Seek out the Sharm of modern Egypt
4:17pm Friday 27th November 2009 in Leisure
Seek out the Sharm of modern Egypt
WHEN is a sea turtle not a sea turtle?
Any ideas?
When it’s a desert turtle, of course. Or should that be tortoise? I’m really not sure.
I’ll come back to the turtle/tortoise debate later.
The sea and its many wonders is just one of the many attractions Egypt and particularly Sharm el Sheikh has to offer.
I have to confess I had my reservations about “Sharm”, but it has changed a lot in the last 20 years, as tourism has transformed it into one of the world’s most sought-after holiday resorts.
But this is not the Egypt of the films so don’t come looking for the Sphinx or the pyramids of Giza, as they are a five-hour drive away.
No; Sharm is very much about modern Egypt. A place where travellers can dive into the warms waters which swarm with shimmering fish. A place where just a stone’s throw from the beaches, you can explore barren desert landscapes and mountains that are home to the nomadic Bedouins.
It is also a place of state-of-the-art resorts, where huge international chains compete to offer holidaymakers the most luxurious accommodation.
This was one the main reasons I had my doubts.
I thought it was going to be a “resort” location and there can be no doubt that many of the people who go to Sharm rarely leave the comfort of their pool-side sunbed.
And if they were staying in the five-star Hyatt Regency where I was lucky enough to rest my head for a couple of nights, then you could hardly blame them.
Costing more than £60 million to build, each of its 471 rooms — even the cheapest — has a balcony or terrace with a sea view overlooking 78 acres of landscaped gardens with four swimming pools, botanical gardens, and two beaches edging the crystal waters of Gardens Bay.
Although, the thing that impressed me most about my room were the free biscuits — which were massive.
I did feel guilty just sitting in my room eating biscuits though, so I decided I better see what else Sharm had to offer.
My first adventure began with a desert Jeep safari to Dahab, which was great fun, although my backside did hurt at the end of the day as we were mercilessly bounced up and down by our driver who took us through Wadi Aat and Wadi Mandar to the Nabq national park.
The scenery of the Sinai is quite barren and lunar, though still quite breathtaking.
Lunch was in a traditional Bedouin tent on the beach with lamb, chicken or goat, vegetables and freshly made bread served with tahini.
I then transformed into Paul of Arabia, leaping bravely on to a camel.
Undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable yet hilarious experiences of my life.
The evening was dinner in the desert and the spectacular joy of star gazing, inspired once again by our Bedouin guides who have always used the stars to navigate.
After a brief talk on the night sky, we were led to four telescopes pointing at Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and a glistening blue star, the name of which now escapes me.
Frankly, the full Moon spoiled everything because it bleached out everything but the brightest stars.
But in Sharm, the one thing that stands out above all else is the sea and the snorkelling boat trip was the highlight of my holiday.
Our expert guides led us in small groups to stare in wonder at the different types of coral and more than 1,000 species of fish in Ras Mohammed, one of the world’s best diving spots.
It was here floating on the azure ocean, surrounded by nature’s beauty that my guide explained to me that his pet turtle — which he kept on the boat — was in fact a desert turtle.
Which was a shame because a guide from another boat saw the little fella on deck and generously decided to fling him “back” into the sea.
Luckily, my guide was able to bravely dive after his faithful pet and rescue him.
He returned to the boat looking none too pleased but otherwise unharmed by his ordeal.
Which made me think. Maybe he was a sea turtle after all and he was just posing as a desert turtle so he didn’t have to take groups of tourists out on guided snorkels.
Can’t say I blame him.
