Dahab, South Sinai, peaceful as ever…
Originally posted on January 14, 2014 Sunset over the Red Sea in Dahab — South Sinai is peaceful as ever…
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Windows in the sky – Sinai aerial photos
Originally posted on January 12, 2014 Flying to Sharm el Sheikh a couple of days ago over the Sinai, you couldn’t see the peninsula at all, it was covered with such a thick blanket of clouds. But as we got further south, just when we reached the edge of the Tih Plateau, small windows opened up in the clouds and luckily most of the main places of interest could be seen. Then further south and to the east above the Gulf of Aqaba the sky was totally clear, revealing the beautiful coastline. What a beautiful way to return to the Sinai!
Solar energy in South Sinai
Originally posted on October 18, 2014 According to an article in Clean Technica , Egypt plans to achieve the target of getting 20% of its energy from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. Most of it will be wind power, but the solar energy program is also expanding. A country with so much sun, especially when energy prices are rising, definitely has to develop its potentials. The main problem with solar energy is that it is still quite expensive to produce electricity on a massive scale. However, on a small scale, it can be easier to implement and is quite practical. Around 2009-2010, photo voltaic (PV) panels were distributed by various development projects to Bedouin in South Sinai, but there were people who started experimenting with it from own resources even before that. Dr. Ahmed and Farhan Mohamed, pictured, were some of the first to use solar energy in their remote mountain gardens. Hmeid Abu Ghalaba was probably the first in St Katherine who made tea and cooked rice ...
The Beginning of the Real Arab Spring
Originally posted on March 12, 2014 Although the temperature has dropped significantly and it might be still a bit cold for a few more days even in the desert, spring is here. According to the Bedouin - the Arabs - there is only spring if there are plants for their animals to eat. Unfortunately that’s not always the case: for many years, due to a long drought, there was no spring, but last year it has returned. When the plants are big enough to take the animals to graze, many Bedouin move out to their traditional grazing grounds in the desert. First they go and check if plants are growing, and what plants exactly: some are good for sheep and goats, others for camels. If everything is fine, they pack up and go. In the past that was done by camels and on foot, these days pickups are used. They stay in a place as long as there is enough food for their animals, then either move to another area or go back to their settlements. These settlements with the simple brick houses are fairly new, i...