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| Camel Trekkin' |
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| Turban buddies! |
You guys....I WENT TO THE SAHARA DESERT! OH MY GOODNESS!!!
The Sahara has definitely been the highlight of my study abroad experience thus far. It's unlike anything I could have ever imagined or experienced. I will probably never experience anything like it ever again, and I'm so glad that I had this opportunity to go.
We drove down on Saturday morning to Merzouga, our starting point. We dropped our stuff off at a hotel in Merzouga, hopped on some camels, and traversed through the Sahara Desert to our campsite. Let me tell you, RIDING A CAMEL IS NOT COMFORTABLE. IT IS NOT LIKE RIDING A HORSE.
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| Proof that I was on a camel! |
Other than the fact that I am still sore from my camel riding expedition, I HAD SUCH AN AMAZING TIME! We rode for over an hour through the Sahara Desert. All you could see for miles was desert...dunes...sand...sand...and more sand. AMAZING!
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| My Professor Quirrel-esque Turban |
We also saw the Algerian border! Fun fact: The Moroccan army is stationed there in the desert for border control...I'm not saying...but I'm just saying that there could have been an Algerian invasion. KIDDING!! The conflict is in a stalemate currently with decent diplomatic relations. NO WORRIES PEOPLE!
I was in a state of wonder the entirety of the trip. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was in the Sahara Desert riding a camel and playing in the dunes. LIKE....OH MY GOSH!
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| Thanks Mom! The Buff came in handy |
Moving on...we got to our camp, and everyone (except me) had a lovely dinner of kefta tagine. For those of you who don't know, tagine is a wonderful Moroccan dish! However, kefta is beef, and I don't eat beef, so instead I ate some rice and fruit for dinner. IT WAS STILL GOOD THOUGH!
After dinner, tea, and fantastic conversation with some people from the UK (love the accents!), we climbed the sand dunes and looked at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life. I felt like I could see the entire universe from that dune.
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| Cool shadow picture |
I felt incredibly tiny knowing that some of those stars have already died, but we could still see them because their light was only just now reaching the earth. It's amazing how infinite the universe is and how much of it you can see in the proper setting. Nothing can truly capture this moment that I experienced. It was awe inspiring, and I wish that I could speak more eloquently about how I felt in that moment. It's definitely a moment that I will never forget.
I SAW TWO SHOOTING STARS TOO! And I made a wish on one of them, but I can't tell what or it won't ever come true.
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| Bonfire and Berber music |
Our guides had built a bonfire at the bottom of the dune, so we sat around the fire and listened to traditional Berber music, which was quite enjoyable. Afterwards, our guides invited us to sing and play some of our own songs and some of the other trekkers took them up on that, and we jammed out around the fire. FANTASTIC!
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| "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba" |
The desert gets SO FREAKING COLD at night. I was so happy that I had brought my wool lined leggings; however, the tents were actually super warm! The inside of the tents were lined with carpets on the top, bottom, and sides in order to keep the heat in the tent during the night.
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| Look at me, I'm driving an AT-4! |
The next morning, we watched the sunrise, and all that was running through my head was the song "Circle of Life" from the Lion King. I thought it was appropriate. We then hopped back on our camels and went back to the hotel for some breakfast of msemen and hard boiled eggs, the traditional Moroccan breakfast.
Now, to cap off our amazing trip, we rented out AT-4s to ride out in the Sahara Desert. This is another thing I've never done. I've never ridden one of those things because it always seemed scary. IT WAS SO FREAKING AWESOME! Granted, I was nervous, so I rode on the back of one for the first bit. SO FUN! Then...I got to drive.
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| The crew |
I would just like to point out to the world that I DID NOT CRASH! I did a great job, and had a blast driving! It was a tiny bit scary at times, but I WANNA DO IT AGAIN! It was such an adrenaline rush!
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| I brought MC with me to the Sahara! |
This trip will be imprinted on my mind for the rest of my life. It was such a unique experience that I've dreamed about for such a long time. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get this opportunity: one to travel abroad and two to trek through the Sahara Desert on camelback. Sometimes I think it's all just a dream, and I have to pinch myself to remember that I'm alive and awake and that I'm actually in Morocco.