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| Solar Farm - Antenna in Shape of Palm Among Solar Panels |
I wanted to keep fit while I was waiting
for my mosquito bite to heal. I had mixed success. There were a couple of days
where I didn’t go out, although for the most part I forced myself to either
have a walk or to cycle somewhere. If I wasn’t in the mood, it would be just a
short walk. The main thing was to get out of the flat and also to keep healthy.
It was quite interesting doing different
things for a change. I had two major bicycle rides (for me). One time I cycled
as far as I could go along the sea at Sahl Hasheesh towards Makadi Bay. It was
good to have a change of scene and I’d never gone that far on my own before (I
had done it in a buggy with other people on a few occasions). As I reached the
end of the road (it just stops, leading nowhere), I turned to cycle back and
two guys were riding horseback. It was lovely to watch them cantering by the
sea.
My other major cycle was up to the solar
farm in Sahl Hasheesh. I’d often wanted to take a closer look at it. It’s a bit
of an uphill journey, so it was good exercise, too. I stopped where all the
buildings were, but there was a security guard there and I felt a bit nervous.
I parked my bike by the side of the road and stared up at the solar panels
which were up on the hill above. The security guard was watching me and I felt
a bit self-conscious. Here in Sahl Hasheesh, all the mobile phone antenna are
disguised as palm trees; there was one of these sticking up in the middle of
all the solar panels. The fake trees are quite convincing, but you can always
tell because they are so much taller than the real palms.
I realized I could get a closer look at the
panels if I went further up the hill, so I did that and parked the opposite
side of the road. That way, I hoped the security guard wouldn't pay too much attention. I walked up to the panels, but the path beside them was blocked
for entry, which I guess is fair enough. No-one was there to stop me, but I obeyed
anyway. No point in potentially putting myself in danger. I didn’t get
the full overview of the panels I wanted, but it was good to see it up
close for once.
I had two longish walks towards Jamaran,
the villa district in Sahl Hasheesh. Again, the road stops in the middle of
nowhere and then you have to walk across sandy hillocks. It’s pleasant as the
sea is beside you and it’s interesting to see how different the open sea is
from the sea in the bay. There's a distinct line in the middle of the sea where the open water starts. The open sea is, of course, much wilder, with more waves,
and a darker blue.
A group of Egyptian men passed me. One pulled
off his face mask and said “Hello, Fiona!” I had no idea who he was but I greeted
him back, pretending I knew him. I suspect he saw through my bluff,
though!
On my way back, a guy on a bicycle appeared
out of nowhere and passed me. He stopped, handed me a menu, and asked if I
wanted to order a drink! I had no idea where from as we weren't by a bar or anything. That was most bizarre. I saw him the following day,
too, when I took a short walk on the pier. This time, he was walking with his
boss and they showed me their food menu. They were just opening a new
restaurant, which explained the weird behaviour!
It was all quite pleasant and added to the
feeling both of adventure and of belonging. That’s what’s so great about being
here.
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