The desert

Looking around from here all you see are these structures
Too much schnapps...where are me bloody skis?
These just seemed to spring up like islands in the sand.
This must be what they mean by magic mushrooms?
All the above are from the White desert

A close up of the black desert
An aerial view of Black Desert

The black and the white deserts present some of the most amazing natural scenery in the world. The black is the less impressive of the two as it is really looks like sand with a covering of black rocks...the white desert is incredible! It is only 2 hours drive from civilisation but is like a whole different world. In the white desert you find large, white, chalky, mushroom like structures stretching as far as the eye can see. If it were not for the temperature you could seriously think you were in a snow scene.

What was especially great was being so far removed from day to day life, no tourists (except for us of course) and as far from the world of diving as possible. The only downside to such a bare landscape was where to go to the loo? Anyone seen the Ladies???

Busses in Egypt

Saw this on the bus to Cairo! So the bus may be uncomfortable, incredibly dull and with questionable entertainment but it does have one of these! Never get on a bus without one.

The White and Black Desert

Off into the unknown...the fearless traveller

You are not fooling me Mr Fox

Like a Thief in the night it came, the most vicious of creatures

I think they called this the Presidential Suite?

Having lived in Egypt for the best part of 2 years and seen mostly stuff underwater, it was high time to get exploring. First port of call was a place called Bahriya, an oasis out in the western desert and the best place to base yourselves to see the black and white deserts. After a hellish trip leaving Sharm by bus at 11pm arriving in Cairo 5am, leaving again 8.30am and finally getting to Bahriya at 1.30pm. Only 13 hours BUT these were 13 hours on an Egyptian bus! The seats could only have been of less comfort had they been filled with broken glass and edged with barbed wire, the climate controls alternated regularly between siberian and that found on the surface of the sun and to top it off we had the whole journey blessed with local cinematographic delights!

Luckily arriving in Bahriya I had organised everything so we were collected and taken to our hotel, basic but clean and relatively comfortable. The next morning we were met by Ashraf our safari guide and taken on the safari. I have posted the White and Black deserts separately due to the number of photos. The night in the desert was one that built character to say the least. Oh...it started off well, lulled us into a false sense of security, then hit us with everything it had. We started with a pleasant meal, our sleeping companions were a friendly German family (Yes friendly and with a sense of humour too). We settled down to sleep and then it started...a howling wind, called the khamseen, which is a hot wind, like a hair dryer pointed in your face! Unfortunately I was trying to sleep next to the edge of the suite (in the left of the photo) and it kept falling in my face. Then it started to rain, its the middle of the bloody Sahara, it hasn't rained in over eight years, the one night I spend there it rains! So all damp lying there a sand storm starts, and the sand sticks to the damp and whips at your skin like being flicked with sand paper. So you need to cover yourself with the blanket from head to toe, but did I mention the hot wind??? Nothing keeps you cool like the khamseen and a nice wooly blanket! Finally all this dies down and I think great sleep, I drift off and am woken up by something crawling under my covers...not Ray but on closer inspection 2 massive beetles. I got rid of these intruders and and finally managed to sleep. Do you know they say the night sky of the desert is amazing...I did see one shooting star and my wish...that the morning would get here quick!

When the morning arrived, it was all quiet and peaceful apart from our little fox who came stealing the chicken bones; how cute is he?

Should you ever get the chance to do this, do it, it is not likely to rain for another 8 years so I guess you will be safe.