Desert Sleepover

We all wake around six to see the sky change from the dark and deep shades of black to the amazing pinks, oranges, blues and purples that the first rays of light bring. I clamour up to the top of the talc formation next to our camp to watch the sun bring forth the birth of another new day. One of the most brilliant sunrises I will ever witness.

After having a hearty breakfast we pack up camp and head to an area called Flower stone. This area is littered with thousands of little rocks that literally look like flowers. It's really cool. The air's so clean and the sky so blue that you can’t take a bad picture. We then all bundle into the 4WD for our trip back to Bahariya.

My Japanese friend and I are catching the noon bus back to Cairo (the sooner I arrive the better) but unfortunately noon Egyptian time means around 1.30pm. This long wait is made even worse by the fact that we have not had showers for nearly 72 hours. By now I'm feeling very tired, dirty and emotional. In the end the bus still had not turned up at 1.30pm so we catch a mini-bus that's taking other tourists to Cairo. This turns out okay until he wants more money from us, although our guide had already paid for our ticket. I'm furious and let him know exactly what I think and he quickly backs down. But in the end he has the last laugh because he drops us all off at Giza and not at the bus stop that my transfer is picking me up at so we have to get a cab into Cairo.

Once in the cab I proceed to figure out my plan for my last two nights. By now I'm exhausted and my first stop is the Cairo InterContinental Hotel. I went to reception and told them that I was quoted $80 US a night to stay. The receptionist says that it's $90, US which is music to my ears because I don’t want to pay over $100. I plead the need for an amazing room and by the looks of me who couldn't understand why. He gives me a lovely Nile View room, with a king size bed, a bathroom with spa bath and I nearly break down and weep. What more could a girl ask for?

I get to my room and have the best bubble bath ever. Actually I have two because after five minutes the water from the first bath is so black that I refill it and keep scrubbing. I order some room service and sit down to watch cable tv in my big bed and then promptly fall asleep.