siwa

siwa is the kind of place so good I dont want anyone else to go there. I have never been to a place like it, the people are simple, honest, educated and gorgous. cars are not used much and so most transport is on foot, bike, motorbike or karetta (donkey driven cart) and of course 4by4 for desert trips. the Shali remains of the ancient city are surreal and are lit up in a dramatic way that makes the place a bit of a showpiece. local women are not seem much in public and are mostly covered up, which means the streets are full of siwan men strolling in their galabas and sandals sparking conversations with other locals and visitors. I was surprised to find that most siwans speak atleast one other language besides english, arabic and siwan, which is pretty impressive since most city people in egypt can only speak one language besides arabic. nature in siwa is raw, and untouched. they grow everything they need and they maintain their farms in traditional clean ways with non of this crap the US sends to egyptian farmers these days.

on the first morning after my hash and arak night, saima, nagine and I rented bikes and went around the town and to nearby sites such as the amun temple and the alexander tomb and the cleopatra spring pool. siwa is a hidden secret from most egyptians which is really good for me. but many europeans have homes and gardens here where they spend only days or a couple of months out of the year. I have seen in siwa some of the best contemporary vernacularish architecture in egypt. there was this french guy at the hotel resturant speaking with this puertorican woman and they had their own gorgous siwan guide (abdellah), after they left I asked their guide about the french guy who turned out to be the top guy at jean-paul gutier who comes here every 4-6 weeks to chill out and hang out with the locals!

there is also the eco-lodge, a hot hot secret built at the foot of a picturesque mountain on lake siwa, entirely built of palms and salt instead of glass, with no electricity and only candle light. its very exclusive and very organic. a night here costs $400 which includes horse riding, meals, drinks and some other secrets.. its pretty much a shag pad.

that afternoon the three of us joined an overnight safari excursion with two canadians, two french, two americans and another strange woman who looked like oliveoil from popeye. our guide mohamed was very cute, spoke 5 languages, is able to cook a full meal in the desert, belly dances very well and is only 22. then we had two drivers one of who I became friendly with later that night.

we started with a stop at a cold water spring in the middle of the desert after stopping to see the salt formation on lake siwa then we headed for the heart of the great sand sea. riding up and down the sand dunes some reaching over 60 meters was pretty amazing. we stopped a few times at various sites to roll down the dunes or pick up sea shells from a dried up ancient sea. at one point I sat on top of the jeep which was the best rush I have ever experienced. we finally went to sweet spot to watch the sunset and set up camp. the desert is one of the most beautiful places Ive seen, it was heaven with a cool breeze starting to roll with everysecond as the sun goes away. mohamed started to cook dinner using palm tree wood for fire, he cooked us rise, potatoes and veggies and some amazing grilled chicken. after the meal Osman the driver and I had been speaking about things.. I really liked him, it was a very honest and transparant conversation with topics ranging from life in siwa, to drinking arak and its effects with fucking to the types of people he encounters with his job. he also made me realize that I am not normal, he said that him and mohamed never met someone like me who acts like the forigners yet they know I am egyptian. he said that egyptians who come to siwa are full of themselves, misrable, iffy, elitists and are unwilling to really let go and enjoy themselves, rather he thinks they come because they can say "Ive been to siwa" so its a status thing or something. I was so happy to hear the nice things he said about me but I realized how I am really two different things that cant always be one. sometimes people here done know if they can respond to me as an egyptian or as an american which is very frustrating for me. I want to just be egyptian here but because of burecratic bullshit, the fact that I have a US passport and no Egyptian ID makes many people whome I want to be intimate with feel the need to be careful. I cant explain more.

we drank shots of arak, the traditional liquor and started smoking hash out of the Goza (bong made with a jar and a bamboo stick). I was so happy to see saima willing to take a taste of the hash, and the french couple smoked and drank with us too but the two canadians and two americans stayed on the otherside watching. it was great. the drum came out and we began to sing clap and dance. the night started to end and people started to sleep. I slept next to Osman the driver whose head was on my lap and we shared a cover. I really liked him, he was just a nice authentic human being with nothing to hide and no shame. too bad he had to take his wife and family to Matrouh the next morning to start their summer vacation.