Out in the desert! Fabulous

Trip Start Jan 22, 2008

Trip End Aug 22, 2008

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Egypt Siwa, Egypt
Saturday, August 2, 2008

Apart from getting a little upset with a group of white travellers who were managing to disrupt the whole bus the 10 hour journey wasn't too bad (ignoring my painful tailbone)... so we arrived about 5am in Siwa, just as the sun was starting to rise and hoped that the lonely planet map had the correct scale and walked into town since there was noone about and everything was shut up.

We knocked on the door to a hotel at about 6am and I went straight to bed for a few hours in a hot room with a fan for �7 (instead of the �14 for air con) overlooking the crumbling fort. The people were really really friendly and couldn't be more welcoming.

Siwa is known for the ancient fortress , which was built of natural rock, salt, mud-brick and palm logs

view over siwa

. Today most of it is abandoned and has 'melted' due to weathering, but the remains are a prominent feature, towering 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 lovely to walk around and not see any other tourists or locals for that matter until we reached the springs where local boys were splashing around. The women on the other hand were few and far between. Those we saw were completely covered head to toe in a blanket over their heads and only travelled by donkey and cart rather than foot - which was very different to the rest of Egypt.

Another day we walked to the dead mans hill with many old tombs and some which were highly decorated in the most amazing heiroglyfics I had ever seen. It was a shame that we were followed into the tomb and not allowed to take photos.

Another day we went out in a 4WD vehicle into the sand dunes to see the cold and hot springs and to see the sunset. I had a swim in the cold spring half clothed before we had dinner overlooking the pool. Then we went onto the hot sulphur spring ( 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).