Taste dates, black tea and play in the sand

Journey across the Sahara desert to the beautiful Siwa oasis

Many people like to use the phrase “Following the Alchemist” to describe the journey across the Sahara Desert to the Siwa Oasis, which comes from the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The most prominent of which is the wise saying “If you really want something, the whole universe conspires to help you”. But on the other hand, the character in the book does not have many experiences that the desert is generously giving to tourists today. With the increasing wave of tourism , people come to Egypt not only to visit the Pyramids and ancient temples but also to expand their activities outside. The mysterious, arid desert, a land once reserved for adventurers and large caravans, fully equipped with weapons, food and beliefs in supernatural beings. Under the influence of tourism investment, the desert today has become a place for tourists to experience life, here people seem to return to the distant past because the traces of ancient civilizations are still intact on the sand.

Even if you are not interested in history, most of you probably know Queen Cleopatra with Pascal's witty saying: "If Queen Cleopatra's nose were a little shorter, the history of the world would have changed". But what does the woman with legendary beauty, the queen who turned an empire upside down, have to do with the journey across the desert? It is because on the Siwa oasis, there is still an intact bathing lake where the queen used to bathe in the cool water. No one can argue about the truth, but we only know that many tourists like to come here to touch the clear blue water, feel the coolness of the green oasis in the middle of the sunny and windy desert sky. On Siwa, there is also a salt lake with a strange blue color, the ideal setting for taking pictures with a very contrasting color background. Isn't it interesting to admire the water where the queen used to reflect on herself?

Clusters of red dates glow in the desert sun

Siwa is quite large, with hundreds of restaurants and hotels, most of which are rustic in style with thick walls surrounded by date palms. There are many dates in the land of the pharaohs and many trees grow in public places, which means that visitors can pick them. No one objects to this interesting game, but no one picks many, because even though the dates are ripe and red, they still have an astringent taste mixed with their sweetness. The clusters of bright red dates next to yellow walls, many terraces for visitors to admire the desert in the distance, the porches of cafes... in the land of sand are lovely photo angles for each visitor to keep memories of the journey. But bearing the mark of nomadic life, we must mention the pleasure of drinking tea in the desert. When getting on an off-road vehicle, rushing on the sloping sand slopes to get further and further away from the oasis, in everyone's heart, one must wonder how the ancients crossed the desert, looking at the stars or the sun's shadow because there is no clear reference anywhere. There were only endless high and low sand dunes, which, as we all know, change their appearance with the wind. Then, in the middle of that winding road, as suddenly as it had started, the car stopped for guests to enjoy afternoon tea, the famous black tea of the Middle East, tea boiled with milk with a truly intoxicating flavor.

Spreading a tarp on the sand, heating an alcohol stove in the fading afternoon sunlight and the sky slowly turning from blue to purple and then completely dark to light up the stars, such a poetic evening will remain in the memories of travelers for a long time. The further away from comfort, the smaller people feel in the vast nature. Here the sky is clear, the universe opens up before their eyes with billions of brilliant stars. In the silence of the space, even the most talkative guests will often fall silent because it seems that every noise can disturb the desert that is falling asleep. If when the sun is still shining, people will like to run on the sand, hug the skateboard down the slope and climb up with difficulty, then at night, the small fire from the camp stove seems to radiate the only warmth that brings everyone closer together. The desert is like that, the magnificent scenery and the vastness of space will make the mind soar to the dreamland.

Source: https://heritagevietnamairlines.com/nem-cha-la-tra-den-va-choi-tren-cat/