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Beach bums and Bedouins
Insight on the News, March 18, 1996 by Judith Kreiner, Fyllis Hockman
Surf like an Egyptian," proclaims a T-shirt in Sharm al-Sheikh, a popular resort on the Red Sea. When it comes to surf, Sharm al-Sheikh runs far behind the North Shore of Oahu, Southern California or many parts of Australia. But when it comes to diving, this area of the Red Sea is second only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
"Anybody know what these brown-and-white fish with the ruffles are?" asks a member of our party, wading in calf-deep water right off the beach. Yes, they're called lionfish, and please move away from them slowly and quietly. They sting. The blue-and-yellow Napoleon fish keeping station under our anchored dive boat looks as if he considers the spot his own and divers in wet suits merely unappetizing intruders. Good thing; he is about the size of an English bulldog.
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Looking as inedible as possible, we paddle on to inspect some long, red fish with pointy snouts. Some kind of a gar? Well, the brain coral is easy to identify, growing there on its stem about 45 feet below the surface.
At one time Sharm al-Sheikh was described as a "Bedouin bus stop" because the nomads had a semipermanent camp there. Then the Israelis began developing a resort, taking advantage of the enticing beaches and clear waters that make an intriguing contrast to the red desert cliffs and wadis that border the area. Palm trees have been brought in and encouraged to grow, creating a feeling of shade and life in the midst of the desert.
When Egypt reclaimed the area, the authorities used the existing infrastructure and some sensible planning to continue developing a tourist area in which no building is more than two stories tall and architecture blends into the surroundings. A brick walkway along the beach ties the package together much as do boardwalks in towns along the East Coast.
The area is wildly popular with Egyptians and also attracts European tourists hungry for sun and warm breezes during winter. It is less well-known to American travelers, but that is apt to change. U.S. troops on duty with the U.N. peacekeeping force in the Sinai have found the beaches - and love them.
The Bedouin remain, but they no longer depend so much upon their flocks, preferring to take tourists on horse or camel treks into the wadis, incredible sand-filled valleys characteristic of the area. And they host "traditional Bedouin feasts," much as Hawaiians throw tourist-style luaus.
Sharm al-Sheikh shares one characteristic with just about any beach resort in the world. It is so laid-back it is almost horizontal. Veiled Egyptian women share the strand with nymphets in bikinis and no one seems to find the contrast unusual. And at night, visitors can enjoy some traditional belly dancing before taking a turn on the floor at the disco.
An added attraction: About an hour away from Sharm al-Sheikh, just off the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is the Ras Mohamad national underwater park, where snorkelers can float face-down to see the fish and serious divers can explore an underwater cliff where the sea bottom drops 600 feet.
Room rates begin around $100 a night for a single and meals are so inexpensive it is almost embarrassing. Food ranges from traditional Middle Eastern cuisine to haute barbecue.
COPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
