Tales From the White Desert

We set out for our excursion at around 11ish (more than an hour late than the original set time, but what else is new in Egypt?). First, we drove through the Black Desert. The Black Desert was formed over the millenia as the wind eroded the moutains and blew fine black powder over the ground. We stopped at Gebel ("Mountain") as-Zygag which is known for the red, yellow, and orange streaks in its limestone base. We climbed the path to the top in the sweltering heat, but the view was worth it!

Next stop was Crystal Moutain which is actually a large rock made entirely of quartz crystal. Good thing we had a guide with us (Ahmed) or else I would have missed it entirely. Upon closer inspection, it is quite spectacular - the sun glinting off the crytal really made it quite pretty to look at.

We had some adventure at Agabat, which means "difficult" in Arabic. It consists of scores of rock sugar-loaves surrounded by soft sand and powdered chalk. The sand can easily entrap vehicles, which is what happened to us. Luckily other 4X4 vehicles came around and pushed us out. The view was beautiful from Agabat.

Finally, we headed out the White Desert, just in time to see the sun set. It was so fast - blink and you would miss it! The White Desert consists of chalk monoliths which have been eroded by the wind into surreal forms - you can imagine them looking like just about anything: mushrooms, camels, ostriches, skulls, etc. The chalk itself is called yardangs which is blazing white in the sun, but takes on pink/purple/golden hues with sunset or sunrise. That night, we were treated to a fantastic meal made by Mohammed and Ahmed consisting of vegetables, potatoes, and roast chicken on an open fire! Mmmm! It was tasty!

Sleeping in the White Desert was another story altogether. Although the temperature was very plesant in the evening after sunset, the night itself was freezing cold! Despite two huge blankets, being fully clothed with long underwear and a touque, as well as being from Canada, Shane and I froze our buns off through the night. Nether of us slept. In addition, it seemed like Shane was getting up every hour to check to make sure he hadn't missed the sunrise. The saving grace was the incredible amount of stars we could see. It was so spectacular. In addition, if you continually watched the sky for some time, you would catch shooting stars. I caught two without trying and Shane saw three. This was definitely an experience to savour and treasure!

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