Don’t think that The Idiot followed Alexander the Great’s footsteps to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert just to get priceless advice from The Oracle of Amun concerning his walk on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast towards Libya.

That’s because he’d heard that there is something so special, satisfying and spiritual about the Berber-inhabited, below-sea-level Siwa Oasis that many foreign visitors — who come seeking Equinox solar alignments, solitude under the desert stars, a return to nature at an electricity-free ecolodge, meditation sessions at the Temple of the Oracle or even full-throttle Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy — often refer to it as Bali in the Desert.

So The Idiot took time out to watch sunrises and sunsets, buy and eat local food, climb mountains and visit the desert before consulting The Oracle about Alexander’s past and The Idiot’s future.

After watching the sun rise each morning, The Idiot frequently walked through awakening downtown Siwa (Siwans tend to be late risers) and shopped at the market.

The Idiot watched the first two sunrises of spring at the site of an ancient viewing window at Timasirayn Temple twelve kilometers west of Siwa. On May 20, this American researcher living in Siwa captured the sun rising over the Temple of the Oracle.

Another sunrise from the top of Shali, or Siwa’s old town, illuminated a mosque.

After most sunrises, The Idiot was among the first clients to buy a few just-cooked falafels…

…amass an array of colorful fruit…

…get some warm pita bread…

….and order pressed sugar cane juice to…

…meditatively eat during breakfast on the terrace of his $14-a-night (breakfast included) hotel near the mud-brick remains of old Siwa.

That gave him the strength to not only consult The Oracle but also to climb mountains, roll down a sand dune, trek in the desert and catch a sunset from another mountain.

The Idiot climbed Darkur Mountain to get an overview of Siwa from the east.

The view of the Siwa Oasis from Drakur Mountain.

Then he climbed to the top of a mountain west of Siwa to get a different perspective on the oasis.

An across-the-lake view of Siwa Oasis from the west.

He even took a break at his Siwa basecamp between climbing the mountains and gallivanting in the desert.

The barefoot Idiot rolls down a sand dune…
(Photo: Monika Sleszynska)

…and takes a short desert trek…
(Photo: Monika Sleszynska)

…that winds up at the top of a hill.
(Photo: Monika Sleszynska)

Then The Idiot climbed another mountain to catch a sunset over the shoulder of a meditative Cairo-based Italian journalist.

Next Week: “The Idiot Makes It Alive To Libya: Now what?” or, failing that, “Just What Did The Oracle Reveal To The Idiot About Alexander the Great And His Own MedTrek Quest?”

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About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."