Whilst I appreciate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that art is more often than not a matter of personal taste, I have been watching the developments on Hadaba Hill with an uneasy sense of nervous anticipation for several weeks now. It took me a while to figure it out, because of all the places that could do with a facelift, I’d never have thought that Hadaba Hill was top of the agenda. Maybe the kerbstones on Peace road could have done with another repaint. Or perhaps some small progress on the ‘new’ road network up by the airport could be beneficial. But no. How could I be so foolish. I should have known that when approaching the altar of the turtle god one simply must mount steps. A gentle ramp just isn’t harsh enough.

It’s a penance thing, somewhat like the Hindu self-flagellation on the road to Thaipusam. As every disciple of the demanding turtle god knows, one must suffer in order to be worthy. And how better to suffer even more during ones’ climb to the High Temple of the Turtle than by being subjected to the artwork decorating the walls – the juxtaposition of traditional Egyptian seascape mosaics transcendentally offset by the luminescence of the contemporary figures that appear to have been lifted from some childrens’ sticker book on acid. My kids were pretty impressed admittedly, but then they are only 7! Maybe I’m just too old and cynical to appreciate pushing the boundaries of modern art, but I’m sure I saw some brightly coloured lanterns being tentatively positioned along the wall this morning. In subtly contrasting hues of purple, pink and orange, with just a tad of turquoise and lime, it’s enough to make a cocktail waiter turn in his grave.

As if natures’ beauty is not enough, the beautiful layers of sedimentary colouring exposed in the pass between Travco and Terrazina Too are being complimented by yet another concrete water feature. Whilst I still fail to understand the concept of plastic camels and fishing boats gushing water whilst seemingly embedded in the wall by the MFO camp, I’m assured that the reasoning behind building a concrete edifice on the final approach to Sharm El Maya is sound. We must hope that in order to harmonise with natures’ colour scheme they paint it purple and orange – maybe with a bit of turquoise thrown in for good measure.