The safari was one of the highlights of our trip. The excursion was very different from the hustle and bustle of Cairo, and the extravagance of the Egyptian temples and artifacts. We went on a tour group provided by our hotel. A group of us road out into the desert in jeeps with our guides. We went exploring the desert and were given a tour of a Bedouin village. Our guide stopped on the way to show us a mirage. We all got out of our Jeeps and looked ahead unto the horizon. Ahead of us appeared what looked like a body of water, but if we ducked down like our guide suggested, we saw that the water was in fact an illusion. The mirage was interesting, but nothing spectacular, although I could imagine that a person in the desert, thirsty and tired, could easily mistake a mirage for an oasis.
Bedouins are a nomadic people who seek refuge near water in the desert. Our guide told us that Bedouins find their source of water by their camels. When the camel finds the water source, it sits upon the land under which water has formed. The Bedouins then dig a well and make camp until they run out of water, in which case they search again.
Our guide informed us that the number of Bedouin people are diminishing as more people settle in cities and towns for a more stable lifestyle. The city of Hurghada encourages tourists to take these tours because money is given to the Bedouins. They also sell jewelry and handicrafts. I couldn't help but notice that the village was slightly manufactured, because of tourism, but nonetheless it was extremely interesting to see inside the lives of these people. The Bedouins live in huts that we were allowed to explore. At the end of our visit, we ate a meal that the men of the village prepared. Interestingly, the Bedouin men are the ones to cook. After we ate they performed some dances, and then we made our way back. We had to leave before sunset because the desert would turn pitch black. The Bedouins know their location by position of the stars.
From journal Walk Like an Egyptian