Egypt: Black, White and Crystal Deserts

Visit: CRYSTAL DESERT PHOTO GALLERY

~ THE BLACK, WHITE AND CRYSTAL DESERTS~

When we were planning our Egyptian trip, our friend and guide Farag asked us if we wanted an excursion into the remote southwestern deserts of Egypt. We jumped at the chance to experience parts of the country that were off the beaten path. These areas proved to be quite fantastic and wondrous, more wondrous than we even could imagine. We braved the deep sand in our trusty and ancient 4X4 as we journeyed to the Black Desert, the White Desert, the Flower Desert, and the unbelievably remote Crystal Desert.

Many of the natural formations in the deserts astounded me; I never in my life had even seen pictures of such wonders. The experiences we had also opened me to tremendous growth and releasing of old stuff. While feeling in absolute awe of the natural splendors that the wild and empty deserts shared with us, I was challenged, stretched, terribly frightened at times, and nearly frozen solid! I also was privileged to discover what it feels like not to change any of my clothes for 3 straight days.

The morning after a brief night in Cairo following our journey to Mount Sinai, we boarded a large, public van for the nearly 4-hour ride toward Siwa and the Bahariya Oasis region of Egypt. We were extremely excited to leave behind the crowded and dangerous roads of the city as we began our journey to the more rural areas of Egypt. We had not been informed however, that we would be traveling in an unbelievably cramped van overloaded with chain-smoking Egyptian men.

Though I was glad to experience traveling in the mode of the common people, I quickly felt sick to my stomach from the stench of cheap cigarettes that pervaded the van and actually created smoke so thick that visibility out the windows was reduced. Our friend, of course, chain smoked also, but he intervened for me when he saw that I was getting ill.

It did feel a bit presumptuous for me to request that the other passengers refrain from smoking. I was the only woman present in the van, and Dan and I were the only non-Egyptians. Most of the men did manage to light up less, and as I shared some of my almonds with them I enjoyed their wide, yellow-toothed smiles. The most curious thing of all was the sadly ignored sign on the dash that proclaimed "no smoking in van". The driver's ashes and smoke formed a filmy haze that partially obscured it from our view in the backseat.

Although I was much shorter than the men in the van who seemed quite accustomed to van travel, I soon became very uncomfortable. It seemed that an extra row of seats had somehow been squeezed into the vehicle, and legroom was nonexistent. Even slightly turned sideways, I could find no way to keep my knees happy. I appreciated that we did stop frequently for bathroom breaks and the amazingly strong Egyptian coffee that my comrades needed just as surely as they did their cigarettes. I surprised the group by having a cup without the scoops of sugar that most of them used. It seemed that a few of them actually glanced my way with a bit of admiration.

I tried to connect to the land as we drove, although after an hour or two it became quite monotonous and difficult to do so. The longer we drove the harder it was for my companions to refrain from lighting up, unfortunately. I eagerly awaited our final destination near Siwa, where we would connect with a local gentleman who was a friend of Farag's. He and his young assistant were to guide us through vast Egyptian deserts in a Land Cruiser for two nights of camping, and also escort us to see the intriguing Golden Mummies that had been discovered in the area in the mid-90s.

The van dropped us off in a small, dusty town and we walked the final distance to our guide’s home. The house was unusual, with tall ceilings and strangely painted walls and floors, though it did seem to be one of the better appointed dwellings in the town. The furniture was comfortable, though again, of a style unlike any I had ever seen. It felt wonderful to have the opportunity to experience this part of Egypt; so far removed from the typical tourist destination. We were greeted by the extended family as we entered the dwelling, and they treated us with great respect.