Deserting our Dessert in the Desert

We didn't actually desert our dessert (which was fruit) in the desert...BUT, we DID go to the desert and rode off into the sunset on camels! Sidenote: next time we will elect to walk into the desert. Yeah, yeah, yeah - if you know anything about us, we really like our four-legged friends. K was almost in tears over how bad she felt for the poor camels who have to haul our asses in and out of the desert everyday. And J would not stop talking about how he wanted to smuggle carrots and apples into his bag to feed the camels. Don't even get us started on the desert cats we found! You can't take us anywhere...

During J's Winter Break, we started taking language classes at the Center for Modern Arabic Languages - J working on Classical Arabic and K starting to learn the Moroccan dialect. We are both enjoying the learning environment the center offers, as well as the organized activities they conduct - volunteer trips to various non-profit organizations on Tuesdays, cooking classes on Wednesdays, guest speakers on Thursdays, and trips to various areas of Morocco on the weekends. After our first week, the school was hosting a 3-day trip to the Sahara Desert. We weren't planning on visiting the desert until later this spring (or next fall), but we decided at the last minute to experience it now. Which was great because we would be speaking Arabic with our instructors most of this trip; and if we went in the future, it would likely be through an organization with English-speaking guides and visitors.

We departed Rabat on Friday afternoon and drove approximately 5 hours to the town of Midelt. Stopping along the way for some incredible views:

We woke up early the following morning to continue the drive from Midelt to Merzouga, checking out various cities along the route. We made a quick stop in Erfoud, an oasis town know for its fossils and marble products. Then it was on to downtown Merzouga, where we enjoyed a lunch of Medfouna, a dish specific to this region. For anyone in K's immediate family, medfouna is like mom's spinach bread! For anyone else, it's kinda like a giant calzone...in other words, it's delicious.

We quickly shoved piles of medfouna into our faces and marched straight into the market to pick up some scarves for the desert, and dates - the area is also known for having some of the best-tasting dates! J also scooped up some date "coffee", which we have yet to try...

With all the necessary supplies in tow, we ditched our shuttle bus and crammed into a 4x4 SUV to drive (or I should say "survive") the remaining hour to our staging hostel on the border of the desert. I say "survive" because about halfway to our destination, there were no longer roads. Just a field of rocks and a local driver (who knows the area VERY well) speeding along an imaginary highway at 50mph, literally bumping (and perhaps flying a bit) to the hostel. He did ask us multiple times at the beginning of the ride if we were wearing our seat belts :) We did make one final stop on the way to the hostel to listen to a group of musicians playing local music, enjoy some tea, and shake out the legs with a little dancing.

Alas, we had arrived! Almost! At this point, we loaded ourselves onto camels and began the one-hour trek into the Sahara Desert to our campsite for the evening. What a COOL experience (both figuratively and literally). What we have not mentioned yet was the weather...it's always sunny in the desert. But it is NOT always hot. In fact, we happened to go on one of the coldest weekends of the year. With highs in the 50s during the day, this meant nighttime temperatures were in the low 30s...aka FREEZING. And here we are sleeping, literally, in the desert in a tent made out of camel hair blankets...we almost went Star Wars on the camels, if you know what I mean ;) We settled for a cat instead...

So, cat side story. We're in the desert, an hour away from the lights and sounds of civilization. And sure enough, our camp has three cats that wander around the tents and share your dinner with you! J and I became fast friends with a soft little calico - I really thought we were going to find her in J's backpack the next day. What we did find; however, was a little friend in our bed in the middle of the night! So, it's f*$%ing freezing - I'm wearing FIVE, yes FIVE layers on top, two pairs of pants, socks, a hat and gloves. Add to that THREE camel hair blankets, and we were still freezing our butts off. But all of that disappeared when I felt a little creature stretching out at the foot of our bed. My heart melted! I shined a flashlight on it and it was one of the skiddish cats of the campsite, enjoying the "warmth" of our tent. The fact that we can say we spent a night in the Sahara Desert with a cat...I mean, I may even put it on my resume.

Back to the regularly scheduled program. The desert trip, albeit short, was an incredible experience. There are no sounds in the desert. Just calm. The sunrise and sunset are beautiful, and the stars in the night sky are unreal. We are really glad we had the opportunity to walk, run, explore, eat, and sleep in the sands of the Sahara Desert - something not many people can say they've done!

Before the crack of dawn, we were back on our camels heading towards society. We arrived at the hostel just in time to catch photos of the sunrise, eat breakfast, regain feeling in our hands and feet, and prepare ourselves for the 11-hour ride back home.

For the return trip, we took a detour through the mountain town of Ifrane, which is home to one of Morocco's two ski resorts (although there is no snow right now). We only had 45 minutes in Ifrane, which resembles a Swiss resort town, and it's a place we'd enjoy spending a weekend at in the future.

Once we arrived home, we enjoyed taking scalding hot showers and sitting in front of the heaters before climbing into bed with our two wanna-be desert cats, and plenty of memories to dream about!