The Journey to the Southern Tip of Sinai Peninsular

We departed Fairmont Towers Hotel, Cairo @ 09:10 hours. After at least 4 pits stops along the Cairo – Suez Canal – Sharm El Sheikh highway, we arrived at the ‘Main Gate’ of Sharm El Sheikh at around 14:52 hours. The first impression was – wow! Superb!. The police officers at the gate welcomed us in a very friendly manner. He asked us where are from. Sherif and I replied him sincerely, “Malaysie” in Arabic accent. “welcome, Malaysie is good”, he replied jovially. We were allowed to pass the gate with not much hustles. Proud to be Malaysians.

Before checking in at our hotel at the Shark Bay; we went around the small resort town - passing through the Marina, Army post or barrack, the famous Naama Bay, Congress Center, Peace Monument, the Pyramid shape Sharm El Sheikh Hospital, Airport, Shopping Arcade and Malls, two big Mosques, few 5-Starts Hotels and other interesting sculptures and art pieces along the Sharm El Sheikh main road – El Salam road.

After spending slightly more than 1:30 hours exploring the Sharm El Sheikh town, we finally arrived at Pyramisa Resorts & Villa at around 15:40 hours. The hotel is about 7 kilometers from the bustle of the Naama Bay; 13 kilometers from the Old town and 18 kilometers from the ‘Main Gate’ and 2 kilometers from the airport. The checking-in process was smooth. After about 10 minutes, we were transferred by the hotel minivan to our chalet at the end of the hotel perimeter.

What amazed me; most of the hotel key staffs speak at least two languages fluently and they were very friendly.

Honest and frankly, except for its fascinating beach line, which was not easily accessed though, Sharm El Sheikh did not really impress me. What really pulled me here was my passion of my hobby – photography and definitely family breakaway to enhance or broaden our mindset / paradigm. They – my wife and our 5 kids deserved it. Well, it was not about the destination - Sharm El Sheikh, but the journey along the 1300 kilometers amazing track had made us more knowledgeable and reenergized our small CPUs.

A Place that you MUST visit in Sharm El Sheikh

To me, besides the natural beautiful God created beaches and landscape, this is the only amazing splendid place at Sharm El Sheikh – Masjid El Mustafa. If anyone of you happened to be in Sharm El Sheikh, please visit this Mosque. You will find peace inside it. It is also the sunnah or tradition on Prophet Muhammad saw that when he arrived at any place, he will find a Masjid or he will build one. Masjid is the ‘House’ of Allah.
The external prayer hall is covered with at least 21 small ceramic domes. The lightings are hanging under the wooden bracings calligraphies with asma ul Husna – the 99 names of Allah swt.

The ablution area and the wet closets are placed at about 30 meters behind the main prayer hall. The maintenance and cleanliness of both amenities are commendable.

The main entrance to the Masjid's perimeter. Awesome. Visiting the Masjid Mustafa makes you feel spiritual cool and piece.

African Dance Show by the Pyramisa

In the evening, we were invited to the African Dance Show at Auditorium B, Pyramisa. Honestly, it was rather a boring show, but we were fascinated by the presence of the friendly and beautiful Russians whom patronized more than half of the auditorium. The show was supposed to start at 21:30 hours, but actually started at around 22:00 hours. Some of the audience, especially the foreigner, left the auditorium with frustration and definitely upset. As for us, we were used to this unhealthy culture – the no respect to punctuality attitude. Enjoy it!...welcome to Egypt.

Chalet 3650

We have stayed here - Chalet 3650, the 5-Star Pyramisa Resort and Villa, Sharm El Sheikh, located at the Sharks Bay facing Tiran Island of Saudi Arabia. It has two swimming pools, three restaurants, shopping arcade, two auditoriums, three private beaches, and operates by team of friendly, experience and dedicated staff. The hospitality and the service are remarkably commendable.
Paying USD 340/ night for two double rooms double storey chalet equipped with spacious living, big kitchen with all the necessary utensils, two attached bathroom and one wet closet near the kitchen, two televisions, two fridges and two balconies, is really worth spending. Besides that, the package includes besides all the three main meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner, free flow of hot drinks and juices. One would also join the hotel organized daily activities like beach volleyball, aerobic, and cultural show at night.
Our Chalet located right in front of the hotel’s private beach no. 1 and surrounded by well-grown & maintained trees, plants, flowers and gardens. You could see the Tiran Island, which are few kilometers away from the Sinai Peninsular mainland from the balconies or the greeny garden.

Staying at Pyramisa R & V this point of time however, was just like or as if you were staying in one of the resorts in Russia. There were many Russians, I would say 70%; few Spanish; some English; quite a number of Local and others whom I could not recognized. They were very friendly and supportive though came with different colors, sounds and shapes. Well, that made the stay more fun and interesting.

Dah Bujang Dah atau Lagi Dara?

The title literally means ‘they are already adults or still teenager’. What actually implied was the jovial supportive mother looks much younger, fascinating and appealing. Well, the point that I really want to make is about what is Life from the Islamic perspective. We simply could not apply our little logic or equate life mathematically. Logically, as you grow older, you should become taller than the younger one. However, what you see in the photo is completely otherwise. The eldest is much shorter than the younger one. Thus, in Islam as a good Muslim, we must not ‘play God’ or try to be smarter than the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). There are many things that are beyond our logic or any empirical facts. This reminded me a story conveyed by one of the Sheikh at Masjid Sri Petaling almost 10 years ago when I attended the intensive course of ‘How to perform Hajj – the fifth tenet of Islam in accordance to the great Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him)’s way or sunnah’. The Mu’alim or sheikh explained to us that the Masjid El Haram is just like our mother’s womb. Mathematically or logically, it has certain capacity to accommodate certain volume. However, with the greatness of Allah Rabbul Jalil, the mother’s womb or the holy Masjid El Haram could accommodate whatever volume or number of people beyond our little logic. Having said all the above, peaceful life could only be obtained if we comply with Allah swt’s Rules as shown by His Messenger Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) – no less and no more.
During the Hajjatul Wada – the first and the last Hajj of the great Prophet, Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) delivered his sermon at the Arafat, among others he advised. "….Verily, I have left amongst you the Book of Allâh – Qur’an Ul Kareeem and the Sunnah (Traditions) of His Messenger which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray."
"O people, I am not succeeded by a Prophet and you are not succeeded by any nation. Therefore, I recommend you to worship Allah swt, to pray the five prayers, to fast Ramadan and to offer the Zakat (poor-due) of your provision willingly. I recommend you to do the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah swt – Baytul Allah and to obey those who are in charge of you then you will be awarded to enter the Paradise of Allah swt."

Afiqah English-Arabic Breakfast

Afiqah having her breakfast at the Pyramisa restaurant. She is very good with the table etiquette. However, eating with left hand using fork and knife is not sunnah, thus, it is not recommendable.

The Southern tip of Sinai

This is one of the many tourist attractions in Egypt; however, everybody seems to be couldn’t careless with the missing letters ‘R’ and ‘A’ of the signage. Well, this is Egypt, nobody is wrong everyone is always rights.
About 8 kilometers before the entrance of Shams El Sheikh, we stopped at Ras Mohamed junction, claimed to be the most southern tip of the Sinai land and haven for divers. As for me, there was nothing spectacular except for the clear water, clean beaches, and panoramic landscape.

The ambience temperature was around 21 degrees Centigrade plus the gushing breeze from the Red Sea, Muhammad Ayman dared himself in front of the Shells sculpture, which signifies Ras Mohamed I believed.

Never want to be left behind, Nana and Afiqah gave their somber pose amid the chilly weather. They are cute any though.

Breakfast @ Aqua e Luce

What a boring breakfast?! Not at all! As said earlier, the ambience and the service was commendable – excellent; there were wide range and varieties of foods served…….it was just Muhammad Afiq – the smart, genius dude and the tallest in our family trying his Malaysian-English table etiquette. I really salute them so much in many aspects. Alhamdullillah, praise be only for the Almighty Allah swt that blessed us with healthy, obedient and decent kids.
Having breakfast in this luxury splendid one of its kind restaurants was really enriching and memorable experience. Having breakfast in this luxury splendid one of its kind restaurants was really enriching and memorable experience. SubhanaAllah MashaAllah. Well, nothing comes free and easy in life. It has to come with hard work, determination, perseverance and sacrifice. So as to achieve Jannah, one has to built his iman – faith through sacrifice, true sense of integrity and sincerity – do good things in the path of Allah swt as demonstrated by His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him).
May Allah swt give all of us His Blessings, Grace and Mercy for all the good things that we do. And, let us put our hand together supplicating before him, repenting and seeking His Forgiveness.

Fairmont Tower Features

The above photo shows the picture of Fairmont main Tower that placed the 4 unit modern elevators of this 5-storey building. Upon exiting the elevator door, one will be stunned by the greenery atrium that provides refreshing aura – frame of mind. The elevator tower is surrounded 250 degrees by five (*****) stars luxury restaurants that serves all types of cuisine and beverages – Aqua e Luce; Café Heliopolis; Fuze and Pizza Bar Bar – from the Asians grilled satay; the Japanese Sushi; homemade ice-cream, juices and panini; and off course the Middle-East set.
The design layout of all the outlets and its innovative culinary team provide distinctive serene ambience and experience - an experience that will surely bring you back here again.

Our Family Experience at Fairmont Towers Cairo

Our first ever experience staying at Fairmont Towers Hotel, Cairo. I have heard about this hotel a year ago, but due to its location, which is relatively far from our office at Maadi, I was quite hesitating staying here. However, during this 5 days Eidul Adha holiday, we decided to stay a night to experience the contemporary luxury features and all it has to offer.

After our Eid Adha Open-house visiting, we went directly to this hotel, which is located after the exclusive Roxy district, Cairo about 2 kilometers before the Cairo International airport. Almost every 5 – 10 minutes, one could see and hear the roaring sound of jet engines from the airplanes flying low and slow over the area, completing its landing process. Sometimes it is very annoying! Well, this is a fact of life you cannot grab and have everything in yourself, even if you are a multi billionaire.

We arrived at the hotel reception, around 16:15 hours. It was an awesome first impression. The friendly concierge and Security personnel greeted us with their warmth welcome and gleefully ushered us to the hotels’ splendid lobby and unique reception. I must say, this is the first hotel in Egypt that I have been and seen designed and fitted with a very modern cotemporary look. It took me merely 7 minutes registering my two double-rooms booking at the island-type reception counter….relatively amazing. The half-board two double rooms’ package is a prize that I received from my company for winning first prize during our first photography competition 2009 recently. Two out of my 14 photos that I have submitted had impressed panel of six judges. Honestly, there is nothing to be proud of though, but infinite thanks and praise be only for the almighty Allah swt. Alhamdullillah. The prize is for my kids and charming beloved wife – Nana.

Alhamdullillah

Eid Invitation : M Rosdi Chapter

After performing Aidil Adha Prayer at Mostafa Kamal Masjid, Kafr Abdou, five big size sheep were slaughtered or in a real term sacrificed in front of the Masjid. This resembled the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim a.s. with his son Prophet Ismail a.s. thousands years ago. Alhamdullillah, this year we were blessed by the Almighty Allah swt to sacrifice one cow, which will be done tomorrow the second day of the day of Tashreek.

At 9:20 hours, we went to Cairo visiting our friend. We had a pit stop at Dandy’s Mall performing our Friday prayer and had a light lunch at the food court. The Khatib briefly delivered the importance and significance of the Aidil Adha with a very expressive impactful style, at least to me who managed to swallowed 40% of it.
We arrived at Muhammad Rosdi’s residence at road 79, building 47 Maadi at around 14:40 hours. Standing in front of his spacious apartment with his light green Malay traditional dress coupled up with his sincere gesture, Muhammad Rosdi was authentically giving us his warmth welcome. We were served with scrumptious Ganu style cooked rice called ‘Nasi Mandi’ akin to the Middle East rice; traditional Malay biscuit; mini curry puff; locally made pudding, etc. The killer dish was the lemon grilled-baked chicken.
We would like to record our sincere heartfelt thanks to Muhammad Rosdi and family for nice reception. May Allah swt grant you His Grace and Mercy. Safe trip to Turkey.

Eid Mubarak

Get Free Eid Greeting Card

Aidil Adha 1430

Today is the Arafat day or Wa’fa or hari Wukuf (in Malay) that signifies the beginning of the annual hajj process – the fifth tenet of Islam. More than 3 million Muslim pilgrimage have already gathered in that holy piece of land where thousands years ago, Prophet Adam a.s. and his wife Hawa a.s. met near mountain of Rahmah after both of them expelled by Allah swt from His Heaven. Wiseman said, the Arafat day is the climax of one's life - the lifetime journey towards the ultimate repentant.
However, it is sad to hear the news that more than 50 pilgrimages became the victim of unusual flood due to heavy downpour since yesterday in Jeddah, Makkah and its surrounding areas. It was also reported that, Mina, the place where almost all the pilgrimages will stay for three days, was also affected by the heavy rain.
From the bright side of it, this phenomenon would enhance our faith and strengthen our conviction to the Almighty Allah Rabbul Jalil. As he says in the Holy Qur’an nul Kareem, “ do not think that you have achieved the true faith, if you are not been tested”.
To all Muslim pilgrimages especially our brother Abd Khalek Hj Yusuf, Abdullah Pekok, Supardi, our sister Rahmah Hj Yusuf, Fatma Maari, Jamaiah Hj Hussen, relatives and friends; may you achieve Allah swt’s blessing and with His Grace and Mercy, may He grant you all with Hajj el Mabrour. Amiin
To all Muslim all over the globe, we wish you Eid Mubarak – Kol ‘Am Wa antum Bi Khair.

Who To Be Blamed?

The unofficial statistics says, there is at least one accident occurred every day along this beautiful 20 km three lanes double carriage corniche road and at least one fatal accident per month. It is not a good statistic though but apparently, that is the fact. In the afternoon today, when we were on the way to Bahery district, near one of the U-turn at Shatby district, two women were hit by car. How it happened only God knows, but both were unconscious while other pedestrians tried to manage the situation two ambulances promptly arrived at the scene.
The question is who to blame? There are more than 10 tunnels built by the authority for people to cross the road safely. The road is ‘equipped’ with all necessary safety measures, such as appropriate signage, lightings, lines, etc. but still the accident statistics are frightening. I would conclude that people attitude is the root cause of this terrifying numbers.

Titu - the Egyptian Smart Cat

Titu – Dina’s Persian cat is a smart cat. It has been almost one year we did not meet him. Now, the size and his weight are incredibly huge. Despite the gigantic feature, one could hardly hear his meowing. And, you are considered lucky if you hear his ‘voice’. He was with us for 4 nights since last Thursday.

What a Fortunate Day

I was supposed to go back to Alexandria today. However, fortunate or unfortunately, I was asked to stay back to continue our meeting tomorrow morning. At that point of time, most of the staff had went back and it was already dark, around 17:30 hours. Luckily, the responsible party was still in the office and she managed securing me a room at JW Marriot, Mirage. To cut the story short, there I was at the exclusive reception of this one of my favorites, entertained by a friendly receptionist named Rady. Breaking the ice, he politely asked me, “how was your flight, Sir?” I replied him fairly, “I was from my offie at Maadi”. Than, he jovially responded to me; “O, you drive from Maadi and, are you working here?” I replied him short; “ Yes, I am” After a while, he asked me another question, “ Is it your first time staying with JW Marriot, Sir?” I cynically answered him, “No, many times and you could verify it with your colleagues” While he was sorting out the booking, his colleagues Mai, Mohamed and another guy whom I could not recall the names greeted me by name with their friendly sincere gestures. Well, ‘disturbed’ by the greetings, he felt guilty with me. However, I comforted him not to feel that way as there is always first time in life. Out of his humble feeling, perhaps courtesy, he put me to one of their Junior Suite. Alhamdullillah. But, what I am going to do with such a luxury room for merely 11 hours stay?

My Office Exterior

Sky is the limit. The knowledge that Allah swt has given us is so little as compared to the knowledge that He Has. It is just merely a drop of water from the Kingfisher’s beak as compared to the rest of all the seven oceans. However, that should not be an excuse for us to put our best efforts and energy to explore what the world has to offer. Located at the ground floor of our Administration building, this is my second office in ELNG, the corner lot. Most of our HR Team members are based in Idku office and their offices are around this corner lot. The Manager, Personnel & Training, Ayman Beheiry’s office is on the right side of this corner lot.

The Road to 2010 World Cup - Egypt Chapter

Today at 19:30 hours (Local Sudan time) is the determining match between Algeria and Egypt for anyone of them to be qualified to the 2010 World Cup. The historical match is held at neutral ground - Sudan. In Egypt, football is not just a game but also, something that is very near to their heart and thus, the culture. One could imagine the zest and the excitement of all Egyptians prior to this important match after the team defeated Algeria 2 – 0 two days ago in Cairo. Not to be left behind, many of my colleagues had prepared themselves to watch the match on TV screen at any restaurants at the Green Plaza, Alexandria. Believed me, apparently the productivity went down significantly, which ‘forced’ the management to allow them to knock-off one hour early. Not a good decision though, but like I have said, we are in Egypt.

Another 'Afi's Breakthrough

Alhamdullillah…Congratulations ….Alf Mabrouk to ‘Afi for another breakthrough in his art work. He received for the second time from Mr. Hindley, the Principle of the British School of Alexandria the highest award of Art Work 2008-2009. The first Malaysian who won the award from the school. This achievement has casted another milestone of the first phase of his journey.
With the certificate and voucher, he gave us his award winning gorgeous smile. He deserved it.
On his left is his classmate, Fouad El Naga another genius who received the Top As Level scorer and Sheriff El Naga who received the best Physics Award 2008-2009.
During the light refreshment, Afiqah, his beloved smart sister accompanied him for the food and drinks.