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Monday 5 December 2011

Luxor December 2011

What is it like in Luxor right now?  Is it safe to come? I've got a week off at Christmas and I see some cheap flights to Luxor - should I come? Questions you may be asking yourself after seeing scenes from Tahrir on your televisions lately. I decided to ask two British women living in Luxor for their thoughts.


Oldbag (OBC):  Jane and Ayisha, you are two British women living in Luxor.  Can I ask you both a few questions about what life is like there at the moment and what reception visitors might expect?

Jane (J): Hi I am Jane Akshar living on the West Bank of Luxor in the village next to the ferry. Life is totally normal at the moment, I rent apartments to tourists and I have three sets of guests and they are enjoying the sites and the sun. They have been out of Luxor as well as locally. The locals are almost desperate in their welcome to these rare visitors.


Ayisha (A):It’s quieter than normal for this time of year, visitors would be most welcomed and well taken care of.


OBC: How safe is it in Luxor for tourists at the moment?

J: I would say that it safe for normal tourist activity. I wouldn’t recommend going down a back street at 2am wearing a lot of jewellery and wads of cash. Take the normal sensible precautions you would anywhere. I feel perfectly safe day and night and my advice to my guests has not changed.

A: very safe, probably safer than most cities the tourist would be coming from.

Interview with a Finnish tourist visiting Luxor recently

OBC: What does the British Embassy recommend?

J: It is reassuring that the British Embassy is also saying there are no travel restrictions. It tells people to avoid demonstrations, I think that is its standard advice in any country.

A: The British Embassy currently have no travel restrictions to Egypt but do recommend staying away from demonstrations in Tahrir Square, almost 350 miles away from Luxor.

OBC: How far away from Cairo is Luxor? Do protests in Tahrir have an impact at all?

J: Cairo is as far away from Luxor as Paris from London, a 50 minute plane ride. Yes the protests in Tahrir have a huge impact in decimating our tourism, people think that the violence they see on TV is happening here and nothing could be further from the truth.

A: Almost 350 miles I think, 50 mins by plane, 10 hours by train, it’s a long way away!

OBC: You live on different sides of the Nile, so first off, just tell me a little bit about your experience of the impact the revolution has had in your views.

J: Here on the West Bank there is no real impact at all apart from the lack of business for the locals. They are also keen to vote in their first elections and have a say in the future of the country.

A: Increased respect for Egyptians that they now demand their voice peacefully and wont back down. Here in Luxor people are still lovely, friendly etc perhaps even more so. During the revolution I went a walk round when most expats were staying in, the atmosphere was amazing, everyone smiled at me, even the women! I was even thanked for being here and not leaving.


OBC: Tourism has obviously suffered in the last few months, how much of that do you think is down to the revolution and how much to the general global economic crisis?

J: Both, fewer people are coming on holiday, they have less money and the moment there is a news story about Egypt they decide to go elsewhere. My tourism business has survived on personal recommendations, returning guests and archaeologists. I have had hardly any new business for a year. This Christmas is my first with no bookings at all, in previous years we have had 60-70 people staying and done a big party. Obviously this means for my staff as well a huge reduction in their money and tips.

A: People don’t have as much money as they have had due to economics but I think a large part of the lack of tourists now is down to what they are seeing in their media, they think all Egypt is like Tahrir so if they are holidaying at this time of year they may choose some other country to feel safer.

OBC: What kind of impact has the drop in tourism had on the town?

J: Huge, people here saving money in the winter for the quiet summer and the revolution happened right in the middle of the high season. Nobody is actually starving but consumption of meat has plummeted, they are living on ful and bread. Medicines and medical treatment has been hit. Also big business men used to support charities and they cannot do these so orphanages etc are not funded. Supermarkets and pharmacies are allowing people to buy on credit but realistically they are at the end of their resources.

A: Pretty devastating, I’ve seen hotels close, shops closed, skeleton staff and those staff that are kept on are on reduced salary, when it wasn’t great to start with! No one starves here as what little they do have they will share, they’re great in that way. There are lots of restaurants and shops unable to pay rent though and things we take for granted back in UK, like medical care, is all paid for here, so there are many going without much needed treatments.

OBC: I know when I went to Luxor, Valley of the Kings and Hatsepshut's temple were very busy - what's it like there at the moment?

J: Well funnily enough it is a perfect time to visit the sites, normally the crowds are huge and you have to queue, at the moment you can get wonderful photos of empty sites and se everything in peace, good for the tourists not so good for the locals.

A: All fairly quiet apart from the Hurghada day trippers and the odd tourist.

Hatsepshut's temple from hot air balloon

OBC: Would you say now would be a brilliant time to visit the sites without all the crowds?

J: Yes.

A: Fantastic time to visit! Freedom to take a leisurely walk around the temples without the crowds which can spoil it a bit.


OBC: Have either of you felt any personal concern about your safety since the revolution?

J: None what so ever, and I have not worried for my guests either. During the January revolution I had to go to the dentist and got caught up in a demo. Totally peaceful and I videoed it.

A: Not at all, feel safer here than back home in UK, always have. I often go out and shop after dark, never felt unsafe of afraid.

OBC: What kind of reception are tourists likely to get at the moment?

J: Thank you for coming, we need you!

A: A welcome with open arms!

Mohammed's very safe taxi

OBC: Is it safe for families to visit?

J: Yes, Egyptians love children!

A: Absolutely! All Egyptians love kids, again refer to back in UK your kids are much safer here!

OBC: Some visitors have complained about hassle, what's the current situation with that?

J: Same as normal, they seem to know who they can get away with it and who is streetwise and brushes them off. Try a little bit of Arabic: "Fil mish mish" it means not a snowballs chance in hell, actual translation "when the apricots come" and when you say that they laugh and realise you are in the know

A: It’s Luxor! There was hassle before the revolution, there is hassle now, there will be hassle when there is a new government, they just love to ‘barter’ a bit, it’s all about the banter mostly. Generally if you’re polite they will leave you alone, "mafish filous" ("There's no money") normally works, or "shukran" ("Thank you").


OBC: Jane has self-catering flats to let to visitors on both sides of the Nile, and I've personally stayed in one, here is a link to her site:

http://flatsinluxor.co.uk/

A few photos of Jane's flats.


Jane do you have any other recommendations?

J: There are some good recommendations on Trip Advisor and also check the hotels on the West Bank for not very much more you can get a really good quality hotel with a swimming pool.  Also try self catering apartments like mine!

OBC: For backpackers, I have personally stayed in the Bob Marley Hostel (formerly known as Hotel Sherif and still appears in some older guidebooks under that name) which is clean and friendly.  Do you have any other recommendations for backpackers?

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/egypt/luxor/48350/

Bob Marley Hostel
A twin room in the Bob Marley
A: Little Garden is nice, clean, cheap, friendly and great roof terrace. Boomerang again clean, cheap, friendly, not sure if they have a roof terrace.

OBC: If someone were going to come for a week's visit over the Christmas period, what would you recommend they should make a point of doing?

J: Everything, I am nutty about Egyptology so even after living here 8 years and coming here 32 years I still can’t get enough of the sites. I think the nobles tombs are much neglected and especially good for children and I love the Ramasseum. Also quad bikes, camel rides, Nile sailing we have it all!

A: Don’t stay in the hotel, get out and see for yourself. Visit the usual, Karnak and Luxor Temples on the East Bank, Medinet Habu is my favourite on the West Bank with chilling after at Happy Habu, which is not the tourist one opposite Habu, but further down to your right as you come out the temple, lovely place! There is also camel, donkey, horse riding, quad biking, felucca sail, winter is the BEST time for most fantastic sunsets, stunning, bring a camera! For the Christmas dinner, most hotels and restaurants do the dinner, with all the trimmings and trees and lights, yes we do Christmas here! My son and family are coming this year for Christmas and New Year, they are so excited and so am I!

OBC: Thank you both for your time!

Links:

http://www.come-back-to-egypt.com

Cheap flights available from here:
http://www.charterflights.co.uk/

NewsfromLuxor youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NewsfromLuxor?feature=watch





Thursday 24 November 2011

Just in case - contingency plan - useful links

Everyone's aware of the situation in Tahrir and other cities around Egypt right now.  The protests are geographically confined to quite small areas at present, and life is pretty normal in most other areas, albeit somewhat economically depressed.

Elections are due to start on Monday and over the next 3 Mondays.  The powers that be are pretty adamant they are going ahead.  In any case, there is a possibility that things might become a little heated.

Some of the big British companies (and I assume other nationalities) have offered their employees 'early Christmas holidays' and have done or are flying them out in the next few days.

The British Embassy sent round a document tonight as an email attachment on being prepared, I copy the text at the bottom of this post.  But first some links and other notes:

USEFUL LINKS

British Citizens LOCATE service:  https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/

American Citizens Smart Traveler service: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/

British Embassy in Egypt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ukinegypt

US Embassy in Egypt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USEmbassyCairo

If there are similar services for other countries, please feel free to post relevant links in comments (comments are moderated before publishing to avoid spam).

PETS

I would also ask if you have pets to please try and make adequate arrangements for their care in the event that you have to leave.  There were some tragic pet tales during Revo 1.0  where pets were abandoned by owners or left locked in apartments with no food or water.  Unfortunately, I have to advise that the British authorities (DEFRA) were utterly intransigent on the matter of pets having to fly cargo (I phoned them on behalf of others) - which takes pre-arrangement and would be impossible in an airlift. They were not even prepared to contemplate people taking their pets on planes and having them received by quarantine officials and taken straight to quarantine even though (I believe) you can take pets into the UK with no vaccinations providing that they do go straight to quarantine under usual regulations.  Utter jobsworths in my opinion.  

Quarantine regulations for the UK are changing on January 1st BUT until then, pets coming in from Egypt are still technically required to serve 6 months quarantine (though there is some suggestion that for pets already in quarantine on January 1st who satisfy some conditions, this may be relaxed).  Even when regs change, your pets are STILL REQUIRED to have had various paperwork and treatments 6 months before entering the country.  If you want to take your pets, please get them prepared in advance 'just in case' and you can take them hand to several European countries if that suits you better eg Italy, Spain, Germany - I think - check with the airlines for up to date information. You can take pets in on the Eurotunnel but NOT EUROSTAR from Europe so long as the paperwork is in order.

HOW DID THE DIFFERENT EMBASSIES / EMPLOYERS  PERFORM IN REVO 1.0?

See this article by One Fleeting Glimpse for her round up! 


After reading her report, you will realize the truth that the majority of Embassies are NOT THERE for their citizens but to represent the country's interests. Not the same thing!

See this forum of International teachers for how different employing schools performed:


If anyone has any links to other information about how different employers performed (that is in the public arena), please post in the comments! No libellous posts please!


British Embassy Cairo

Contingency planning tips for businesses and organisations

It is better to be proactive in the event of the security situation should deteriorate.   Here is a list of possible tasks you can prepare in advance:

·         Ensure yours and your family’s  passport is current.   If your immediate family members are not British nationals ensure that they have valid and up to date travel documents for the country of their nationality. During a crisis, UK passport or visa services may be extremely limited, which could make leaving with your non-British national family members more complicated.
·         Firstly register with us on Locate and keep your registration up to date. Ensure you include all your contact details including a landline. Those registered with Locate at the moment are receiving prompt and regular email updates. 
·         Stock up on food and water sufficient to last for at least one week, in the event that you are unable to leave your home.
·         Ensure that all vehicle and domestic generator fuel supplies are as full as possible.
·         Check serviceability of vehicles and generators.
·         Check serviceability of communications equipment.
·         Have a reserve of funds at your office and/or home
·         Confirm that you have sufficient medical supplies.
·         Know who your warden is and check means of communication with them and British Embassy.
·         Prepare small holdall of:
a)      Passports
b)      Essential papers: e.g. birth/marriage certificates, chequebook, title deeds, etc
c)       Vaccination certificates
d)      Valuables
e)      Clothes and cash to cover a period of crisis away from home.

·         Read and follow our travel advice and information.  You should be aware that your insurance may no longer be valid if you do not follow our travel advice.
·         If you are here as a tourist, take out adequate travel insurance.  Expats should assess and consider the risks against any personal or corporate insurance policies.
·         If you are with a company or an organisation, find out what their contingency plans are, and what they will provide for you.
·         Be prepared to leave the country at the earliest opportunity, in line with our travel advice. This may be complex if you are a permanent resident with family or business interests in the country. However, if you do not, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to assist you to leave the country at a later stage.
·         Monitor the media for updates and be alert to rapid developments at all times.
·         Monitor the Embassy website (http://ukinegypt.fco.gov.uk )and Embassy Facebook site.  We will keep in touch with you via the wardens network, LOCATE, UKinEgypt website, via the British Business Group and the UKinEgypt  Facebook site.
·         If you manage a business or organisation ensure you have the contact details for your staff and that you set up a telephone tree to cascade information.



Wednesday 16 November 2011

Taking animals FROM Egypt back to UK - new rules

Taking pets FROM Egypt TO the UK


Regulations are changing from 1st January 2012


Egypt is a non-approved country and so until that date, pets are required to spend 6 months in quarantine on entering the UK.


From 1st January 2012, this is changing, but you must make sure you follow all the rules exactly.


http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/06/30/pb13582-bringing-pets-into-uk/


If your pet had a pet passport before coming to Egypt, then it might be possible to avoid the 3 month time limits.


It is not stated in the document, but I believe that it is still the case that pets flying in to the UK MUST go cargo.



Tuesday 15 November 2011

Visit to Dreamland Ecostation - 29th October 2011


We gathered outside Bahgat Stores area in the carpark just before Dreampark.

First, we were shown the dramatic improvements made over the past 12 months to the formal beds in the area by Monsieur C's team.






Techniques such as mulching and using small pebbles or gravel to help retain water and reduce the demand for watering have been introduced which can only be of benefit in this region, both in terms of available resource and financially.

We then filled all available cars and moved to the composting area. This was amazing. The compost heaps range in long lines – maybe 50m or more in length – and are around 1m high. The major component is vegetation from the gardens of Dreamland residential area, almost all of which is now being brought to the ecostation for processing. Before the team were awarded the contract, the waste was taken away by contractors and simply burned.




There have been some learning curves to be gone through about the type of rubbish which can be used in the station and the message is gradually getting through that plastic and other types of non-organic and non-plant matter cannot be used.

At the moment, the work is all done by hand.



The team. They said they were happy to be working on the station and believed they were doing something important.

The heaps are turned manually.



They are moved a metre or so to the side, thereby aerating the compost helping it to decompose faster.



At present, using manual labour only, it takes around 6 months to produce suitable compost. With a machine, the compost could be turned more frequently and the time could be reduced to 3 months.

The only machine at present is a silage machine. Silage machines chop up the plant material into small pieces. The machine proved a great hit with the children, but it should be pointed out that these machines can be lethal – several adults in the UK have met a grisly end in these sorts of machines - and children should absolutely NOT be left alone unsupervised with one.




We were encouraged to thrust our hands deep into the heaps just to feel the heat generated as nature does her work.




To make things more interesting for the children, a competition to find as many different types of insect as they could was held.




We then stepped over to the golf course for a break. We hadn’t thought of bringing a picnic, but it would have been a great spot!




Some bird watching took place with the children challenged to identify five different varieties. Some papier mache bird boxes were available. Apparently, bird boxes can only take one family before they need to be specially cleaned out.



After the break, we went back to the compost area and checked out the plant beds. Monsieur C. introduced the children to the joys of gardening and they seemed to enjoy it.






Bags of fresh compost were handed out to those who wanted them and the visit drew to a close.
More photos of the day, particularly of the birds and insects seen, can be found on the Egypt Lifescape Blog

This was a very interesting visit. The operation is currently bootstrapping, and the majority of the costs are labour (and of course occupation cost of the land - I believe the owners of the Dream estate don't charge for the use but I may be wrong).

The concept would be very simple to extend to any of the new developments springing up all around Cairo and in other parts of Egypt.

At present, the Dreamland Ecostation is at full capacity for a manual operation and to be able to take in more organic matter and drive up the rate of compost production, some machinery will be needed.

Education into the techniques used to propagate this idea is also necessary.



Photos watermarked using :  Batch Photo Watermarker

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Oldbag of Siwa - Visit to Siwa Oasis, October 2011


I recently spent 5 days in Siwa and recorded some notes and observations and musical interludes. I'm not intending to cover in any detail information you can get yourself from guidebooks or the internet, mainly just personal impressions.

Siwa is an oasis in the Western Desert, around 550km as the crow flies from Cairo, 50km from the Libyan border.  It is a lovely place for a restful quiet holiday.  We weren't staying in the town itself, but were there until 11pm ish most evenings. It is pretty conservative and I didn't see any obvious signs of any kind of 'nightlife'.  Do please read the Important notes towards the bottom of this post.

Siwa at dusk

Essential equipment:

torch - I highly recommend this tiny windup LED torch from Maplins. No batteries necessary.
handsanitizer
something warm to wear
women - you should cover your upper arms, shoulders, cleavage.

Monday 17/10 - depart Cairo travel overnight to Siwa

I took the West  Delta nightbus from Cairo Turgoman (Cairo Gateway) bus station.  I have described this bus station elsewhere.  I will also add that there is now, as I write, a  large supermarket upstairs where you can stock up on supplies, plastic cutlery and so forth.

There is also an office downstairs in the departures area where you can leave your bags for 5LE, great as I arrived 2.5 hours early having allowed plenty of  time to travel from my home at rush hour.  There is a toilet at ground level (first floor for Americans) which costs 1LE and is reasonable in cleanliness terms.

I did hum and hah about whether I should wear a hijab to travel or not, but didn't, though I do have a 'pull on' which can be worn as a neckerchief and  pulled on quickly should I feel the need.

The bus was due to leave at 7.45pm but actually departed just after 8pm.  My experience of the cross-country buses is that they are normally very very  punctual, so don't be late!

The bus was around half full and there were three women including me.  Of the two Egyptian women - one wore hijab and the other was uncovered.  Apart from one or  two mildly curious glances, I experienced nothing untoward or hassly while waiting for the bus or on the whole journey and people were very helpful - as I usually find.

We made a couple of pick-up stops in Cairo, I think one was at Tahrir bus station and the other on Zamalek.  Tickets were checked by an inspector at the  second stop. As I joked to my Facebook friends, the one thing that never stopped during or after the revolution was bus ticket inspections!

We headed out of Cairo on the Alex. Desert Road.  The lights were dimmed fairly soon after we left Cairo and everyone else was spark out so it would have  been very difficult to read.  Thank goodness for my relatively newly acquired internet-friendly woodwork (as opposed to smart) phone so was able to  bore  entertain my friends senseless with a minute by minute account of my 10 hour journey!

Strangely, our journey was not accompanied by any loud slapstick Arabic movies!  However, we did have a constant background of classical Arabic music (which I quite like) followed by Koran recitations from around 4am.  The volume wasn't too obtrusive though, and I'm all for anything that keeps the driver awake!

Our first stop was Marsa Matrouh just before 2am and we had a 30 minute rest break. (On the return journey we also had a short rest break between MM and  Cairo). The other two women and most of the rest of the passengers disembarked there, so I was the only female and foreigner at MM bus station!  Again, a few curious glances but nothing remotely harassing. There is a cafe area with tables both inside and out and a couple of stalls selling cold drinks,  snacks etc..

I was directed to a women's toilet that was completely gross - possibly luckily there was no light but for the tiny LED torch I carried with me (and which  proved invaluable on a number of occasions during my trip!)  - note that on my return journey, I discovered a much more user-friendly toilet with a 25 pst  fixed entrance fee.

Musical interlude:  Maria Muldaur - Midnight at the Oasis - Youtube

We left Marsa Matrouh and headed straight for Siwa, another 3.5 hours ahead. Only about 5 passengers remained on the bus for this last leg of the journey.  We  didn't stop at all on the way there, though on the return journey, we did stop at the rest house between Siwa and MM.

Just before Siwa, we passed through an army checkpoint and all IDs were checked.  This is completely normal in Egypt and anyone travelling will be used  to it.

Siwa bus station at dawn
We arrived just as dawn was breaking, shortly before 6am.  A few 'taxi-motorbikes' (these are carts drawn by motorbikes) were waiting for passengers, but I didn't know where I was going! My friends had arrived from Alexandria the day before and had texted overnight to say they had arranged for a taxi-cart to meet me, and this turned up after a few  minutes - just after a second bus, probably from Alexandria, arrived.

Road out to my accommodation, just after dawn.

Musical interlude:  Cat Stevens - Morning has Broken

We were staying 3km out of town in a private home so I am not able to share details of the accommodation with you (but it was very nice!) and the ride out  there was chilly in the open cart!  Fortunately, I had the pull-on hijab round my neck to pull up over my head and also I had brought with me for the journey  a British Airways blanket liberated from a plane by a friend a couple of years earlier and left in my flat.

I arrived at the house and one of my friends let me in and showed me my room where I promptly went to bed and slept for a couple of hours.

Tuesday 18/10 - cycle to Siwa, cabaret by moi, Cleopatras spring, taxi incident

After dosing up on caffeine and abluting, we set off for Siwa.  My friends had arranged bicycles, but, lack-a-day, I hadn't had a bike as a child (deprived - sob!)  other than for around 3 months aged 13 and didn't possess the necessary skills.  I proceeded to perform the afternoon cabaret for Siwa by skidding in sand  and falling off the bike deeply grazing my hand, skinning my knee and bashing my leg (which a couple of days later came up into a fetching black and blue bruise) to the laughter of a quantity of small boys.

Musical Interlude: The Mixtures - Pushbike Song - YouTube

I was helped to my feet by various people.  Fortunately, I had thought to pack some fingerless gloves (woollen not lacy - I was into NWOBHM not New Romantic) and they were shoved into my backpack, so after cleaning the cut with  sanitized handwash which I usually carry around with me, I was able to wear those to protect my grazed hands while we continued to ride into town. (Yes,  you're right.  I was a Girl Guide you know, dib dib dib!).

When we reached the town, we went to one of the numerous bicycle repair shops to get a few tweaks made to each bike.  I left my bike there because there  was no way I felt able to ride it further. I felt bruised and battered in various areas of my body.  Put it this way, if you are planning to cycle on holiday and  haven't ridden since you were a child, then DO get some practice in before you go.

Contrary to what it says in one of the guide books, Siwan women can be seen!  Most of the time they can be seen in small groups riding on the ubiquitous  donkey carts.  Almost all of them wear the same blue and silver-patterned veils with a black full-face (not even eyes showing) face covering.  I did see just a  couple with the blue and silver veils with uncovered faces, and a handful of women wearing black abayas and niqabs (with eyes showing).  The women  wearing 'normal' hijab seemed to be mainly Egyptian tourists from Cairo or Alexandria.

Siwan women on a donkey cart wearing the veils.  Photo by: Jonathan  E Tyrrell

After a tea, we walked out along the road to the Temple of the Oracle which we visited later in the week and then on to Cleopatra Springs. Here, there was  a big cold pool with one boy diving and swimming.  We didn't partake of the opportunity!

The cafe at Cleopatra springs. The photo does not do it justice. It's very pleasant.
There is a nice cafe there with a big pool table.  We stayed there a while and had an early evening meal of falafels, omlettes, soup and so on. The lemon juice and banana juice were lovely.  There was an amusing mix up  when I asked for 'banana juice' and the guy thought I had asked for 'bi nana' (ie lemon juice with nana - mint!).  Luckily one of my companions was happy to  have a second lemon juice while I got the banana juice.  There is also a small handicraft shop there.  I don't know if the cafe is open at night, but I think it  would make a really nice place to while away an evening if you were travelling in vehicles.

Just before sunset, we commenced our walk back to the town and onward back to our lodgings.

Two pigeon loft towers Notice the bike in the foreground to give an idea of size.  These towers (I found out a few days ago, coincidentally!) are provided for pigeons to roost mainly to collect pigeon guano to use as fertilizer.
We had hoped that we might catch the annual 'forgiveness' festival but it was cancelled this year, nothing to do with the revolution, I did get an explanation off someone but I didn't entirely follow it!


Beware the Judderman my dear, when the moon is fat.. (with apologies to the makers of Metz drink)
Walking back from Cleopatra Springs in the dark, all a bit 'Narnian'.
We collected my bike and I attempted to start riding it but  knew that there was no way I was going to make it in the dark.  At that point, our self-appointed guardian showed up on his motorbike and said he would  take my bicycle back on his motorbike and arranged a taxi for me.

There follows the only scarey incident I have had in Egypt (well apart from a bus crash in Haram Street a couple of months back but no bones were broken).  People who know me know that I suffer very little - practically zero - sexual harassment in this country.  I don't know why that is, but I have had very very few incidents and none of them scarey.  Until this evening.   The taxi had about 8 army guys on top and he was driving them out to their camp which was the same side of town as our accommodation. I never ever normally sit in the front of a taxi  (I don't do it in the UK, why would I here?) only if I am with other people.  However, this was a 2-seater truck and the back was full of military, so I sat next to the driver, there being no other place.

He drove to the  camp and they got off.  On the way, we were chatting amicably about Egypt, the revolution and so on and he had some back history working at one of the big factories conducting strikes back around 2008 which may have been precursors to the revolution.

Then after the soldiers had got off, he started asking  my age and saying he thought I was only 21 and jokey stuff like that.  Then he patted my knee (and let me be clear, that is as far as anything physical got) and afterwards I thought I guess I should have said "haram" (forbidden) but I tried to ignore it.  The surrounding countryside was pitch black, deserted, and I had no idea where I was.  I couldn't just get out and get another taxi because there was no one for miles!.

 Then he started making comments about 'six'  and pushing his two forefingers together which is a sign used over here to indicate sex act and saying we would be good together.  I responded by saying  "mish fahma" (don't understand) though I did very well understand.

I was getting quite scared because he was a big bloke and obviously knew where he was while I  hadn't a clue and I was locked in his truck. Fortunately, self-appointed guardian (SAG) suddenly loomed out of the gloom on his motorbike and it turned out we were very near the accommodation.  Anyway,  that was a relief.  I had to wait with SAG outside (luckily there was some outside lighting!) until my compadres returned on  their bikes with the key.

When they returned, I told them what had happened.  I was persuaded to tell SAG who promptly called the man's boss and told  him what had happened.  A lot of heated discussions followed and to cut a long story short, the man was forced to return and apologize to me (while  insisting it was a misunderstanding - claims he was saying 'sixty' - but it was me demonstrating the finger gesture which convinced them) and he was fined 10 days pay.

They left the  place we were lodging and some very heated arguments followed on the night air.  It may be a rougher justice was administered out of earshot - not  unknown here.  It turned out the taxi driver was a friend of our SAG and he was mortified and embarrassed by it as he felt he had lost face by not protecting us enough.  Anyway, the incident was over and dealt  with.  Do please read the Important notes towards the bottom of this post.

Wednesday 19/10 - walk into Siwa, gabal mawti, tea in a shop.

Due to my inability to ride a bike, my companions gracefully agreed to walk (pushing their bikes) alongside me into town.  I took copious notes of the exact route so I could find my way back!

En route, we passed the Gabal  Mawti (mountain of the dead) and though it wasn't originally in our itinerary for the afternoon, we decided to explore. The mound holds many remains of  tombs from 26th Dynasty/Ptolemaic/Greek and Roman times and these were used as hide-outs during WWII. What we took to be the ticket booth was  unmanned so we clambered around the place.

Gabel Mawti (Mountain of the Dead)

Gabel Mawti - tomb entrances

At some point in the proceedings we were found by two ticket collectors and handed over the requisite  funds (currently 25LE for regular tourist and 15LE for student) in exchange for a pretty ticket.

After doing so, we were granted entrance to the padlocked tomb No. 1. One visitor at a time  and absolutely no photos with or without flash.  This tomb from the 3rd Century BCE contains paintings of Nut on the ceiling and other paintings.  Apparently  there is also a tomb with mummies in it from 1500BCE, but we didn't know at the time and weren't offered an opportunity to visit, so whether it is still open to  the public I don't know. That said, it was late afternoon when we arrived but according to the guide books, it's only open 7am - 2pm.

After leaving the mountain, we continued into town and visited some of the gift shops.  One of my friends had spent some time in Siwa previously so was  welcomed as an old friend.  We took tea in one of the shops with the owner before moving on to Abdu's Cafe, our evening meal base for the week.

My friends had their bikes to ride back, but after the previous night's occurrence, I decided to walk back rather than take a taxi and decided to pull on the hijab as it was out into the countryside. The walk took me around 50 minutes and the lighting ran out for the last 10 minutes or so and it was absolutely pitch black.  If I hadn't had the torch, I would have had to wait where the lighting ran out for the others to come along on their bikes.  We had grossly overestimated how long it would take me to walk back (because we had lost track of time on the inward journey and visited Gabal Mawti on the way) so they were around 30 minutes behind.

I had to refer to my notes once where the path was confusing, and luckily at a crucial turn a lorry had come along so I'd stood out of the way and seen the turn, otherwise I would have missed it completely!

Still, our SAG was roaming around on his motorbike checking up on our whereabouts and having gone right past me, unrecognized in my hijab, he realized that I must be one of 'his' girls and confirmed I was going the right way and around 10 minutes from home so if I had got lost, he would probably have found me and at least I know I can ride pillion if I have to!

Thursday 20/10 - morning tour to some sites, sunset at Fatnas, Gadaffi's death

In the morning we took a half day tour to three sites on the eastern side of Siwa: springs at Abu Shuruf and dangled our feet into the water for a while.

Abu Sharaf springs.  You can swim here, there is a small curtained off changing area, though if I were you, I would 'go Islamic' in your choice of bathing costumes! We didn't swim but a bunch of guys turned up and all jumped in.

Abu Sharaf springs - fish in the water.

Afterwards, we went on to the abandoned village of Az-Zeitun.  The mud-brick buildings are crumbling away and we spent some time imagining what it  must have been like to live out there.  Our driver said the village had been abandoned for many years - it had been abandoned even when he was a child -  and he thought it was because the work of the villagers was farming dates and olives, and as production had become more industrialized, the villagers  moved to where the larger scale farms were.

Az Zeitun - abandoned village
Az-Zeitun abandoned village - see the crumbled mud-brick buildings
Az-Zeitun abandoned village - the remains of a roof frame

Lastly, a quick 'hello' to the village of Ain Safi where our driver introduced us briefly to some bedouin who lived  there.  According to the guide book, this is the last human habitation for hundreds of km south.

As the mid-day heat peaked, and having not realised that the tour was only half a day, we took ourselves and our picnics back to our lodgings. Two of us went for a walk along the waterways near where we were staying.

Siwa - waterway near where we were staying.

Siwa - one of the lakes, this one near where we were staying.

During the afternoon, a friend back in Cairo texted me to tell me that it was rumoured Gaddaffi had been killed but with no tv or internet, we couldn't check  out what was going on. We had no electricity for around 12 hours a day - in common with outlying areas, our electricity came from a petrol generator which our SAG hand-filled with jerry cans, so basically it went off during daylight. (Our SAG was sort of a bowab - caretaker- for the place we stayed and lived near it).

Later, our driver from the morning picked us up to take us out to Fatnas Spring, a popular and attractive place to visit to watch the sunset. There were  probably around 20-30 other people there and the atmosphere was quiet and contemplative.  A small cafe served chai and limon.  Quietly excited chatter stilled as sunset approached and we sat on the edge of the  lake watching the sun go down in the distance.  A few of us remained after sundown just gazing quietly out over the lake watching the beautiful colours of  the sky.

Fatnas springs - waiting for sunset

Fatnas springs - the sun begins to set

Fatnas springs - sun setting

Fatnas springs - after sunset: the colours are beautiful and it's so peaceful and meditative. Quite a few people remained and just looked out quietly across the water.
Musical Interlude: Focus - Elspeth of Nottingham

After leaving, we were driven into the town.  We visited a store where there was a television on and watched Gaddaffi being manhandled by his captors.   Later, I had occasion to visit a pharmacy where I watched an ancient tv in shocked silence, along with around 30 other people, as we saw mobile phone  footage of someone shooting Gaddaffi in the head.  It was an Arabic news channel, could have been Egyptian or possibly Libyan, being only 50km from the  border.  I was bemused by reports I saw on Western news on the internet for the next day or so querying how he had died, and suggestions he had been  caught in 'crossfire' when many of us had seen someone who looked exactly like him getting shot in the left temple and killed with a handgun by an unknown hand.
The footage seemed to be playing on a loop and eventually the pharmacist turned over the channel as his little shop was full of people just staring silently at  the screen.

From what I can gather, it seemed to be around another couple of days before the Western media saw this footage.  I find that unbelievable  to be frank.

I went back to Abdu's to meet my friends where we had our evening meal and then we took a ride home.

Friday 21/10 - very lazy day! walked into town for evening, back in a taxi

On Friday, we have a very lazy day back at our lodgings, dipping into the small, cold pool in the grounds.  In the evening, two of us walked back into the  town for our evening meal and took a ride home.

Saturday 22/10 - early bus ticket, Shalit fort, Temple of Oracle, departure back to Cairo

Today was my last day - my companions were staying another couple of days before making a long trek via desert to Luxor - so I had to go into town early to get my bus ticket.  You can't buy a return ticket earlier than the day you are leaving, so I had asked  the taxi driver of the night before to pick me up from the lodgings at 8am.

Just to prove it - there is a public toilet near the bus station - it is 'tardis' style. I didn't check it out so no idea what it's like inside! It can't be worse than the one I was shown to in Shalit Fort which was in a pitch black cubby hole, the entrance door only as high as my waist, and which consisted of nothing but a hole in the floor!
After buying my ticket, I decided to spend some time exploring the Shalit fort as I was not meeting my companions until around 11am.  The fort was  abandoned decades ago, apparently after a particularly bad spell of rain caused the mud bricks to start collapsing.  Previously, most of the town's inhabitants  had occupied the fort.  There are fantastic views from up there.

Shalit Fort

Shalit Fort - see how the buildings are dissolving in the rain.  Who needs CGI effects?

Shalit fort - view across to 'Healing Mountain' - I think this is Gabal Dakrur

Shalit fort - view across to Gabal Mawti

I decided to try and leave by a back route which I eventually came across thanks to a mysterious, white dog who appeared and then disappeared.  By going in his direction, I found a safe path rather than the more difficult route I had thought I would take.  I wandered through some of the streets at the foot of the fort.  In the shade, the streets  were astonishingly cool - just shows that with the right attention to building design you don't need airconditioning!

I took a long, leisurely, circuitous walk back into the town.  Two ladies in niqab (black abayas with eyes showing - quite rare as almost all of the women wear  the blue and silver head covering with a black full-face veil - not even eyes showing)  riding on one of the donkey carts wanted to shake my hand.  They  were friendly but wouldn't let me take their photograph.  One of their sons was insistant that I did though in exchange for 5LE.

This photo cost me 5LE so I hope you appreciate it!

I met up with my friends for lunch and we went over to the Temple of the Oracle.  I took a taxi while they rode their bicycles because I needed to go back to  the lodgings to pack before returning later for evening meal and then to catch the bus back to Cairo so it made sense. If I had walked, it might have got a bit stressful on the time front!

The Temple of the Oracle dates from around 600BCE and may have been built on the site of an earlier temple.  There are both pharonic style and Greco- roman style elements visible in the temple.

Temple of the Oracle (Amun / Zeus)
Temple of the Oracle - gateways

Alexander the Great is believed to have visited and "became a god 'mongst mortal men" (quote from  Musical Interlude: Iron Maiden - Alexander the Great - YouTube - I get my history from quality sources wink) thus demonstrating to the ancient Egyptians that he was a true pharoah.

We had a good  wander around then I left to go and pack.  I returned back to the town later in a taxi and left my bags in the cafe while we had a last visit to Shalit fort to see  the sunset from there over the town.

View across Siwa Oasis from Shalit fort near sunset

Sunset over Siwa Oasis

Street leading up from Siwa to Shalit Fort.  Just after dark, it looks a lot like a stage set here.
I finally left my companions around 715pm and took my one and only donkey cart ride of the trip (I felt sorry for the donkeys hence my reluctance to take a  ride in one any other time, though on the whole the donkeys seemed in better condition and better treated than what I have seen elsewhere in Egypt).  The  bus arrived at 730pm ready for 8pm departure and I found my seat.

The journey back was uneventful though the bus was very full.  The onboard toilet was unspeakably horrific - I had a quick peek in there before leaving and  decided that hell would have to freeze over before I would use it!  Luckily on our journey back, we made 3 rest stops before Cairo, perhaps because of the  state of the toilet!

Musical Interlude: Madness - Night Bus to Cairo - Youtube (sorry couldn't resist)

There were 8 women on the bus, two foreigners including me.  The other was a 19 year old Scandanavian girl.  She was one half of a young Scandanavian couple who had just spent 3 months exploring  various countries in southern Africa - including South Africa, Namibia, even Zimbabwe and a couple of others which I have forgotten - on their own by bus  and backpack - kudos to them - they said nothing bad had happened at all despite all the warnings they had received though they had played safe by not  going out after dark in  most of those countries and were looking forward to doing so in Cairo.  At their request, I scribbled a list of recommended places to try and see in and around Cairo as they were going to be there a week longer than originally anticipated.

As a side note, they had stayed in the Desert Rose hotel in Siwa and said that the one person seemed to be the entire staff was incredibly helpful, nothing was too much trouble.  As they were the only guests at the time, he asked them every day what they wanted to eat and what time they wanted it!

Out of the women on the bus, the 6 Egyptian women included 1 with niqab, 1 with hijab and 4 uncovered. (How do I know they were Egyptian? ID Card check point!)

We arrived back in Cairo around 5am - the bus offered the opportunity to get off at Midan Libnan but I didn't as I had a bag in the boot and didn't get the  impression that the couple of people who did get off were collecting bags, though as the driver had a complete tantrum when the bus finally reached it's destination, because there was a case left in the boot and no one claiming it, maybe they forgot! It probably meant lots of paperwork for the driver hence him throwing his toys out of his pram.

I'm not sure quite where the bus terminated, I think it was the Tahrir bus station.  It wasn't  Turgoman (be advised that on my cross-Egypt bus journeys, the bus returning to Cairo has never terminated there!) and it wasn't the funny little East Delta place round the corner from Ahmed Helmy either.  It was quite foggy and I was too tired to orientate myself precisely.

45 minutes later, I was safely delivered to my home by a taxi to the waiting paws of my loved ones.


Important Notes

Siwa is a VERY conservative place.

Tourist Women; We were told by one guy who works with a lot of tourists that unfortunately, the younger men who don't work with tourists hear tales from the taxi drivers  and those in the tourist sector about what they might 'expect' from foreign women and thus them getting certain 'ideas'.  In at least one case this ended up with an elderly (even more old than Oldbag) woman getting her arm broken.  There are also a couple of warnings in the 2010 Lonely Planet guide which did not appear in my earlier edition so I can only assume these come about as a result of  'incidents' concerning women walking alone in the Palm Garden: Don't do it, it's apparently extremely 'provocative'.  A bit of googling will reveal to you that this area is known for 'goings on'.

Gay men:  Siwa has an appeal to gay men which Siwans find increasingly annoying.  Some sites on the internet tout the location as being a paradise for gay men. This is based on a tradition of same sex marriage which only died out in the early 20th century but which is often referred to on the internet. This was allowed because the fortified, defended nature of the traditional Siwa town required young men of the town to live outside the walls to guard it from marauders, incomers and so on and as they weren't allowed to live inside the town until age 40, same-sex marriage was permitted.  The current male population do not take at all kindly to being propositioned by western  males acting under the misguided belief that attentions will be welcomed, and they may be dealt with 'harshly'.  I got this information directly from Siwan men. If you are a gay man be advised that it is ILLEGAL to practice in Siwa as elsewhere in Egypt and you may find yourself in trouble both with the law and with the locals.

Local women: Most of the Siwan women wear a FULL face cover - including covered eyes.  Almost all wear a pale blue cover with a black face veil.  You can see the  women riding around everywhere on donkey carts usually driven by boys.  I did see just a couple of women without the full-face veil but wearing the blue  cover.  I also saw a few women in black abayas and niqabs (eyes showing). I was also told that apparently there are 'too many women' in Siwa so polygamy is very common.

Tourists: At the time of my visit, there were quite a lot of tourists in town, many Egyptians from Cairo and Alexandria, and also Europeans and Australians. Most seem to have come in  privately hired vehicles so it seems the roads in that area are safe to travel.  Talking to cafe and shop staff, there are very very few British or American tourists at present.

Desert Trips: A 3-day/2-night trip out into the White Desert and surrounding areas in a typical 4WD safarai jeep will cost you around 2500LE plus or minus a few hundred depending exactly what you want to do.  This will be divided between however many of you share the vehicle. I've done a similar trip before from Bahariya Oasis to the south and it's worth the expense.

General notes:

Comparing information from my 2006 Lonely Planet guide, a friend's 2010 Lonely Planet guide, various internet sites and what was actually true on the  ground regarding prices, times of opening, days of opening, accommodation, restaurants, and so on, in my few days experience and chatting to a couple of  people, Siwa seems to be a town in constant flux so don't be surprised if something you plan for can't actual happen or doesn't exist now!  We never found the tourist information office open - early morning, afternoon, or evening.

Bank: There is one bank, next to the police station, with an ATM that works 'most of the time'. This is the ONLY ATM in Siwa.  One of my friends tried to draw money on a Saturday but no joy.   Apparently this is normal on Saturdays.

Water: Much of it is salty so even with boiling, undrinkable.  You need to make sure you have a good supply of bottled water for your stay.

Toiletries/Medicines: Take what you need, don't rely on being able to buy anything other than the most basic supplies that you might need there and it is a VERY long way (385km) to Marsa Matrouh - the nearest 'big' place! 

Hospital: Just the one.  Apparently during the revolution, the Siwans held their one and only protest there demanding 'proper' doctors. Deduce from that what you will.

Internet: There are a couple of internet cafes around.  There's definitely at least one with Skype now following our visit!  Also, my Mobinil mobile phone internet package worked fine too.

Mobile Phones: We found that all three Egyptian providers - Vodafone, Etisalat and Mobinil - worked fine in Siwa.  If you are travelling out into the desert itself for a few days, you may have problems.  I made a trip out to the White Desert a couple of years ago and the only service that worked out there then was Mobinil.  Just be prepared!  Might be worth investing in a mobinil SIM card just in case!

Getting around:

 Siwa is quite a small place so you can walk much of it if you have good shoes.

The taxis are predominantly carts pulled by either donkeys or motorbikes, or you can hire bicycles.  If you haven't ridden since you were a kid - get some  practice in first - it HURTS.  There was one place I saw renting out bikes with bigger saddles which might be better for you if you're not used to riding or are built for comfort more than speed (though having lost a considerable amount of weight, I can vouch that sitting as a thin person is far more painful than as a fat person) - I digress, but alas it was too late for me by the time I discovered it! It was just to the left of the main path up to Shalit fort.

Getting there:

There is no train service, so the only way to reach the oasis is either by private car/bus hire or on the public buses.  

At present, there is just one bus a day (which travels overnight) between Cairo and Siwa and vice versa.  More buses or public service cars travel between  Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh and Siwa.  The Cairo bus stops at Marsa Matrouh.  Cost at present is 70LE one way and I believe it's the same price for  Egyptians and foreigners (unlike buses to other destinations which may have different fares).  I don't think you can buy a return ticket in Cairo and the other  problem at Siwa is you can't currently buy a return ticket until the morning of the day you intend to travel and while I was constantly assured that the bus is  never full, you never know....

I bought the ticket for my return journey in Siwa on the day of travel.  Note you need 3 pieces of ticket - one that says 50LE on it and two additional bits  which say 10LE on to make it up to 70LE.  I asked the man in the office and he said it was because their book of tickets is so old that they are printed up with  50LE instead of the current 70LE price - all 3 portions get checked by the inspector on the bus so be sure to hang on to them all!

My friends travelled on the bus from Alexandria and the journey was only 1 hour shorter than coming from Cairo so unless you want to spend some time in Alexandria, don't think it will be quicker to go there and then to Siwa - getting to Alex will take you a good few hours!

Links about Siwa


Official Siwa site
Siwa wiki
Travels with Sheila - blog posts re Siwa


Photos watermarked using :  Batch Photo Watermarker





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