Ahlan wa sahlan (Welcome) to Live from Egypt Entry #5.
Outside of the office, my colleagues and I try to enjoy Egypt.
This week my colleagues and I enjoyed dinner and stargazing in the world´s largest desert, the Sahara. What a treat as I witnessed my first Moon Rising, the image of the moon rising was extraordinary. For me, it was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in nature. In the picture, notice the moon rising just above my shoulder in the distance.
Once the moon was set we were all smiles and giggles despite the wind and cool temperature.
We enjoyed a traditional meal - breads, tomato tajine (tajine means the meal is cooked in a clay pot, which makes the food extremely hot) and beef fatah. Take a look at the chef preparing our food. Remember we were in a desert- I could get used to this type of service!
After eating we had an opportunity to stargaze with two high-powered telescopes that operated from GPS calculations. I looked at several stars some of which included the North Star, Sirius, Big Dipper, Orion, and even the Moon. The telescopes were so high powered we were able to look at the unique craters on the moon´s surface. Very cool, and another first for me!
Upon stargazing we asked if we could be escorted by a trained ¨guitar player¨ up a ridge in the desert to get a better view of everything. You cannot see but there is a deep rocky-sand dune immediately behind us.
The Sahara Desert is a must visit, especially during the evening with friends. As I mentioned in a Facebook posting this week, Egypt is definitely a place to bring someone that you care about!
Until next time...
Salam alekum (Peace be with you)
