| Actual Image
The shadow of the Horse (90)
riclopes
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6088 W: 137 N: 8300]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (28488) | Considering the surprising low representation of the white desert in TE, I decided to upload another one, this time with a human scale, as asked in my previous post of this area. I think the treker is small enough not to ruin the mood and visible enough to give the scale of these strange icebergs. They are made of chalk rock and created as a result of occasional sandstorms in the area.
The natural sculpture seen at right is knowned as the "Horse" and it looks like a chess horse piece. The photo was taken about two hours before sunset.
WS1 - the more knowned sculpture where every tourists go - a huge mushroom with a chicken by its side - also with a human element for scale.
WS2 - a more abstract view with 'white waves' in FG and some monoliths in the distance.
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White Desert
The area to the north-east of Qasr el-Farafra is renowned for its spectacular scenery. Although it’s closer to Farafra Oasis, it’s easier to get an excursion from Bahariya oasis, further north and closer to Cairo. The best thing to do to fully enjoy this surrealist place is to stay overnight, feel the absolute silence, the stars over your head and the magic light of sunset and sunrise. That’s what I did and also had the chance to meet a mr. Fox trying to steal our garbage in the middle of the night, which was a funny bonus. The chalk-white landscape is strewn with alien shapes, boulders of brilliant white which thrust up from the surface of the desert. At night, the clear night of noon intensifies the shapes and at sunset they turn into shimmering gold. Many of the formations are given descriptive names – sculpted by the harsh desert winds into weird shapes which constantly change over time. There are ‘monoliths’ and ‘mushrooms’, ‘ice cream cones’, ‘tents’, ‘crickets’ or ‘horses’, to name just a few of them. At some places the chalky ground looks like solified waves. |
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