© irene waters 2019
Sunrise in the Sahara was a different experience and one that I don’t expect to have again
© irene waters 2019
It was freezing cold but worth the shivers to see the sun rise over the horizon letting us see what a bleak landscape we were travelling through.
© irene waters 2019
Not a tree in sight (in the first photograph that is me if you thought it was a tree.)
© irene waters 2019
Predominantly flat it is broken with mesa, large rocks and sand dunes.
© irene waters 2019
And there is sand everywhere. The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert although at dawn it didn’t feel that hot.
© irene waters 2019
Huge projects are underway diverting water from the dams along the Nile into canals in the effort to eventually green the banks of these in a similar way to the fertile strip along the side of the Nile.
© irene waters 2019
We saw one green area that was nowhere near a canal and I can only assume that in there somewhere was an oasis.
© irene waters 2019
We saw people building fences in the middle of the dessert. Why? I have no idea. It looked as forbidding on either side of the fence and I can’t imagine what they were trying to keep out.
© irene waters 2019
On the way back to Aswan we stopped at a road house.
© irene waters 2019
Besides a stop for the toilet it was so we could experience a Sahara mirage. I was told it wouldn’t come out on photograph so I was thrilled when it did. Can you see it?
© irene waters 2019
And here…
© irene waters 2019
Inside the roadhouse.
© irene waters 2019
There is a definite Nubian flavour
© irene waters 2019
Our last look at the mirage. It disappeared as we drove toward it. They are an optical phenomenon where light rays bend , producing a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. For me this was something totally different.
Thank you to Tina for hosting this weeks challenge.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
How very cool! Not something I expect ever to see so your photos are much appreciated!!
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Unexpected for me also. Stupidly I had probably thought you had to be dehydrated and lost in the desert before you saw these. I discovered to my surprise this was not so.
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What a wonderful trip! Enjoyed your travel series. 🙂
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Thanks Amy. I’ve had fun doing them.
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Wonderful photos but that last one is a true piece of art.
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Thanks Sharon. The light in the desert was so soft. We have such bright clear light here in Australia that I am always amazed by the effects the light has in other parts of the world – I’ve never seen light like ours anywhere else although I had expected the desert would be similar.
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Light is one of the qualities by how an artist is measured. Truly great artists notice and are able to replicate the true effect of light on their subject rather than just making up shadows and highlights. Which is why your photo is so extraordinary. Fantasy or reality caught by your camera and your observant eye.
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Thanks Sharon. I hope it is my observant eye and not just good luck but I guess it doesn’t matter if the photo works.
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