We arrived in a city on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert. We gathered together what we needed for one night's stay, wrapped our heads in our newly purchased scarves and were introduced to our camels lying by the roadside waiting patiently for our arrival. It was so picturesque with too many photo opportunities, but Chris ran around trying to capture the essence of the moment as best he could. The rest of us hopped on a camel and readied ourselves for the trek. Chris was the last one to be paired with a hump-backed steed. The guides walked around hesitantly, not speaking a word while Chris kept asking for a camel. They would glance in his direction then would turn as if they were searching for something. Finally, it was decided that there was only one animal left and he would be Chris' transportation. As soon as Chris was seated on top of this huge creature, it became apparent that they had saved him for last because he obviously didn't like being a slave to the tourists. He snarled and growled and started foaming at the mouth. He jerked his head back each time the guide tried to settle him down and tighten his reign. Chris nervously laughed and held on tight as "Cowboy", a nickname affectionately given to him by Chris, rose to his full height...first his hind legs and then his front. Cowboy was not a happy camper and I think Chris probably moved from happy to holy crap! He bucked a little and growled. He resisted everything the guide tried to do. He led the camel and Chris off into the distance for a "time-out" but he still wasn't satisfied. Cowboy was not allowed to ride with the group of us, so for the duration, he and Chris, like the outlaws that they were, remained on the outskirts of the trail.
Other camel names given covered a diverse variety from Valerie to Kabob to Alfalfa. Ben took the prize with one student commenting, "You know you have a well-traveled kid when he names his CAMEL, 'Ho Chi Mhin'!"
We were all punchy with excitement. Afterall, we were riding a camel through the Sahara Dessert! For many of us, it quickly became the highlight of our voyage. I think it has something to do with the fact that this activity didn't ever register on anyone list of "must-dos" but when given the opportunity, we all realized it should have been on our list all along! Most of us had a comfortable ride. Jeremy, along with some of the other male students just decided to grin and bear it ; ) Chris, thwarting his rearing camel's attempts at biting him, white-knuckled it most of the way...
We trekked through the Hollywood movie set that is the Sahara just before sunset on flowing burnt orange sand dunes. It was timed just right that the air was dry and comfortable. The sun was at our backs for nearly an hour but the balance of the trek quickly brought cooler air and a cloudless sky. We sang songs, told stories and jokes and just laughed and embraced our truly fortunate situation.
The shadows disappeared as the sky became dark. With nothing to light our way we depended on our guides to take us to our campsite which was nowhere in sight. We all kept our eyes focused on the black distance in hopes of seeing flickering lights from a campfire. After several "Are we there yets" courtesy of Ben, we were led to the crest of a very subtle dune and there, just in the shallow valley below, appeared our glowing campsite. It was like a mirage.
We dismounted our sturdy camel creatures who gently dropped to their knees. As we entered the tent area, sounds of traditional music came wafting out of our camp enclosure. The entire area was covered with Moroccan wool rugs of red and black...the ground and even the walls of our tents. We unloaded our belongings into our tents then were invited to wash up for dinner. At the end of the camp just past the dining room were actual running water facilities. Sinks, showers and they provided portable toilets. A generator supplied the camp with electricity and lights for our evening meal.
The dining room was adorned once again with wool rugs. A padded bench followed the perimeter of the walls providing seating for the tables and comfort with mounds of throw pillows. White linen covered tables and and abundance of food...Moroccan salad, bread, Chicken Tangine and fruits of the season. This was truly a mirage.
Traditional dancing, music and singing followed dessert as we sat by the bon fire under a star-filled sky. A group of students, including Ben and Jeremy got together for a game of "Catch Phrase" which has quickly become our family's new favorite game. All of this in the middle of the desert.
We turned in around 10:30 as our wake up time of 5:30 was quickly approaching. The boys and I settled into our "family" tent and listened to the students who shared the aisle with us. They dragged their mattresses out of the tents to sleep under the stars. Brilliant. Ben could not stand it. He wanted to plop himself right down in the middle of all of them and join the slumber party. I was the party pooper and asked him to give the students their space. Too tired to argue, he fell fast asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment