When I started my travels in Egypt I began my fourth month of travel in Africa!!! The adventure thus far was fantastic and I didn't realize how much better it was going to get until I arrived in Cairo...but I did have an unfortunate encounter that all women traveling in Egypt must be aware of.
I set off for Siwa Oasis for an adventure that I will fortunately and unfortunately never forget! En route to Siwa I met a Canadian girl named Margarita who had just finished traveling with her family and wanted to continue to do some more traveling on her own. So, I invited her to join me for a desert safari adventure. I was referred to a company in Siwa by friends I met on my overland tour earlier this year, so I figured I would be going with a reliable company. Well, unfortunately that wasn't the case...Mag and I and a another female (M) went for a desert safari ride in a jeep into the dunes of the desert. When we arrived to this beautiful lake in the middle of the desert all of us went swimming (including the guide and driver). I am thankful for my inabilities, as most of you know I can't swim very well and that inability proved to be a pro. The new girl that joined our group last minute swam across the lake with the driver not expecting anything but a cool swim in the lake. When she arrived to the other side the driver gestured to her to place lake mud on her skin as it is supposed to be therapeutic, so she put a little on and then he began assisting her and his hands went places they shouldn't have. She immediately turned around pushed him away and swam back. She did not tell us of this incident until we were at our final destination in the middle of the desert and she was returned back to her hotel. While the guide began cooking he told us of this incident between the driver and M and said the driver felt really bad for doing it. I told him that he should not expect to get away with that kind of behavior with Mag or myself. He said that wasn't his intention. So, we chilled out a bit and enjoyed dinner. Siwa, unfortunately while we were there, was having terrible sandstorms, so I asked our guide to set up a tent just in case we encountered another storm. After my third request he finally set up a tent, but was too late to set it up soundly. Mag and I huddled together under a blanket as to protect ourselves from the wicked sand that was blowing at an unbelievable rate. We occasionally peeked through the blanket and noticed sand piling up on our feet and that just increased our fear even more. After about 45 minutes, our guide finally had a "tent" setup it wasn't as it is pictured to tourists seeking a pleasant night in the desert staring at the stars, but shelter it was and we were glad to take it! So after scrambling for our bags and lugging them over to the tent and lighting some candles we calmed down a bit. At this point the driver had been gone about four hours. So I asked the guide if he would phone the driver to come and retrieve us from the desert as we still did not feel safe being out in the middle of a sandstorm in a tent that could possibly collapse down upon us. His phone was dead...lucky for us I had mine and we called for help and were finally taken to a camp with concrete walls and beds. We spent the night there and safely returned to town the next day. That morning Mag and I tried explaining to the guide that his incompetence put our lives at risk and for that reason he should apologize or say something. He was adamant about not apologizing, so we left town immediately. So anyone reading this please take caution that you are responsible for yourself when you are in the desert, always have a back up plan! Mag and I were very fortunate. Don't worry I've spread the word to other travelers and other desert safari companies of this terrible incident!
Oasis Experience #2...Much Better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So after this horrendous experience you would wonder why I would venture to experience another...well this time I went with friends (and one was male)!!! It's unfortunate ladies, but Egypt is definitely not a place for a single foreign woman to be traveling around on her own especially without knowing the language. So in Bahareya I traveled with Pedro and Almuenda!!! A lovely pair who helped me better my spanish!!! In Bahareya I had a great time eating camel meat, smoking shisha and experiencing the intensity of the White Desert and the Black Desert!! It was absolutely fantastic!!! My guide was great! The pictures will tell the story!!
