Taking full advantage of the cooler weather, yesterday A, T, and I ventured into the Sahara for a Sandboarding Adventure organized by several local tour companies that joined-forces for one, big trip to celebrate Sandboarding being recognized as an official sport in Egypt.
The day was an early start, we met inside Costa Coffee at 6:30 am so we could get to the meeting place across town on-time. After a few starts, mis-starts, pauses, and a stop to pick up more adventurers, we got on our way to the Qattanya Desert, about 45 minutes - 1 hour West of Cairo.
Once we turned off the road and into the desert, it was clear that our bus was not going to be trekking us out to the dunes. Several sedans got stuck in the deep, soft sand that began about 100 yards off the road and were being pushed out by helpful onlookers. Instead, we were ferried another 20 minutes into the desert in Land Rovers - Land Rovers traveling at break neck speeds across the vast plains of the desert.
At last we approached the 'camp'. Large tents with
rug floors had been set-up for lounging in, Red Bull promotional materials were all over, and (eventually) even impromptu bathroom facilities were set up (holes dug in the sand with squat toilet platforms set over the holes, with tenting around them - for those of you who just NEEDED to know that).Over 100 people had registered to attend the event and many had already trekked to the towering top of the main dune that had been chosen for the sandboarding and were making their way back down in a variety of fashions (here I mean fashions both as: way people made their way down the hill AND as mode of dress employed by the people making their way down the hill. For example, in the picture below a girl in hijab and fancy sun glasses stands on her board as she waits to be passed by a boy in a khaki explorer's hat who is sledding down head first).
Some folks clearly had experience, and were coming down the dune with expert precision, standing astride their boards, which were much like snowboards, and speeding down the hill. Others (myself included) chose to treat the sandboard more like a sled. After trekking up the hill (half-way; I'm quite out of shape), I sat down on the board, threw my arms up in the air, and uttered a primal "whoop" as I charged down the slope at a swift clip.
There were many, many wipe-outs. Most people fell at some point - and MOST without injury. Unfortunately, our birthday girl A fell hard on her shoulder. A few folk even went tumbling and rolling down the hill when they fell from their boards. I was glad I chose to just ride down the hill in a way reminiscent of riding my blanket down the steps of our rowhouse when I was a kid, and avoid all possibilities of injury.
The day was long. We were served a lovely bbq lunch of kofta (sort-of grilled Egyptian meatballs) & chicken with a variety of salads. While most people lounged and relaxed as they digested their food, we took over the near-empty hill and got a few runs in while there were no photographers (except me) or people lounging mid-hill to get in the way. After that we were so tired (it was nearing 3:30 when people started to fill the hill up again) that we simply napped and lounged on the rugs enjoying the cool breeze and beautifully shifting light.
Finally, around 5 pm, we headed back to the buses. A's seat in the Land Rover wasn't secured properly and she was bounced around like popcorn on the fire as we flew across the desert. Fortunately, she was a good sport about it and we laughed so hard that tears were springing to my eyes. In all the hullabaloo of the bouncing seat, we nearly missed the beautiful sunset over the dunes as we sped along, the sky all pink and purples (not unlike the bruises A likely sustained trying not to fly into the ceiling).
Two and a half hours later I was back in Maadi - ready for a long, long bath and a good nights' sleep. What an adventure for a Friday in Egypt.
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