It was so hot in my van in the day I consider other options for sleeping. I figure I can either drive on, or do a quick camel ride out into the desert and stay in a Berber type hut where it should be cooler.
I had done some research and everything I found sounded like a touristic but fun thing to do. Plus I was completely tired out from the running between the mountains, Marrakech, and a few days driving. It is supposed to be fun as well as well right. So trek to the desert it is. Tough life this travel hey 🙂
I wonder for about a second what life will be like when I try to get back to some sense of normality….
Super easy to arrange all this here, and the guys at the camping ocean des dunes are really helpful. Even though it is touristy, the heat and Ramadan seems to have kept a lot of people away.
I end up joining another group of people – a couple from Slovenia, Matias and his girlfriend both from Argentina, and Santiago also from Argentina. We all swap stories and ideas for travel, and I start to get ideas for the future….
Everyone is cool and getting on fine as we rode out into the dunes, only about 40 mins or so but far enough away to get the feel of this desert. It was pretty awesome and I find it a good place to get some headspace. Well recommended if ever down this way.
After watching another sunset we get to eat and chat, a topic of conversation is being stung, or bitten. I happen to mention something about Scorpions in the desert…..
As it gets dark the idea is to just lie around and watch the stars, told you a little touristy but I kid you not, the amount, and quality, of shooting stars you get to see was incredible!
…And then UP JUMPS Matias shouting about being bitten or stung…..we all crowd round and he has a mark or two on his finger. ….I am more concerned as I was siting next to him 🙂 🙂
The local Berbers who were cooking for us take over and use gas from the bottle to cool it down (?), and then a makeshift ttourniquet from an old bandage.
Matias gives me the finger.
Joking aside he was in pain and a little worried, and then the guides tell us an Italian man was stung two days ago. Ultimately there is not much we can do so typically we joke around and talk about cutting his finger off, or maybe his hand at the wrist, or maybe just his arm.
I hear both Matias and Santiago saying something in Spanish, just as I say, “thanks Matias, in England we would say that’s talking one for the team”. It was exactly the equivalent to what he was saying in Spanish. Different languages, different cultures, but still the same. I think this is one of the main things I like about travelling.
We were then told we were up at 5am to watch the sunrise, so we try to get some sleep, which personally is not happening for me, as all I can think about is things crawling over me!
Sun rise was good though.
And to finish off, a 6am camel selfie.
All in all a pretty easy going fun thing to do, a lot of reviews had rated this as the ‘best things they had done in Morocco’ (which was not really true for me) but still a recommendation. Even if just to see the desert and sand dunes.
John Alex Clarke 