El Quseir - relaxing in Allah's garden

EL QUSEIR - Egypt

13/4-20/4/2008

Sometimes even a short trip is needed to recharge a little and break away from the usual daily grind. This time the choice fell on El Quseir, a place on the African coast of Egypt between Hurghada and Marsa Alam, since by now the very well-known Sharm has become a bit like Rimini... El Quseir is a little town that has remained like Sharm twenty years ago, apart from the shopkeepers, who have learned well to call out to you in every language to sell their goods. Departure is from Bologna with Air Memphis (an Egyptian airline) on 13 April at 13:15 and after 3 hours and 45 minutes of flight we're in Hurghada (how nice, it's 29 degrees!!!), then the coach takes us to our village booked with "I viaggi del Turchese": the Flamenco Beach Resort. After about 1 hour and 30 minutes we arrive and, after unloading the luggage, we go to dinner: as a first impression I'd say really good.

Now to the room to unpack and then off to bed... tomorrow the sun and the sea await us!!!

14/4 - our holiday of sea and relaxation begins. Breakfast and straight to the beach to finally enjoy some beautiful sunshine: the village is really lovely and peaceful, so for those who aren't looking for chaos, like us, it's ideal. The coral reef is right there, so all that's left is to go and explore it. Access to the sea is allowed via a long jetty that takes you directly to the edge of the reef. Mask, fins and wetsuit (the water is still a bit chilly, at least for me) and straight to exploring this submerged garden. Around 10 I go to hear the tour operator's meeting to see which excursion is worth doing. We opt, without a shadow of a doubt, for the excursion to Utopia Island, a full day. There are other interesting excursions but on this holiday the watchword is relaxation. Our package includes half board with drinks, though if you want you can buy a package of 6 Meals for 42 euros.

In the village the entertainment is discreet (luckily...): they don't pester you with the usual activities...

15/4 - Beach, sun, sea, beach, sun, sea... what a struggle!!!

16/4 - Today it's off to Utopia Island all day at a cost of 34 euros with lunch and drinks included. Utopia is a coral atoll located off Safaga. Departure by coach from the village at 8:30, skirting deserted beaches on one side and desert on the other; arrival in Safaga and boarding at the Intercontinental Hotel. The sea has incredible colours, from light blue to deep blue, passing through a thousand shades of turquoise. The trip includes two stops for snorkelling and to see the multicoloured fish of the Red Sea. The fish here aren't afraid of human presence, so they come very close; we see angelfish, butterflyfish, bird fish, unicorn fish and many others whose names I don't remember. We have lunch on board and then head towards Utopia, a strip of white sand and nothing more. The stop is about a couple of hours: the sun is even more scorching...

will we manage to stay under the sun?!?...of course we will, and then there's always the sea to save us. We head back and around 18:00 we're at the village. On the way, since the days are shorter here, I manage to take a few photos of the sun setting behind the desert mountains. The evenings here are certainly not glitzy... after dinner there's usually a little stop at the Ali Baba bar where there's a show every evening.

17/4 - the usual sun and sea and then around 16:30, by the village minibus, we go to El Quseir. Cost 18 Egyptian pounds. We arrive in the town and I feel like I'm in Sharm twenty years ago!! The men still dress in kaftans and the women in black clothes and the veil. The shopkeepers don't miss the chance to call out to you and stop you to offer their wares... they're really exhausting... we don't need to buy anything particular since we've already visited Egypt and the most characteristic things are already displayed in our souvenir cabinet. We just make a few small purchases and around 18:45 we head back, again with the village minibus. Impressions of the town? I'd say rather ugly and dirty.

18/4 - another sunny day; today unfortunately no sea, there's too much wind and the red flag is flying on the jetty... you can't go into the sea.

19/4 - Last day and luckily the wind isn't so strong, so we can see our lovely little fish once more, as well as the beautiful flora!!

20/4 - We head home and I must really say: a tragic return: flight moved by 3 hours; instead of 9:30 we leave at 12:30; ok, wake up and breakfast at 8:45, bus to Hurghada; we arrive at the airport along with thousands of other people and discover that the flight has a further hour and a half delay... we leave at well past 14:00, and something truly crazy: they refuel with us on board... I've never seen such a thing... oh well!!! Let's hope for the best! The flight also stops over in Milan, and so for us getting off at Bologna it's even longer... in conclusion, a flight that should have lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes lasted 6 hours and 15... not bad, eh!?! We arrive in Bologna at 20:30, pay for the parking and head home.

All things considered, I must say the holiday went really well: peaceful, relaxing, warm; the village, in my view, is very good both in terms of value for money and for everything else, from cleanliness to the food to the staff, and then the sea... a fairytale!! The only flaw was the return flight, but I've already filed a report through the travel agency. The Red Sea is always a guarantee for the climate, the sea, the closeness to Italy and, something not to be underestimated, the costs.

I almost forgot: the euro is accepted everywhere; if you have to change into Egyptian pounds, do it only for the amount strictly necessary. 100 le = 12 euros

Bye Egypt!