Jan 12

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Jan 12
Well my driver collected me early and we headed off to round up a few more people then hit the bus station. Where he put us on the bus and sent us 5-6 hours in to the desert to Baharia oasis.  Where we were met by mobs of tour operators and touts. Our guide had no sign just said his name wlgdy. He separated us into some old 4 runners and away we went. We drove for an hour or so before stopping for lunch which our driver made fo us. It was pretty good. My car consisted of a weird German guy named gregory and a Japanese kid named Teto. Our first stop Cristal mountain. I was under the assumption we were going to hike this or something or at the least it would be a nice sight. It looked like every other rock mound out there. I think there used to by a natural arch way of rocks there but I think it collapsed. Then we stopped at on top of a dune which had a pretty nice view of the white desert. Our last few stops were just to check out the odd formations the chalk/old coral deposits left behind. Some of them had mushroom appearences others just odd shapes and one even looked a little like a chicken. By now the sun was setting so our driver set up camp and started cooking dinner. A hour or so later we finally got to eat, it was actualy quite tasty. Our driver left us to hang out with one of the other drivers so we just sat there. I wrote some postcards and the German and Japanese kid played with the fire. It wasn't too exciting except we did see a small fox a few times. Finally we headed off to bed I had 4 shirts, 2 pants, and zip up hoodie on in my sleeping bag with a thinn pad and blanket below and above me. It got down to around 40 I think which is pretty darn cold with no tent in the middle of the desert. 

Jan 13
Our guides finally got up and prepaired our breakfast some bread and jams. Then we drove all the way back to town stopping for a few mins to take photos of the black desert and a hot spring which was terrible it wasn't naturally flowing from the earth. It had a large, loud, smelly machine pumping it up. Then we went to wldgy house for lunch and we spent at least 2 and 1/2 hours there just sitting waiting to eat and then catch the bus back. Another 5-6 hours later we arrived. Our transfer tour guy met us at the bus stop and lead me home. It was weird though on the walk from the metro station he vanished. I thought maybe he robbed me but I'm not missing anything. I was watching some guy I thought was breakig into a car and next thing I knew I was walkig alone. I was close to my hostel so no biggie and I didn't have to tip him. Haha. When I went back out later for dinner I think he spotted me and called to me in the street but I was headed back again and just scampered on up to the hostel. I felt a little bad but I'm pretty sure he would have jsut asked for a tip. It's prett bad here they want tips for everything and I haven't meet a sinlge honest person I don't think, one says one thing and another says another. It's terrible. I cant wait to get my safari started and not have to worry about anything. 

Jan 14
Today I just repacked did some shopping figured out how to send some stuff home and just updated this and some emails.  Just waiting to catch a taxi to the airport to head to Kenya.

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