Hijack in Hurghada – A Travelogue

Summary

Somewhere alongthe serene, long strip of the Red Sea, is an artificialsettlement, El Gouna. A carefully tended settlement ofsplendor thronged with exquisite and homogenous structuresthat reflect, even in their modernity, the ancient Arabianarchitecture of near Bronze Age. In its somewhat ambiguousnature, the new seems to constantly hold on to the old as ifafraid of drowning in the vibrancy of infringing Europeancivilization. On the faces of things, the battle forsupremacy between the old and the new readily captivates thesenses in the smoking of the old pipe, Shahshi at musicalconcerts where American Country music is performedconcurrently with a near perfect mimic, of big time Rapmusic, by 50 Cent. In the symmetry that results, thetenacious dilemma of the old is strung to the new dynamicsof the intra-familiar. This is the El Gouna of the Marina,which harbours the rich of Europe, and the fleet of holidaymakers that perhaps, not so rich, would work themselves tothe bones back home, for a little feel of the realexperiences that define the realities of the rich people ofthis world. Can Doctor Faustus, that ignoble creature ofChristopher Marlowe be blamed for wanting the experiencewith Helen of Troy even if it was short lived?

The El GounaMarina sprawls at parallel sides like a double-tongueddragon. On the one side, almost at the demarcating gravelstones, stands the Mosiaque; a lovely piece of architectureof modern welfare with Arabian sensibilities. The Mosiaque,only seven months old is the chosen abode for the sixvisiting writers from around the different Continents of theWorld; America, Europe, Asia, Australia and good old Africa;however, two writers could not make the program. Theone-month Sponsorship program offered by the OracomDevelopment, a multibillion- pound organization with hugeinvestments scattered around the world was aimed atproviding writers with writing space to help them completeon-going projects.

In Gouna, asthe locals refer to the serene holiday spot, is a collectionof properties owned by the giant Oracom Development. Thiscompany provided the writers with the opportunity to writewithout having to worry about cooking or the making of theirrooms while they were engaged in the tedious activity ofrecreating the world.