Bahariya and Farafra Oasis

Tamer picked me up early in the morning and we caught the metro to just outside the city centre, where his assistant Iman met us in his jeep. Then we got some yummy falafels for breakfast and started the long drive to the Bahariya Oasis. Tamer has his own company called Black Tiger Safari and he was from Bahariya so it was great to have a local Bedouin guide. He didn't speak a lot of english, but Ehab said if I had any questions that I could call him anytime to answer or translate. But, Tamer was pretty good at explaining what he needed to say, so it worked out just fine.With him being a local, he knew how to drive in the sand properly and all the nice spots to go explore.
When we reached Bahariya, we went to his place for some lunch. He had a nice large room with a low coffee table and cushions all along the floor surrounding it. It was comfortable. Also had power points to charge up the batteries for the camera before heading out to our first destination... The Black Desert.
The Black Desert was amazing. Soft golden sand covered small mountains topped with basalt rock. To remind you all of geology, basalt is black volcanic rock formed from lava. This land of ancient volcanoes looked like black dusting on the hills. We stopped at The Rock Noss and I hiked up to the top to get a nice view of the land.
After that, we drove to the Bedouin village to see the hot spring and cold spring. We were able to have a dip in the cold spring pool, but seeing how it was not too hot, I wanted to keep exploring rather than swim. He showed me how the village used the spring with a pumping system to water the farming fields for vegetation. Lots of date trees out here.
Next, we drove out to Crystal Mountain in the Old White Desert. Crystal Mountain is a subvolcanic vault that erupted around 30 million years ago when the earth was having climatic changes. The hydrovolcanic solutions filled any cavities within the rock and once cooled, formed the calcite crystals. There was even a neat archway that was speculated as a cave that the roof caved in and eroded over time, leaving behind the arch. Crystals were embedded throughout the arch and all over the ridge. Sparkling in the sunlight. Nature sure is beautiful.
We jumped back into our jeep and continued to drive out in the White Desert. And was it ever white. The limestone and chalk formations were all unique. I felt like I was on the moon. We drove through the Garaway region to Agaload area to see a great panoramic view of the white rocks. The sun was getting low in the sky and shone golden on the limestone. We rested from all the bumpy jarring of off roading in the jeep and enjoyed the silence of the desert.
On our way to our campsite,we drove through Wadie which had many sporadic trees. We stopped at Garaween Oasis. It was a small waterhole (like a well) with trees in a circle. Would have been nice to camp here, but there were mosquitoes. So, we just looked around, saw the lone acacia tree with its tangled roots and watched the sunset.
We drove just a little further toward the New White desert and set up camp. I popped up my tent while the boys made on outdoor dining room. They put a large canvass along the jeep and then at a 90 degree angle out to the side to make a V shape. Then they placed a rug on the ground, brought out a coffee table and 2 long cushions to sit on around it. Nice set up. These Bedouin guys know how to camp in the desert! Tamer had 2 propane cans and started making dinner, while Iman made a fire to cook the chicken and tea.
It was a clear night with a full moon. No flashlight needed. We ate our delicious dinner, watched a small fox come by to scavenge chicken leftovers and then the boys taught me some arabic. I tell you, not such an easy language to learn! Then they sang me a couple songs and off to bed. I left my tent door open so I could pop my head out and look up at the stars while I fell asleep. So peaceful.
I got up early to watch the sunrise and let the boys sleep in.
Our campsite was surrounded by limestone formations and soft yellow sand. Not a footprint in sight (apart from the ones we made, and our fox visitor). It was neat seeing the ripples on the sand from the wind. The landscape was so different than anything I've ever seen before. Absolutely breathtaking.
After an hour or so, I could hear Tamer calling me for breakfast. We had fruit, bread, cake and spreadable cheese. It was filling.
After we packed up (looked like we were never there. They're good at keeping the area unsoiled) we headed back to the highway for Farafra Oasis making scenic pit stops along the way. One of those being a drop off for Iman. He was going to wait along the highway for Tamer's brother to pick him up as he had 2 tourists, while Tamer had just me. Made sense to help the brother out.
Farafra was a very small village. Many mud made houses with wooden doors. Even had big medieval locks on them. And so many motorbikes! That was their main transportation. And the decorations! All the bikes had a carpet cover on the seat and tank with either tassells, bells or ornaments of some kind attached to it. It was great!
There was a small lake, hot spring and palm trees (which I think were more dates). We stopped at a local's studio/museum that exhibited all his sand art. There were sand paintings, sculptures, ceramics and even a yard full of bizarre sculptures made from objects found in the desert. The walls of the building was sandstone that he carved many pictures into. It looked wonderful. Badr took much pride in his work, and gave everyone a personal tour. He was a very nice man, well spoken, and mingled just enough to make you feel welcome but not harassed. I enjoyed it.
Then, I popped across the street into a hotel for a much needed shower and then we hopped back into the jeep to see the Western desert, the sea of sand.
Golden sand dunes cut from the wind and giant monoliths of sandstone all throughout the drive. To think that all this land was once an ocean. Hard to believe. We drove to Aboo viewpoint to rest for a spell. Tamer pointed out the directions of Sudan and Libya, the 2 other countries that the desert is a part of. Can only imagine how far away they are from that point. He said there are tours to take you there, but it's a long tour. And the heat can be challenging. Hmmm, maybe next time.
We found a nice spot with some shade (which is hard to find at mid-day) and had our lunch of pita with egg, tomato mixed with feta and plain yogurt mixed with diced cucumber, salt and pepper. Simple, but delicious. I walked around a while and after finding a boulder to have a bathroom break, found shells. Many, many fossilized shells. So cool!
After, we headed back across to the other side of the highway to the White Desert. As we drove further into the New White desert, the landscape changed. Now it appeared as the moon. There was a flat of limestone covering the ground that looked like a wind chaffed ocean surface, rippled with frozen waves. Incredible. And the white chalk formations that were made by wind erosion from the reoccurring and frequent sandstorms, created interesting shapes such as a dog, sphynx, camel, rabbit, table, and the famous mushroom and chicken. There were many more too. Actually, if you spend enough time, you could make out the rocks into almost anything. They all had a unique shape. It was fun looking at them. The only one Tamer and I couldn't agree on was the snake. I couldn't see it, all I could see was an owl with a squished head, not a snake. Funny.
We set up camp here among the formations and Tamer got started on dinner, pasta. As we started dinner, his brother drove by with Iman to say a quick hello and let us know they were setting up camp nearby. Tamer and I decided that instead of making our own fire, we should go socialize with his brother's guests if they'll have us. So, we popped over and I met Kiran and her husband Kam. They were from England and on their holiday. They were a lovely couple and the boys all started singing and playing the drums around the fire. We had a fox come by who was braver than the one from the night before. He came fairly close, even with our Bedouin entertainment. Tamer and I danced together and we all had a wonderful time.
The next morning, I popped over to exchange emails with Kiran. Then Tamer and I headed off to see the extraordinary mushroom I somehow missed the day before and head back to Bahariya Oasis. This mushroom looked like a sliver of a neck was holding up the top. Of course, you have to find the right angle to see that. We made more pit stops along the way. One to visit camels, wash our dishes at a small spring and to look at all the different flower stones. The flower stones are fossilized plant material that have various shapes and sizes from coils, petals, spikes to shell looking designs. They also had a nice sound when long tube ones clanged together. I think wind chimes or a xylophone could be made out of them. One interesting thing about them is that they were always on the surface of the sand, rather than buried. I suppose, with their composition, they were lighter than the sand so they blew around easy.
Once we got back to Bahariya, Tamer took me to the Garden. It was more a farmland of dates and palm trees, but it's what they call the Garden. It was pretty. Mangoes, olives and guava were also harvested at the oasis. Donkeys carried big loads of produce, grass or a Bedouin man. From most of what I saw, they looked well cared for. That made me happy to see. Looks like they rely on their donkeys enough to keep them well. Motorcycles were also commonly used to get around in the narrow alleys of town. The houses were a mix of mud made houses and cement made. Iron ore mining was a major agricultural industry providing many jobs for the locals as well.
Then we went to the salt sea. A good sized lake that has a high salinity content. Next, was the Pyramid, a large rock formation in the desert that looked like a pyramid, and then his uncle's house. There, I met his uncle and horse. We had some giant green beans to snack on (I shared mine with the horse). I like that the Egyptians make houses for their farm animals. At first, I thought they were peoples houses, but Tamer explained that the rock and pebble walls with thatched roofing are the cattle quarters. I was impressed.
Lastly, we went to English Mountain were a ruin of an old fort was situated on a hill. Lovely view up there.
It was time to head back to town for lunch. When we got to his house, Kiran and Kam were there. We had lunch together while Tamer got our bus tickets back to Cairo. I was sad to leave Tamer, even though it was a short time, we had a lot of fun and bonded. He was my brother now. He gave me his email and I promised to email him some pictures so that he could use it for his new website and the 3 of us got on our bus for the long journey back to the city.
Kiran and I talked almost the entire way. I really like them and she invited me to visit them whenever I made it to London. Very kind couple.
Once back in the city, I was picked up by one of the staff at Brothers Hostel and brought back home. Mohammed even made sure Kam and Kiran got back to their hostel ok. Really nice staff.
I had 20 minutes to repack my small backpack and add a few extra items for the next part of my tour before heading off to the night train to Aswan. It was a long journey. About 14 hours long. I tried to sleep, but I was nervous about dreaming while my camera was unguarded. So I just rested.
It was a safe train. There is a tourist section where guards keep an eye on us. I needn't have worried.
Once I arrived in Aswan, I was picked up by Yassen and he brought me to my hotel (the Nubian Hotel. Not actually run by Nubian people though) and gave me a rundown of my itinerary. I wasn't going to Abu Simbil until 3 am and seeing how it was 11 am, I had a free day. I was too tired for anything else to do, so I checked into my room and passed out.
 Now that I'm up, I'm going to stretch my legs a bit and get some dinner. Then, have an early sleep because I have to get up early.