Black and White Desert

The trip to the black and white desert was an incredible 36 hour escape from Cairo. After taking a 4 hour bus ride to Baharriya, the oasis which is the jumping off point for visiting this desert, we (a solidly international group with representation from Norway, Sweden, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and America) took off with two four wheel drives into the desert. Driving from one of the largest cities into this vast expanse of nothingness but sand and more sand is a shock in itself, and it was so calming not to hear the constant honking and mayhem that comes along with Cairo. We puttered around with the cars, stopping at one point to climb “crystal mountain” in the black desert, which afforded views of absolutely no civilization other than a road, and lots of sand. This was the first time that I could really feel the silence, which was almost painful. The drivers were a bit crazy too, and at one point, they tore off the road and were driving on the sand, drifting around in it just like snow. By evening, we arrived to a part of the white desert just in time to catch the sunset. I have never been in a place where I truly felt like I was on another planet. The rocks were chalk white, and between their animal-like formations and large shadows cast over the desert, it was a surreal experience. The guys who took us into the desert then cooked us dinner, and it was so cool to sleep under the stars, which we shining extraordinarily bright – especially because there was no moon. It’s really hard to describe this place with words, pictures can do better.

Pictures coming soon.. check my facebook album for now..