10.On our way to Siwa
8th March
International Women’s day and we are being driven to Siwa by the kindest man. A primary school teacher and director, he does these driving jobs to earn a few extra bucks so he can provide his family with a better life.
Having departed at 7 am, he keeps on asking if we need to stop, but we feel just fine and he is apparently really confident and resilient with his driving so it’s not before around 10.30 am that we stop at a roadside café where he usually stops for a coffee.
He insists on paying our coffees too and we accept with gratitude.
At this point we are not yet aware that this is part of local tradition, for a man to pay a lady’s way.
After this point, the roads get quite bad and Mr Khaled has to drive slower and swerve more potholes, so we eventually doze off a bit along the way.
We of course have a lot of time for conversations and it is a pleasure to get to know Mr Khaled and a bit more about Egypt through his life experiences. He becomes not only our driver but a friend. So much so that to this day (August 2021) he still sends a message now and then to know if we’re ok.
Once we are in the desert we see many trucks which Khaled explains are from the petrol pumps spread out in the desert - a great part of where the money comes from.
After one more stop at a shabby desert roadside café and shop as well as a security check by the military stationed at the entrance of Siwa, we arrive at a dusty, somewhat poor looking township, where donkey carts and motorbikes carry women fully clad in their burkas, tending to their small children as the men go about their business of daily life in a oasis town.
I cannot say I am completely pleased at what I see, as dusty environments are not really my thing but I surrender to the experience, let go of my pre-conceived idea of my likes and dislikes and decide to enjoy it all.
Albabenshaal is the name of the Hotel we are staying at, which is made of clay and wood, as are all of the buildings around here. And it feels so good to be inside of a building like this! So natural and peaceful.
Khaled takes his leave as we arrange to be picked up and taken to Alexandria next Thursday.
We meet Salama, who will from now on be our host, a man in his forties, with a broad smile who has learnt English from practising with the many tourists that come this way. We are taken to our room, which is spacious and clean, with a private bathroom and two large beds. Lovely! We take a deep breath and land in this completely different here and now.
After a short rest, we come downstairs and Salama takes us in his rickety van to a beautiful place near a salt lake and natural pool for a sundown drink. There are so many date trees everywhere! It is one of the main businesses here - growing and transforming dates.
I am still not quite used to the dust everywhere but am working on it. Letting go. Allowing. Letting go. Allowing.
Again Salama pays for the drinks which we thankfully and gracefully receive.
We have chosen to be served dinner at the hotel and we are brought half a chicken each! It is tasty though we can’t possibly work our way through the whole portion. We smile at the abundance, gratefully receiving it as it is.
We are asked about breakfast tomorrow morning. We don’t usually eat breakfast, but why not receive it? So we book for 8 am and arrange to be taken to the salt lakes after breakfast.
The day has been long and we are happy to retreat to our room, whilst the hustle and bustle of bikes and passers-by goes on into the night, eventually crowned by the mosque’s call for prayer, out of a loudspeaker which happens to be pretty near our room. We smile and gradually slip into a happy sleep, content with life’s offerings and at peace with all.
💙💚💛💜💗
Read the other Chronicles here:
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário