Blog like an Egyptian (part 6)

The Red Sea is what draws people to this part of Egypt.

Well, that and the climate - now in mid-February the days are sunny and almost cloudless, the temperature perhaps in the late twenties Celcius. De-salination operates on an immense scale here. The water produced irrigates the tropical planting around the resort through an endless series of hose pipes and ditches. Outside this artifical oasis it is utterly arid, dust and sand and rocks and mountains the only natural features.

Juxtaposed and bounded by this barren landscape, the Red Sea could not shine any more jewel-like than if it were composed entirely of sapphires. The sand on the beach is coarse, the particles a beige collection of grit and gravel right around the bay. At its heart the sea rolls lazily up and down, huge breakers crashing some way off outside the inlet. The reef eco-system is a delicately balanced thing; careless tourists with clumsy fingers and feet have the potential to cause substantial damage. To protect the fragile marine equilibrium, the shore is protected by a line of posts with chains strung in between. You may not casually launch a swimming or snorkelling trip from the beach, only from the jetty that juts 100 yards or more out into the bay. One consequence of this is that the sea is people-free; the fishes and the coral go about their business undisturbed by shell collectors, curious toddlers or shrieking teenagers.

The beach is studded with woven willow parasols that collectively resemble giant Mexican hats perched on top of 6 foot poles. Or perhaps they are a squadron of flying saucers, hovering slightly above the sand, in benevolent formation as a prelude to miniature global domination. In any event, along with the co-ordinating half-moon shaped wind breaks, they provide great shelter from the sun and on-shore breeze alike.