Black and White Desert

We awoke from an INCREDIBLY cold night’s sleep to see the sun rising over the dunes. It is true what “they” say about the desert – there is little in the atmosphere in the way of moisture to block one’s view of the stars, but that lack of moisture also allows the heat to escape VERY rapidly! Apparently all of us had thought we would freeze to death during the night – the light sleeping bags and a blanket were NOT enough. Yet once the sun came up, it warmed nicely, and we were all in shirtsleeves before breakfast.

We broke camp and headed out to drive thru the “Black Desert”. This area of the Sahara is mostly volcanic with a thin layer of sand over the top. The lava intrusions have begun to weather away, and the sand is littered with chunks of heavy black rock. It is very beautiful, but not what I expected in the “Sahara”.

We stopped at a number of the “usual tourist spots” – as judged by the number of other 4×4’s, all of whose drivers immediately knew each other – for photo ops and to see the “things that tourists want to see”. It was an extremely varied day. We climbed a “mountain”, we squealed with delight (except for Jack, who was in the front seat) as our driver spun and slid our 4×4 thru the sand, we ate lunch at a great little “family cafe” where a truckload of camels stopped for a brief visit, we walked in eerie silence thru a vast valley of sand, we scrambled around on Crystal Mountain (“Kiss the Mountain”) marveling at the geode and crystal structure.

In time for sunset, we arrived in the “White Desert”. This area of the Sahara is (I assume) an old seabed, where the weathering of the calcium carbonate by wind and sand abrasion has formed many interesting formations. These are LARGE and go on for as far as the eye can see!

We (and about a dozen other groups) set up camp around the chalk formations. We could occasionally hear other groups, but we could not see them, so it felt like we were alone on a warm yet snow and ice covered alien world. The whiteness of the chalk was so bright that it reminded me more of snow than of desert. The sunset was SPECTACULAR. The colors, the clouds, the views.

We had a great dinner, cooked over a campfire. We sat around the fire and our guides played music and sang to us. (Ryan also sang – “Yellow Submarine” – but mostly our guides sang in Arabic/Bedouin) I think we disappointed our guides by going to bed relatively early. They eventually went over to one of the other group camps to join in the festivities there! The second night was not as bone-chillingly cold as the first. I believe that this was partially due to the guides covering us with all available blankets as well as slightly less wind the second night.

In the morning we began our trek back to Bahriya. On the road, it was much faster than it had been while driving thru the desert. We stopped for a few photos, but got back to the hotel in time to shower (BEST SHOWER EVER) and relax before the minibus ride back to Cairo. In a funny twist, as we left Bahriya, we skirted the checkpoint where we had first been stopped. HMM, I wonder why?

I know, for me, the trip to the desert was a needed break. The expansiveness of it reminded me how small my problems and tribulations are, comparatively speaking. It also reminded me that *me time* is, not just important, but essential for survival. When I got back to Cairo, I felt refreshed. It was not from sleeping, as the ground is hard in the desert, and it was COLD. Instead it was a mental refresh. I had perspective again.

All of my photos are posted here.