Our last adventure in Egypt….the White Desert

 Our last adventure in Egypt was a visit to the White Desert National Park which was a 4 hour drive from Cairo. We had a driver take us so far and then met a driver to take us into the park by 4 x 4. 

As we drive out of the city it was apparent that the city is on the edge of the desert and is rapidly expanding…

There is desert just outside Cairo that stretches for 100s of kilometres…

Everywhere there were new apartment buildings, again hundreds and hundreds…

Even building brand new cities to accommodate the millions of people from across the country that are moving closer to Cairo for work. We were told that 5 million people a week come to the city to work and then go back to the more rural areas in the weekends.

 

Some of the scenes along the highway…

The highways are lined with people waiting for buses…

We saw lots of women sitting in the shade…

Or selling things like tissues…

We did see some more upscale developments as well…

After a long drive we were greeted with a typical Egyptian lunch which Don obviously enjoyed.

And a lunch companion, there are cats everywhere in Egypt…

We met our new driver who started another long drive into the desert. We stopped at another place which was an oasis with a lot of running water. It was nice to sit with our feet in the water as we were served tea and fresh mango…

The White Desert is a national park in the Sahara Desert famous for its surreal wind- carved chalk rock formations. The landscape’s geology is rooted in its past as a seabed, with the formations being remnants of ancient limestone and chalk layers shaped by wind erosion over million of years.

Far away it looks like snow glistening in the sand and it feels rather other worldly.

There are some popular rocks like this one which is called “ Chicken Rock”

We met a group of Japanese tourists here who were taking a lot of pictures, other than this group we saw very few people over the many miles we travelled that day.

There is very little greenery in the desert but we came across the remains of an ancient well that still had enough moisture to support it.

We then drove further into the desert and the driver would drive very quickly up and down the sand dunes…

The landscapes were spectacular…

We arrived at our camping spot for the night just before sunset…

We set up camp and the driver cooked us a delicious meal of chicken and vegetables over the fire…

Our accommodations for the night…cozy and got rather cold as the night went on.

Before supper Don took a rest in the main tent where we ate…

The other tent held supplies…

The next morning we were up early to visit other parts of the desert but not before helping another 4 x 4 which wouldn’t start…

We stopped at Crystal Mountain where large pieces of quartz lay everywhere…

Again we went zoom, zoom…

Stopped for some pictures…

Went by an old Bedouin village that had been abandoned for lack of water…

 Near the White Desert there is also a smaller Black Desert that gets its name from a layer of black volcanic stones that pepper its sandy surfaces…

Our driver like a lot of Egyptians is a smoker so whenever we stopped he had a smoke and often a chat with Don. Interestingly the Egyptian men all loved Don…big smiles and hugs all the time! 

A goodbye and  then back to meet our other driver to take us back to the city, even though this was a long journey the experience of driving and sleeping in the desert was definitely a highlight of our trip.

The men we met who worked at these jobs are very poor and work very hard for very little money…kindness and a good tip goes a long way! 

So back to the city and then onward to our next country Jordan. 

Nile River Cruise…part 2

 Most Nile River cruises sail from Aswan to Luxor at a leisurely pace…

Stopping at various points along the way such as the Nubian Village. Nubians are a tribe that came from Africa and speak their own language and have their own traditions. There are a number along the river and are known for their brightly colored homes  

We visited one of the families and were offered mint tea…

They also keep crocodiles for pets  

The town has a bustling market 

We also discovered very quickly that Egypt has a very demanding tipping culture. It seems everyone has their hand out for a tip even if they didn’t provide any service  

We laughed at this picture of the camel as it too is expecting a tip! 

During our trip there we also began to see just how many tourists are on the Nile. Our guide explained that tourism is much lower now because of the political situation in the region, so I can just imagine how many people would be there before.

Here are some scenes as we sailed along the river,,,

Sellers would come along side the ship, throw up a line to connect and then commence to sell their wares.

Mountains of sand behind a fertile river bank…

Beautiful light on the river…

Aga Khan’s home and tomb on top of the hill…it is the hereditary title for the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He was made an honorary citizen of Canada in 2010 and there is the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

Another lot of temples and another early morning rise…

This temple is Edfu Temple which is a remarkably well preserved ancient temple located on the West Bank of the Nile in Edfu, Egypt. It was constructed between 237 and 57 BCE. It is dedicated to the falcon headed god Horus…

It has many huge columns…

The lions are guarding the entrance…

Our group inside one of the chambers…

The “ old folks “ taking a break!

When we arrived at our final stop in Luxor we left the boat at 5:00 am to beat the crowds. There were thousands waiting for the gates to open at 6am to visit Karnak which is a massive religious complex and the largest ancient religion site in the world! 

There are over 100 massive columns throughout the complex…

Don wondering “ why the heck am I doing here?”

The walls are covered with hieroglyphics …

Luxor Temple was constructed around 1400 BC and later expanded by pharaohs like Ramses11. It is very well preserved with elaborate columns many topped by the lotus flower and also large statues.

Some street scenes from the town of Luxor…

Back to the ship after a long day…

Time for refreshments…

Our last morning was also an early rise as we headed for the Valley of the Kings. 

The hot air balloons were just landing. 

In we go…the last temple on this trip…

The Valley of the Kings is an ancient burial ground containing over 60 rock cut tombs for pharaohs and nobles from the New Kingdom period, 1939- 1075 BCE. This is where the famous discovery of King Tutankhamen’s was located.

The inside of the tombs were magnificent with the colors still brightly displayed…

There is also Queen Hatshepsut Temple on the site. It is a mortuary temple which is unusual as she was a queen and not a king. However she declared herself a Pharaoh when she ruled Egypt from 1479- 1458BC. 

And now on to the desert…