The year before the invasion, five friends and I enjoyed two weeks in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
In Arabic, the word 'Sharm' means 'a bay', so the name of the city translates as 'the bay of the sheik'. In fact, the coast along which the city stretches consists of a series of splendid bays where hotels compete for the most modern architecture and the best range of sports facilities. To the east is the bay of Sharm el Maya, with a port and marina, the busiest of the entire Sinai peninsula, with numerous yachts and private boats moored ready to sail to discover the depths. At El :Hadaba, on the high rocky spur of Ras Umm Sidd, luxurious hotel complexes, surrounded by trees and vegetation with magnificent views of the sea, have recently been built.
Talk of the Red Sea conjures up images of sunny beaches, crystal clear seas, fascinating sandy dunes. Yet Sharm provides other unusual and perhaps unexpected attractions such as the lively and effervescent nightlife - irrefutable proof that the entertainment industry is in continual and creative evolution here. A wide range of clubs and bars, and restaurants, some of which are international, can satisfy all requirements from the most modest to the most sophisticated. There is music too, with live entertainment by local artists, as well as the internationally famous.
Much of the beauty and drama of the Red Sea lies in the depths, inhabited by sponges, hydrozoans, sea anemones, coral fans, sea urchins, soft corals, madrepores and jellyfish. Their gaudy explosion of colour creates a fantastic underwater world even just a few metres below the surface.
Over the years, much has changed in Shark Bay and the only bedouin encampment that once offered hospitality to bathers, has been replaced by discreet bungalows and attractive buildings that fit perfectly into the surrounding countryside. The sea gently laps the beach, protected by rocky dunes: the reef begins at only a few metres from the shore, and the depths immediately reveal a surreal fantasy world, populated by creatures that seem to be the product more of a fantastic psychedelic or abstract picture than the precisely formulated laws of nature.
The word Bedouin is derived from the Arab 'badawi' meaning 'desert inhabitant' and refers in general to the nomadic population whose language is Arab and religion is Islam, living in Sinai, the Arab peninsula and the Negev. Bedouin society is patriarchal - each family belongs to a clan and each clan is governed by a sheik. This title is generally passed on from father to eldest son. The main economic activity is, and has always been, sheep farming@: the flocks provide milk and meat to maintain the family, and are also sold, while the wool is used to make carpets, tents and clothing. Men wear a 'jalabiya', a long robe, while the headgear is a cloth, called a 'kafya' wrapped around the head and tied with a cord.
We had a villa bungalow, which had enough bedrooms for us all. We dived, snorkelled and roamed the desert, on or near the road to Eilat.
Talk of the Red Sea conjures up images of sunny beaches, crystal clear seas, fascinating sandy dunes. Yet Sharm provides other unusual and perhaps unexpected attractions such as the lively and effervescent nightlife - irrefutable proof that the entertainment industry is in continual and creative evolution here. A wide range of clubs and bars, and restaurants, some of which are international, can satisfy all requirements from the most modest to the most sophisticated. There is music too, with live entertainment by local artists, as well as the internationally famous.
Much of the beauty and drama of the Red Sea lies in the depths, inhabited by sponges, hydrozoans, sea anemones, coral fans, sea urchins, soft corals, madrepores and jellyfish. Their gaudy explosion of colour creates a fantastic underwater world even just a few metres below the surface.
Over the years, much has changed in Shark Bay and the only bedouin encampment that once offered hospitality to bathers, has been replaced by discreet bungalows and attractive buildings that fit perfectly into the surrounding countryside. The sea gently laps the beach, protected by rocky dunes: the reef begins at only a few metres from the shore, and the depths immediately reveal a surreal fantasy world, populated by creatures that seem to be the product more of a fantastic psychedelic or abstract picture than the precisely formulated laws of nature.
The word Bedouin is derived from the Arab 'badawi' meaning 'desert inhabitant' and refers in general to the nomadic population whose language is Arab and religion is Islam, living in Sinai, the Arab peninsula and the Negev. Bedouin society is patriarchal - each family belongs to a clan and each clan is governed by a sheik. This title is generally passed on from father to eldest son. The main economic activity is, and has always been, sheep farming@: the flocks provide milk and meat to maintain the family, and are also sold, while the wool is used to make carpets, tents and clothing. Men wear a 'jalabiya', a long robe, while the headgear is a cloth, called a 'kafya' wrapped around the head and tied with a cord.
We had a villa bungalow, which had enough bedrooms for us all. We dived, snorkelled and roamed the desert, on or near the road to Eilat.
