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Part 2....
The tranquility of this place is slowly starting to seep into my bones.
I wanted this holiday to be about "pressing the reset button". Its happening right here. There is no equal to geniune time to be alone, like this.
After a second full day of strolling around the grounds and pool lazing, the evening promised some adrenalin charged action. I met Abdallah for my 4WD safari into the Great Sandy Sea, part of the Libyan Desert or eastern Sahara. What a scream!!!!
His landcruiser rode the dunes like a magic carpet. We climbed steep dunes only to come to a sudden stop on the crest before careening down the other side at full speed. We stopped to sand board for a bit, then I got to drive (first time in a left hand drive) to a rocky outcrop that turned out to be an ancient coral reef!! These days The Med is over 350kms away. A short time later we came to a fresh water swimming hole (too cold) then drove over the dune to find its source - a hot water spring!! This was like having a bath that never goes cold. Abdallah and I chatted the sun down (an amazingly accomplished man who runs the safaris after his office day job) immersed in the spring before we shot off to a dune edge to watch the sun set proper, sipping hot mint tea.
Abdallah described the Siwan culture. They are descended from Berber and Arab tribes, and see themselves as quite separate from the rest of Egypt. They have a strong sense of community and brotherhood, looking out for each other and helping each other like one big family.
On returning to the hotel the two new guests had arrived - two ladies from Holland who'd left their husbands and kids behind. They asked me to join them for dinner so it was great to have company.
The next day I took my guided tour around the sites of Siwa. First stop was Shali Fortress, the crumbling remains of a mudbrick citadel that stood for centuries before 3 days of rain signalled its demise. Now it looks like melting chocolate in the hot sun. The Temple of Amun was next. It is badly degraded and swallowed up by a mudbrick mosque, not a lot to see really. Final stop at Cleopatra's Bath, yet another natural spring. The village of Siwa is laid back and quiet. Its laid out around the town square and the ruins of Shali Fortress. It is picturesque, with date palms lining the streets. It is the friendliest and most peaceful town I have been in Egypt. I could walk around at my leisure and was not called to, whistled at, or hassled at all!!! And the people are very generous, without the baksheesh kicker.
I returned to the hotel for lunch and to sadly pack my bags. I have loved it here and dont want to leave. Everything about this place is healing. The food, the waters, the peace, the natural materials, the lack of electrical noise, the fresh air.......
The stars aligned to bring me here at this time. If the crisis in Libya hadnt happened I would have come to Siwa as part of the tour group and we would have stayed in town. I would never have seen Adrere Amellal or The Great Sandy Sea or had the time I desperately needed.
That I had this place to myself for two days is like something out of a fairytale. Peace and healing are the two words I will associate with Siwa. Just what I needed to recover from illness and the first half of my journey - and just what I needed to prepare myself for the next half.
Morocco, here I come!!
- comments
Julie Soooo glad you spontainiously booked your Siwa stay! Really happy for you that it ended up being more than what you were expecting. Wish I was there too!!! J xx
Lindy Warrell Well, thank you for taking us on your wonderful journey as you do. I'm in love with Siwa as well...
Tam I so hope you took the time to soak the tranquility right into your bones so you can close your eyes and draw on it when you need it - in Morocco or back here. Priceless to have a piece of it inside you to access when the going gets tough. Thanks so much for capturing it so eloquently....feels like I am right there beside you....oh, if only!!
Jenn and Abdul Abdul says hi! haha I am so glad you got to experience this after you left us, and so jealous! I hope your trip home after your adventure was a safe and comfortable one. Now you can get back to the real world like the rest of us!