In November 2024 I spent 3 weeks in Egypt. It was part solo trip, part family trip, part Sufi meditation retreat accompanying a group of 60 or so others. My first stop after a 12 hour bus ride was to the calm and quaint Siwa Oasis, 50km from the Libyan border and located in the deep Western Desert. It was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the country, and a great location to sketch too. I challenged myself to paint more natural rock formations and landscapes than I ever had before. Then, on to Alexandria which offered amazing Mediterranean views and a unique mix of European and local architecture styles. The final days were spent across Cairo, Giza and Luxor admiring the pharaonic cultural legacy spanning over 5000 years.