We were up reasonably early to start our desert
adventure. Our local guide picked us up at the hotel in a 4 x 4. We had been
told to pack a small overnight bag and I could see why it was so important for
it to be small. The back of the 4 x 4
was chock and block filled with the essentials we would need over the next two
days.
Mostafa was with us which as always was a comforting
thought if something should go wrong. We
started our trip in the village where our local guide picked up things like
bananas and flat breads and tomatoes from different vendors. Once again I was
struck by the friendliness of the Egyptian people. The smiles on their faces and their friendly
greetings truly does make you feel special.
Then we got onto the road and headed for the black
desert. The desert floor changes colour rather suddenly going from the usual
shades of beige and brown to different shades of black. It has a bit of a weird
feeling to it when you walk around, almost like you could film a really good
apocalypse or zombie movie here. Once again there was an interesting energy
which played over my skin as I stood amongst the black dunes. Meg being the energetic soul ran all the way
to the top of the one dune and down again.
Mostafa and I stayed behind to cheer her on!! It is interesting to hear
about the aging of the desert and to see the results which time and mother
nature has inflicted on this beautiful place.
So they say that erosion of the mountains has caused
the black layer which covers the black desert but I don’t know…to me it seemed
like God wanted to give this piece of “nothingness” a special touch. There are
several dunes/mountains which look like pyramids creating an interesting
atmosphere as you drive around. I loved
going over the dunes in the 4 x 4. It
kinda made me feel like a kid on a roller coaster.
We stopped at Gebel as-Zuqaq which is a mountain known
for its colourful streaks. It has a
limestone base and it has got the most interesting shapes in reds, yellows and
oranges you will ever see. There is also
a path which leads to the top of the mountain and my Meg decided she needed to
conquer this mountain too…apparently Sinai just was not enough for this sweet
girl. Mostafa and I did join her on a bit of a trek through a valley while our
local guide and his 4 x 4 waited for us on the other side. I know there were
several moments when I wondered what I was thinking walking in the heat in the
desert but with hindsight it is one of my favourite memories. I loved the silence which suddenly filled
with our laughter, I loved us just walking and chatting as if we were in a park
instead of a desert in Egypt and most of all I loved the sight of our 4 x 4 at
the end of the walk!! Air con people!!
After lunch we stopped at the Crystal mountain. I found this large rock made entirely out of
quartz fascinating. Talk about
sparkling….bling bling bling!! When I
was told we were going to visit crystal mountain I expected us to have to crawl
in caves on hands and feet but no this rock sits right off the road. Megan and
Mostafa went exploring while I was taking photos and suddenly seemly out of
nowhere this guy appears. At first I was
a little taken aback but he soon asked me if we had any spare water for him so
I thought he was ok to talk to. I
started asking him a million questions:
turns out he is from Canada and that he has given up everything, packed
a bag and flew to Cape Town. He then
bought a motorbike and has been on the road ever since. He is making his way to Belgium of all place
but doing it all overland on the bike. I
was intrigued and asked him if he was on his own to which he said yes. I asked if he does not get starved for
company and his response “No I am really enjoying the silence”. Needless to say
that kinda shut me up pronto!!
All in all I loved our time in the black desert. I still have to share our oasis lunch and of
course the journey to the white desert with you. I am kinda sad to do so though because that means
the trip is almost at an end…
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