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The Very Blue Red Sea

Traveling to Egypt used to just be for the pyramids, the Sphinx, pharaohs, a felucca on the Nile and bits of old gold and papyrus. Hmm, when we look at it that way, there were already plenty of reasons to go there, but in the last few years another's been added to the list: the Red Sea for diving and snorkelling.

Our biggest disappointment was, of course, that the Red Sea's not red at all. But it is a particularly spectacular blue, so we can forgive whoever named it. The Egyptian Tourist Authority isn't even really taking things too far when it describes that the Red Sea as:

an enchanting natural beauty that charms the visitor into believing he is on a legendary tour of a paradise on earth.

With or without a scuba license, you'll spend hours staring at the sea and its colorful contents. Most tourists to the area these days buy a package and stay in a sea-side resort--but try to choose one near a town so you're not restricted only to the overly-Westernized hotel, or you might forget which country you're in. And take your underwater camera, too. Simply stick a red filter on it if you want the sea to live up to its name.

[Image via alfonsator/Flickr]

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Where Not to Go in Egypt [Jaunted]