Taste of Sahara....

The Desert Safari was one of the major highlights of our Egypt trip. In fact the desert itself, was totally new. Before Egypt, I had visited tombs (if not the pyramids), rivers/cruises (if not NILE) but never had I been to a desert. Although I had seen a lot of it in television, its something to step on that undisturbed wavy dunes of sand and leave a FOOT PRINT which gives you an impression (although false) that you are the first one to be there.

After a day trip to Alexandria from Cairo, the next morning we set out to the Bahariya oasis. It was a 5 hour journey and we were scheduled to meet our desert guide Waahid at 12 30PM. We took the Upper Egypt Bus service. As we eased ourselves out of CAIRO, the desert started to appear. Its customary to see a huge gigantic mountain or lush green thick forest in front of you and feel amazed, but to see a vast expanse of nothing(not even WATER) and still feel amazed is something that the desert offers you. There was a railway line that was running parallel to us for quite sometime. I was telling Ankita, how I wanted to see a train pass by in the backdrop of the desert and my wish was granted in a few minutes. It was an amazing view. A 5 hour journey into the desert can be quite dehydrating and also we were all starving towards the end.

After reaching the oasis, we met Waahid - the KING OF DESERT (as he fancies himself). Before I go further, a few words on Wahid. He is by far the most energetic person. A guide in the true spirit. In my opinion, I feel its more because, he genuinely loves the desert very much. So he is more of a passionate guide than one who is money minded. A family man at heart and a friend of all. (He had friends and acquaintances almost wherever we went.) And an amazing driver with a tad too much of youthful racing attitude. He was trying to overtake every other vehicle on the way and had his justifications for the ones he could not.

He took us to his house. A typical desert house. An amazing vegetarian lunch was waiting for us. The lunch consisted of bread, vegetable sides, salad (sliced cucumber/tomatoes) and the most amazing cheese. The food in Egypt has always been good. Then after resting for sometime we set out on the 4X4 to conquer the desert with Mr Desert (Wahid).

The drive in itself was quite an experience. Occasionally Wahid would just steer off the road into the desert to give us a taste of desert driving. On the way we visited a water spring. The journey into the desert happens in three phases. Initially we get the black desert - called so because its filled with the hills that were formed by volcanoes.
And then we get to the sand desert. This is the typical part which we all expect. And finally the place where we camped was filled with mushroom like limestone formations. This part would definitely intrigue the people who have a taste for modern art. I am sure this will look like a huge mental playground to them and they can add quite a set of creative perceptions. Let me leave the task to them and continue with our experience.

On the way, we met quite a few groups who were there for the same reason as ours. Then, we found a nice place and camped for the day. The camp was simple. The 4X4 would be used as one wall. We put the tent to form another wall. And then Wahid cooked the dinner for us. And we had the tea which was prepared on the camp fire itself.

After the food, we spent some time near the campfire. Wahid entertained us with some deserto-arabic songs which goes like - Yalla...yaala...yalla..., abu tareka..abu tareka... etc. We had a couple of visitors (fellow travelers looking for beer only to be disappointed and foxes). Mahesh's wildlife photography instinct sprang to life. And he ran after the foxes with the camera. Thats all I remember about the night for I slept off. I then woke up at 3:00 AM in the morning to find one of the most amazing views of the skies. The most clear sky showing the maximum number of stars that I have ever seen. Later in the morning we all got up and left the desert to head back to the Oasis. Again it was lunch at Wahid's house and then back to Cairo in a private transport.

One thing about the desert that you wont forget is the vast expanse of nothingness. This is best captured by the fact that the previous evening we watched the sunset by turning west. And in the morning, we had to turn east to find the sunrise. And both from the same spot, our camp. The picture on the left is sunset and the picture on the right is sunrise. I think you need more than a keen eye to spot the difference.

Finally before I close, one note about life in desert. Life in the desert can be quite a challenge. Hence, "HELP" is a key factor. During our journey, we used to occasionally find a vehicle that had had a break down. Its an unwritten constitution, that no matter what, you should go and try help them out (for the same thing can happen to you). And getting into trouble in the middle of the desert is the last thing on anyones' mind. We were observing Wahid make sudden maneuvers and go attend other vehicles. The next morning, on the way back we pulled another vehicle by a rope almost till Bahariya. Its an interesting coincidence that in hindi
Sahara means "HELP".