8/27/12: Badawya

Sherin is, as I've mentioned, a very successful businessman in Hurghada.  When he moved back to Egypt from New York, he came up with the idea of a Bedouin village and built one from scratch; he named it Badawya, which means "Bedouin" in the feminine form or "Bedouin woman" (http://www.badawya.com).  This village provides employment opportunities for many Red Sea denizens, including Bedouins and Nubians; obviously, it also provides entertainment for tourists who want to have a desert safari experience.  I was really impressed that it not only felt authentic (anti-Disneyland), but also up to the standards of picky foreign travelers.

The village is situated between the Red Sea and the eastern Egyptian mountains.  When I walked past the buildings, I gasped at the vista.  As I first discovered in Morocco, I find desert sunsets simply amazing -- the stark landscape highlights the sun's fiery descent.

 Sherin gave us the master tour.  We hopped on the horses...

...and then the camels...

 ...and then the dune buggies.  I had to tie a scarf around my face because the ride was bumpy and dusty!

Following, Sherin took us to the reptile enclosure.  I didn't shrink away from the guy who wanted to drape the anaconda on me -- the snake didn't look hungry enough to squeeze me for dinner.  :)

Mohamed then encouraged me to put on the galabeya that he had just bought for me, and I was only too happy to pose with it.  I'm a ham, just in case you hadn't figured that out yet (see the Bucket List post)!

As we were leaving, I spotted a desert tortoise behind one of the cushions.  Can you believe he is 220 years old?

We ended our tour of Badawya with a plate of fresh fruit while watching a medley show.  I had a great time and definitely recommend visiting -- I can definitely understand why this venture has been so successful!