My trip to Cairo has come to an end. After spending five
days in a city busier than the heart of a beehive I am ready to be back in
Juba.
Sunday morning I left for a trip to the White Desert. 7am a
driver picked me up from my hotel and we started our journey. I had expected
that I would be travelling with some other tourists, however tourism in Egypt
has decreased since the revolution and still is not back to normal. Alas I was
alone in a hardtop land cruiser with a driver and my guide. My decision to go
on this trip was last minute. One of my friends went on this same trip in 2009
and loved it. I have been on trips to the desert before and there is something
amazingly calming about the vast distances of sand and rocks that one is
surrounded by in the desert. There are amazing natural springs South of Cairo.
The first one we visited was very warm, clean water. The second one was
incredible. This water was boiling hot. There is no way you could immerse
yourself in this spring. It was hard enough to put my feet in. They say that
the springs have healing powers, particularly the boiling hot one. After 10
minutes of dipping my feet I did really feel somehow energized and uplifted.
That may be all in the head but still...the water is so rich in
minerals there has to be some sort of positive effect on the body.
Surrounded by light sand and white rock we made camp and
prepared for dinner. Watching the sunset and the stars come out one by one in
the desert is a gorgeous sight. The desert is completely silent apart from the
noise we were making and the wind. The best part of being in the desert that
night was the full moon. Watching it rise, bright and full into the sky was
beautiful. An evening spent in natural beauty, untouched and uninhabited.
Sunday morning I left for a trip to the White Desert. 7am a
driver picked me up from my hotel and we started our journey. I had expected
that I would be travelling with some other tourists, however tourism in Egypt
has decreased since the revolution and still is not back to normal. Alas I was
alone in a hardtop land cruiser with a driver and my guide. My decision to go
on this trip was last minute. One of my friends went on this same trip in 2009
and loved it. I have been on trips to the desert before and there is something
amazingly calming about the vast distances of sand and rocks that one is
surrounded by in the desert. There are amazing natural springs South of Cairo.
The first one we visited was very warm, clean water. The second one was
incredible. This water was boiling hot. There is no way you could immerse
yourself in this spring. It was hard enough to put my feet in. They say that
the springs have healing powers, particularly the boiling hot one. After 10
minutes of dipping my feet I did really feel somehow energized and uplifted.
That may be all in the head but still...the water is so rich in
minerals there has to be some sort of positive effect on the body.
Surrounded by light sand and white rock we made camp and
prepared for dinner. Watching the sunset and the stars come out one by one in
the desert is a gorgeous sight. The desert is completely silent apart from the
noise we were making and the wind. The best part of being in the desert that
night was the full moon. Watching it rise, bright and full into the sky was
beautiful. An evening spent in natural beauty, untouched and uninhabited.  |
| Ripped my pants climbing this 5000 year old tree |
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It looks spectacular. Can't wait to hear more about it.
ReplyDeleteThese photos are gorgeous. I can't wait to see more and hear all about your adventures--I'm living vicariously through you!!
ReplyDelete