Sleeping under the Stars.

As well as visiting the famous Pyramids of Giza whilst in Cairo, I also visited a couple of other pyramid complexes including this step pyramid. This was the first pyramid ever built and was built by King Zoser who simply could not stand the idea of having to be bried near the commoners! Cairo was hot, dirty and very congested so it was good to finally set off on the truck last friday. All 24 of us piled onto the truck, the sides were rolled up and we set off to drive into the desert. Because the truck has soft roll up windows at both sides, it means a strong cross breeze is ever present when we are driving. This is wonderful in the 40 plus degree heat we are currently in.

We drove west from Cairo into the Western desert. Our very first bush camp was made that first night. We pulled behind a sand dune and set up shop. The camping equipment came out and tea for me was a spicy veg stew. We ate round the camp fire and then uncurled the sleeping bags and slept under the stars. The night sky here, away from all the light pollution, is magical. You can see thousand upon thousands of stars and even the wispy trails of the milky way. Its beautiful. In the morning we packed away and continued driving.

The next day saw us drive through the black desert (so called becuase it consists of black rock) and into the white desert. As well as having lots of little crystals in the sand making it glisten ,the white desert is home to fascinating rock formatioms. This place used to be a sea a few million years ago and fossils of fish are still being found. Local guides took us into the heart of the desert which is a national park and also cooked up a feast for us as well as providing entertainment around the fire. From here we passed through the little oasis towns of farafel and Bahayriya. Looking slighty grubby by now we pulled up into the town of Dahkla where a local restaurant owner let us sleep on his rooftop. He also showed us where one of the 650 desert hot springs were located, so in the morning we all went for a dip. No cooling off was involved as the water was as hot as bath water and alas no cleaning occurred as the water had a high sulphur content and turned us all orange. But being immersed in any water in the middle of the desert feels wonderful.

By now every one is filthy and definately not smelling their best. Another night in the desert occurs, followed by an early start and by Tuesday lunchtime we finally see signs of life and civilazation as we head towards Luxor. After 5 days and 4 nights we have crossed the desert and made it to the Luxor campsite. In all this time we have not been able to shower or wash properly and as the temperature has never been below the high 30's, you can only imagine what we all looked like. The campsite has showers and a pool, guess what the first thing we all did was. I am now based here in Luxor for a couple of days, no more sleeping under the stars but I do have access to running water. The first few days of this trip have been amazing, can't wait for the rest.