).

Crystal clear water, crowded with fish

While Sharm el Sheikh boasts some of the world's best diving, the shoreline has been built up as a tourist haven. Large hotels, casinos, fast food chains, European restaurants, and large plots of grass that look completely out of place litter the coast and prices are often advertized in Euros or US Dollars, a sure sign of tourist price inflation.
From what I saw of the inner Sinai peninsula, I've determined it is an expansive mountainous desert region. Here in the highlands the bitter cold at night can be very fierce while the sun during the day is relentless. It is a beautiful area scattered with large valleys between gorgeous mountain ranges and cinematic-quality sand dunes sprinkled in the mix. Do not be fooled by the beauty of the region though: it is a very harsh and unforgiving terrain with very few usable resources.
Alexandria is Egypt's prime port city on the Mediterranean coast. It is very full of life and incredibly rich with a very long and elaborate history. Transportation is quite cheap and relatively straight forward for a savvy traveler. Although efforts are made, the city is not competent with litter control and the drivers do not know how to use the lanes drawn so well on the roads. While some streets are presentable, other backstreets regularly flood from the ground up and reek of dead animals but these streets are almost never visited by typical visitors to the city. The highlight of this city is the Biblioteca Alexandria which is without question, the best, largest, most extensive, cleanest, well-designed, impressive library I have ever seen. If you go, do me a huge favor: go to the "aquarium" or "underwater museum" at the Citadel, pay the fee to bring a camera in, take pictures of every sign/caption, and send them to me. Not doing this is my only regret of being in Alexandria and perhaps the biggest regret of my life.
Alexandria was a nice break from Cairo which is easily the dirtiest city I've ever stepped foot in (soundly beating out even prime contenders such as Nairobi, Kenya; Manila, Philippines; New Orleans, LA months after Katrina; and even Maputo, Mozambique, the former title holder). That being said, it is one of the safest cities I've ever been to. I did not feel threatened being out on the streets at any hour day or night whether in company or alone. It is very rich in Egyptian history, housing the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphynx, and the Egyptian museum. The museum indisputably holds the most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts on the planet, incidentally presented in more of a warehouse fashion than a standard museum (no cameras are allowed, and if you have the money then get a tour guide because there are no informational pamphlets). Litter along the streets is abundant, condensation from air conditioning units drip along every sidewalk, and the entire city's color scheme is brown (a combination of the building materials and the layer of dirt covering everything). The city's natural soundtrack of incessant car horns is so persistent that the only respite can be found in the short time between about 4 and 5am although many shops are still open and streets are not empty at any hour. The city is English-friendly and the people are incredibly outgoing and welcome foreigners with open arms, but more about that later.

Food:
The Egyptians have a wonderful array of traditional foods with a collection of original recipes as well as dishes influenced by the surrounding Middle East and Southeastern Europe. Pitas, rice, various pastas, chicken, fish, beef (kofta), and vegetables (primarily cucumber and tomato) make up the main diet. Those are all complemented with chick peas, lentils, eggplant (babaganoush), okra, hummus, fried onions, marvelous sauces, and best of all very fresh and very sweet fruits from the lush Nile region. For quick meals, shewermas and felafels make excellent lunches. I lack the skills of a food critic to be any good at describing what these foods taste like, but they are indeed marvelous. I had the unfortunate experience of becoming tired of it briefly after having it 3 meals a day for 7 straight weeks, but upon leaving the country I still regard Egyptian cuisine as one that is absolutely worth trying.

People:
Egyptians are the most outgoing group of individuals I've ever come across, always intent to say hi, introduce themselves, welcome you to Egypt, ask where you come from, invite you for tea, etc. From the relationships I formed throughout my time in the country, most of this friendliness is entirely genuine. On the other hand, they have led me to consider where the line is drawn between being friendly and overbearing. Apparently within the Egyptian culture, it is very unusual for anyone to be alone; it generally means something is wrong. This tidbit of information finally allowed me to understand the fact that it is impossible to walk around Cairo for 10 minutes without being stopped. Please note however that there is a difference between understanding something and accepting it. Being outwardly friendly myself, I do not object to saying hi or stopping for a brief moment to chat, even to a stranger. However being as independent as I am, I find it annoying to be stopped by 30 people along the streets asking me the same questions, half of them insisting on walking with me as we talk, several bringing me into their shop to “give me a business card” and try to sell me something. The overly assertive description I've provided is primarily exclusive to the Capital city but can easily be found throughout the country.

Overall:

Typical scene during the desert safari

It's a fantastic place to visit with the understanding that a long stay in Cairo is avoided or if you have financial means to stay in a hotel and book private tours to all attractions (again, only for long stays). That being said, if you are looking for cheap housing, then check out Dahab Hostel. Do however make sure to spend a day walking around downtown regardless of your traveling style. Experiencing downtown Cairo firsthand outside the confines of the tourist bubble is WELL worth it and you will not experience Cairo unless you do it this way. I became tired after several days of it, but it's the kind of thing that really should be experienced once as long as you're there. If you are a diver, you must not miss out on the opportunity to dive here. If pushed for time, Ras Muhamed National Park around Sharm is the place to go but try to get south to Marsa Alam where the amount of divers is reduced by about 90%. Egypt is definitely family friendly and can accommodate many languages and nationalities so don't let language deter you.
Will I go back? Honestly, no time soon. I'm very pleased and grateful that I had the opportunity to go and I feel very blessed that I was able to see and do what I did. However there are dozens of places I want to go that I've never been, and even within of the list of countries I've visited, there are others I would rather return to before going back to Egypt (Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa, etc).

Bottom Line:
Egypt is a wonderful place to see once and check it off the list.