So you can likely tell how much I LOVED the White Desert. Both the Oasis and Desert was a much needed experience. It began with a 5 hour bus ride out of the hazy city of Cairo. The cheerful Bedouin (Bedouin are Indigenous people that are usually nomadic desert dwellers) guide and owner of the camp, Badr picked me up at the bus station and we drove to the camp site in the Oasis. His camp is sweet, simple and inviting, everything is made from the palm trees and other natural materials. I did not see metal or plastic...that is what I have really appreciated most about some of the places I have been lucky enough to see this year...Anyway, we then went to a spring and had a soak (and yes I wore a one piece...for these occasions is why I bring it). I asked him if I should wear a shirt over the bathing suit, but he said I was okay so I quickly jumped in the water, Badr is very interesting, he has lived all over Europe and speaks about 5 languages, he has been married 4 times, but not all at once, like his father:) He missed the desert while living in Europe so he moved back and opened his camp. Badr introduced me to several Bedouin men that prepared the "best" tea. The community is known for their tea and tea time usually is accompanied by a puff of the sheesha (really nice fruity flavor) pipe. Badr then drove us to sand dunes where I was beyond happy to feel the soft sand beneath my feet. We stayed till sunset then cruised back to camp for dinner...and yes I was his only guest for much of the day, but at night a group of about 5 young men from Israel showed up. They were great fun to chat with, we talked about politics, tea, gas :) and even the series Dallas...it was nice to have more company, but they just stayed the night, they had been in the desert for a week and had to get back to their studies. The next day Amy showed up, she is a young woman that also stayed at the same hostel as I had my first night. So in the morning her and I headed out into the White Desert with our 2 young Bedouin guides (not Badr...these two are Zeeko and Mohamed); we don't speak Arabic and they spoke about 20 words of English...but we all managed to communicate rather well, especially Zeeko with his very obvious crush on Amy. But he kept it as professional as any 20 year old with a crush can :) We had a great time driving through the luminous white sands; it was spectacular. The desert is a special place for me, I have always loved it and could have stayed for days. I saw the moon rise at about 3 am, and the sunrise at about 6am. I could smell the wind and the sand and the freshness of the earth. The only thing I wished for was a toilet :) but of course I got over that. Shukran
White Desert!!!!
FIVE hours packed on a Minibus speeding through the desert:
Now the 5 hour minibus ride back to Cairo was a different story. So I am told that the big air conditioned bus is full. So I must get on the local minibus that is crammed with people. I wonder "do I believe this guy" "is this some crazy scam?" "Well I am not giving up any loot so what could he have to gain from a scam like this?" So I get on the bus. I am the only westerner and the only woman with skin showing and there are only 4 of us women in a van of about 10 men. And just when I thought more people could not fit on the bus...the driver picked up about 6 more (I had flashbacks of Cape Town minibuses...except the music on this bus was not Beyonce or Techno, it was all Arabic melodies emanating from Adam's cell phone which he insisted on holding up so we could all enjoy...frankly though I wonder if some folks just wanted to sleep...the two ancient gentlemen in front of me looked far from thrilled by the music) Ce la vie...So I sit in between two men, one very nice guy named Adam, the DJ, he is so sweet and helpful, and another guy, about 18 a bit too excited about sitting next to me :) I had to push away his hand multiple times...until Adam traded seats with me when we stopped...thanks Adam :) Anyway the ride was an experience to say the least, I was moved when at sunset we pulled over and the majority of the men got out to pray...it was a really beautiful sight...and well I was really glad they prayed especially because the driver drove like a maniac and Adam and the 18 year old bonded in laughter over my facial expressions and my random nervous giggles...but I was not alone, an old man in front of me kept mumbling "Allah" After 5 hours we made it to the insanely chaotic streets of Cairo where the bus driver tried to pull a scam on me by telling me to take a taxi that he stopped rather than one I would stop...see it is likely that he would put me in his friend's taxi and try to get me to pay more...of course when I asked him the taxi rate he quoted it a 3 times what I knew it should be...so I gave him the "get the f*** outta here" look and hailed my own taxi. A lesson to ya'all if you don't already know, get taxi rates quoted to you from reliable sources beforehand, and get directions written down in the local language especially if the letters are different. .....Anyway, I made it back safe and sound....and soon I will head off to Dahab, the Red Sea and hang around Sinai.
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