• Under the watchful eyes of the stars

September 6, 2004

L to R: Leong helping Sandro serve pasta to Sidik	Our moonlit campsite outside Qena	The national anthem is sung every morning without fail

After spending four nights in the hotel, it felt wonderful to be able to sleep out in the open once again. We spent the night camping in the desert on the way to Hurghada just outside Qena. I actually enjoy sleeping out in the open. The privilege of falling asleep under the watchful eyes of the stars with the gentle breeze singing lullabies is definitely an experience to treasure. In fact, never in my wildest dreams think that I would one day step foot in the Sahara desert.

As we had to catch up with our schedule due to the unforeseen delay earlier, the visit to the Valley of the Kings in Luxor had to be cancelled. I was quite disappointed as the Valley of the Kings is a must-see attraction. However, I suppose I have to find consolation in Harun’s words that it is always good to leave one or two spots unvisited in order to have the motivation to return to that place. Well, perhaps when I visit Luxor again, I can go to the Valley of the Kings.

Sandro volunteered to cook pasta for the group. Well, pasta in the desert seemed to taste better than pasta in the restaurants. I feel the team sort of draws closer to each other during the outdoor camping. It is nice to sit under the stars and listen to their tales. It is during moments like these that I get a rare peek into the men’s world. I do not like horror stories. Therefore, when the topic turned to tales of horror and eerie real life experiences, I told them that I could not bear to hear the stories.

Uniform, Mojo and I were given the task of digging the hole to bury the garbage. The team places great emphasis on keeping the place clean. Therefore, each time after camping, one group would be assigned the task of cleaning up the campsite.

I was surprised when I was called out to raise the flag in the morning. It is a daily routine to sing the national anthem, raise the flag and recite the doa before starting our journey. The last time I raised the flag was when I was in school. I felt honoured and privileged to be able to raise the flag. Well, not many people would have raised the flag in the middle of a desert, and I will definitely remember this day fondly.