Another long day driving across the desert to Bahariyya Oasis. Again, it is probably a miracle we are alive. Our 12 hour journey was completed in record time thanks to our crazy drivers who spent a bit too long on the sheeshas before driving. It only took a mere seven hours in two jeeps that should have been condemed.
I did not have high hopes as we drove through this run down town. Jon and I came to agreement that if we were paid a billion dollars to live here for the rest of your life we would decline the offer. I had to um and ah about whether I would move here if it meant world poverty would be eradicated. I still haven't made up my mind - I am rather selfish but then you haven't seen this place! I was expecting a lot worse accommodation than what we got, although we had to swap rooms as I did not fancy sleeping on a bed covered in ants. I did not dare pull back the sheets to see why a coloney had set up base there.
I thought I would be over sand but the desert was quite beautiful. We visited Crystal Mountain which is aptly named - lots of quartz. We also fossicked for flower stones somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The black rocks only looked like flowers if you used a lot of imagination and half shut your eyes. The size of our police escort's gun made sure we didn't souvenir any.
The white desert consisted of hundreds of rock formations that were really striking. It was here we camped under the stars with the foxes. You felt like you were the only people on earth if you ignored the fact that there were other tour groups camped 1km away in every direction. It would have been an amazing experience if it wasn't for the horrible noises coming from Jon all night long. I have never heard him snore quite like that before. People could hear him twently metres away. I am now partially deaf!
The next day we headed back to Cairo. In the evening we went to see an Egyptian heritage dance troupe in Islamic Cairo. The noise (I guess you could call it music) was facinating and so was the Sufi dancing... at first. However, the twirling man started to make me feel ill as he kept rotating for over an hour. It was stinking hot in the room and I wasn't sure if the pained look on his face was one of meditation, dizziness, or if he was going to drop dead. The constant clutching of his heart made me suspect the later. I had to get out of there before he had a heart attack.
This was the last night with our group. Tomorrow we are on our own again.
I did not have high hopes as we drove through this run down town. Jon and I came to agreement that if we were paid a billion dollars to live here for the rest of your life we would decline the offer. I had to um and ah about whether I would move here if it meant world poverty would be eradicated. I still haven't made up my mind - I am rather selfish but then you haven't seen this place! I was expecting a lot worse accommodation than what we got, although we had to swap rooms as I did not fancy sleeping on a bed covered in ants. I did not dare pull back the sheets to see why a coloney had set up base there.
I thought I would be over sand but the desert was quite beautiful. We visited Crystal Mountain which is aptly named - lots of quartz. We also fossicked for flower stones somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The black rocks only looked like flowers if you used a lot of imagination and half shut your eyes. The size of our police escort's gun made sure we didn't souvenir any.
The white desert consisted of hundreds of rock formations that were really striking. It was here we camped under the stars with the foxes. You felt like you were the only people on earth if you ignored the fact that there were other tour groups camped 1km away in every direction. It would have been an amazing experience if it wasn't for the horrible noises coming from Jon all night long. I have never heard him snore quite like that before. People could hear him twently metres away. I am now partially deaf!
The next day we headed back to Cairo. In the evening we went to see an Egyptian heritage dance troupe in Islamic Cairo. The noise (I guess you could call it music) was facinating and so was the Sufi dancing... at first. However, the twirling man started to make me feel ill as he kept rotating for over an hour. It was stinking hot in the room and I wasn't sure if the pained look on his face was one of meditation, dizziness, or if he was going to drop dead. The constant clutching of his heart made me suspect the later. I had to get out of there before he had a heart attack.
This was the last night with our group. Tomorrow we are on our own again.
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