Jewel of the Desert

Excerpts from "My timeless travels" by travel & food writer Girish Khare

Timeless crags seem carelessly strewn across an arid landscape. I’m worried about the heat and dust of Sinai, mind you its mid summer, so I can’t be laughed at for being so hassled. Whizzing past our vehicle are a host of top-of-the-line resorts; Hilton, Mobem Peck, Savoy, Hyatt, Marriot, etc some of them with as many as 2000 plus rooms, cottages and villas! They, however, hide one part of the engaging extremities of Sharm El Sheikh, the turquoise sea. The lack of green cover sharpens the suns rays to knife edge effectiveness, singeing my skin. But will you believe me if I said it was not hot?

The level of satisfaction a holiday provides is in direct relation to the state of one’s mind and equally the measure or absence of expectation. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed the Sharm El Sheikh experience. The resort we stayed at wasn’t ‘spectacular’, but that’s precisely what made the difference … the ambience, not just the topless European beauties (!) at the pool and beach; the whole atmosphere was charged, gigantic speakers by the pool belted out great music, artisans, masseuse and the smiling staff all set the pace for a delightful stay. It was a kind of mini global community, Swiss, Poles, English, Russians, Italians, Malays, Japanese, Australian, us Indians, and a very stingy sprinkle of Americans. It was a kind of Mediterranean with a blend of Arabian fun. I always find it strange that resorts near the sea have a swimming pool, but here the invigorating thump of the double bass created the rhythm for life.

On the Red Sea at the tip of the sparse Sinai Peninsula - the Gulf of Aqaba and Saudi Arabia off to one side, the Gulf of Suez and Egypt's Eastern Desert off to the other - Sharm el-Sheikh has an imposing location. This resort town has become known throughout the world as the site for delicate and high level Middle East peace conferences. When it is not playing host to the leaders of pivotal global nations, it is welcoming a constant influx of professional and recreational divers who come for premier and pristine rock, sand, wreck and reef diving experiences. The adventure element is inescapable - camel riding, desert safaris, water sports and even an underwater shark observatory. But, contrasting the stark terrain, creature comforts and amenities also abound - casinos, discos, nightclubs with live entertainment, an amusement park, shopping precincts, bazaars, golf courses, tennis courts, health clubs and even a Hard Rock Cafe.

Sharm is a pure fun destination, unlikely as that may sound. Even the Desert services up the most spectacular sights and sounds. One night we drove out into the darkness of the desert, it was moonless and only the headlights of our Toyota sliced the night like giant flashbulbs. We couldn’t see the road that made the driver turn left and right, so purposefully at invisible intersections. Finally in a pitch black night the soft glow of flickering light was visible behind what appeared to be a high sand dune. But as we turned the corner, we encountered the wild beats of the desert drums and the frenzied dancing of young Egyptian girls and boys in the raised circular platform in the centre of a fairly large gathering. Couples reclined on divan’s and bolsters drawing on scented sheesha smoke while admiring the shapely young women enjoying themselves.

Everything about Egyptians has a sensual approach; they like to believe it’s romantic. For instance I was constantly approached to enquire how many camels I wanted for the hand of one of the two young women traveling with us. I am not sure whether that was a way to break the ice or compliment the girls or if they really meant it. But asked they did…And no the young women were not related to me but may grey beard somehow advertising the misleading notion that I was the father (!) The math was right, but hullo that’s pretty presumptuous! This happened to us EVERYWHERE in Egypt, without exception. The Italian men may have serious competition now.

For you guys out there, the Egyptian women’s skin is smooth as ornamental alabaster and a large percentage good looking. Though they also have a flirtatious angle to their communication, that’s just a style don’t get carried away! Out there in the middle of the desert, we saw this group of young women with their guys, pulling on sheesha’s and shanking a leg like the best anywhere in the world. By the way they are shapely as well; all of them were in shorts and T shirts! Brother, if it wasn’t so cool at night, it would certainly have been hot under the collar. I must add that with all this gyrating and amorous behaviour no one, neither girl nor guy stepped out of line… no cat calls, no hitch ups (as most men might expect) it was good clean fun.

Then there was the Belly dancer and the Dervish swirl – god it makes you dizzy. And a great grill of meats served up with some ‘hot-strange’ brew to wash it down. I’d say don’t miss a night in the desert, whatever else you do at a sea side resort on the Red sea.

Another treat, frankly surprise, awaited us the very next evening. We visited the fashionable area of Naama bay. Naama bay is more like a kilometer long open air mall, lined by fabulous eating places on either side. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Cannes by the sea (devoid of automobiles), with togged up gentry enjoying a tipple and watching the world go by. You find every nationality under the sun staring right back at you as you stroll down the breeze swept paved walkway in the cool of the evening. All sorts of wonderful stuff are sold in the smartly dressed shops and showrooms along the way. And you may encounter a someone else’s hand in your pocket helping you spend your money… so beware of politely phrased questions that go like this…‘Sir/madam do tell me how I can spend your money for you?’ or better still beware of ‘Amitabh Bashaan? Please come to my shop and write something in my guest book in Indian’ fall for that and you’ll be suckered into spending some money… mostly on stuff you don’t want. And before you suddenly begin to develop an air cushion under the feet (for being called AB), they refer to all Indian’s as Amitabh Bashaan… and if you don’t smile back and quickly walk away, you might end up having to listen to a bad rendition of Mehbooba! With apologies to Ra, the big B has certainly replaced the sun god in that part of the world.

For me, one of the most memorable parts of the trip was the underwater life on the coral reefs that hug the coastal shelf along the relatively small bays around Sharm. You can watch dolphins and even swim with them. You can dive and snorkel and enjoy the mildly warm, sapphire blue, crystal clear water. Even in the submerged sailing glass house we witnessed an array of wildlife including jelly fish, blue flying fish, parrot fish, packs of marauding mullet, the incorrigible sergeant major, the fashionable butterfly fish, puffer, trigger, fan coral, the deadly fire coral, oh I could go on and on. Two hours drive from Sharm is the ancient monastery of St Catherine and the brilliantly natural carved salt sculptures in the middle of nowhere. As a matter of fact Sharm el Sheikh is a surprise package; it’s a uniquely different perspective of life. It’s fun in the sun like you’ve never known all your life.