Erg Chebbi - MOROCCO
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This morning I awoke abruptly on hard-packed sand, oblivious to my Saharan
surroundings. It was the calls from the camels that woke me from my stupor
and through the door shone another predictably beautiful day.
The dunes outside were glistening with frost and Omar had brought the camels
right beside the tent to prepare them for the day. I set our blanket up in
the sun by the tent and in a flash Omar had prepared coffee and brought out
jam and bread. It will be a sad day when I have to prepare and cook food
again. Whilst sipping on Nescafe Blend 42 and being frozen by the crisp
morning air the other caravan passed. "I have two Australians too!"
the other driver called out. We both gave each other a look that said "Thank
goodness that Omar doesn't speak English". In Morocco knowledge of the
English language detracts from the true character of the locals and makes
them seem no longer so exotic. I learnt more about the true Morocco in broken
French than I ever could have from any English speaker familiar with our
culture. Omar had almost no idea of what our lives were like and it was
exciting to explain everyday occurrences to him. Perhaps I felt as though I
was talking to a native, like explorers would have felt centuries ago, and he
hung on to every word with great curiosity, so unlike his fellow compatriots.
After breakfast and a relaxing stroll over the dunes we returned to camp to
find the camels loaded and ready to go. I hopped on to Oasis like a pro and
enjoyed the rocking motion of mounting. As we started to walk I could feel
the pain of yesterday on the saddle. Although the pain barrier was passed
when Oasis ran down the side of a dune at high speed, forcing me to hold on
to the saddle with all my might.
Today we were to return to base via a valley running through the centre of
the erg, surrounded by high dunes. Again we spent three hours taking the odd
photo, watching the dunes roll past, and a sandstorm through the transparency
of my head-wrap. Nothing could be more relaxing and again the only other
tracks were ones from unusual small animals. The time seemed to pass quickly
and often you would anxiously wait for the next oasis to appear. This was the
desert working its magic. For the first time in my life I was eager to see a
tree or sign of life.
At 1pm we came to a halt for lunch beside a few shady palms and the camels
enjoyed munching on the dry grass that was in such abundance. We all sat down
on the rugs to talk more about our lives and the world around us, drinking
endless cups of tea. The afternoon sun was strong and I sat back to take in
all that surrounded me, especially the palms and patterns in the dune. It's
easy to forget that you're in the Sahara as the dunes are so monotonous that
they look like normal landscape. Isn't it funny how nature can pull the wool
over your eyes.
Two hours later we ate lunch similar to yesterdays and lay back to enjoy the magnificent world around us. Here we truly felt relaxed - almost a holiday away from the holiday that is almost becoming burdened by a Christmas timetable. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a care in the world. Soon it was time to round up the camels, which I wanted to do, although not alone. We had dined for so long that they were at least a kilometre away through heavy sand. After being chauffeured along the dunes by camel I immediately found walking on foot immensely tiring. By the time we reached them the sweat was pouring off. Oasis was pleased to be untied but didn't want to be petted whilst eating. I watched as he chewed every mouthful and then a morsel would be swallowed and you could see it move down his throat like a bowling ball in an alley. Ready to taste again for supper. I tied the rope around his bottom jaw and then we were off and his towering torso shaded my path. He followed my every command and as we went along I was happily stroking his neck. Although after all the excitement I noticed a tick on my jumper and suddenly Oasis wasn't so grand. It was huge and after flicking it off I was in a frenzy making the boys check if there were any more. On Oasis' neck and check were the grotesque green bodies of others that I must have disturbed. After half an hour we were friends again and they no longer could be seen. As we slowly went along over some of the steepest dunes I let the vision on the surrounding landscape sink in to be treasured forever, for this will be the most exotic of memories. I don't think we'll ever get further off the beaten track than here. The largest of the Merzouga dunes showed itself by 4pm in the changing colours of the afternoon and it wasn't long before the village appeared over the horizon. The next hour took us out of the diminishing dunes and into hammada desert, taking a route by mud-bricked dwellings, ksars, small palmeries, and along a sandy track. I felt both joy and disappointment at the end of our journey for these kinds of experiences are few and far between. Back at camp I yelled "Otch, otch, otch!!" and to my surprise Oasis obeyed my command and fell to the ground like the loving servant he is. Once standing my legs went into a state of shock and I had to force them to move. It's hard to imagine how I'd feel on a two night extravaganza. As the sun set we said our thank-you's and Omar returned to being that shy character we first met. I was inspired by our friendship and treasured the memories of what seemed an eternity out in the dunes. Nothing was more welcoming than a flat bed and clean sheets and after waddling over I fell straight to sleep. I awoke at 7:30pm to feel sunburn on my face where the scarf did not cover and even my hands had turned brown. Even in winter the desert sun is harsh!! The three course dinner dished up in the restaurant was an absolute luxury and we drowned ourselves in the western delights of good French cuisine and music. Dinner took us an hour to devour and after the last morsel I got up slowly from the chair and moved a very bruised behind back to the room for a good ten hours sleep. |
