Just "Deserts"
Today seemed like an excellent day to blog in order to distract myself from both Egypt and Morocco's devastating losses in the world cup. Moving forward, I have been looking forward to this post since the moment I returned to Fes. Next on the blog agenda is my overnight trip to the Sahara Desert!
This unique opportunity had several parts which tested the limits of my ability to 'rough it' and as a woman that has never even camped prior to this experience, I figured I would be in for a treat.This seven hour bus trip landed us right on the edge of the unforgiving desert, which the Bloomsburg crew fearlessly trekked through aboard camels for over 30 minutes before arriving at our camp. Me having a bad history with camels, I took the time to pick the gentlest one whom was later very inappropriately named ثلج which directly translates to snow. Now I am sure everyone is picturing this 'camp' as being one tent for all of us with a hole in the sand as our only bathroom and no sanitation, but to everyone's surprise, the camp was perfect. There were 20 tents encircling a gathering place in the center with a fire pit and cushions over top carpets placed on the scorching sand. Within each tent were two or three mattresses with the thickest blankets to help protect us from the freezing nights in the Sahara. The provided dinner was followed by a live performance by a group of young men playing a variety of drums. We were given the opportunity to try and play with them where I was quickly reminded I should leave all things music related to my sister. After things settled down some went to bed, but I chose to walk with a blanket away from the lighting of the tent to be surrounded by the darkness and serenity of the desert. I laid down on my blanket and noticed the stars were as bright as I have ever seen and besides the distant drumming of a camp nearby, it was peaceful.
The following day we woke up in the morning (and I mean MORNING) so we could watch the sunrise aboard our trusty steeds. As we crossed over sand dunes as high as mountains it was getting closer and closer to sunrise until we saw the sun sitting on the horizon. It was an inexplicable sight, but one I will never forget. We arrived back at the hotel at around 6 am and rested until we boarded the bus yet again to return to Fes. The pictures I post will speak for themselves and show why this was hands down my favorite trip in Morocco.
This unique opportunity had several parts which tested the limits of my ability to 'rough it' and as a woman that has never even camped prior to this experience, I figured I would be in for a treat.This seven hour bus trip landed us right on the edge of the unforgiving desert, which the Bloomsburg crew fearlessly trekked through aboard camels for over 30 minutes before arriving at our camp. Me having a bad history with camels, I took the time to pick the gentlest one whom was later very inappropriately named ثلج which directly translates to snow. Now I am sure everyone is picturing this 'camp' as being one tent for all of us with a hole in the sand as our only bathroom and no sanitation, but to everyone's surprise, the camp was perfect. There were 20 tents encircling a gathering place in the center with a fire pit and cushions over top carpets placed on the scorching sand. Within each tent were two or three mattresses with the thickest blankets to help protect us from the freezing nights in the Sahara. The provided dinner was followed by a live performance by a group of young men playing a variety of drums. We were given the opportunity to try and play with them where I was quickly reminded I should leave all things music related to my sister. After things settled down some went to bed, but I chose to walk with a blanket away from the lighting of the tent to be surrounded by the darkness and serenity of the desert. I laid down on my blanket and noticed the stars were as bright as I have ever seen and besides the distant drumming of a camp nearby, it was peaceful.
The following day we woke up in the morning (and I mean MORNING) so we could watch the sunrise aboard our trusty steeds. As we crossed over sand dunes as high as mountains it was getting closer and closer to sunrise until we saw the sun sitting on the horizon. It was an inexplicable sight, but one I will never forget. We arrived back at the hotel at around 6 am and rested until we boarded the bus yet again to return to Fes. The pictures I post will speak for themselves and show why this was hands down my favorite trip in Morocco.
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