Cairo, Siwa, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Dahab
The upbeat Arabic tune will always brings me back to Egypt, home to incredible ruins from the Pharaonic dynasties and mesmerizing landscapes like the Sahara desert and Red sea. Turn any corner, and there is an unforgettable adventure waiting to be created and better yet, waiting to be enjoyed by every fibre of your being. When you least expect it (sometimes after a very long and dusty 11 hour bus ride), she will clutch your heart, take your breath away, and you will be swept away by her magic.
Siwa did just that. A desert oasis 80km from the border of Libya, it is a place of blue skies, 30 foot sand dunes, palm trees, natural swimming pools, Bedouin dancing and of course, Bedouin tea. Probably 5 of the best days of the trip so far, maybe in my life, were spent here, forgetting everything except for the present moment – giddily laughing with new friends as we sped over sand dunes, camped under the stars during full moon, danced with Bedouins in their tent, drank far too much tea, and cooled off in earth’s natural swimming pools. Every fibre of my being tingled with fulfilled happiness.
And it didn’t just happen to me. Egypt seems to be the place where so many come to visit, but end up staying. Entranced by her beauty, her magic. After our time in Siwa, I can see why. No, I have felt why.
But it’s not all an Aladdin-like fairytale. The media has certainly shared Egyptians’ exasperation with its inequalities, the inefficiencies. We’ve now all seen this country of over 80 million people (>20 million in Cairo alone) yearn for and demand change. And finally, after 30 years under Mubarak, it looks like the locals will get their chance to not only know the magic of their country, but hopefully enjoy it too…
Viva la Egypt- may they finally get to have what they love and love what they have.
Sakkara Pyramids
And here it is... yes, the famous pyramids. An up close view, anyway.
This man just jumped in our photo, and said- take my picture. Here we are, saying to ourselves, "What the hell...?"
He said, keep going, take another one! And then demanded baksheesh. Here we are, saying to ourselves "we'll laugh about this one day..."
A hell-ish 11 hour bus ride later, we arrive in Siwa, the gateway to the Sahara desert
Venturing into the desert with new friends
Setting up camp
Full moon
Love the tape deck
Photo courtesy of Paul Vrebalovich
Tea time
Natural swimming pool oasis
Photo courtesy of Paul Vrebalovich
Photo courtesy of Paul Vrebalovich
Time lapse photography and light fun. I guess the desert can make you giddy
hotel room
view from our room
an ad for "never leave home without your camera"
whale bone graveyard
great conversation. great moment.
last look at the dunes.
road trip to alexandria
more time lapse fun. photo courtesy of Kristoffer Archetti
beachside, Alexandria
can't have a blog post without a food shot
Luxor
First calendar of civilization
Aswan
"Freedom"
