In Egypt, west of the Nile, lie the Kharga and Farafra oases, which I reached by public bus from Assiut. I then spent a few quiet days in seclusion in the Farafra Oasis, where my only connection to the world events of 1990—such as the start of the first Gulf War—was via the television in the only small local eatery in the evenings. The Farafra Oasis sits on a hill, with date and palm gardens on one side and the settlement on the other. A hot spring was even built into the hill itself, which offered a lovely spot for a soak. The local baker had also set up his workspace nearby, supplying the village with delicious flatbread.