I spend a lot of time in the desert. It is a special place for me. Perhaps because it is so opposite from my everyday life of living in a city, driving around congested streets, rushing around here and there. But when I am in the desert, I am filled with such peace. The vastness demands presence. Your senses come alive as all your worries melt away. At times the only thing I can hear is my own breathe mingling with the wind, my thoughts becoming clear and light. Everything slows down in the most beautiful way.
And then there are the dunes. I was so excited for this part of our Moroccan adventure, never having experienced anything as large as the Sahara. You can’t ignore the energy emitted from these beautiful shifting mountains. Always moving, always changing… and never with the same particles of sand.
We rode camelback through the dunes, watching the evening sun warm the sand into deep red tones. Once again, silence, except for the camel’s large hooves prodding softly along. We passed Berber camps, set up in the middle of nowhere. Their houses were made of scrap wood, covered with blankets and carpets, some surrounded by carpet walls for protection from the wind. Nearby, their herds of goats were eating the patches of grasses, growing in the most unlikely places. Our Berber camp was not unlike the others, except ours had queen size beds and running water (so yes, maybe it was quite different!). That night by candlelight, we ate one of the best meals of the trip, a Moroccan salad and a meat tajine. The most spectacular of all though, was the sky. So littered with stars it took your breathe away. Mesmerized, we lay and watched the luminous sky until the day finally overwhelmed us and we crawled into bed. We awoke before light, climbing a nearby dune to watch the morning light flood across the dunes, warming the vast Sahara. Yes, the desert is a very special place.
As much as I love the desert, the ocean, my true love, is calling...
Location: The Sahara, Merzouga, Morocco
Accomodation: Yasmina Hotel (would highly recommend)
