Who me??: Siwa Oasis, Egypt with photoshoot

I had been wanting to go to Siwa Oasis for quite awhile after reading about others' adventures. Some went to learn more about the culture , jewelry, clothing and dance. And others just to have a change of pace from the big city of Cairo and check out the different ancient sites.

It is a long trip from Cairo to Siwa Oasis. Typically, the road followed from Cairo is up North to the coast then West until turning South near Marsa Matruh. The road from Marsa Matruh is not well traveled and it isn't like a superhighway. The rest stops were a bit spotty. I had to forgo one opportunity to use the "facilities". There was at least one military checkpoint along the road, when we went through in 2014. At this point you are very close to the border with Libya. I've heard that people try to sneak across the border in this area. An Egyptian told me that they have no need to guard the border because there are many unexploded bombs left over from World War II. An expert Egyptian guide with knowledge of the locations of the bombs is needed to cross the desert in this area.

Good books to check out:

Siwa: Jewelry, Costume and Life in an Egyptian Oasis

Tamalyn Dallal's 40 Days and 1001 Nights

Blog post of a friend of mine who formerly lived in Cairo. She took a bus from Cairo to Siwa in 2011:

Visit to Siwa Oasis

When I heard about Yasmina's short 4-day trip for a photoshoot, I just wanted to tag along. I am not a person who wants to have their photo taken. I usually avoid photos like the plague even though I want to take lots of photos of other things . . . not just cats or food. But I decided to do it just for the experience. Then I found the fabulous Siwa dress that made for such a perfect costume. I have a huge love for textiles from other countries. Particularly when they involve embroidery work or other needle arts. With some borrowed costume jewelry and a bit of makeup, I actually had a lot of fun doing the photoshoot. I skipped out on a few stops for the shoot but managed to do the one at the Shalli Kenooz, Taziri Ecolodge and our first stop in the desert. I really had fun with the beautiful horse. I wish I was a rider.

Cleopatra's Pool, Oracle of Amun, Temple of Om Abaidam, a salt lake (they retrieve salt from the lake for selling)

Around the oasis of Siwa . . . the market, fort

We celebrated Yasmina's birthday while at the Shalli Kenooz. They brought in some musicians and there was dancing. The guy with the red cap was a good dancer. He had some suggestible moves that I didn't manage to photograph.

Out for the day in the desert . . photoshoot opportunities plus a wild ride over the dunes. It is so beautiful. I have video I could probably upload as it was a good time.

Around the Shalli Kenooz . . . I seem to have forgotten a photo of me from the photoshoot.

At the Taziri Ecolodge . . . no electricity so we had candles in our rooms and ate by candles/ torch light at night. They did have power in the office just in case you wanted to charge up your phone. I wasn't so attached to my smartphone in 2014. Most of my photos were taken with my regular camera.