In The Footsteps of Alexander...

So about a month ago (yes, I know it's been that long and I need to write more often) I went with the gang to Siwa Oasis which is near the Libyan border. Alexander the Great had visited the oasis in 332 B.C. after conquering Anatolia, heading down through the Levant and conquering Egypt in the fall. He ended up staying in Egypt for a year since fighting in the winter is suicide and went to Siwa to consult the great oracle of Amun who resided there. We set out in his footsteps. It took us about 12 exhausting hours of travel to get there by bus, stopping in the coastal town of Marsa Matrouh for a couple of hours for dinner before continuing to Siwa.

The Map :: Credit ::



After a restful night we set out the following day to explore the town. There were few cars- most people went around in donkey carts (including the taxis) and the town itself was quite small and surrounded by lush palm date and olive groves. In the middle of the town stood a hillock with ruins of old mud brick houses covering it. This was the old town of Shali dating from the 13th century whom the Siwans consider to be their ancestors.

After exploring the ruins and walking around a bit, we decided to go on a two day desert safari. We found an operator, got a decent price and set off a few hours later. In a big Toyota 4x4, accompanied by a guard (which seemed completely unnecessary) we drove around the desert for a few hours. We sped up and down steep and beautiful dunes (this at times was really exhilirating- especially when the dune drops off at a 45 degree angle... or more) and stopped at some cold springs, one of which I was very excited for and thus turned out to be particularly disappointing after reading the guide book's description: "One of the best excursions Siwa can offer is a trip... to Bir Wahed... a hot pool the size of a large Jacuzzi... to soak up to your chest, puffing a sheesha, while the sun sets over the dunes and mesas all around". Yeah... not so much. It was a lukewarm dirty pool with no one in it and definitely no damn sheeshas. Basically, I don't trust my guide book anymore. In turn, I don't think my friends trust me anymore either.



After watching the sun set over the dunes, as well as Zeke tackling me down a dune (I was chewing sand for the next few days) and getting the 4x4 stuck for 20 minutes, we headed back to town. That night we stayed in a little camp outside of town which would have been nice if it weren't for my fever at night and the constant buzzing of flies and biting of mosquitoes.

Our driver picked us up in the morning and took us back out into the desert. This time we drove around the desert for a few hours and then headed for a large and shallow salt lake. It was so incredibly salty that floating was no problem. Lifting your arms, legs and head out of the water and not sinking is an odd feeling- I would liken it to soft Jello... but not so sticky... and sweet. mmm... Jello.



After swimming around little bit and getting nicely cut up by the salt crystals which coated the bottom of the lake, we sat out on the bank and had lunch. After that we drove about 20 minutes to what I would describe as a fresh water cistern. The top of the water was covered in a layer of muck- needless to say we were really apprehensive about swimming in it even though we were absolutely covered in salt from the lake. Thankfully, Demetri proved to be more adventurous than all of us and with a candid "well, if no one else is gonna do it..." he jumped in. Miraculously the muck parted before him and it all moved to the other side of the cistern, making a nice clearing for all us to follow him in.



After swimming around for a while we got back into the 4x4 and as the sun set we drove past a small village (where our driver lived) and headed into the desert mesas that formed a rim around the oasis. We stopped inside a little sand valley between two ridges and set up camp. We set out a mat, some candles and were given some water after which the driver left for a few hours and then came back with a fantastic dinner... and his 5 little sons. They served us dinner and even when we tried to lure them with American candy they kept shyly to themselves. After dinner our driver asked us if we needed anything else for the night and then left us there with some blankets for the night.

The desert night sky was beatiful- it rivalled the sky from atop Mount Sinai, but the most amazing aspect was the silence. It was incredible. Aside from th crackling of the fire and our voices there was nothing else. It was incredibly serene and relaxing.



I slept well that night although the sand was a little harder than I would have liked. I woke up twice. The first time was when something was crawling up my leg, which scared the crap out of me (I definitely thought it was a spider). After flailing my legs, seeing something white go sailing through the air and then shouting for a flashlight I found it out it was just a cute little bamby-eyed mouse. He was definitely more scared than I was. The second time I woke up was exactly at sunrise, which turned out to be the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen- the horizon melted from an orange to a pink which faded into a deep blue, liteing the valley with a crisp light with the star filled sky still hanging overhead. It was magnificent.

After waking up, having breakfast and returning to the town by 4x4. We explored the ancient site of the Oracle of Amun nearby Siwa. This is where Alexander travelled during his stay in Egypt to consult the oracle and hear a prophecy. Who knows what he must have heard but he went on to conquer much of the known Eastern world- up to the edges of India. Standing up there looking over Siwa was quite an experience.

Later that day we caught a bus back to Marsa Matrouh and from there chartered a micro bus back to Cairo, which took significantly less time than our trip to Siwa took.