eudaimonia & anagnorisis

Last weekend was bliss. I went camping at an eco-friendly, beduoin-style outcove between Nuweiba and Taba in the Gulf of Aqaba called Basata and it was, quite simply, a small peice of paradise on earth. Accomodations at Basata range from little bungalows made of bamboo to mere roofs. We opted for the simplest of pleasures: a tent on the beach. I unzipped my weekend abode on Friday morning to see the Red Sea shining at me only a few meters in the distance. Mmmm....

Before arriving to Basata, Sameh and I went diving in Dahab... the cherished Canyon and Bell's Blue Hole again. At Basata, we danced between naps on the beach and experimental cooking, took a quick climb up cliff and simply enjoyed the passing of time. And it's always comforting to be in a new place with someone who makes you feel so entirely yourself...

While I haven't seen the entirety of Egypt yet, and may never see all of it, I think she may be the most beautiful country in the world. The desert is infinitely alluring to me. There is something so classic and beautiful, yet harsh and unforgiving about it. The landscape at Basata and Dahab always empitomizes what I think of when I hear the word Bedoin: ruggedly beautiful and tranquil in its boldness. Last night Ali, Amanda, 3ly, and Mohammad and I went hourseback riding near the pryamids and Ali and I searched for words to express the timelessness of the Sahara. It's imposssible to capture the beauty of the desert at night with a camera, so I hardly have any photos, but something about the moonlight shining down on an endless tide of sundunes and the echo of horsehoves puts a little bit of peace in my soul, hehe. If I am destined to have a mid-life crisis, I think the resolution of it will be found somewhere between Egypt and Libya on a journey into the desert...