The Red Sea itself supports sharks, stingrays, turtles, dolphins, colourful corals, sponges, starfish and various molluscs. The major expense for the travelers in Egypt is transport and site entry - the latter has taken some severe jumps in recent years. Be aware that pickpockets operate around tourist sites, so avoid carrying money in your back pocket. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, JCB and Eurocards are accepted at various stores and hotels displaying the appropriate signage. Visa and MasterCard can be used to obtain cash advances at Banque Misr and Bank of Egypt branches.
Bargaining is a part of life in Egypt and virtually everything is open to negotiation.
This includes your room for the night, your lunchtime roadside snack and the felucca you ride down the Nile in. Egypt's climate is hot and dry most of the year. Winter nights only get down to 8 degrees Celsius, a very Egyptian version of chilly. Alexandria receives the most rain with 19 cm each year, while Aswan is almost bone-dry with just 2 mm annually. Between March and April the khamsin blows in from the Western Desert at up to 150 km per hour.