In quest for novelty, Rasha Sadek finds inspiration on a hideaway island off the shores of Hurghada When one thinks that this part of heaven could have been lost to the cruel guillotine of modernity... God, it would have been such a waste. Off the shores of the Red Sea lies Giftun island. Very few places on this planet are still blessed with the voidness of the least hint of concrete, noise and pollution. Declared a natural reserve in 1995, Giftun has only two eco-friendly establishments; one of which is Al-Mahmya (literally "the protected"). All was perfectly arranged for a trip to Al-Mahmya camp. From Hurghada's marina next to the Sheraton Hurghada Hotel, eight Al-Mahmya 27-seater boats leave for the island at 9am. If you wait till you arrive there to start your day, you're definitely on the wrong track, for the moment the boat sets sail, you're already on a soul-invigorating journey. The breeze, loaded with jots of the Red Sea water I so adore, splashed against my face as I grabbed the steel handle of the boat, my body moving in sync with the motion of waves that rebelled against our speed. Scent of sweet salt slowly spread in the air that gently stimulated my hair; it was the scent of nothing but liberation and serenity. That was that day's mood, indeed one of inspiration. Before I knew it, the 40 minutes to Giftun island, the second largest of the 24 islands surrounding Hurghada after Shedwan, were over. I didn't know whether to lament leaving the boat or hurry to caress my feet against the white sands of the island. The Al-Mahmya sign is engraved on a tree trunk and hung towards the highest point of the island in Hollywood-like fashion. Extended over 3,000 square metres and with a beach front 120 metres long, Al-Mahmya is an unobtrusive camp site run by Al-Alia Touristic Development Company which opened to the public in August 1998. Everything about it is designed to preserve the precious surrounding environment with dozens of parasols made of Casuarine and palm trees. Steps leading to the different levels on which the parasols stand are made of local stones extracted from the island itself. Even the bridge connecting the site together is made of Casuarine tree stalk. Mohamed Steita, the site manager, began my orientation tour of the camp with the project's motto, which is, as with all natural protectorates, "take nothing with you, leave nothing behind." That was said of course upon my expressed admiration of colourful shells shying away amid the soft sands. "The nature of this place makes everyone on the island impelled to behave in an environmentally friendly manner," Steita proudly said. As we strolled around the premises, the feel was one you can only find in films like The Blue Lagoon or The Beach. The white powdery sands crawling softly to touch the crystal waters of the Red Sea... allow me to linger here for a moment. The different water shades of blue and turquoise horizoning together surround the island, and you stand in the centre... close your eyes and sojourn the thought. Oh, and add in the background some House and chill out music. As we lounged in the shade with this picturesque portrait in sight, I was readying for my all-time favourite Red Sea sport -- snorkelling. At 11.30 we took a boat to a near site. Masks, tubes and fins were provided by the aqua centre on the island. Having read that Giftun is home to 196 types of coral reefs and a total of 794 marine species made it all the more exciting, for with these figures I was about to snorkel among 80 per cent of the Red Sea's biological diversity. Even better, due to the pure waters, many species were already visible to the naked eye from the boat deck. An hour snorkelling trip stirred the hunger of the 100 or so visitors of Al-Mahmya. We returned to the island to find lunch already prepared. The camp runs four restaurants serving Italian and international cuisine. Sea food plates are ordered a la carte. In addition, two beach bars serve Al-Mahmya to all kinds of drinks. Till 3.30pm when boats were to take us back to Hurghada, we had an array of activities to choose from: volleyball, football, backgammon, walk along the beach or simply lay back and reflect. Let me tell you kids, you won't be nestling around your parents; there's a playground that will ensure you have a good time like your mom and dad. To make sure that Al-Mahmya is environmentally friendly from A to Z, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency directly supervised the work of architect Mohamed El-Husseini. "We use eco- friendly methods of water supply, sewage and drainage systems," assures Steita. "Using the natural slope of the island, we have buried PVC pipes in the sand through which waste water flows down and is collected in large containers that are transferred in tanks and delivered to Hurghada," he explained. At the same time the tanks pump sweet water brought from the city to the island. And to avoid even the slightest concrete building in the resort, the kitchen and bathrooms stand on a 20-centimetre high timber platform. And since the island is surrounded by 14 dive spots, comprising about 40 per cent of Hurghada's underwater garden sites, boats moor at the buoys off the pristine island and guests are shuttled to the shore by small motorboats. After all, some endangered species like the whale shark have been seen regularly around Giftun. Can't get any eco-friendlier, or can it? Giftun, Al-Mahmya in particular, is a piece of heaven on earth and to think that Italian investors wanted to buy the 24 million square metre island two years ago to transform it into a Las Vegas with casinos, elite hotels and luxury resorts. The story in a nutshell is that the Ernesto Preatoni Immobiliare was interested in buying Giftun in its entirety and to invest $2 billion over 10 years to develop the area until the Egyptian government turned down the offer after a "Save Giftun" campaign was initiated by the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association. Thousands protested against what they considered "taking the Pyramids away from Giza" or destroying Sharm El-Sheikh's Ras Mohamed National Park. Giftun, viewed as the one breath of fresh air in tourist facilities in Hurghada, is home to two endangered bird species, the osprey and white-eyed seagull, in addition to five types of rare sea turtles including the hawksbill turtle. Were they aware of the enormous devastating environmental impact this would have on the island's nature? Whatever. The important thing is that this paradise was regained. Through all temptation and the Tempter foiled In all his wiles, defeated and repulsed, And Eden raised in the waste Wilderness -- John Milton, Paradise Regained
