Al Tarfa Eco Lodge

I have been away from home for a long time now and when you are away from home for so long you start to think about why you strayed from home in the first place and why you stay away. This morning, the start of my off day, as I was eating cookies, drinking coffee and preparing to lounge by the pool I realized why I was still away. The larger reason of why I left is complicated, but one simple reason to travel sticks in my mind: stereotype fulfillment. Crude and rude I know, not politically correct or really a sexy reason to get on a plane.

Not so deep down inside we go to places for stereotypical reasons. We go to Paris to fall in love. We go to South America to get a taste of communist rebels. We go to Africa to see the “real” while living in the comfort of former French and British colonialism. This past weekend I was able three reasons to travel to Egypt right on the head-ancient ruins, desert, and former colonial glitz at quite possible the most luxurious hotels I will ever stay in-Al Tarfa Eco Lodge in the Dakhla Oasis.

My most gracious boss was invited to the one-year anniversary of Al Tarfa, which was built and is owned by his good friend Weal and his lovely wife Mona. With a bit of prodding I convinced Hany that we should go, despite the long travel hours (five hour drive to Cairo, one hour flight to the western desert and then a four hour drive to the resort), and enjoy the weekend.

We got in a taxi, then a plane, then a car and then arrived at the resort nestled in the outskirts of a green palm oasis. Our greeting upon arrival, by staff with warm towels to wipe the travel dust off of our faces, set the tone for the rest of the stay. Which went a little like this: watch the sun set over various desert scenes, eat a three course meal served on fine china and silver, listen to the French soprano and her conductor husband serenade the guests, have a few drinks, chat, fall fast sleep in large white four poster beds, wake up to sun and coffee by the pool, go see some interesting desert site, chill at the spa or pool, eat ,and you can imagine the rest. Wash, rinse, relax, and repeat.

I was very homesick the week or so before this trip. I try, but I do not deal well with sadness. I get sad about one thing and it just cascades from there. Somehow just moving West made me feel better. I was 14 hours closer to home, and the green landscape and momentarily gray skies of the oasis did my heart some good. This post is already long so I will let the pictures show tell you the rest, 1,000 words and all that jazz. Side note, I finally found my camera battery charge which means more photos soon!