Black and White Desert
On the bus home from work last Thursday, a handsome guy suddenly asked if anyone wanted to go to the Black and White Desert. Oh? The Black and White Desert? It sounds like the filming location for the fourth installment of Infernal Affairs. Since I had no plans for the weekend, I decided to go along. I asked the guy for his name and phone number on the bus. His name was Xiao Zhang, 190cm, 100kg, working at the Sudan representative office. Going out with a guy like him gave me a bit more sense of security. So we agreed to finalize the meeting time for tomorrow tonight.
Back at the apartment, it was the usual routine: cooking, eating, and showering. Xiao Ma was still on a business trip, so it was just Xiao Feng and me. We kept the cooking simple—he stir-fried some broccoli, and I made a spicy potato and carrot stir-fry, so healthy it couldn't be healthier. Then I immediately went online to look up information about the Black and White Desert. A Baidu search for 'Egypt - Black and White Desert' turned up only a few links, most of which were written by Taiwanese travelers. The content was more or less the same: they had prepared thoroughly, but still ended up getting ripped off by Egyptians in some inexplicable way. Just as they were feeling utterly depressed, they met some Japanese tourists and found out that the Japanese had paid n times more (1.5 < n < 3) than them. That made them feel better (probably because they felt more balanced—who knew the Japanese could serve that purpose?), and they started enjoying the scenery. The conclusion was always: the scenery was unforgettable, but the Egyptians made you grow up fast. Xiao Zhang called to say we'd meet at Digla Square at 4:30 a.m. Oh my god, after waiting five days for the weekend, how much office workers crave sleeping in—everyone on earth knows that. And now we have to get up at 4 a.m. Well, for the sake of travel, we have to tough it out.
Before dawn, Xiao Feng and I arrived at Digla Square. The trip organizer, Xiao Fu, was already there waiting. Soon after, Xiao Zhang, Xiao Xie, and Sister Zeng also arrived. With all six people present, we took two taxis to the bus station. The ticket window opened at 6 a.m., and the long-distance bus to Bahariya Oasis departed at 7 a.m. Since we had time, we chatted together. We noticed four girls dressed like travelers and hoped they were going the same way, but unfortunately not.
On the bus, we didn't have the energy to enjoy the scenery outside; everyone just dozed off. I don't know how long we had been driving when the bus suddenly stopped. We had arrived at a rest stop, where both the driver and passengers got off to drink black tea and take a break. We were now truly in the desert. Apart from this small station, everything around was empty, and we could see the horizon unobstructed in any direction. The place felt a bit like the Dragon Gate Inn.
After the break, the bus continued, and we continued sleeping. At noon, we finally reached Bahariya. As soon as we got off, a group of Arabs swarmed around us, offering car rental and tour services. Among them was a young boy, from the largest local hotel mentioned in the Taiwanese travel blogs. He was very professional, sincere, and offered a low price—80 pounds per person on average. But just as we were about to finalize with him, a Canadian traveler who had just returned from a tour changed our minds. This handsome guy, who looked a lot like Brad Pitt, looked unhappy and kept saying, 'I am not happy.' We asked him what happened, and he went on and on, warning us to watch out for this and that—in short, he had been ripped off. So we called another Arab recommended online for better service. The price was 100 pounds per person, including three meals. Even if it was a bit more expensive, it was better than getting ripped off.
Negotiating the price was a time-consuming and exhausting process, especially with a larger group—each person would get grabbed by an Arab. But we were organized and disciplined; Xiao Fu handled the diplomacy. After the negotiation, the Arab took us to his home to rest while he prepared the supplies needed for the trip: tents, carpets, mats, blankets, firewood, food, and so on. We had lunch at his place: pita bread with Arab vegetable salad and fish. The Arabs kept asking if we were from Taiwan, saying that Taiwanese were all his friends and would always ask for him as a guide. I told him we were Chinese, and that Taiwanese are also Chinese. Next time he meets Taiwanese, he should remember to say, 'So you're Chinese.'
Around 2:30 p.m., we finally set off for the Black and White Desert. The first stop was the Black Desert. The surrounding yellow sand was densely covered with small black stones. There were several volcano-like hills, also black. Barren, like the surface of the moon. The driver took us to the foot of the tallest hill and let us climb up to take photos. Along the way, we happened to meet a group of Western tourists: a French mother and son, a Canadian girl, and two Americans. It's always nice to meet fellow travelers in such a place.
Next was Crystal Mountain. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary small hill, but up close, we realized the entire hill was indeed made of crystal. There were many foreign tourists here—it was the liveliest spot of the whole trip.
Finally, we reached the White Desert. Here, there were no small black stones; instead, there were white rock formations that looked like snow, very clean, and many large rocks eroded into various shapes. We arrived just in time to catch the sunset. Watching the sunset in the desert was one of the most beautiful moments of the trip. I can't remember how long it had been since I last enjoyed a sunset with such admiration and emotion.
The driver got out and started setting up the tent—actually, he just pulled a piece of cloth against the car to block the wind (which later proved useless). Then he laid a carpet on the sand, put mats on it, and prepared the ingredients for dinner. We walked to a nearby campsite where another group of tourists had set up, a couple from Austria—very romantic, traveling in the desert.
After sunset, it quickly got dark. The starry sky over the desert was incredibly beautiful. For the first time, I saw so many stars so clearly, filling the entire night sky like a huge black bowl studded with tiny diamonds, inverted over the desert. I also saw the Milky Way for the first time, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, and even a shooting star. Those with a bit of astronomy knowledge started discussing constellations. Orion was the easiest to recognize. Xiao Xie was excited to learn how to identify Orion and even posed like a hunter.
I thought there were no living creatures in the desert besides us tourists, but it turned out we weren't alone. Whether attracted by the light or the aroma from the driver's cooking, a small animal appeared. I noticed it first and thought it was a kitten (there are too many stray cats in Cairo, so that was my first reaction). I shined my flashlight on it, but it had big, pointy ears. It shyly ran away and hid. Luckily, Sister Zeng managed to snap a photo of the little guy. Under the flash, its eyes glowed with an eerie light—quite spooky. It must have been a little fox. The lonely guys started thinking of 'Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio,' fantasizing that the little fox would turn into an Arabian beauty to keep them company.
The driver took a long time to cook dinner—anyone who has cooked knows the hard work. We finally ate around 8 p.m. There was tomato and potato mash and beef and potato mash, both very tasty, and we praised him endlessly. After dinner, the driver also brewed black tea. We sat around the campfire in a circle, eating and drinking tea together. After we ate and drank our fill, we lay on the ground and looked at the stars. I felt that nothing in the world could be happier than this. But as the saying goes, extreme joy begets sorrow, and that's when it all began.
Finally, it was time to sleep. The driver took out some blankets and sleeping bags from the roof rack. I chose a sleeping bag and slept on the outermost side. The desert night was very cold. In the middle of the night, a strong wind suddenly picked up and woke me up. My lips felt numb from dryness, and my ears were full of sand. There was nowhere to escape from such strong wind; I could only burrow deeper into my sleeping bag. I thought to myself, 'Help! I'm going to be dried up by morning.'
The next morning, our phone alarms went off at 5:30 a.m. It wasn't fully light yet, so we got up to wait for sunrise. Everyone looked dusty and grimy, like unearthed artifacts. Xiao Fu said he had been bitten by fleas. I was about to think, 'Why are my waist and legs so itchy?' and then realized—disaster! I had never been bitten by fleas in my life (when I got home and showered, I found over ten bites, red and itchy). This was the most miserable thing about the trip.
Just as we were suffering, the sunrise came. The desert sunrise was exceptionally magnificent. Recalling yesterday's sunset, I suddenly seemed to grasp the essence of reincarnation. Countless emotions welled up, but I won't go into them here.
When the driver got up, he knelt down devoutly and prayed to the new sun. Xiao Xie was so moved that he also prayed for a while. Then we set off again. On the way, we encountered a group of Japanese (we confirmed their nationality later at a desert rest stop on the long-distance bus): a handsome guy with three beautiful women, looking incredibly carefree. We also met a tough German guy who was traveling alone by bicycle. I was full of admiration and couldn't help but take a photo with him.
The first destination of the second day was a place to pick up stones. Seven people, average age 30, bent over in the desert picking up stones, each using their imagination and showing off their finds—it felt like we had returned to childhood.
Then, on the way back to Bahariya, we stopped to see several hot springs and small oases. The hot springs used machines to pump water to the surface, with channels dug to direct the water to various places. Water is so precious in the desert. After seeing endless desert, suddenly encountering an oasis was very refreshing. There was a small tea house that was especially unique, with a finely crafted entrance passage covered in morning glories, and a pergola in the courtyard. Such scenery in the desert was extremely rare.
Then came the return journey. Actually, on the first day when we arrived in Bahariya, we wanted to buy return tickets to Cairo, but the ticket seller with glasses said only two tickets were left. The guide said not to worry—if we couldn't get a big bus, there were plenty of minibuses to Cairo. At noon, the driver said there was no time to make lunch, and coincidentally, a minibus was heading back to Cairo, so we squeezed onto it. Four rows of seats were packed with 15 people, Arabs chatting cheerfully, and the driver started playing Arab rap music—a sound that pierces the brain. And so we returned to civilization.
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