"I go desert now. You want come with?" -our land cruiser driver

I know, I know...it is about time I posted for all of you to hear about my latest adventures in the Sahara, but you should all be happy to know that posting has been delayed due to an afternoon spent uploading pictures for your viewing pleasures. If every thing works as planned, clicking the title of today's post will take you to my photo slideshow. Please be jealous of the beauty, because it was totally fabulous!

After I woke up at 5:15 Friday morning to Mika and Kelsey banging on my door (we were supposed to leave at 5:30), we caught a cab and headed to the bus stop. The bus was surprisingly pleasant. I was tired enough to sleep for the majority of the 5 hours. The part I didn't sleep I read my book until it got too sad. The one rest stop on the way had 3 stalls, apparently I picked the only one with a real toilet, not a hole in the ground...lucky me! Of course this marked the end of all porcelain accommodations.

The guide and his crew met us at the bus stop with 3 land cruisers. I somehow ended up in the Land Cruiser with supplies duty...we stopped for food, we stopped to pray, we stopped for gas, and we changed guys in the passenger seat 3 times...lol. When we finally got on the road, we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. A quick bite to eat and a cup of tea later, we headed out to the white desert. We drove bouncing around on a straight, endless paved road until suddenly we off-roaded it. It happened so fast the 2 guys in the back bounced to the front; it was hilarious.

For those of you who don't know, the Sahara desert was once under water, so beyond sand, there are miles and miles of eroding mountains and corals. The white desert is full of forms made of a substance that has to be chalk. In case you are wondering, in the one picture I am climbing on the chicken part of mushroom and chicken...lol. We found our camp just before sunset, and we all got to climb on different rocks to watch the colors fade from the sky. Later, with one pot and one kettle, the bedouin guides cooked the biggest, most wonderful meal ever of chicken, rice, and vegetables.

Campfires are essential in the desert. It gets COLD and FAST! I was amazed at how quickly the temperature can drop 20 degrees. The foxes took an interest in our camp, but they were harmless. We slept under the stars that were abundant...well, that doesn't even describe it. The moon was so bright, you could read or write w/o a flashlight. We rose with the sun, packed up camp, and headed to the black desert.

The black desert doesn't really have black sand. It is really a bunch of black volcanic rock covering the sand from past volcanic activity. There are no volcanoes now, or even traces beyond the rocks...it is just so hard to imagine what it was like. We also saw crystal mountain which is made of quartz. The most random part of our journey was when we visited this hot spring. A man jumped in with his approx. 1 1/2 year old son. When the son began crying, he handed the naked, wailing baby to a girl in our group...lol! Luckily the girl was more like a mother than a confused 20 yr. old. She cradled the boy until it was time for us to leave. It was precious and absurd at the same time.

We made it back all grumpy, tired, hungry, and cramped. Our 15 passenger van did not really accommodate 14 of us with all our bags. A 5 hr. journey followed by 2 hrs. of traffic in city does not bode well for those not showered who have been using sand as a toilet. But we made it back safe, and I saw some of the most beautiful sights in the world. I hope you enjoy the pics. Happy Sunday.