Burning Rubber to Siwa

  Siwa, Egypt
June 06, 2013Bill and I slept another 10 hours last night and are starting to feel much better. Bill was able to eat a small breakfast and I just had some cereal with yogurt. The thought, smell and taste of food is still very unappealing for me. You don't hear me say that very often!
 
We departed from the hotel with Mohammed and Hanny around 8:30 am. They were both under the weather too and slept a lot as well. 
 
There are many compounds or villages outside of Alexandria along the Mediterranean that are summer homes for people to rent or own. Bill noticed that construction has been stopped. Hanny said that since the revolution the cost of these homes has gone up and so construction has halted. 
 
During the middle of the morning we stopped at a war museum, El Alamein Camels don't get Flat Tires. A critical victory for the allied armies took place here during WWII. Many Australian, New Zealand, British and French lives were lost there (a few American and Canadians too). The memorial was really beautiful and a great tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in Egypt during the war. 
 
We also stopped at the war museum nearby. Two young men talked about the battles that took place from 1942 - 1943. Inside the rest of the museum had uniforms, weapons and stories of the battles. Outside there were armoured vehicles used during the battles. 
 
We took a break from 2:00 - 3:00 and had some lunch. There was a bit of a language barrier, but we ended up with rice, grilled chicken, pita, water and Coke. Bill's appetite is returning, mine is not quite there yet. I am still happier to see a toilet than food. :-(
 
When we were 30 minutes out of town and moving away from the water, it began to look like the desert. There was very short shrubs and we saw a heard of camels El Alamein Memorials. I can't wait to see a baby camel up close!

About an hour after lunch there was almost zero plant life along the road. 
 
When we were about 150 km from Siwa we heard a bang and he van started swaying. Mohammed had the vehicle under control and stopped very quickly. They changed the tire and we back enroute very quickly. It gave Bill and I the chance to explore a bit. We found many bleached and deserted snail shells. It also gave me the opportunity to use the outdoor facilities. 
 
50 km's from Siwa and we had another blown tire and our only spare is currently in use. Again we stopped safely and waited for a car to fetch us from Siwa. During our time stooped on the side of the road truck driver with a young boy stopped and a van full of travellers. 
 
I wanted to go and visit the nearby heard of camels, but Bill was too chicken. So he wandered near the van and I stayed inside and read my book Flat Tire #1. 

Our hero/guide Khaled rescued us and brought us to the hotel in Siwa. He and Hanny were going back with a repaired tire to collect Mohammed.

Our room is so cool. It is made of mud walls and wooden floors. I think it will be very cozy to sleep here tonight. Our dinner was fantastic and I ate as much as I could. We had salad, tahini with tomatoes and cucumber, chicken and couscous and a molten chocolate cake. Mohammed Ali Pasha was kind enough to bring me some mint tea to help settle my stomach. I think he is going to try to fatten me up when I am feeling a bit better. 

We are now relaxing and enjoying a lovely breeze on the rooftop of the hotel after being serenaded with sufi music from the rooftop of homes. We are enjoying the sounds of traffic, horns, donkey braying, people talking,... I think we are going to enjoy our stay here very much!
  
I read and about an interesting word today - Backsheesh. It means something between a tip and a bribe. I like it! That is my new word for the day!
Pictures & VideosFlat Tire #2Stranded in the Sahara at SunsetShila from the roof lounge of our hotel