Although it was not my first time heading south to the more rural ends of Cairo, driving down Mariutteya road last week was unlike any other time; the usual chaos and blasting honks at cautious drivers or poor donkeys pulling loaded carts had somewhat disappeared. It could be because it was a Saturday, a day considered to be a lie-in to a lot of people. I like to think that it was some sort of divine intervention, a beautiful introduction that paved the way to the serenity that characterized the couple of hours that followed. After losing my way and drifting onto an unpaved road on Mariutteya, I miraculously arrived at El-Sorat, a small, simple farm located a few kilometers after Sakkara Country Club. I could instantly feel the clean air rushing through my blood, filling me with both a sense of ease and appreciation to the surrounding scenery. As I passed through the wooden gate, I was welcomed by not less than 10 dogs, all different breeds. Al-Sorat is home to a Great Dane, a baladi dog, a few Rat Terriers and a couple of Dalmatians. It is also home to ducks, chickens, geese, quails, two mules, one water buffalo, three donkeys, three parrots and 20 horses used for horse trekking activities offered to tourist and local residents, presenting an alternative to common rides on the back of shabby, often boney horses found at touristy places such as the Pyramids. For almost 10 years, Maryanna Gabbani, owner and manager of El-Sorat, has mastered riding trails between Giza and Dahshur, passing through several villages, farms and local markets, and ending up in a spot overseeing the Pyramids of Giza, Abu Sir, Sakkara and Dahshur. To Gabbani, it is essential for tourists to look beyond the commercial tourist attractions that organized tours are often confined too. "[Tourists] like to go all out and see stuff, but they often find themselves caught up between their five-star hotel, the Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum and the bazaar, missing out on most of the authentic street culture that makes Egypt so special, she explained. "I have idiot-proof horses, said Gabbani, pointing out that horse rides around the desert in Giza are carried out on young, untrained horses which often leave the tourist, especially unprofessional riders, with fingers crossed hoping not to fall off or worse. Along with riding trails through the countryside and onto the surrounding desert, Al-Sorat offers riding lessons for visitors to help them feel at ease while riding and guide through them through the nature of horses, how to befriend them and make the best out of their rides. El-Sorat's tours are also an opportunity for tourists driven to take lots of pictures, said Gabbani. Riders also get a chance to interact with villagers in the area, which is culturally enriching. "I enjoy teaching people about the countryside, she said. "When I first decided to move out here my friends told me 'They'll throw rocks at you', she joked, adding that the children in the neighborhood grew from running around asking her for money to calling out her name, smiling and waving hello. "I've never given them money, says Gabbani, who developed her own blog about day-to-day Egypt. "I realized that there's a lot to be said that no one writes about. As we sat under a shed with all her dogs roaming around us, Elaine, Gabbani's friend of 30 years, who was visiting at the time, recalled stories when Gabbani used to visit Egypt every winter with her Egyptian-Canadian husband and Elaine would call her for last minute shopping. "Who wants to run around shopping for people on the last day? exclaimed Gabbani as they both giggled nostalgically. Gabbani moved to Egypt with her family for the first time in 1988. In Alexandria, where the family lived for five years, Gabbani decided to buy her first horse, at the age of 40. After 20 years of being a mother, working and being away from horses, she finally bought her own, Dorika, and stabled it in Somouha Club. "We almost killed each other [at first], recalled Gabbani, "but now she's one of my oldest - 18-year-old relationship. Before moving to the countryside in 2003, Gabbani - a Canadian who grew up in California - lived in Maadi with her husband and two children while her first two horses were sheltered in the stables of Sakkara Country Club. After her husband died and her children moved to New York, Gabbani decided to pursue what she's dreamed about since she was eight and used to take her neighbor's horses galloping behind Santa Barbara. Al-Sorat was inspired by a trip to Mexico where for 10 days Gabbani rode horses in "raw Mexico, watching people go about their daily routine. It was then that Gabbani felt she wanted to offer something similar to tourists visiting Egypt. In 2004, Gabbani settled in a simple, traditional one-bedroom home as well as another three-bedroom guesthouse. "I usually offer it for my friends that visit me. It's no surprise that the animals at Al-Sorat are healthy, happy and generally very warm. "Horses need to move, said Gabbani, whose 2.5 acre holds only paddocks where animals can move around freely. "This is where they belong, exclaimed Gabbani, whose passion for animals and Egypt are molded together into a heavenly home for animals and a breath of clean air for visitors. Appointments at Al-Sorat are made by phone or through their website: www.alsorat.com
