Return to Egypt: Siwa

I'm now relaxing in the Siwa bus station, getting ready to board the bus that will take us to Alexandria. Siwa is a large oasis on the westernmost part of Egypt, 100 km away from Kadafi's Lybia. It is also on the edge of what the locals call the "great sand sea", a completely barren desert which at one time was covered by sea. Now that the sea's dried out, one can find age-old fish fossils and shells scattered across the rolling dunes.



Siwa also has some history: it was the site of a famous oracle. Alexander the Great led a small army here after he conquered Egypt and founded Alexandria. He was blessed and legitimized by the oracle. Much later, the Persians tried but failed to conquer Siwa. One of the enduring stories about this place is that of Cambysses' army, which disappeared into the desert on its way here.



Our time here (unlike that of the Persians) has been pretty relaxing. On our first day we did pretty much nothing - the beach-looking town of Siwa is known for its relaxing Sheesha and tea bars - except for a climb up what used to be the ancient town: a castle-like, salt and sand fortress where everyone lived. Unfortunately, it partially collapsed during some torrential rains in 1926, and now only some of the remains survive.



From the top of the old town we gazed over the oasis, its lush palm tree gardens, its salt and sweet lakes, and the laid-back surrounding towns, as the sun set in the horizon. Our spectacular views were complemented by the thunderous sounds (they really are loud) of the call to prayer coming from the loudspeakers of the surrounding mosques. When it's call to prayer time, you can't hear anything else in this place of very devout muslims (a lot of women even cover their faces, so that you cannot even see their eyes). It really is interesting to hear the Quran read out loud like this... Kimmie and I were commenting how strange it would be if the Bible were read out like that in Guatemala. Would it make a difference in people's behavior?



On our second day here, we picked up the pace a bit. After renting some bikes, we rode to a couple of "baths" - freshawater springs forming small pools around the oasis. I swam in one of them (very refreshing!) but unfortunately Kimmie could not - women in this area really aren't supposed to be showing their bodies, and frankly, swimming fully clothed was a bit much for Kimmie. We also visited the remains of what used to be the oracle, enjoying the views of the oasis and the great sand sea beyond.



In the afternoon, we set off for an evening in the spectacular sand sea desert. Our driver stepped on the gas of his Toyota Land Cruiser (after this trip I'm convinced it's the best 4 x 4) as we literally flew over sand dunes. We also stopped at a freshwater lake (where Kimmie could swim, since no locals were around) and a hot spring. We ended our evening sitting on the dunes watching the sun go down over this unearthly terrain.



After that we headed to our campsite where, following a light dinner, we slept on the sand, under the stars. It gets pretty cold in the desert, so we got several covers.



Today, we drove back from the great sand sea and are now ready to move on to Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great in 300 B.C.; home to Cleopatra and Marc Anthony's rule; site of Napoleon's attack on Egypt; important base of Nazi attacks in Africa; and now one of the most important cities in Egypt. This place was also home to many important discoveries (i.e. Earth revolved around the sun; circumference of the Earth) and to a couple of wonders of the world (the Great Library; the Lighthouse). I'm very excited about it!