Siwa Dream Lodge

... that meant we had $8 to live on for the next 20 hours) We were sitting in the chairs with the hissing men and decided we had enough. We found a quiet corner under the stairs and decided to set up camp. Lindsey set up our new home while Brittany and Sarah went grocery shopping. We had been living on goat cheese and pitas since we'd left Siwa and were pretty sick of it. There was a random grocery store in the middle of the parking lot that was packed with people grocery shopping ...

... to dinner at Abdu, where we later ate every meal in Siwa. After dinner, we went nextdoor to Fethi friend's shop where he gave us "sorry you got harassed by the local crazy" necklaces. We were also forced to drink many cups of tea (in 130 degree weather, who wants a hot beverage?) and try on traditional Siwa wedding dresses. When we tried to refuse and say it was bad luck, they told us if we couldnt find someone back home to marry us we could come and be their second wives ...

Took a cab to the bus station last night to catch the bus to Siwa and for some reason I was expecting something modern. Modern it was not. Looked like the sort of compound where there would be car boot sales held on a Sunday, but worse than that. Quite busy and bustling though. Depressed to see some very swanky buses for another company lined up to the bus which turned out to be mine. The most decrepit bus I've ever seen. Also had been expecting some travelers on ...

... and the moonlight the rocks gave the whole area an Antarctic feel that was quite surreal. That night were going to be sleeping out under the stars. It wasn't too cold this time of year so it should have been an interesting experience, even with the marauding desert foxes. However, I had started feeling a little unwell at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and it was this night that I was finally struck down. The short ...

... up to you. Patricia walked through and I followed behind, as she got closer to the end she was getting a bit too wet for my liking so I headed back out again - didn't particularly want to sit on a bus in wet clothes for the rest of the day. On the way back across the slippery rocks Kelvin slipped and smacked his head. It was bleeding and looked quite gross but they managed to stop the bleeding and all he ended up with was a bad headache ...

... t remember the correct name!) to stop the bleeding and we were able to continue. Next it was back to the local markets at Mersa Matruh which we saw last night to do some shopping for lunch today. All I can say is that it was the usual chaos we have come to expect in Egypt. Unlike other places though, this was a bit unsettling. It was obviously a local market for local people and since we are a large group sticking out like sore thumbs, we drew a lot of stares. I was glad ...

... spot to relax, and unlike Aswan and Luxor, no people hassling me. Although, I've kinda become accustomed to the hassle. It's fun to see reactions and get a laugh when I ask how much a taxi to Johannesburg would cost (running price: $1,500,000), or pretend that the price for a horse drawn carriage includes ownership as well. When asked if I want hash, I respond it would cause problems with the police. "No ...

... which obviously smelt lovely), unfortunately some other vehicles turned up and therefore we headed off to play in the sand dunes. I really really enjoyed sliding down the sand dunes on my bum and watching the sun set when we were in the middle of nowhere. It was the most amazing experience and I really hope that I can play in more dunes very very soon, when I don't have a painfull bum (still from when I fell over in Nairobi).

... first full day we hiked out to the Oracle of Amun, where Alexander the Great had come to learn what his future held. In fact, some people still believe his tomb is buried somewhere in Siwa. You know how it is though, it's always the last place you look. After that we stopped at Cleopatra's Bath, a natural pool surrounded by palm trees and obviously named after its most famous visitor. I can just see her and her friends hanging out by the pool while Alexander has the Oracle ...

Took a harrowing public bus from Alexandria to Siwa Oasis out in the Western Desert. Lots of good local interaction including an older Bedouin man handing me the screaming baby he was holding...after a bit of a shock I got the baby to quiet down and handed him back and got resettled in my seat. Like most of the buses in this region people are coming on and off at all sorts of unofficial ...