There is a corner of the Sinai peninsula - the southern tip, to be precise - that is not associated with the Arab-Israeli conflict or biblical tales but the jollier pursuits of sea, sun and sand. Moses may have parted the Red Sea but the visitors who flock to Sharm El Sheikh today get their kicks by just diving into it.
Spend any time in the clear waters of Na'ama, Sharks or any of the other bays of the Sharm area and you'll discover a marine landscape that will blow your mind. Parrotfish and lionfish glide silently among the lace-like coral reefs, barracudas and stingrays are often sighted, and you can also look for wrecks among the undersea wonders of Ras Mohamed National Park.
But if scuba diving is what put Sharm El Sheikh firmly on the tourist map - reefs are so close to the coastline that many hotels have their own jetties for diving departures - it has metamorphosed into an all-in-one resort with plenty of other things to do. So if you're not ogling the underwater world, there's windsurfing, parasailing, golf, horse riding, bowling, and even bungee jumping.
In the evening it's show time on the boardwalk that separates the hotels from the sea, with impromptu floorshows, Western and Arabic music playing full blast and stalls peddling anything from ice cream to henna tattoos.
The local suq (bazaar) survives in Sharm's old town around Sharm el Maya - which is also home to an array of Western fast food joints, Egyptian restaurants, nightspots and neon lights aplenty. But for a break from the holiday glitz and a taste of life with just sun and sand - plenty of it - take a trip into the mountains of the Sinai to explore the timeless beauty of the desert.
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