Marsa Matrouh...

  Marsa Matrouh, Egypt
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Plan: No plan... beautiful beaches...
Hotel: http://www.beausitehotel.com/
 
This entry actually catches me right up to date as I am sitting in the lobby at the Beau Site Hotel typing on the first computer we have encountered on the trip so far.  It isn't that they haven't had one in any of the towns, we just haven't had easy access to one nor have we had much time to look.  As mentioned in Ash's description above there is no plan again until we reach Siwa and it has been rather nice and relaxing.  She has done an amazing job planning this trip and it seemed clear on paper but even more now experiencing it.  With a little help of the guides to make all the timing work, so far everything has gone very smooth.

As I look out to the left from the desk in the lobby the sun is rising up over the Mediteranean through the floor to ceiling glass windows and doors.  It is very quiet here because it is the off season so it is pretty much us and the hotel staff.  The managers and resteraunt staff all knew our room number before we even had to tell them.  I assume it is because Room 183 is probably one of the only ones being used.

I woke up very early this morning (a little too early for Ash) so I let her be and was able to walk out along the beach listening to music on my ipod, watching the sunrise.  The water is such an amazing turqoise colour and so clear. 

I have now taken the opportunity to get up to date with the blog and continue listening to some of my music. The rides from city to city are made much more authentic with the tapes of Egyptian music playing, but I have definately missed mine. 

I just found out that the Canucks lost tonight 8-2! Yikes, what happened?!  Luongo better change his mask back or something.  Don't fall of the bandwagon yet, I will be home in 20 days. =) 

They seem to be setting up for breakfast across the way in the resteraunt now so I am going to go and give Ash her wakeup call.  I could probably give her twenty more minutes but my stomach is convinced otherwise.

- Ben

After a great sleep and breakfast with my wide awake and starving writer-husband, we went back to the room (Ben misses peanut butter toast for breakfast) where Ben decided to chill out for awhile, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a swim.


The water was unbelieveably inviting, and crystal clear. There were a couple other people on the beach, but it seemed as though the whole ocean was empty. I dove right in and swam out to a dock to check out the surroundings.

I don't think I could ever visit here when it was busy, my mental image of its peacefullness would certainly be shattered by the droves of people who flock there in high season. The drive here revealed the sheer number of complexes devoted to the summer crowd- although the highway follows the sea all the way, there are many places that it is not visible due to gigantic structures choking out the view.

Getting a little too hot I dove back in the water... Then I had an encounter with a fish. I saw it, it saw me, but when I tried to wave my hand and scare it away, it started swimming at me instead. I would love to say it was huge and had big fangs, but regardless, its behaviour freaked me out enough to swim frantically back to the dock-- where I had a good laugh at myself.

It was a wonderful way to start the day, the only other thing on the agenda is to drive to Siwa... 

-Ash