Waady Innigoum Hotel Siwa

... We arrived at the bus station at 5am, which was much further from the airport than we thought. Due to the money fiasco, we didn't have enough cash to take a cab to the airport. We finally found a cab driver that was willing to take us to the airport. We think he offered a discount rate because his car was leaking fumes and making us all sick. We were convinced he was not taking us to the airport, especially when he tried to drop us off in a field without the airport in sight ...

... box for $2 a night), and decieded to walk around and get some real food. Something to note about Siwa is that it is one of the most conservative parts of Egypt. Not only is everypart of their bodies covered in a burka, but even their entire face is covered including their eyes. We did not see a single locals womans face the entire time we were there. We went to go find Abdu, which would become the only place we ate the entire time we were in siwa. As we were walking down ...

... up on myself, but an interesting ride to get there - cycling through the outskirts of Siwa seeing the locals out and about. Very few women around and they tend to be fully veiled. Seen a few women in strappy tops which is not appreciated around here and nor should it be if that's the custom. I'd rather wear shorts but its not the norm so I've been wearing my trousers. <br><br>Cycled back to Siwa town and watched the sunset from ...

Getting out into the Western Desert required a full day of travel. We drove from Luxor to Dakhla Oasis which took about eight hours. At this point, my understanding of desert oases was what I had seen as a kid on Looney Tunes cartoons. Small, idealic pockets of lush green palms with lakes of crystal blue water. A little naive maybe. Egyptian oases are actually a little different from this. It almost never rains out in ...

... becoming addicted to them! We moved cafes for further drinks, this time Guava juice, and for those that wanted them, Sheesha's. We were talking with Mohammed about swear words in English and Egyptian and about his time in the UK. He said if he is around our area ever he wants me to show him a good night out! It was back to the hotel next to freshen up before going to the old Siwan city of Shali. Destroyed by floods and earthquakes, it ...

... had a lot of fun doing running dives and flips into the water so they kept us entertained. After everyone had dried off we took our donkey calesh back into town and stopped for lunch. After lunch a few of us went to a small cafe for a drink and a sheesha and then we went back to the hotel. We weren't at the hotel for long because we had to head to the ruined mud-brick city of Shali for sunset. Shali was still inhabited until around 1926 when heavy rain ...

... get used to the money here, it feels like I have spent loads but it is not worth that much so I haven't really. I texted Dad tonight and surprisingly it got through even out here in the middle of the desert! Everything is much calmer and more organised, traffic wise at least, but also in the everyday lives of people. When the bus went home, we also lost our armed police minder who has been with us watching us like Big Brother and was annoying even though he didn't say a word!

... five storeys above the modern town. Other local historic sites in the area include: the remains of the oracle temple; the Gebel al Mawta (the Mountain of the Dead) Roman-era necropolis featuring dozens of rock-cut tombs; and "Cleopatra's Bath" an antique natural spring. We went for a walk around the main sites, which were not that away , but it was so hot we were glad that alot of the walk was through the palm trees. It was ...

... those in the middle paralyzed by the crush. Truck # 1: Young bride and her friends, a bevy of exuberant virgins clapping, singing, and decked out in colourful celebration attire, clearly excited by the opportunity to be the next one in the bridal dress. Truck # 2: 15 - 20 even younger girls, maybe 10 - 12 years old, also very excited, very animated and very loud. Truck # 3: Young groom and his entourage, likely also virgins, although probably not by choice, jostling and ...

... for 2.5 hours waiting in the middle of nowhere. Ate 3 plates of Kushary from a cart to pass the time and fill my belly for the 9-hour ride. Siwa is verrry nice. Calm and relaxed, way out in the desert near the border with Libya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siwa_Oasis Went for a bicycle ride today out in the palm ...