26.4.2009.
Today was the much awaited "Desert" day. We woke up early to our incredible view of the Sahara. When we opened up our bathroom window, we could see the dunes waiting for us. Breakfast was served fairly early and we ate our fill. They serve a lot of stuff with honey so that was interesting to have instead of jam. After breakfast, we had the option of going on a mini-excursion to the town located nearby. The three of us decided to take some pictures outside of the dunes and the camels waiting. While we did, three of the berber guys came over and talked to us. They helped us take some group pictures. Lots of them sell fossils so they showed us what they had and we got a little taste of how bargaining would be. It was really cool because they would draw numbers in the sand and you had to cross it out and write your own. Andrea bought some soap dishes before we had to run to go catch the group before it left. They were already selling the scarves that we would use as turbans in the desert. We were a little late and thus limited with color choices but all of ours ended up matching, kind of like Easter colors. They showed us how to wrap them before we set out. First we walked to one of the desert wells. One of the main reasons for the excursion was to explain how the berbers live in the desert. The water they have is from an underground system that comes all the way down from the High Atlas mountains. we checked out some of the wells and then walked through a "garden". They divert the water using little irrigation channels to allow plants to grow. What they grow mostly, I guess to sell, are dates. After walking through there, we came to the well that the people of the village use. There were a bunch of little kids there. Some of the boys would come up and try to sell us things like little camels or necklaces. The children have the task of getting the water each day. They have plastic gallon bottles that they lug back and forth. There is one bottle that has a piece of cloth stretched across it to act as a filter.
Once we checked out their water supply, we walked to the village. There all the huts are made out of abode. It was kind of sad to see because they are very poor and all the little kids come begging to sell you things. They took us to one building where they make their bread and allowed us a little sample. One of the kids in the group that was following us had a desert fox as a pet. Once we had seen where they bake their bread, they took us to a shop to show us what they do to make a living. The men mostly find, polish, and sell the fossils. The women, however, are the ones who weave the berber rugs. At the shop, they had us all sit in a room with the walls covered in carpets and explained to us about them. The women only work a couple of hours a day because it can be bad for the eyesight. The rug designs reflect the different tribes and are made out of cotton, wool, and/or cactus silk. It was really cool to watch them unfurl the rugs. Each one is like a surprise. So of course, I could not resist and ended up buying one. One of the guides, Manu, helped me haggle with the guy and I got a very good price. It is blue with tribal looking designs. It almost looks Native American. Very cool.
After seeing the rug place, we ended our tour and hiked back to the hotel in the hot desert sun. It's amazing how quickly you become dehydrated out there. The heat is a dry heat but you can almost immediately feel your mouth getting dry. The sand is very fine and gets into your mouth, nose, ears, etc. Lunch was served not long after that and we stocked up on water bottles to bring out into the desert that afternoon. We were not leaving on the camels until almost four so after lunch everyone hung out in the lounge, playing the drums. A lady came by who was doing henna very cheaply so I got some done on my left hand as well as a lot of the other girls. She did the henna so fast! In less than two minutes, she would have a design running all up your arm. You have to let the henna dry and flake off, leaving the brownish orange stain behind. Before we knew it, it was time to get on the camels. We left the most of our luggage at the hotel but took a backpack with the necessities out with us. We grabbed all of our stuff and headed out to get our camels.
The camels were tied together in lines of 5. Getting on them was an experience in and of itself. They get up kind of like a hydraulic system. First the front legs come up, then the back legs. They're so strange! I don't think they were too happy to get riders because they kept making noises about it. To ride them, they wrap a cushion around the hump and then put a blanket over top the whole thing for the rider to sit on. There was also a metal handle bar for us to hold on with. We took off our shoes and put them in our bags which we wrapped around the handlebar and hopped on. The first one I had was big and fat. Riding them was interesting because they have such a weird gate. You get used to it pretty quick and have to loosen yourself up so you move when they do. Otherwise, it's not a very comfortable experience. Once everyone was on, they started leading us out onto the dunes. We were on the camels for nearly two hours, walking out to the oasis which sits in the shadow of the tallest dune in sight. Once we left everything behind, we were completely surrounded by the dunes. It was absolutely beautiful. The wind was heavy that day and so we had wrapped our turbans close so that they would not blow away. I could not really believe that I was on a camel riding into the Sahara desert to stay a night at an oasis. The dunes are just like you would see in a movie or in pictures. It was fantastic. I'll let the pictures tell the story there.
We made it to the oasis in time for sunset. The tents we were staying in were arranged in a circle with berber rugs as the walls to keep the sand and the wind out. The three of us claimed our own tent and then came the long long climb up the dune to see the sunset. I took an empty water bottle with me so I could get some sand from the top. Oh, and yes it is that orange. The climbing was hard because it was very steep and the sand quickly runs out beneath you. I made it up in about 20 minutes, huffing and puffing. Up top, it was the windiest and one of the berber peope there helped me re-tie my turban because the sand was getting under my contacts. The view from up top was incredible. On one side we could see where the dunes ended and the Algerian border was. I sat up there for awhile and from below, could hear the drums begin as the guys started to entertain everyone before dinner. I convinced Andrea to roll down the dune about halfway which was really funny. We got back down and claimed a spot in the sand to watch and listen to the berbers sing and play their drums. There was more dancing and it was very nice to just sit around and hang out.
Dinner was served inside a big tent by candlelight. It was very simple, rice, corn, potatoes, some more veggies, and a chicken dish. They have to bring everything out before hand so nothing too fancy. We were starving though so everyone cleaned their plates. After dinner, people were free to play the drums some more or go to sleep. We left a little early to go lay out and look at the stars. Unfortunately, my camera could not capture that but the night sky in the desert is probably one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. There is no light pollution and you can see everything. That night was very clear (and cold) but we laid out and watched until we saw shooting stars. The berbers took shelter in the big tent to play the drums and we sat around by candlelight, listening to them. They played late into the night until the lanterns burned low and everyone was sleepy. The three of us made a bathroom run to the outhouse before going to bed so that we would not have to try and find our way out there in the middle of the night. The beds were very comfortable and we each had thick blankets to keep us warm. I didn't get cold until the morning when it was time to wake up.
love you and miss you all
Elle
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