The White Desert of Egypt and Libyan Desert Oasis
Egypt has become a commoditized destination, but it is still possible to visit it differently. For proof, this ten day trip I made in April 2005, and mainly devoted to the desert: the unique White Desert first, a central region of the country combining immaculate sand and chalk. And also a series of oases, and a few temples and archaeological sites located outside the Nile Valley. And still to finish, the monuments of Luxor traveled visitor free.
The journey is obviously on the charter flight, bound for Cairo. Several surprises await us in the descent flight: first our guide did not see fit to greet us on arrival. He just called me through the driver’s mobile phone to give us the start time of the morning. We were rather surprised by the cold call, as I have not used cell phones, and also the focus of my interlocutor, I understand four o’clock in the morning I’m surprised a little, so I am repeat, I do not get any answer. In addition, the hotel is not located in the downtown as planned, but in the suburbs on the road to the pyramids. The time to go there and given the congestion, the afternoon ends. I do not see her much about this city, whose size has almost doubled since my last visit in 1984. Too bad, there were several things I liked to visit, like the Al-Azar or the pyramids of Dahshur. All that we can allow is a walk in the populous (and rather quaint) suburbs, reaching the foot of the Pyramids (Giza those of) the price of a good hour’s walk. And then, a meal in a kind of Mcdonald.
The next day begins in the confusion. But we are still entitled to some compensation: the authorization to spend half an hour on the Giza plateau. A visit to the Japanese! For members of the group who have never visited Egypt is always better than nothing.