This is easily the most memorable day of the trip. Camel trekking in the Sarah desert; it even sounds cool. And there's nothing cliche about it, it goes down as one of the most magical travel experiences on record. But there was a lot to do and see before our evening camel caravan into the sea of sand. This was one heck of a full day! Long post alert.
We awoke refreshed from our air-conditioned slumber to start our day with a delicious breakfast.
We traded in our mini-bus for two off-roading four-wheelers and set off for the desert.
Our first stop was to see these traditional Moroccan musicians. Sitting in a cozy hut in the desert we listened to the soulful, heart-pounding rhythms of this Saharan music tradition. It was mesmerising. For a short sample, click the video I shot with my phone below.
The musicians invited a couple of the kids up to join them in dance. I was a little surprised Dallin agreed. It was fun to see him get into it.
Hannah represents the Stephensons
Hannah is a natural!
Trevi claps along
After the music and dance display we set off to see a different side of the Sahara Desert, the black desert. It's not the soft, orange sandy side of the desert you normally envision. It's a pretty rugged, hostile environment, and it was amazing to see people working the mines here. Younger boys and men covered in black working the primitive mines in the blazing hot summer sun of the Sahara.
Our guide
All seven kids
Back in the jeeps
En route to the guest house that would serve as our point of embarkation for our camel trek, we stop quite in the middle of nowhere to catch a glimpse into nomadic desert life.
Shade!
I cannot fathom this life.
I truly cannot comprehend how one lives like this. The solitude in and of itself is mind boggling. And of course the conditions. Make-shift tents that piece together miscellaneous plastics, sticks, some other unrecognisable items and old clothes; they look old to me, but honestly the clothes strewn about on the "tents" look no different from what they wear. No floors or beds of any kind. I see a few containers of (hot) water. No where to sit. That heat. The harsh, unyielding desert. It's just unimaginable to me how this life works. And suddenly the poverty of Garbage City resembles some sort of paradise compared to this.
Out of nowhere walks this chicken
I felt a bit voyeuristic snooping around this family's homestead. It may look like a heap of trash and a deplorable way of living to me, but it is their home. Initially hesitant to approach, I took the lead of our guide who asked the mother's permission if we could take photographs of her children. She agreed. She was hidden in the shadows of the make-shift tent with her baby in her arms, so I could not see her face. Her other three children were a bit more accessible. I wished I had something to give them.
Our guide helps the kids tie up their turbans
Time for lunch and pool shenanigans
Eyes a bit bloodshot from the pool. Everyone is getting all set to embark on our camel expedition into the sand dunes of the Sahara!
One last pre-camel work email check
Everyone is all set, with proper sand protection to head on out. And so with our 14 2-litre bottles of water to sustain our group of 11 for 12 hours we left everything else behind and set out to camp under the stars in the Sahara!
Our entire camel caravan including a random English bloke (ironically living in the US).
Barefoot camel guides
A mini-sand avalanche
The sun was already very low and just about to set.
The sunlight was fading fast, and it was becoming very difficult to shoot, but it was amazing to behold this sea of sand.
Water!
Time to stop and play in the sand!
Work calls no matter where he is.
It's hard work walking up the dunes.
I think this is about where my camera's lens finally succumbed to sand infestation. The focusing ring now grinds, permanently I'm sure.
Caleb makes a run for it!
The whole group
I love this picture of the Stephensons
Camping under the stars
The Big Dipper! 30 sec, ISO 1000, f/2.8, makeshift shoe tripod on the ground
I didn't really sleep the entire night. But it was okay. I had millions of stars to keep me company. I have never seen the night sky this illuminated in my life. Everyone slept as I watched shooting stars and listened to the faint beat of Moroccan music from a camp nearby.
6 comments:
This sounds unreal! All I could think was how lucky your kids (not to mention the adults too!) are to experience this and see how other people live. And your gorgeous photography - can you start publishing in National Geographic already? Seriously.
Incredible Shannon! What an unbelievable day & night sleeping under the stars.
Wow. Thank you soo much for sharing your beautiful images. I don't think I've ever seen the big dipper so clearly.
All I can say is...wow...what an amazing trip. How I would love to have some of that sand for my collection, and to see the stars from there, has been a dream of mine. I would go there in a heart beat! Thanks for sharing :)
So cool! Your family is really getting the feel for the world around them. What a fun adventure!
Amazing!
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