This was probably the most extensive section of our surf outreach in the Middle East. We hooked up with Egypt’s first surfer, Teymour (Tim) Adham, who also put us up in his family’s hotel. The lodging was far superior to the hostel we stayed at in Cairo. If you are in Alexandria, I highly recommend staying at Adham Compound Hotel.
I spent the first couple of days fixing boards. Needed board repairs for the donation boards and boards that were already here and had been surfed way to hard. While I was staying up late fixing boards, I was able to realize how much the surf club here in Egypt was in need of support.
As a group we surfed with the older surfers and taught the groms some basic techniques. I realized while hanging out with the Bedouin surfers here, that its not about surfing here. It never really is about surfing and catching waves. Its all about the people you are with and the relationships you create through surfing.
Joe Mattera met up with our group in Cairo and through his experiences with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) he helped put on our 2nd annual Aloha surf camp and contest.
Tim took us around Alexandria and showed us the library, some citadels, the markets. We also spent time in the Sahara Desert. In addition to being the first surfer in Egypt and owning his family hotel, Tim is a safari guide and probably the best in Egypt. His resume reads like an encyclopedia. He has taken expeditions coast to coast and border to border. He has led National Geographic and Discovery Channel expeditions. So naturally he wanted to take us out to the desert. We spent time with his team in the desert surfing the sand dunes, actually sandboarding.
Everything here is awesome and I am completely exhausted going into the second half of our Middle East trip. Next up 14 hours of bus rides, train rides, a ferry ride around the Sinai Peninsula, and more bus rides into Jordan.
Sorry no pictures yet
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