The political news from Egypt doesn’t look promising: Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula appear to be more unsettled than ever, with questions about how the military and police maintain the law of rule. That said, brave travellers are still heading to Sinai, the only place in the world where you can do nothing and feel like you are having the most spiritual experience on Planet Earth.
Maybe it’s because of God’s Mountain, the easy-going good nature of the Bedouin (and their coffee!), or the combination of white sand, turquoise sea and pink and purple mountains, I don’t know. But visiting Sinai will change you.
I have a friend who has been updating her Facebook status with photos from the sparse and simple Ras HaSatan (Head of the Devil) camp along the North border of the Red Sea. But if hash-smoking hippies (if only for a week) and questionable security is not your forte, there are a number of holiday companies organizing very low cost Red Sea coast holidays to Sharm el sheikh. While hotels are not the most ecological way to spend your time in Sinai (I prefer the hut in the sand with hot wind as my air conditioning), all inclusives are a good bet for holiday makers who have a short time, and a fear of security situations.
In my opinion it’s better to go to Sinai to a resort to support the local economy than not go at all. The more tourists that get there to dive and enjoy the sea and desert, the more people of this world can learn about Sinai’s fragile ecosystem, its Bedouin people in dire need of recognition and support, Sinai’s collapsing coral reef, unnoticed oil spills, and animal abuse. It was, after all, a tourist spotter who reported dolphins being kept in a local Sinai swimming pool. Avoid the routine and book your exotic winter holiday to the Middle East.
Photo of Ras Hasatan from Shutterstock
Karin,
You already know the “unrest” is provoked by raging male supremists fighting to control the nation, the same as throughout the Middle East and around the World. But where women have successfully won equal citizenship, there is peace and progress.