Eternal triangle is a story with autobiographic accents. It tells about a Dutch woman, who travels to Egypt in 1992, together with her husband. She meets all kinds of people, which she seems to know actually for al long time. There are many extraordinary things happening, strange coincidences, and the emotions are violent and vary strongly. Egypt changes one forever, she learns here.
This book contains a description of these events in Egypt and their consequences on her life. Then some years of intense experiences follow, which have to be digested and that needs a lot of time.
Then the day comes, that she goes to Egypt again, which once more is a journey, which makes a deep impression. After this trip she gives an account of the developments in the form of telephone calls and e-mails to her friend Serafine and later they have a new trip to Egypt together, the country that fascinates both of them already for years. During this visit several wise men come to speak. Afterwards the correspondence between the two friends is continued and many items are discussed like grief and sadness, anger, destructiveness and suicidality, consequences of having children, jealousy, suspicion and betrayal, and that, which had to be discussed and had to be healed yet, comes up intensly. Life itself gives all kinds of leverage opportunities ,because by everyday events or statements always something can stay hooked in your system, by which old emotions can be triggered and come out of secret places, where they were waiting for enlightenment, to manifest and therefore be healed. Disagreements are not evaded in the e-mailcorrespondence.

Corine van Delsen studied medicin at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands and specialized as a psychiatrist. She worked as such a long time in several psychiatric hospitals, followed a long education as a psychotherapist as well and worked later on as a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist in a free-established practice in the River district in Holland. For a long time she is interested in spirituality, memories of past lives, dreaming and dream interpretation, and development of intuitive abilities. Now she is focussing on writing, painting and sculpturing and she organizes spiritual journeys to Egypt for interested people.

Website: www.corinegyptravel.nl

All trips were in cooperation with Sycamore Travel.

The Siwan festival which is held at full moon every year in the month of October is known by the misleading name of Eid el Siyaaha . Literally that means the Tourist Feast, which is by no means what the Siwa Festival is standing for. It is in the first place a feast by and for Siwans, although tourists Egyptians as foreigners alike are welcomed as long as they show some respect for the rituals of the feast and do not disturb them. The three day festival is held at the foot of Gebel Dakhroor at the eastern tip of the chain of three summits. The mountains can be seen from far and especially at night it is a brilliant landmark with all the lights shining onto the mountain. The area is surrounded by reminiscent of an old village with some karsheef sheds and a small mosque on the slopes of the mountain. A staircase is leading down to the centre of the festival area, where in the evening the Sufis of the Darawish group do their zikr. Every night the man form a circle, holding hands and chanting religious verses called anasheed. They bend forward and back again in one movement. In the circle is a ceremonial master directing the group into one rhythm and movement. This ritual called the zikr is found all over Egypt especially in events called moulids, feast dedicated to certain prominent sheihks who passed away but still have huge amounts of followers. This religious ritual is open for all viewers. But ladies as well as men should wear long sleeves and cover legs and the ladies might cover their hear with a shawl out of respect. The most prominent sheihk in Siwa is Sidi Suleiman whose tomb is at the mosque close to Shali, the old fortress and centre of the oasis. The festival ends with a procession to his grave on the fourth morning, people carry banners and flags and chanting go for a last ritual to the centre square.

Around the festival area Siwans put up their tents, where they will stay during three days. There they meet each other, sit together and sip their tea, chatting about all that is concerning them. Sometimes they are making music together or playing games like tawla the Arabic version of backgammon or dominos. In this village of makeshift tents and huts all problems and conflicts of the last year are being discussed. If disputes are getting out of hand, they might ask interference of the elders of the oasis, who mostly reside on top of the staircase in a special open air reception room, where also high guests are being received. On the third day of the festival the governor from Marsa Matrouh came over. When his convoy of about ten cars arrived all people flocked to the scene and the local security men had a hard time controlling the mass. Especially the boys were pushing and pulling in order to get a glimpse of the governor and the security guys got rid of them by beating them with long sticks. It did not seem to bother anybody and a sense of excitement was in the air. As the governor was making his way up the staircase the crowd followed. The elders of the oasis were lined up in order to welcome the high guest. In the reception room was time to discuss the most urgent matters and requests of the oasis community, an opportunity for them because the governor does not show up that often in this remote corner of his province. And it was not without vein, after he had left it was called from the microphone of the minaret that all sick people could get a paper which would restitute their cost for traveling for hospitals and doctors visits. Although the most basic health care is available in the oasis anybody who needs help as a dentist or an appointment with a specialist needs to go to Marsa Matrouh which is about 300 km from Siwa. The cost of traveling and treatment is far over the budget of the majority of Siwans, who are simple and poor hardworking people. Most people make a living in the fields where dates and olives are the most important crops. Some work in the small agriculture related industries or in the mineral water plants and a some make their money with the growing number of tourists to the oasis.

But first of all Siwa festival is a community festival, people sharing in all the events, spending time together and enjoying themselves. The lane leading from Shali, the central town of the oasis to the site, is working its way through a fair area where hurts of children spend their time. Girls dressed up in their colorful party dresses stroll by eating ice cream or a sandwich, looking for a new hair pin . The boys flocking around in their new white galabeyyas or a jogging suits spending a few pounds buying toys and taking a ride in the merry go round which is still operated by hand. It is a joyful gathering of children. When every once in a while a grown up shows his face, he will right away be asked to spend some more money for the rest of the days spending by related children. Although the girls are enjoying their time at the festival, in general you see only few women. They spend their time with female relatives in the houses having their own private parties. You only see them passing by on the donkey pulled carts sitting in their traditional milayas in blue and white cotton with traditional embroideries on it, showing no sight of their bodies or faces. The only women in the oasis wear other attire are coming from outside of Siwa.

The most important ritual which takes place every day on the sandy plane of the festival area shows the spirit of sharing and equality amongst each other. It is the sharing of food with each other. Before the festival every family spends a certain amount of money and some loafs of bread and sacks of rice to the festival. With this money cattle is bought which will be slaughtered on the eve of the feast. Every night the meat is prepared in big pots with broth on palm wood fires. A whole line of fires burn all night and a special crew of men will take care of it. The next morning they lit the fires again to warm the broth and the metal bowls are washed up and filled with rice or pieces of bread in a line of men the bowls travel from the washing up to the pots and from there to a special tile layered space. The line of bowl carriers is accompanied by another opposite line of singers and is moving until the whole area is filled with approximately one thousand bowls. They pour the broth over the rice or bread and put some meat over is, this traditional dish is called fatta and eaten on special occasions. When all dishes are ready, young boys carry them down the staircase to the area where already many circles of people have formed in anticipation of the food coming up. Only when every circle of people sitting in the sand has a bowl of food, a sign is given by the minarets microphone and everybody eats together using their hands. It is a fantastic spectacle of community, everybody sharing in the preparations and eating of these daily meals. After the meal the men clear the area of the empty bowls and start already preparing for the next day. Everybody leaves maybe not with a full belly but for sure with a mind at peace. ………………………………………….Yvon Arendsen, Siwa October 2008.

That is what we offer you. Leave your settled life behind and come to Sinai. Afterwards you will return completely rested and revived.
You fly to Sharm el Sheikh where our representative will pick you up. Our small travel agency takes care of your stay in Dahab, a small town on the Gulf of Aqaba. From there you will go into the desert a few days, accompanied by a camel and a Bedouin guide. Sometimes the terrain is sandy sometimes rocky with all kinds of colors and forms. The beauty of the area will totally absorb you, a feeling of marvel and satisfaction will fill your mind.

The simple life of camping in the desert will let you find back to the basics of your own life. Time is of no importance here. You live with the sun and in the evening you get to sleep after a good meal and a cup of tea at the campfire. The thousands of stars at the sky are your night lamps. After this you might want to visit the monastery of St. Catherina and then you will go back to the coast to enjoy a few more days of sun and sea. Maybe you want to discover the magical underwater world with tropical fish and corals.