The journey that will change your life. How one surf trip changed my whole life

Firm confidence and just trying to plan your best trip can make a huge difference in your life, and it can change it. So why put it off?

I started traveling on my own in 2012 when I took a bus with a friend to Finland and Sweden. This was my first independent journey after graduation. After that I flew to Spain, traveled across Russia, lived in Thailand and visited the countries of Asia closest to it.

All this, one way or another, leaves its mark on our life. Completely different thoughts, ideas and aspirations appear, which are simply impossible to feel if you live a measured life, typical for most people. At some point this happened to me.

After I traveled all over Thailand on a motorcycle for about five thousand kilometers, something clicked in my head. A few months later, I returned to Russia and, together with a friend, came up with a new motorcycle trip. More global and even at that time not quite real. I decided to take a motorcycle ride across western Europe. And not just drive, but stay in a state of travel for two months, although such a route can be “flown” in a couple of weeks.

It was August 2014, I didn’t have my own motorcycle, nor the necessary rights, nor money, nor visas. There was nothing at all, except for the complete confidence that in May 2015 I will sit on a motorcycle and go on my journey called One on Moto , no matter what.

Usually, after a while, most people forget about their dreams. They continue to lead an ordinary life and come up with 1001 excuses for themselves why you can't give up everything and do it right now. This happened to my friend, who after a couple of months actually gave up the idea of \u200b\u200bour trip.

Oddly enough, on my own, I felt relieved. There was no need to adapt to other people's desires, to go where I personally do not want. I had a ready idea and the opportunity to do everything the way I liked it, without looking back at someone else.

Everything suddenly became clear and transparent. It is at this moment that the mere desire to go on a journey begins to change our life rapidly and irrevocably.

I got a job, income, a goal. All year I have been preparing for the trip. The problems that usually concern the average resident of a large city have become indifferent to me. It is this indifference to the little things of everyday life that releases energy in us for really worthwhile actions, deeds and decisions in our lives.

Needless to say, I got married in January 2015! A man who, for the past five years, has been firmly convinced that he will not marry before he gets rich or lives to at least thirty.

You might think that all this is common enough. Maybe. But we begin to make serious decisions in our life only when we are confident in our life goals. There are no hesitations and empty thoughts, whining and cottoniness cease to prevail over us. Being in this state, I can say with confidence that right now I really live!

While planning all aspects of the trip, I started studying maps, terrain, motorcycle design, visa subtleties and more. All this helps to move away from the usual activities, broadens the horizons and gives new food for ideas.

At the end of winter, the idea came to me to tell as many people as possible about the trip, to do something that had not yet been done before me.

There are hundreds of motorcyclists who visit Europe every year from Russia. But few people talk about their feelings and generally move away from the usual "snatch" on the European autobahns of several countries in two weeks. After all, it is outside the well-trodden routes that the most interesting begins.

I have always been repulsed by travel programs and programs that pour from screens refined and absolutely hackneyed information for a package tourist. Using the situation, I decided to make a mini-series about the journey after returning and publish it on my YouTube channel ... So the emergence of one more desire, for the sake of which I had to overcome new difficulties, set goals. As a result, we got the result - I agreed with the studio about editing, found cameras and everything I needed, the only thing left was to shoot the material.

This is just another example of how you can discover new horizons for yourself through related areas and directions. I am a designer by profession. But the whole story of this journey made me rethink my professional desires and now I have a lot of ideas where and how I really want to develop. What really matters to me in life.

Thousands of people spend years and a lot of money for the sake of this understanding, go to trainings of all kinds of charlatans. But you just have to go on a journey, plunge into the unknown, talk to yourself cleanly and many things will become obvious to you.

During the downpour that caught me among the hills and mountains on the way from Krabi to Bangkok, I got a whole storm of sensations and emotions. Fear, cold, dampness, stuffiness, freedom, joy. Damn it, I was happy and focused as much as possible on what was happening, lived in the moment and I really liked it! May there be more moments in your future journey when you just live without thinking about anything.

You can find out more about preparing for the trip on the website

@ Anastasia Komkova-Belyakova - 8 Feb, 2015

For many of us, a trip to the Far North is both an azure dream and a wild fear. It is scary not to withstand physical tests, cold and winds, but at the same time you really want to touch this mysterious, distant world, see with your own eyes the endless snowy plains and the northern lights. Traveling north is changing people and changing their lives. This was told to us by a man who visited the Guba Ob (on the border of the mainland with the Arctic Ocean), an adventurer and a wonderful traveler - Alexander Ermakov.
— How did you start traveling at all, what cities and countries do you have on your account?
- My parents are from the village, and they somehow taught me to constantly walk in the forests, along the rivers, fishing, berries, mushrooms. I really love nature, hiking, tents. And mostly I traveled around Russia. I also visited Georgia, Turkey, and the Crimea. And I liked Crimea more than any foreign country. How did I start traveling? Yes, I think all people dream about it. The only question is about means or time. And always, even with a small supply of money, I tried to get out of the box, to see something new.
- Which trip was the most important or the most interesting for you?
- Perhaps this is a trip to the Guba of Ob. The most real adventure. I was still a student and worked as a sales manager in the oil and gas industry. And oil and gas developments in Russia are always somewhere near the devil. Often these are ocean shelves, northern seas, Sakhalin. And once we supplied pipes to the Guba Ob region, where the mainland borders on the Arctic Ocean. It turned out that these pipes were of poor quality, and no one wanted to accept them from us. The deal was for 15 million, by those standards - not a lot and not a little, but no one was going to lose this amount. I was told that I, as a manager, should go there and figure it out.
- And you went?
- Yes, I didn't even think too much. I immediately began to figure out how to get to the Ob Bay. The fastest way is to fly to Novy Urengoy by plane.

It used to be a closed city, now it is half-closed. It is difficult for foreigners to get there, but Russians can stay there without any problems. And from Novy Urengoy there is a railway line that leads to the Ob Bay itself. And so I flew in, got to the railway station and began to find out. It turned out that the train runs every two days. Moreover, to get there, you need a special permission from either our Moscow oil industry leaders, or those in Novy Urengoy. Obviously, I didn't have any permission. Well, what remains here? That's right, go to the locals and ask what's here and how. Well, I'm so wonderful, from Moscow, in a coat and trousers without underpants, I go to talk with the locals. It's minus 30 outside, March. I was told that there was no way without permission. It turns out that our entire north is closed to ordinary people.
- What is it like?
- There is a real border, it goes almost along the polar circle. And in those areas where gas and oil are produced, only those who work there are allowed to stay. You can get to the same Novy Urengoy, but if you go a hundred kilometers from it to the north, you will see a checkpoint and guys armed with machine guns. And they do not let anyone in without permission. I thought at first to hire someone from the dashing local to take me bypassing the checkpoint right along the tundra, since there is money.

As a result, I found one, he agreed to take me on his all-terrain vehicle. But he immediately warned me: if we are caught, it will be at least 15 days, and while they are being caught, they usually shoot at the trail. Everything is so harsh there.
- That is, at that time you were threatened with prison, death from a machine gun and a couple of frostbite?
“But I didn't give up. I decided to search the internet for a solution. And I found it! One traveler, keen on trains and having traveled all over Russia on trains, managed to get from Novy Urengoy by train to the North Ocean and wrote about it in his blog. He hid from the machine guns in the driver's cab. And most importantly - I did not reach the terminal station, there are again automatic machines. I decided that I would do so, after all, I'm not one of the timid ones. It was 17 hours before the train, during which time I managed to get to know each other and talk to all the shift workers who, like me, were waiting for the train. Wonderful people. Soulful! As a result, the train arrives. I intercept the driver and try to negotiate with him. Well, he is in no way, a court of law, is dangerous. And people get on the train, everyone will leave soon.
- Where do people go there?
- Most of it to the last station, to the city of Yamburg. Shift workers live there, they work. By the way, now it is forbidden to live permanently in the Arctic Circle, only on a rotational basis. Children cannot live there at all, the watch is on for either a month or two. And the situation is considered normal when mom and dad leave for work for 2 months, and then come back to their child for 2 months. And so in a circle.
- So how did you get there? To the Ob Guba?
- In the end, I just jumped on the train. He's small and didn't pick up speed very quickly. All the guards left when the train started to leave, and I ran after him. I run, I keep up, here one of the conductors just helps me to jump in, he already wanted to remove this little ladder along which they climb into the train. But I shouted: "Man, let me in!" And he helped me, I wanted to thank him, he refuses, he doesn't need anything. And everything would be fine, but at the Tosovei station, where I need to get off, the train does not stop. And I had to jump on the go. I rode in a compartment with one woman, she was even glad - even though the journey was not boring. This woman fed me, the guide gave me bed linen, did not take a dime from me. And so I go to this station, where I will need to jump out of the train. I try to call the warehouse (where I am going), no one picks up the phone. The unknown is complete. But I think I'll come to the station and find warehouses, I will find the bosses.
- Was it really not so simple here?
- You know, here the conductor asks me: "does anyone meet you at the station?" Well, I'm telling you that, apparently, no. And the conductor tells me that from the station to the warehouse there is not at all close and it will be difficult for me to get there. Well, I think I'll figure it out on the spot. I jump out at my station, and there ...

Snow to the waist, wherever you look - a white field to the horizon, tundra. No houses, no trees, no hills or hills. Nothing. And the train will go back in 2 days. I am in trousers and shoes, next to the transformer booth and nothing else. And you can't get into this booth, you can't escape the cold. Well at least I got through to the warehouse. There, the management, apparently, already knew that I would not get there. Everyone was surprised by the order. And so I arrive at the warehouse. People live there right in the trailers.

The management and managers do not want to see me, they do not want to accept these pipes, and they say that I have come in vain. And even the director changed there while I was on the road. And two days before the train. None of the managers wants to help me. And again local men helped me out. They settled me, fed me as if to slaughter. There was a canteen, the only woman in the whole district worked in it. Aunt Masha, she was not very beautiful and was about 50 years old. But she is the happiest woman of all that I have seen, she just shone from the inside. One woman per 1000 men. The peasants wore flowers to her (in the tundra), they carried her in their arms. And so Aunt Masha fed me with venison and fish, the men gave me vodka to drink, steamed in the bath. And so I lived there for almost a week. I saw the northern lights! This is just a miracle, it cannot be conveyed with a photograph and cannot be described in words. Just imagine that the whole sky, endless, huge, is all in lights, in colors. I felt like I was reborn. It really changed my whole life. It's just incredibly impressive, it turns everything inside.

—And how has your life changed?
- I realized that I would not stay to work in that company. Their bosses eventually decided to install unusable pipes, if only there was money. I realized how kind the workers there, the shift workers - no one took a dime from me for all this time, while the managers did not help me at all, survive as you know. And the northern people have one rule - today you will help someone out, and tomorrow they will help you out. Here is such a wonderful unwritten law. And I quit as soon as I arrived in Moscow. I left there altogether. I started life anew, started working via the Internet. At first it was not easy, one might say, he worked for food. But in the end I got the opportunity to travel freely, admire this world. I am glad that all this happened to me, this adventure that changed everything.

I tried to write this article more than once ... And still did not dare. For different reasons.

But it's spring outside, and we all want a change. Today we will talk about what changes come to our lives. Or don't come. And why.

I do not seek to impose my attitude to life on anyone ... And this article would not have appeared for a long time. But the same type of questions asked by people were waiting for me every day on social networks and on this blog as well.

And I decided - it's time to answer ...

How travel changed my life

Traveler's Confession or "What's Next?"

Have you noticed that for some reason witty answers to someone's shameless joke always come "after the fight"? You come up with an ingenious answer to the rude saleswoman in the store, who called you "lady", only already driving out of the parking lot.

So it is here. When I was asked these tricky questions, I did not always have what to answer.

What are the questions? For example: well, you will go around all the places that you want to see, and what next? Or: well, you will work as an instructor for another 5-7 years, and what next?

I somehow tried to first answer these questions, and then I realized: a waste of time. Those who ask them, as a rule, are not interested - and what will I really do NEXT ... It is just important for them to assert themselves at my expense. And prove to yourself: here is THEIR choice RIGHT. Their work may not be so interesting, but STABLE. And in general, even if life is not too bright, but quite bearable and again socially approved (there, they put likes on Instagram under the photo ...)

But you, Katya? What are you going to do next, dear? So you will - further in the order of my growing up: “to paint and dress like a clown”, “to walk unmarried”, “not to be able to cook”, “not to rush to give birth - what kind of family is without children?”, “To work outside the specialty”, “ spend all your money on clothes ”, etc.

And you know, at first I honestly fulfilled this “correct life scenario”: I learned how to apply makeup and look presentable, got a higher education, got married, gave birth to children. I even learned to cook tolerably well (well, almost, no one seems to have been poisoned!) Did that make me happy? In some ways, yes, of course.

But at some point I realized: by and large, I do not live my life. Not where I want to. Not with whom I want to. And if I don't change anything, then I will suffocate in my “stable role” assigned to me by a caring society ...

At this moment, the film "Eat, Pray, Love" was just shown. I went to see him. And I cried all the way home from the cinema. Because it seemed to me that I would never be able to, just go and go in search of myself. Although I really want to ... But it turned out I could.

Someone will say: well, the girl accidentally watched a movie and went to embody the movie "script" in her life. Well, firstly, I did not leave for Bali))) And secondly, everything is random - not by chance.The people you meet, the books you read, the movie that touches you to the core - you attract what your "antennas" are tuned to.

And now I have an answer to this question. Rather, a question to such a question: and you, what will YOU do NEXT? When will you pay off your mortgage payments and go to your kids' wedding? What will you do next? What to strive for? Will you be HAPPY?

Finding yourself through travel

As old as the world. But it works flawlessly. The result is different, but there is always a place to be.

Results have been published recently globallyth researchi, The survey was conducted among 15,000 respondents in 20 countries around the world. The main conclusion of the study was pretty predictable : a trip to an unfamiliar city or simply rest in a "new way" - lead to positive changes in life.

Well, for example, many have realized that when traveling to a new country, city or in a new format (for example, with field trainings), they increase self-confidence.

40% of respondents met new people, 43% began to try and cook exotic dishes, and almost a third of all respondents began to take an interest in the culture and history of other countries. Others began to study a foreign language. About 45% of survey participants noted that the knowledge and skills they gained while traveling helped them become more successful in their personal life and career.

Also, many respondents agreed onthat people who have visited different places and tried something new on the trip are much more interesting in communication than those who travel a little and are not inclined to adventure.

However, before packing your suitcase on a long journey, answer yourself one question - what do you want to change in yourself? What changes do you want in life and do you want?

What are your expectations from travel?

The answer can be anything. As for me, so for you.

But I know for sure: the experience that I gain every day, moving along the chosen path, I will not exchange for any STABLE JOB in the specialty indicated in my diploma. Those people whom I meet along the way, I certainly would not have met, sitting from 9 to 18 in the office ... Those emotions that every day spent traveling gives me, I will not exchange for any shopping.

And by the way, I can safely say: shopaholism is curable.

So is addiction to new gadgets. To whom it seems that he cannot live without a new model of iPhone, I can only sympathize: the boundaries of his world are indicated by the size of the screen of his smartphone.

It's funny, by the way: people sometimes complain to me - we don't have that much money to travel a lot ... But they have an expensive phone in their hand. And they obviously didn't dress at a thrift store. Is there money for this, I ask? Well, it's on credit, they answer.

By the way, I only bought myself an iPhone last year. When the next "android" was covered along with the base of my contacts. Then I realized: there is no more energy to save on gadgets. By the way, all the photos for this article are from this very iPhone. Although I still love my NIKON DSLR, it is not always at hand at the right time, unlike a phone.

What else has changed in my life thanks to travel?

Food. I watched what people in other countries and regions eat, tried, discovered many new products. At this stage, my diet is dominated by vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, chicken and fish. Sausages, sausages, pickles, jams, pies and dumplings - goodbye, do not remember dashing ...

I became less ill. And extra pounds are not gained. And for years I get into my favorite things calmly. In short, a solid benefit)))

By the way, here's another point: when you travel often, your wardrobe, as a rule, also changes. Especially in women. I love dresses, skirts, and heels, but these are the things I prefer jeans and comfortable shoes to. Goodbye, fur coats and sheepskin coats. Do not wait for me, office suits in the style of "business lady", I will not return to you soon ...

In general, travel is a tool that can help lose relevance at one stage of life at another. It all depends on the result you want to get.

If it seems to you that traveling to the ends of the earth is an escape from reality, from yourself, "chasing a bluebird", a waste of money ... Damn it, then you shouldn't go anywhere.

If the mere thought that you will have to work at an unloved job to pay a mortgage for a cramped apartment in a residential area for the rest of your life causes an attack of nausea, then your choice will most likely be completely different.

Who's going to say thatcooler: quit your office, leave to travel, see 50 countries or not go anywhere, build a career, family, home, raise children?

The criterion, as it seems to me, is one - the cooler is what makes you happy. Life is NOT WHAT NEXT. Life is what happens to you NOW.

So now I live exactly where I want, and I do what makes me happy.

And so far I like to live that way. Here are photos from my phone, taken on the same day, with a difference of a couple of hours:

But all this became possible not overnight. Although now I clearly understand that the decision to leave was the most correct and crucial. Something inside just haunted until it was accepted. And I am infinitely grateful to everyone for him - God, parents, people who met me on the way the first time I was here in Sochi, in Krasnaya Polyana. The time spent here, the events and meetings that took place during this time helped to change the picture of the world and one's own capabilities in the head.

One little BUT ...

And finally, I want ... no, not to give advice. Probably just to throw a thought for reflection.

Yes, travel expands the boundaries of our consciousness, they temper our character, hone our personal qualities, help us meet the people we need at this stage of life. Traveling can show you life from the other side - a life in which there are unreal sunsets, amazing meetings, interesting events and such places, from which goosebumps and tears of joy in the eyes, that you are here, you could, you saw it and now your life has become even richer and brighter.

But ... If there is no business in your life for which you are ready not to sleep at night, about which you think every free minute, about which you proudly tell everyone you meet and are ready to talk about it for hours. A work that gives you the joy of self-realization and the feeling that you are here, in your place, investing your soul and getting feedback.

So, if there is no such thing, very soon travel turns into a series of temples, buses, countries and seas. And you just get bored again.

It's so simple and obvious, but I didn't understand it right away.

I sometimes hear: what, travel?!? Yes, this is not a search for yourself! This is an escape from yourself!

So, it always seemed to me that running away from yourself meant staying where you felt uncomfortable and continuing to cram yourself into the framework that had long become small for you. But you are so lazy and cowardly and so busy with external tinsel that you simply cannot notice that you are running from yourself right now, at this very moment ...

I I don't know what my choice will be in five, ten, twenty years.But I sincerely want to remain a happy person doing what I love. What I wish you too!

See you on the blog!

“The search for oneself cannot stop. You cannot say to yourself:“ I have experienced everything, there is nothing further. ”You cannot simply dissolve in the world, being content with low interest rates on loans, your corner in Moscow and dubious creative successes."

I thought about this when my old college friend called me and offered to go to study surfing in. By this time, I had already quit my job for 3 months and was looking for a new one. There was no money. Surfing in the Canary Islands seemed very distant and very unreal. Although, like many snowboarders, I have long dreamed of learning to surf. What if? The next day was my birthday, and to a bunch of invited friends, I said that there was no need for gifts - the most desirable gift was a trip to the ocean.

A month and a half later, I was sitting on a plane, waiting for the start of the most incredible journey of my life. The travel that changed my life forever.

Surf training
How do people imagine surfing? Differently. I, like many fans of boarding in the mountains, thought that surfing and snowboarding are similar and that I, an experienced snowboarder and football player, will succeed very quickly. A cruel delusion. I realized this on the first day of learning to surf in the Canary Islands.
Surfing is not only physics, and the hardest physical activity, it is also an art. The art of understanding the nature of the ocean. Floundering and exhausted, I realized that I knew nothing about the Ocean. About where the wave comes from and how it is formed. After the first workout, everything hurt me - the muscles of my arms, legs, joints, back.
I also understood one more thing. Surfing doesn't start in the water, but on land. Firstly, it is imperative to stretch and warm up your bodies before entering the ocean, and secondly, and they absolutely should not be neglected if you do not want your surfing training to slow down.
Besides, there is one more thing that is very important in surfing. Learn to row. Swimming, of course, is a good thing, but it is not too much help, especially after 5 hours of rowing. The ability to row correctly, quickly and without wasting extra energy comes only with experience.

All that I understood with my own skin and in the evening sitting in the hall of our surf pitchfork in Famara thought that I had no strength left the next day of surfing. However, these thoughts I drowned in hot fun and ice-cold beer and the next morning I woke up completely ill.

However, I couldn't miss the surfing lesson! The salty ocean water will cure me. On this day, I finally got up on the board on the foam. First small victory!

Entering the ocean, I seemed to have changed forever! It seemed to me that I washed out of myself all the foreign and unnecessary litter that was sitting in my head. Now only I am left.

I got into a real surf environment, and day after day I became a part of it. Surfing every day was not a compulsion for me, but a necessity.

... And I also really liked the island of Lanserote. People, food, clothes, life in general. Fish, rum, bunk, ocean, mountains, flat bellies of surf girls, music on the streets, Spanish slow-life lifestyle in a fishing village - I really, really liked it all! It doesn't matter who you were there in the city.

… What is surfing? For me, first of all, this is freedom. I feel freedom in everything here. In the bright blue sky and the burning sun. In the piercing wind, breaking waves and throwing sand in the eyes. In the sand itself, which is everywhere: in the sandwiches on the shore, in the water, in the lungs. And there is also freedom here, it is salty splashes in the face and undercurrents that steal the bottom from under our feet. And in the uncertainty that the ocean carries.

The line-up is quiet. You sit on the board and feel how yours is balancing. You just look into the ocean because there are no thoughts. Just a sense of respect for the ocean, to which you give all your attention. Giant masses of water calmly and majestically move around you. And suddenly, 20 meters away from you, you see a wave. It still does not tell you anything about its size and where it will gain maximum height. You unfold your board and lie down on it. For a second, your hands are lowered into the water and relaxed, but the next moment you are all - one desire to ride the wave. "Paddle !, paddle, paddle" you command yourself, rowing strongly towards the shore, but looking over your shoulder at the wave, so as not to overtake it and not miss it. 3-4 seconds of frenzied rowing pass, the wave has already gained height. Hands with all their strength are almost completely lowered into the water, rowing from the nose to the tail of the board. The wave hits your legs, lifting the back of the board. The heartbeat is accelerating. Now. One, two, three powerful strokes, stop and jump. If you didn’t have time to get up, the wave spun you, spitting the board up a couple of meters and jerking you with Lish! And if you have time, then you can take a ride ... For now, it's not important for me yet. So far, only the attempt to interact with the strongest element on earth - the Ocean - is important to me. Yes, this is enough for me now to feel boundless happiness.

The island of Lanzarote, composed of rock and solidified lava, tied me to itself. I can watch the sunset here high in the mountains above the ocean. People from all over the world become my friends because we share a common passion with them.

Surfing is now my spiritual path. I chose surfing to live every day to control my body and enjoy the feeling of health, strength and flexibility. To be happy today, not sometime in the future. Join us!

Egypt, November

Before meeting my beloved, I had no idea that you could travel on your own, plan the route yourself (and change the route along the way), buy plane tickets (and even be late for it). That is, when all responsibility lies only with you - both for a correctly planned route, and for awareness of certain interests.

When you are both a guide and a tour operator. Everything to itself.

The travel style of a loved one on numerous joint trips has shown that one should rely only on oneself (sometimes - on LP) and, in extreme cases, ask random people for information.

I found myself in an amazing position, when my beloved one was for a tour operator and a guide, and all I could do was to admire the beauty and attractions of this or that country.

This also happened when planning a trip in November 2010. True, for this trip we used the services of a tour operator and bought a last minute ticket to Egypt $ 93 for each (prices decreased due to shark attacks, but this did not scare us, since everyone understood that we simply would not get to the sea). Beloved himself planned the trip, but the nuances were not conveyed to me. At that time, it was not necessary - I knew that he was traveling with us and the journey would be, as always, interesting and memorable (we were traveling in three: me, my beloved and friend (Snake).

The unpredictable happened - the beloved refuses to travel at the very last moment, precisely at the last - at 07.00 in the morning, when already at 11.00 you have to leave the house for the train to the airport. Naturally - panic - how, where, why and why?

The beloved calmly took the LP, handed it to me (for awareness - I don’t know English) and said: “I believe in you and you can handle it without me !!!”. In frustrated feelings, I packed my backpack, took LP and on the way to the Paveletsky railway station, my beloved in the metro talked about the planned route, and I frantically jotted down word by word.

The route turned out to be as follows: we arrive in Hurghada, the next day we sail by ferry to Jordan (we were supposed to visit Petra, but since the entrance a month before the trip suddenly became expensive, we had to penetrate the city at night, hiding from the guards), further to Israel - Jerusalem, Aqaba ... that is, only the days of arrival and departure were planned for Egypt.

Let's go, that is. One and a half tourists, without language, without understanding the peculiarities of the countries planned to visit ... well, there is insurance against stupidity - a paid hotel with food and a beach.

Whiskey, Baileys. We flew to Hurghada relaxed.

We settled in, got used to it - immediately look for a port to cross the Gulf of Suez to Sharm el-Sheikh, then from there to Jordan. We walked for a long time, the port was not found. We returned to the hotel with nothing.

The next day we will find out - there is a storm in the bay, the ferry does not go - maybe it will, but only the next day. At the same time, there is no certainty that the ferry will, in principle, even in a week (that is, we could not have made it back home on the plane). We make a decision - to walk only in Egypt, according to its interests, and, as we all know perfectly well, there are a lot of them !!!

The next day we went to Cairo.

Be sure to visit the world's largest repository of objects of ancient Egyptian art - the Cairo Museum. Photography is prohibited in the museum. The Egyptian Museum contains the richest collection of cultural treasures of the dynastic period. More than a hundred halls and galleries house about 150 thousand exhibits. At the entrance to the museum, there are giant sculptures depicting Amenhotep III and his wife Tia. Contrary to tradition, her figure is the same size as the figure of the pharaoh himself. Works from the Amarna period are exhibited on the ground floor of the museum. They are much more realistic than anything that was created in Egypt before and after them. What is one head of the famous Queen Nefertiti worth! First of all, these are the treasures of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, exhibited at the far end of the second floor. This tomb was discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, near the city of Luxor. This find became an archaeological sensation in the 20th century. The tomb of Tutankhamun is the only one of the royal tombs found unpillable, in its original form. Her treasures were so numerous that it took five years to describe and transport them to the Egyptian Museum.

In front of the entrance to the museum, work is underway to restore the exhibits.

Inspired after the positive emotions we received from visiting the museum, we wanted to continue and went to see one of the seven wonders of the world - the greatest architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt - the pyramids! But then we were faced with the fact that at the bus station none of the locals knew how to get to the pyramids. We were surprised! And they began to check the information specified in the LP. But this information turned out to be erroneous, from the stop indicated in LP, buses have not been running for a long time. Benevolent people appeared who helped us. A minibus was passing by and people told us that it was necessary to get into that minibus. And immediately, taking us into his car, caught up with the necessary minibus at a traffic light, we jumped into it and reached only the station (we are in shock). But then we got our bearings and found a minibus, talked with the driver. He also decided to help us and took us to a travel company near the pyramids. There they began to "breed" us. But we quickly understood and got away from annoying selling our services.

Wandering for a short while in search of an entrance, we got there and saw ... BEAUTY!

The pyramids are located near the city of Giza.

The largest is the Cheops pyramid. Initially, its height was 146.6 m, but due to the fact that now there is no facing of the pyramid, its height has now decreased to 138.8 m. The length of the side of the pyramid is 230 m. The construction of the pyramid dates back to the XXVI century BC. e. Presumably, the construction took over 20 years.

The pyramid is composed of 2.3 million stone blocks that have been fitted to each other with unrivaled precision. No cement or other binders were used. On average, the blocks weighed 2.5 tons.

The locals ride on donkeys and everyone proposes to ride camels.

The next city that we have received our attention is Alexandria! The city is in the north Egypt and is a port on the Mediterranean Sea, founded by the great Alexander the Great.

While walking along the embankment, we visited the library - one of the largest libraries of antiquity.

The Library of Alexandria was founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC during the reign of the king of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus.

The library has many rooms dedicated to different areas of art.

Sculptures next to the library building once again show us the ancient Egypt.

Continuing the walk along the embankment of Alexandria, we visited the Kite Bay fortress, which was built on the ruins of the Alexandria lighthouse.

Visiting the fortress is active.

The fortress was founded in 1477 by Sultan Kaitbey and has been rebuilt more than once since then, but, as you see, it has survived to this day.

Here you can visit the military barracks where the soldiers lived, see the holes in the mighty walls, where the cannons were previously located.

Climbing up to the observation deck fortress kite bay, enjoying the stunning landscape: on one side - the endless golden sands, and on the other - the turquoise Mediterranean Sea.

On the coast, fishermen have settled down peacefully, waiting for a big catch.

Without thinking twice, we decide to climb Mount Sinai and meet the sunrise there. Of course, I regretted a little that the sunrise at the top of the mountain would not meet with my beloved, but with a friend.
The cities of Egypt traveled only by buses. Sometimes they forgot to change the currency, but they found people conducting the exchange unofficially (whoever seeks, he always finds).
We got to the city of Suez late at night, and we were warned, as if by chance, of a possible deception by taxi drivers. And there is nowhere to go, the buses do not run !!! The taxi driver offers to go to the tunnel through which buses pass to Sharm. But as soon as I imagined that we alone would be standing somewhere in a vacant lot, being in the unknown whether the bus would go or not ...
In general, I was scared. And there was no strong man's shoulder nearby to keep calm. My fear turned out to be stronger than Snake's confidence, and we just went to the hotel for the night. The next day, it turns out that the first bus to Mount Sinai will only be after 14.00. I didn't want to wait at all - we went to the desired intersection by bus to Sharm. From the turn to the mountain, you see, and we will hitchhike.
Hitchhiking turned out to be not entirely simple, and far from free. Still, we got there, into the night.
At the hotel we will find out how best to climb the top of the mountain. And then a surprise - tomorrow the bus will be in a single copy and at 6 o'clock in the morning, because all the locals suddenly had a holiday, about which they are massively resting.
The Monastery of St. Catherine is closed. We are upset, but we want to go to the top of the mountain, and then how will it turn out (for information - we have 1.5 days home from the plane).
We got up at 4 am. Very cold. We dress securely - T-shirt, sweater and windbreaker. We hurry to the top. Two paths lead from the monastery of St. Catherine to the summit: a short and a long one, they connect not far from the summit. We go up a long path, overtaking groups of tourists, and the locals follow us - strong. We got to the steps - they are so imperceptible that they displaced us on the powder - I almost fell, slipping down. previously located cannons.

A sign calling for the disposal of garbage exclusively into bins is carved into the rock.

All along the way, with sad eyes, camels gaze at tourists, on which you can reach the steps leading to the top of the mountain without fatigue.

We are not sadists. We love sad camels and go on our own!

The northern wall of the Church of the Holy Trinity at the top and a cave near it.

We reached the top of the mountain. And then we were greeted by a religious chant of a group of African pilgrims. Sounds spilled over the summit and created an absolutely magical atmosphere.

A stunning view opens up from the top of the mountain.

When the sun rises, looking at the beauty emerging from the twilight, I am once again convinced that I am the happiest person in the world!

Satisfied, we went down the mountain.

There are no buses. We negotiate with a minibus for $ 20 for two, although the same cabbies carry Americans for $ 30 each (lucky).

In the evening we were in Hurghada.

Global Organizational Findings:

I'm afraid, but I can!

It's bad to live without a loved one, but you can survive!

You can go without a language, without a guidebook - it's more difficult. Blue eyes will bring you to Cairo.

Next time I'll tell you how my beloved left me alone in the middle of the wild, wild Philippines.

Tags: Egypt,