Some random stuff...

• For the first time I travelled on my British passport. While struggling, hands full, to insert my visa in the appropriate place (in the passport), one of the airport airport guards came up to me and said 'Ah, British! Very good men. Very good women' and affixed my visa. Later while waiting for immigration he came up to me again, exclaimed something similar and ushered me to the front of the queue. Apparently it pays not to be a filthy Australian anymore.
• Egypt reminds me of all the other middle eastern countries I have been to. It is hot, dusty, oppressive (but not because of the heat), daggy, half of the place half run down, the other half half built. I didn't like it at all.
• Sharm el Sheikh specifically seems to have literally no purpose other than to separate foreigners from their money. Except for one mosque, I didn't see anything that wasn't either a resort or a shopping centre.
• I found it most interesting that even the lowliest staff at the resort who have salaries of less than 50euros per month, could seamlessly switch from Egyptian to Italian to Russian to English. Whether this is an economic imperative (see previous note) or reflects something deeper and more interesting, I have no idea.  I've probably thought about it too much already.
  
• Salesmen will say the most ridiculous crap if they think it will help sell you something. Seriously, I really look like an Egyptian?
• To assist in separating foreigners from their money, the Egyptian government has thoughtfully allowed that there are no coins in circulation. So the equivalent of cents are also notes and you have to look closely to see whether they are pounds or piastres.  You have to be particularly careful when receiving chance for large denomination notes. This is definitely a trick for young players that our tour leader thankfully explained because there is a 100% chance I would have fallen for that.
  
• Tourist resorts are bizarre places. Full in equal measures of organised fun and people lying around doing nothing until they are roughly the colour of leather.
• The people who organise the fun at tourist resorts, in this case a troop of young Italians, are incredible,. I am completely in awe of their boundless energy and good humour. In a week I never saw any of them take a breath, slow down or even look like there were having less that the absolute time of their lives. Complimenti.
• Many English women bear a remarkably disturbing physical resemblance to the 'Fat Slags' from Viz magazine.
• Many Russian women bear a remarkable physical resemblance to Anna Kournikova even after childbirth.
• I'm sure it says something about Italians that they will happily go to a dusty, backward place in Egypt for their holidays rather than a dusty, backward place in south Italy where the beach is 100% better and the food is 1000% better. Perhaps it is the promise of organised fun.