Party in Paradise: new years adventures in Siwa Pt1

After a long day on the bus, I arrived in Siwa. Siwa: the remotest outpost on the north side of the Sahara, a stone's throw east of the Libyan border. Siwa: an oasis sanctuary where you can forget the chaos and cares of Cairo by feasting on sweet dates and basking in natural hotsprings. Siwa: a magical community with fortress ruins and oracle temples. Siwa: a name that evokes relaxation and excitement with every syllable... Siwa!

The moment I arrived I knew I had found a treasured paradise. All around me were donkey carts trotting down the dusty roads, men chatting around the main market square, and date groves interspersed with pockets of houses. After checking into a nice budget hotel I began scheming about the best ways to spend my days. Talking with other foreigners, I decided to do at least one typical tourist thing - go on a one-day 'safari' into the desert... Translation: do some dune-riding in an off-roader, meandering out to a gorgeous hot-spring and then catching sunset in the desert. I know this is not normally my style, but what we saw and where we went were only accessible by jeep, and it really was worth every penny! Here are some of the best shots from that day:

Our group at the hotel - one Aussie, four Germans, one Dutchman, one Brit (MIA), one Egyptian, and me. Nine of us crammed into one car like sardines...


but we made some of the guys ride on top so it'd be more comfortable... just joking, they wanted the wild ride so they climbed on top for a while...

the desert was absolutely breath-taking...

the camera couldn't do it justice at all!

Here's a cold spring oasis we visited. It was too cold to swim there this time of year but it was a serene place to wander around.

One of the highlights (apart from the beauty all around us!) was the thrill of driving straight down 60 degree slopes... better than any amusement park, and totally safe with our experienced driver.

We didn't see any animals, in this barren land, but I have proof of their existence!

It was so nice to feel the soft sand between your toes!

This is Bir Waheed Oasis... 30 km away from Siwa, and the site of a lovely hotspring!

of course we had to stay for about an hour, drinking tea and soaking, it was bliss!

it was nice to be out during 'golden hour'... the shadows and contours that came alive were incredible!

"the Aussie made me do it"... ok he inspired me... he was getting me to take pictures of him doing all kinds of action poses and it looked like fun, so i had to give it a try... what a great day to be alive!

At one part we saw an ancient ocean floor, ground down into stone as the ages passed...

we could still see some remnants from the ocean... here's a sand dollar! It was astounding to find this hundreds of kilometres from the Mediterranean!

We ended the day with some tea and sandboarding while the sun went down... it was too cloudy for a spectacular sunset, but that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it was an amazing day!