The Other Side... Marsa Matruh
Tadaam, in the minds of many, stereotyped ideas about Egypt fell like Tetris figures: crowds of boorish tourists, T-shirts with the inscription "Red sea", garbage, annoying Arabs, noise and din from all sides.
Rather, we erase this nonsense, and draw another Egypt. One you haven't seen yet.
Gentle Mediterranean Sea, sandy beach and quiet, stretched along the waterfront, the town of Marsa Matruh. This is where love for the wind and the wave brought us to such a spiritual place.
Marsa Matruh is located 290 km west of Alexandria and is popular with wealthy residents of Cairo and Alexandria who come here for the summer season. We were in the month of May, the Arabs had not yet opened the swimming season and the city was empty. European tourists are the exception rather than the rule. Me and my companions, Lyosha and Dima - tall, muscular, long-haired blondes, riveted the attention of all local residents. They smiled, greeted us and wished us a good day. But no one dared to invade our personal space, the local Arabs did not indulge us with their favorite catchphrases, and we quietly enjoyed the friendly city. You can abstract from Egypt and imagine yourself in Europe: small neat houses, clean streets, well-groomed gardens and a spacious promenade. This is with regard to the architecture of the city, but the life of people is absolutely original, the moment stopped here many years ago and it is beautiful.
Sometimes there was a feeling of presence on the set. So local color does not fit into the scenery of the city.
In search of wind, we drove more than 1000 km from Hurghada. And not in vain, the Wind God generously thanked us, giving us good conditions for skiing. And most importantly, the whole city is a spot. I laid out the kite on the beach in front of the house and went to cut the sea blue. You rode, got out of the water, and you are already a star, because from the embankment you were admired and applauded by amazed spectators. That's how easy it is to get famous.
Frightened of contracting star disease, we preferred to ride on the outskirts of the city: two of our favorite places. One spot - in the west, outside the city. There is a spit, and you can ride on both sides: on one side there is a flat, on the other a small wave rises. After skiing, we merged directly to our home. The second spot, in the east, at the beginning of the city. With an amazing background. Against the backdrop of the mosque.
But how do you ask the waves? They are there too. The city itself stands on the shores of the bay, separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a ridge of hills, so there are no big waves. But the neighboring sandy beaches will delight lovers of waveriding.
But there is a catch, and a rather significant one. This area was the scene of major fighting during World War II. They say that there are mined areas left and walking on wild beaches is associated with a certain degree of danger. We did not seriously think about death, "with anyone, but not with us." Laughing at fate, we lined up one after another and followed in the footsteps of the one in front, pumping up the atmosphere with stupid jokes. Being the first was not that scary, but a little tedious. But don't worry, no one was hurt during the trip. :)
5 km from Marsa Matruh there is a Cleopatra beach, where a wave rises and breaks against the rocks. Beauty is incredible and daring. According to legend, after the collapse of the joint union of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Mark Antony, who could hardly resist suicide, fled to his beloved in Egypt, in Alexandria, where he and Cleopatra organized a society "wishing to die together." They adhered to the golden rule "to die, so with music", and the main activity of their group was orgies, feasts, and bacchanalia. So the beach on the outskirts of Marsa Matruh was their favorite place. And I tell you, Cleopatra's lips are not stupid. She, then, built herself a jacuzzi inside the rock, where they indulged in carnal pleasures, forgetting the sorrows of collapse.
It’s true that it’s dangerous to ride there, it’s inconvenient to go out, there are stone slabs and frighteningly protruding rocks along the coast. But Dima decided to take a chance. He started 10 km higher from the Cleopatra beach, and after a while appeared beautifully through the rocks and splashing waves.
In the evenings in Marsa Matrukha peace and quiet. The sound of the surf, the stars, conversations, dreams…..and it seemed to me that not only me, that the guys also needed it. A bit of solitude, peace. beauty.
"Maash, Mashaa, wake up, it's time to leave!" It's a pity. But I rather get up to once again, before leaving, to admire the sparkle of a turquoise day.