From white to black

We were half asleep when Imad collected us in the morning after spending half the night in battle with mosquitos. We first visited a local artist in Farafara named Badr Abdel Moghny who has created a gallery out of mudbricks, plaster and imagination. It was decorated with carvings of the life in the oasis. Inside it housed the collection of sandstone carvings, watercolors, acrylic and sand paintings. This passion for the oases was expressed with a sense of humor and of surprising quality. We were leaving as we met Mr Sox who knits socks out of camel wool and Imad delivered to the Bahariya oasis where we were headed. We then went on a trek through sand dunes to the eastern side of the western desert. This was full of more sculpted sandstone mountains, some shaped in bizarre forms and we were shown a panorama of the region from atop of one of them. It was a four wheel drive terrain that would have had any keen driver thrilled. What a change followed as we were back on the "formed" road and stopped at a mountain made out of crystal (hence its name Crystal Mountain). The mountain was full of crystals of red, purple, white, clear and black composition. Apparently there was a whole range of mountains like this in the region. Initially we couldn't see the crystals but as we walked further and explored it quickly became apparent at the range and spread of them. The sunlight reflected through the crystals and it was quite entrancing. Lunch was in a cafe in a remote village that was clearly set up for tourists. It was a stone building capped with date palm supports and had a eucalyptus growing through the roof. There was bore pumping warm water nearby and a channel of water passed through the middle of the cafe as we sat on carpets and cushions at low tables with our simple cuisine. The water provided music, cooling and entertainment for a small boy to play in. This led us to the Black Desert. Some 42 million years ago volcanic activity left the black magma covering this region so that today there are multiple pyramidal shaped mountains covered in black iron rocks. The effect is of a black landscape that is such a contrast to the white 100km away.