Chapter 829 Ancient Road
Egypt, which has a history of thousands of years, is located in the north of Africa, with the Sahara Desert as its boundary, and belongs to North Africa on the African continent.
Geopolitically, Africa is also the easternmost part of the Middle East. Among the seven continents in the world, Africa is the second largest continent in terms of both area and population, second only to Asia.
Such a large piece of land has become a forgotten place in international geopolitics.
Whenever people talk about the international situation, they focus on Europe, America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and other places.
When talking about Africa, the first thing that comes to mind is poverty, war, hunger, AIDS, Ebola...
Historically, most African countries have become colonies of European and American powers. After gaining independence in the 20th century, African countries fell into endless poverty and war.
To this day, Africa remains the most economically backward and war-torn continent among the world's seven continents.
One of the reasons why Bifang never approaches human cities is to avoid these disputes as much as possible. Once involved in one, no matter how powerful he is, it will be of no use.
However, no matter how inconspicuous it is, Egypt is one of the earliest countries in human society to enter the advanced social organization form of the state.
The Egyptian civilization emerged earlier than anywhere else in the world.
In 4000 BC, two independent kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, were formed here, and the legendary Yellow Emperor did not appear until 1000 years later.
In the desert, Bifang, riding a camel, walks on the ancient trade route.
This is a strange desert. Although it is part of the Sahara, it is completely different.
The desert here is black in one place and white in another, with a clear distinction between black and white. The black desert is like the surface of Mars, while the white desert is as white as snow.
It looks strange and unusual.
[What's going on? Why is the desert this color?]
[It's both black and white. Is the white one snow? ]
【What is this dividing line! 】
The audience in the live broadcast room were stunned by the landscape that looked like something from an alien planet.
"It's amazing, isn't it? This is Egypt's black and white desert, which is different from the yellow desert anywhere else in the world."
Bifang jumped off the camel's back, half-crouched on the ground, reached out and grabbed a handful of mixed black and white sand.
He was at the junction of black sand and white sand. The two were mixed together, but each grain was clearly distinct.
"The black desert on the left is located in the ancient submarine volcanic zone, so it is covered by a layer of black volcanic material, showing a black and yellow scene."
"The black material ejected by the volcano is as coarse as stone and as fine as sand, thus forming the current black desert."
"As for the White Desert, do you see those huge rocks over there?"
Bifang pointed to the white rock not far away.
The white rocks of all sizes scattered throughout the desert have very strange shapes. They remind people of the images of many animals, as if they have come to a giant sculpture exhibition.
"Here you can see chalk rocks that have been shaped by wind erosion over millions of years into strange shapes, some shaped like camels and others like lions."
"This is the source of the White Desert, a metamorphic rock."
"Over thousands of years, as violent Sahara storms swept through, the sand from nearby dunes ate away at these 'lime-gray' rocks, leaving only piles of white rocks and black stones."
"This 'white stone' that is everywhere is not a real rock, but a metamorphic rock formed by the accumulation of the remains of marine life tens of thousands of years ago."
"This vast expanse of dead desert beneath our feet was actually an ocean in prehistoric times, and has since been covered by forests."
"Until 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, this vast depression west of the Nile River became a large grassland, and ancient people at that time could move freely here."
"Today, it is one of the driest places on Earth."
The white fine sand stretches to the horizon as far as the eye can see.
“The desert has always been a hostile environment for the Egyptians in all eras.”
"In the minds of the ancient Egyptians, there have always been various evil spirits in the depths of the Sahara, causing chaos and committing all kinds of evil in the desert."
"The situation is similar today. Without a large sum of money, Egyptian guides and tour guides will never take the initiative to take tourists on an adventurous trip to the great desert in the west."
"Although the Bedouins, who are mainly nomadic, are usually tough and fearless, once they enter the desert, they are still very cautious, just like a novice driver who just got his driver's license and hit the road."
"Local people actually have an inexplicable fear of leaving the road and entering the wilderness."
[I am afraid even if I come]
[It’s such a big desert, but there’s not a single person in sight. Anyone would be scared if they came here.]
[It feels the same. Even if I know the direction is absolutely correct, I still feel guilty and scared when walking in a place like this.]
[Has Fang Shen never been afraid? 】
“I’ve been scared before.”
Bifang admitted this without hesitation.
The implication is that I am not afraid now.
"As social animals, humans naturally have a certain degree of fear of behaviors that stray from the group. However, for many things, if you do them more, you will be less afraid of them. And the more skills you have, the more confident you will be."
"Like someone just said, in the vast desert, even if you are an expert at identifying directions and are 100% sure that your direction is correct, but after walking for an hour, two hours, or even a day or two, the surrounding environment has not changed at all, no matter how determined you are, you will slowly begin to doubt yourself."
"But when you are not only an expert at finding your way, but also an expert at finding water, an expert at hunting, an expert at survival, then the panic will be greatly reduced."
"Once you have enough ability and rich experience, you will gradually stop feeling panicked."
[I see. Becoming a god, right?]
[Is Lao Fang just bragging?]
[It’s getting more and more shameless, I like it]
"That's the truth, okay."
Bifang scratched his hair. He hadn’t had a proper haircut for more than two months, and his hair was now a little long.
"There are five oasis areas in the desert area bordering Egypt, Chad and Libya where humans can live. They are Bahariya Oasis, Farafila Oasis, Dakar Oasis, Karaga Oasis and Siura Oasis."
"Our route this time is to pass by the edge of the westernmost Xiula Oasis, and then go from north to south through the other four oasis areas to ensure adequate supplies."
The mission was just to cross the Sahara, and no specific route was given, so Bifang had to choose the safest way.
At the same time, the oasis is a treasure in the desert, and I always want to go and see it.
"Whether in ancient times or modern times, this area connected by oases has always been a key life link for human survival in the desert."
"Now the whole of Egypt runs from south to north, and the Nile River flows through the entire desert area into the Mediterranean Sea. If people want, they can take a boat along the Nile all the way to Cairo."
"Thousands of years ago, the Nile River was not the only way to connect Upper and Lower Egypt. Hundreds of kilometers west of the Nile River, there was an ancient desert road parallel to the river."
"On the ancient road, goods such as ivory, ebony, frankincense, rhino horns, leopard skins, and even giraffe tails from Sudan and Chad were continuously transported to the Mediterranean coast through this ancient desert road, and then exported to various European countries."
"This ancient desert trade route is the one we are walking on. It is said that it takes about 40 days to walk the entire route."
The camera moved to the bottom of Bifang, but unfortunately, perhaps because it was too long ago , no trace of the road could be seen.
Only when the drone rises high into the sky can some vague outlines be seen, but they are not clear.
This road has been abandoned for more than a hundred years, and it is remarkable that some traces can still be seen today.
"In the 19th century, large caravans often used this ancient road to transport goods."
"In January 1825, Wilkinson, an Egyptologist from the Central Kingdom, encountered a caravan carrying 600 African slaves. It is said that this caravan could travel the 900-kilometer ancient desert trade route in 35 days."
"It sounds slow, only 30 kilometers a day, but they are a caravan, not a lone ranger like me, so the speed must be slower."
"French naturalist Frederic Kyriad also mentioned in his book that in 1817, a caravan of 16,000 people appeared on this desert trade route, of which more than 6,000 were slaves."
"This scale is not a caravan at all, it is a veritable army."
"If people at that time had to take the risk of crossing the desert on this trade route, they would generally make a will before leaving and entrust their souls to Allah."
[I don’t know any God, but I know pearls]
[Pony Pearl, right?]
[How dare you! You can say that!? ]
[Allah is the name of the supreme and only real God in the universe and the one who deserves to be worshipped in the classic Quran.]
[He is the only master worshipped by the entire world's MSL. He is considered to be the creator of all things in the universe and the nurturer of the entire world. He has sent many prophets to convey the truth to mankind in this world and to conduct fair settlements in the afterlife. His status is almost the same as that of God.]
[Say thank you to Carl with me]
In the Agabat Valley not far from the Black and White Desert, Bifang Leting Alpha found a large piece of crystal stone that was in the process of forming.
This is Crystal Mountain.
Egypt is a famous crystal producing area in the world, and Crystal Mountain is one of them. Large pieces of natural crystals are exposed to the air and sparkle in the sun.
Bifang picked up several pieces of nice quality crystals on the ground and stuffed them into his backpack, also as decorations.
He also saw underground caves, where crystals spread and grew in the darkness like moss, forming white and shiny layers in the rock strata. There were also huge crystal pillars exposed on the surface, like red corals in the sea.
After leaving Crystal Mountain and riding for several days, Bifang arrived at the first oasis.
The area is not large, and the water area is just a small lake, but there are plenty of plants around it. Even with only a little water, life is blooming tenaciously here.
What’s even more gratifying is that Bifang also discovered several cacti here!
I think it's caused by invasive species.
In today's globalized world, this phenomenon is not uncommon.
"I believe everyone has heard this saying, that is, when walking in the desert, you can eat the flesh of the cactus to quench your thirst."
"Many cacti are edible, but not all of them are. There are more than a thousand species of cacti, and some are poisonous."
"There are so many varieties, and most of them look pretty much the same. Even I can't recognize them all. We need to be careful, so we need to do some herbivorous tests."
There are two main ways to obtain food in the wild: one is to hunt wild animals, and the other is to collect wild plants.
To hunt wild animals, one must first know the animal’s habitat and understand its life habits, and then use methods such as pressure capture, trapping, trapping cards, and shooting to hunt.
This requires a long period of training and practice under the guidance of experts to truly master it.
In comparison, collecting plants is much simpler.
Although data collection is simple, how to collect it correctly becomes much more difficult. This also requires a certain period of training under the guidance of experts to master this knowledge.
"I will introduce the simplest method to identify whether wild plants are poisonous or not, for use in emergency situations."
"Usually, we cut a small hole in the collected plant, put a pinch of salt in it, and then observe carefully to see if it changes its original color. Usually, plants that change color cannot be eaten."
Bifang cut off a piece of cactus flesh and sprinkled a thin layer of salt on it.
Salt is actually very easy to obtain in the Sahara. Most oases are saltwater lakes . In addition, there are many minerals that will precipitate crystallized salt. They cannot be eaten directly, but they can be processed slightly.
"Of course, this is the most urgent moment. If you don't eat it, you will die. You can use the method I just mentioned to identify it. If it is not, then follow my steps and do the test."
The test has six steps: one is to look, two is to smell, three is to touch, four is to apply, five is to chew, and six is to taste.
"It's discolored, it's aged, it's brightly colored, if that's what it is, look elsewhere for your dinner. "
"Smell. Can you smell something rotten? Anything like almonds or pears? That's nature's warning sign because it indicates the presence of hydrocyanic acid. Avoid anything that smells that way, unless, of course, it's almonds or pears."
"This cactus in front of us looks like a normal one. It passed the first two tests."
"The next step is to do a skin contact test, where you crush the part of the plant you want to eat and rub the plant juice on a sensitive part of your skin, such as your palm, wrist, or in the crook of your arm or underarm."
“Leave it there for a few hours and see if your body reacts in any way.”
Bifang cut off a piece of cactus, smeared the cut on his arm and waited for the reaction.
"If your skin is getting red and swollen, think about what the plant might be doing to your insides."
"The test takes a long time, but we have enough time. Alpha has lost a lot of weight during this period. I will stay here for a day and set off tomorrow."
In the evening, I started applying Bifang on my lips without any discomfort, and again there was no stinging or swelling.
"If there is any emergency, rinse your mouth with clean water first."
Then Bifang cut off a small piece the size of a thumb, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and then spit it out.
No adverse reactions.
Finally, have a snack.
“Wait four to six hours and see what happens.”
“Don’t drink any water during this time, as this may dilute the toxic effects of the plant and give you a false negative reaction.”
"Of course, don't eat any other food during this time."
“If it’s a team, let one person do it while the rest of you wait and see to make sure it’s safe.”
"The whole process takes more than half a day, which is why the salt-sprinkling method just now is necessary."
"It's impossible for a person to spend hours ensuring safety when they are extremely hungry."
It was not until the moon rose that Bifang was sure that the cactus in front of him was edible.
I cut off most of it for today's dinner, and stopped preventing Alpha from approaching the cactus.
