Around The World w/Scott 2011: These are the Days of My Life

Wow, what an experience. I had just arrived in Cairo, spent less than an hour with the manager of the hostel and have the next 11 days booked with all the best that Egypt has to offer. I booked a two night overnight tour into the White Sand Desert so two days ago I went on a 5 hour bus ride to the dessert...ok all of Egypt is a desert but we arrived in an oasis, which is a kind word for a location of which there are 5 where water is pumped from several hundred feet under the ground into very primitive troughs that direct the water to various parcels of land for farming, tree planting and various other life sustaining activities in the small village of Baharia. We then transferred into a 4x4 for another 3 hour drive on the paved road to nowhere. When I mean nowhere I mean past where Jesus lost his sandal in the desert and we actually found the sandal.

We stopped at a place called the Crystal Mountain which is one of many highlighted spots in the national park that contains both the White Sand and black sand deserts. It is an amazing site that sparkles as the place is one huge crystalline shimmering mountain, more like hill but still very impressive. Did I mention that it is HOT in the desert and not a bit of shade anywhere. It was like being on or in one of those amazing geodes as everywhere you looked there was sparkling crystals glimmering in the sunlight. Almost blinding but sort of like the train wreck that you can't take your eyes off.

Our ultimate destination for the evening is the White Sand Deseert for our evening under the stars. There were 5 of us all guys, myself, an American from Indiana, a guy from Japan and 2 guys from Argentina, a nurse and a lifeguard. What a group of characters we were. Our two drivers Mohamed and Courtier (sp) were the best. The White Sand Desert is regular beach sand but under it is a very white, porous, but very...hmmm how do I describe it; very almost soft stone substance. Over the many thousands of years the sand has eroded the white stone into enormous individual and sometimes entertaining structures. We saw a rabbit, mushroom, and we camped under what appeared to be a face next to another that looked like a hand holding a beer. Ok, Ok so it is like clouds in the crystal blue sky and you have to from time to time use your imagination but they were awesome. The ground looked what might have been the face of the moon. Flat for a far as you could see with some slopes and then these enormously large rock sculptures jutting from the earth.

Needless to say the group of us were hot, sweaty and excited to finally reach our camp ground so when we stopped we all jumped out cameras in hand and headed in different direction s to explore, cameras in hand. We returned not 20 minutes later to find the 2 truck parked parallel, back bumper to front bumper with a richly colorful carpet strung from the rooftop racks to the sand making a wind break, rugs out on the sand, thin mattresses with a wooden table and the two guides with their propane tank and cooking stove sitting around chopping potatoes and veggies. Within 20 minutes more a fire was started using a bundle of wood also from the camper top. There was chicken being placed on the grill and grapes on a plate ready for us to devour them. WOW, what a setup in the desert. We all just stood around and next comes out the hookah pipe and the hashish. Did I just say hashish??? Why yes i did. For those prude or opposed, please skip to next paragraph, however as i have said endlessly, when in Rome... The enormity of the stars in the sky, the milky way and the gazillion stars lit up the night sky. I mean not just a glow but the sky was brilliant. It is indescribable the beauty of the universe above our heads. As a city boy it is beyond anything that I have ever seen before. I am not a country type so having always lived in the big city lights, the world above has been only a fleeting glimpse. The awe of seeing the night sky in all its majesty was a sight I will never forget. It barely rivals the night spent on the houseboat in Thailand but even there the night sky was brilliant but the silence (only broken by the beating of a distant drum beat...yeah the desert is a big party location for all the reasons that I describe)...did I mention hashish....hmm what an experience. Sorry mom, i'm only human ;-)

The day was Hot and the night freezing, as the porous rock does not hold heat. We were provided thin matresses to lay on the sand under stars and thick wool blankets that we were each bundled under as it got really cold from grueling 87 felt like 110 to maybe 50 degrees but felt like icicles were on my nose when I got up. I think the temp dropped at least 40 degrees I was up at 5am so as not to miss the sunrise and it was not a disappointment.

Desert for as far as the eye can see.

5 hour bus ride into the desert

half way pit stop...and it was a pit

transferred to a 4x4 for the rest of the ride 4 hours...

road to nowhere....final destination White Sand Desert..

Greg, W & Mohamad

A break for lunch...surprisingly good.

Crystal mountain

Geode heaven...

White Sand Desert, the sand is sand, the white is this very porous crunchy wind blown ...I can't describe it.

This is what it looks like...kinda like the moon landing again very surreal.

Yeah that is how big the sun is in the desert and HOT!

Caravan to campsites....

Sunset

Making camp for the night...

Pre-sunrise...campsite...

Sunrise

Um...Who left the hashish pipe out all night??

Black sand desert...yeah hiked to the top only to see alot of early morning haze...not photo op...

Anyone for a swim in the irrigation tank?

Poor cell reception in the desert...

A Priscilla in the Desert moment as they guus ride atop the 4x4...

Dates and farmers son...

Our guide Sammi

The bull that charged me and made me scream like a girl as he was only trying to get to his girl...they will never forget me...ever...in all of Egypt!!