It's a snowy January afternoon at Moscow's Sheremetyevo II, and the charter flights to Egypt and other faraway tourist destinations are delayed, as usual. Not wanting to waste a moment of their vacation time, the passengers immediately break out bottles of duty-free alcohol. One middle-aged, already drunk woman sharing champagne and homemade pickles with her friends remarks, "I remember what I missed in Turkey - herring and onions! Now I always bring plenty." Her friends all slur in agreement and offer a toast. A few minutes later, their flight is announced and they stagger away.

According to Infocity, a travel and tourism industry publication, 23,889 Russians traveled to Egypt last year, and the number will probably be about the same this year, insiders say, despite the rapid decline in travel worldwide following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"My business hasn't suffered following the terrorist attacks in America," says Marina Muradyan, director of the tour agency Astro Tours. "On the contrary, [Russian tourists] say they're happy that Germans won't be taking up space at the hotels." She adds that a $5-$20 increase in Aeroflot's ticket prices has not deterred travel.

Russians are attracted by the low prices on package tours and the freedom to buy a visa for $15 at the border.

In the peak season (October-November), round-trip tickets, plus a week's lodging in a three-star hotel, peak at roughly $600, a reasonable price for many Russians, travel agents say. In the off-season (January-March), prices are as low as $135 dollars.

Mild temperatures (20-27 degrees Celsius) make the fall season the most popular, while tourists are kept at bay in winter by cold winds and low temperatures. Summer travel is largely unpopular due to the scorching heat, sometimes reaching as high as 50 degrees Celsius.

Tourism is one of Egypt's primary sources of foreign income, according to Said Hamuda, a Russian-speaking tour guide. He said the recent terrorist attacks in America have been hard on the hotel industry and other tour guides, but added that since he specializes in trips for Russians, his business is going smoothly.

"Russians aren't afraid of anything," he said to me following a minor accident involving our Russian tour bus. "Thank you, Russia."

Most Russians travel to Egypt on charter flights to the Red Sea cities Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheik. Locals refer to the towns as "Russian and German colonies." Germans travel to Egypt in the greatest numbers, according to the Egyptian travel agents.

There is little of cultural value in either city - tourists come for the beaches and good diving.

"Sharm el-Sheik is the better of the two towns," says Astro Tour's Muradyan. "It's an older city with better developed infrastructure and better hotels and services." Hurghada, on the other hand, is a former military base transformed into a tourist town. It consists primarily of a road running along the coast dotted with hotels. Still, it's the cheaper of the two options.

Also, locals say that Russians are popular for more than just the money they bring. "I like Russians because they are always honest and tell you what they think," says a perfume retailer in Hurghada, known only as Mohamed, adding that he doesn't trust German tourists.

Their alcohol consumption, which is forbidden by Islam, doesn¨Vt bother him, he says, although he maintains he's never had a drink.

As for Russian women with uncovered heads and revealing outfits?

"I want a Russian wife," he says. "Egyptian women are too much trouble. They are like watermelons. You never know what they're like, until you buy one."