Bahariya
Oasis is nothing compared to Siwa, but if you come
here first, it has charm. The oasis is consisting of
erratic colonies of palms. And you really never get
an impression of this being an oasis, until you find
an elevations, where the landscape of thousands of
palm trees stretch out in front of you.
What I found most charming were the children of
Bawiti, the capital of the Bahariya oasis. This
place is something between a picturesque village and
a dump. But the people around you, are beautiful. Me
and some other tourists were adopted by a bunch of
kids, running to and fro, pointing, explaining,
looking interested at everything we did. Small girls
with a finger in their mouths, small boys with a new
jogging suit. Proud mothers came out, patting their
children's heads, smiling to us, saying something in
local Arabic dialect, probably "Welcome" or a
blessing.
Why is there an oasis here, and why do you find a
couple more of them running in a bow stretched out
from the western bank of the Nile? Well, this is the
way the Nile was running several thousand years ago,
long before the eve of the first Nile civilizations.
The water popping up now from deep underground, in
wells all over Bahariya, are leftovers from those
days. These reservoirs were long considered a long
time resource, and large funds were pumped into the
region. When newer research proved the reserves more
limited, and sufficient for only 100 years of
today's exploitation, the large schemes for
development were left dead. Places like Bahariyya
still suffers from this, and Bawiti is in many ways
a sad place.
The hotel situation has changed dramatically over
the last 10 years in Bahariya. Today you can choose
from more than 10 hotels, covering the range from
basic to nice. There is little of luxury. Prices are
good value.
The best place to look for a room is with the 3
hotels next to the palm grove, the New Oasis, Old
Oasis and El-Beshmo Lodge. The two latter have
swimming pools, but the first is far cheaper with
the same charm and comfort. If you plan to go on
excursions into the desert, you should avoid the New
Oasis: Their prices are much higher (eating up more
than what you save on your room) and if you go for
other companies, the manager will try to kick you
out of his hotel. The best to do in such a situation
is the overhear him and walk your way.
There is only a couple of restaurants outside the
hotels, moderately priced, quite charming but the
food is totally boring. Food in the hotels is just
slightly better, and overpriced considering the
small portion.
Transportation
Buses run up and down along the old Nile, either in
direction of Cairo or Farafra. Getting on a bus for
Cairo is straightforward, these start in Bawiti.
Going south is a bit more difficult, buses pass
through, and there can be limited space. Tours can
be arranged to Siwathrough the desert, in 4WDs with
enough place for 8 passengers, and prices should be
below US$10 per seat. These trips are arranged from
the camping ground, you just hang around for enough
people to gather. Out here, this price will seem
steep, but the journey is great, and discussing the
price will only reduce the initial price
fractionally
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