“Knowing is going,” our tour guide Abi said as we headed into the vast Sahara desert from the small town of Merzouga. The 7 of us lined up on our camels as he led us deep inside the magical landscape of perfect sand, sweeping dunes, and endless blue sky.
As we delved further, the town of Merzouga eventually faded from sight and all we could see were endless miles of sand and hear nothing but the trembling stillness of the world’s largest, hottest desert. It was like trekking inside a psychedelia and setting up camp. We stopped at an oasis where we were served Berber tea before we gave our camels a break and headed up the dunes on foot to catch the sunset.
With the cool, smooth sand beneath our feet, we hiked higher and higher and I felt sure that I would slip downhill. Catherine and I lagged behind the rest of the group and I wondered what would happen if we got separated. “We could yell,” Catherine suggested, “but sand drowns out sound.” How comforting.
The sun began to set, shooting parting rays of light and casting shadows throughout the landscape as the dark sky came over us. We reached our tent area and set a blanket on the ground to marvel at the breathtaking sight that had just revealed itself above us- an incredible array of twinkling stars, sparkling so brightly they could have been planets. As we lay down, I told the girls the story of “The Magician’s Nephew,” the first of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.
Soon the cold fell over us and we went inside the tent for dinner. The Berbers played us music and sang and danced before they brought out chicken tagines, which we scarfed down.
After dinner, I found the most challenging part of the trip – using the bathroom, or rather, finding a secluded space in the now dark and open desert. Having never gone camping before, it was not a fun experience. By then, we were all exhausted from a long, hot day of trekking and our bodies were aching all over from the bumpy camel ride.
We woke up early to catch the sunrise, and watched as the morning sun bathed the entire desert in a golden hue. After a calm breakfast out on the sand, we headed out again. This time the camel trek was miserably painful since we were already sore from the first day. After reaching a small Berber village where we had lunch, we headed back to the hotel in Merzouga.
What I learned this weekend is that camping is absolutely not for me- I can't handle the bugs and the outdoor bathrooms. However doing it in the Sahara desert was a pretty surreal first time experience. The sights itself left a lasting impression in my mind and I hope these pictures can convey some of that. Enjoy.
