SLEEPLESS IN Sharm El Sheikh

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It was half past noon when I walked into the busiest coffeehouse in Old sharm, a neighbourhood in the town of sharm el sheikh. Groups of burly men sat around tables drenched in sunlight, smoking sheesha and drinking qahwa out of tiny white ceramic cups. “If the qahwa doesn’t have a face, it is not qahwa!” Exclaimed ahmed from the adjoining table as I tried to photograph the cup I’d ordered for myself. Five minutes into conversation with ahmed, a transporter from Cairo and ardent fan of Mahatma Gandhi and tata trucks, I realised that the average Egyptian has watched more amitabh Bachchan movies than I ever will and that‘turkish qahwa with a face’ is an acquired taste. “If you ever meet Mr. Bachchan, tell him that he looks much better without that beard.” Having said that, ahmed takes my leave for afternoon prayers and I head out for my luxurious nest at the savoy.

Developed as a resort town in the 1970s, sharm El sheikh is an unbeatable combination of world-class diving sites, super luxury sea-facing resorts and a rocking nightlife that, according to ahmed, “can put Paris to shame”. Built on a promontory at the confluence of the Gulf of aqaba and the Gulf of suez, this erstwhile fishing village has transformed into a major tourism hub, attracting sun-seeking vacationers from all over Europe.

Diving legend and marine conservationist Jacques Cousteau rated the coral reefs around sharm El sheikh as among the best in the world, triggering off a spate in diving activity in the 1990s. the ‘backpacker town’ of Dahab, 80 km from sharm, is also well known for its diving spots, especially the ‘Blue hole’ which is considered to be among the most dangerous in the world. Most resorts in sharm have diving and snorkelling facilities off the beachfront and also organise boat trips to diving spots in the Red sea.

We drove down to Ras Mohammed National Park, 12 km from Sharm, just to see what the fuss was all about, and were stunned beyond belief. Blotches of emerald green on deep blue juxtaposed against barren rocky landforms made for a rare visual treat. Declared a national park in 1983, Ras Mohammed literally means‘Mohammed’s Head’, and spans across an area of 480 sq km. The Yolanda reef and Shark reef are popular diving spots along with the World War II wreckage of SS Thistlegorm.

Back in Sharm El Sheikh, I am told that I must visit the Al Mustafa mosque, a grand modern building. According to the gateman, entry into the main building is now restricted after a Russian tourist took off her shirt in the premises a year ago. The nearby Coptic Church is more accessible, and there’s a man at the gate distributing light blue wraparound robes to women whose dress he deems inappropriate. There are intricate mosaics inside, depicting scenes from the Bible, and the main altar is sparse but Elegant. Coptic Christians constitute 10 percent of Egypt’s population and are the largest minority group in West Asia.

Not far from here is the Old Sharm market, famous for its spices and antiques. As an Indian tourist (and Egyptians love Indians thanks to Bollywood) one stands a better chance at bargaining than most Westerners. In Old Sharm, I even bargained the price of coffee down to five Egyptian pounds, from an astronomical twenty. The departmental stores are great places to shop for local memorabilia, like plain sheesha and qahwa cups.

The visit to St Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai was possibly the highlight of my stay in Sharm El Sheikh. A two-hour drive from the town, through the intimidating rocky Sinai desert, this Orthodox monastery is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is also one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world. Built by Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century AD at the site where Moses saw the ‘burning bush’, this place is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. According to our guide Mahmud, the barricaded bush inside the monastery“is the original burning bush”. The main chapel in the monastery is exquisitely decorated (photography not allowed) with rare Christian icons, copies of which are available at the monastery’s pricey souvenir shop. Built in sandstone, the monastery is home to a small number of Coptic priests dressed in black robes and a round circular cap. The St Catherine’s monastery has a copy of the Achtiname (Covenant of Prophet Mohammed) in its museum. In this historical document, the Prophet had bestowed his protection upon the monastery, and even carries his signature.

My stay at Sharm El Sheikh was coming to an end but I couldn’t leave without testing Ahmed’s claims about its nightlife. The party animal has a whole range of options to choose from. If you ask me, I would say that the Bedouin dinner was the best. We were driven to a Bedouin camp on the outskirts. We were seated on carpets around low tables in an open-air enclosure and plied with cups of hot tea and sheesha, followed by a sumptuous buffet of kebabs and rice. An hour-long belly dance performance was followed by the mesmerising Tanoura dance. It reminded me of the swirling dervishes but the only difference was that the men were in colourful skirts.

For a more regular nightlife experience, most tourists go to Naama Bay, which has a nightclub every ten metres. There are normally no cover charges if there are women in the group. For those who dare to imagine an Egypt without Pyramids and cruises down the Nile, Sharm El Sheikh offers a hedonistic escape you won’t forget in a long time.

At A Glance

Getting there

Take a connecting Egypt air flight from Mumbai to Sharm El Sheikh via Cairo. Fare: 25,000 (approx). Some tourists prefer to take the 8-hour bus ride to Sharm El Sheikh from Cairo. The more adventurous may take the ferry from hurghada.

When to go

Sharm El Sheikh has warm and dry climate through the year. From June to august the temperatures hover around 43°C, not ideal for those seeking respite from Indian summers.

MUST DO

Stay

LUXURY: The Royal Savoy Hotel along with the Soho Square is a small township unto itself.

ECONOMY: the Stella Di Mare Beach hotel in Naama Bay is a slightly cheaper option with a great beachfront.

Eat

Sushi(!) at Little Buddha restaurant in Naama Bay.

Shop

Egyptian music CDs from the old Sharm market.

See/Do

Both Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab offer quad biking facilities.