The Pharaohs' Aquarium

2003 was a particularly lucky year as far as travel went; in fact, after visiting London in the first days of the year and spending a week in the Maldives in spring, we had chosen to decide on our summer holiday only in mid-July. The time available for this holiday wasn't much, 8/10 days, so I imagined we'd stay in the Mediterranean but... my longing for an exotic trip was too strong, so where to go with just a few hours of flight?? How had I not thought of it before: Egypt!!! Our only doubts concerned the climate we'd find there but, after consulting the tourists on the web (and getting a load of conflicting answers), we decided to take the risk. Hotel availability was ample and our choice had fallen on the Savoy Hotel. Arriving by plane, the view below has a certain charm.

In fact, against the horizon of the desolate desert, the white patch formed by the buildings of Sharm stands out in contrast; a rocky mountain range behind the coast hides the setting sun while the Red Sea, a deep intense blue, breaks on the coral reef that emerges just at the water's surface. Once on the ground..... it was indeed hot but not as hot as I'd have expected; over the following days I realised that some days in my Po Valley are quite another kind of suffering; here in fact the thermometer approaches 40/45 degrees during the day but the humidity is non-existent and there's a constant breeze. Our hotel was in Shark Bay, a bit outside the chaotic centre of Sharm. I won't describe the excessive luxury of this property; for me its main treasures were a privileged view of Tiran Island, the sun high in the sky all day and every day and....

an underwater paradise you could dive into straight off the beach jetty. The snorkelling at the reef right in front of our beach was truly amazing but, not content, we did two excursions to practise this activity that involved us a great deal. The first was to Tiran Island; along the way you can see various wrecks stuck in the coral reef, make 2/3 snorkelling stops and land on a desert beach. The second excursion was to the Ras Mohammed marine park; being in the southernmost part of the Sinai peninsula, it is the exact point where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aqaba. The richness of underwater life and the wide cliffs plunging into the sea, scattered with coral, make it one of the best places in the world for snorkelling and diving. In the evening it's very easy to wander the streets of Naama Bay, a miniature Las Vegas in the middle of Sharm.

Clubs, discos, restaurants, casinos, lights and a sea of little shops surround you and, without realising it, you're already haggling over the purchase of a papyrus! The days were passing peacefully and yet something was missing; but of course, we were in Egypt... ever since I was a child I'd wanted to see the pyramids. With a day trip by plane we found ourselves in the Egyptian capital: Cairo.

In order we visited: the Citadel with the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Egyptian Museum and finally the long-awaited Giza plateau with the three pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, to end up face to face with the Sphinx...wonderful!!! At the end of the trip we had the awareness that Egypt deserved far more than a quick week; the goal was to come back with a diving licence to be able to plunge into the underwater paradise the Red Sea hides, and to sail along the Nile to rediscover the wonders of this ancient people.