Sahara Desert

I’m scared of everything. I’m a very, very anxious person. 

Yet, somehow I found myself hopping on a camel and following a boy (who couldn’t be older than 15) into the desert. We did’t speak the same language. The sun was starting to set. I had no idea where we were going or when we would get there. 

The sky became the most beautiful and pure blue. It met peach mountains of sand at the horizon. I never believed in true silence until this moment. It was perfect. It was quiet. It was terrifying. 

All we could see began to get darker and darker, and eventually completely black. We were told the young Tuareg boy is able to navigate according to the stars. We had no sense of time, but later figured out we rode at least two hours.

Just a few hours before this moment, our driver told us we must be weary of these people. Sex tourism is a real thing in the Sahara Desert. Mohammed told us of the wealthy women who come here to sleep with young berber men. He shared his own harrowing experiences and other travelers’ stories with us. He packed us wine and told us be careful who we drink it with, and when they offer us drugs–do not do them! We were happy that these stories were (mostly) not found on our trip. I mean, we were basically glamping. 

sunrise

We weren’t sure what to expect from our very long trip to the desert. We were surprised by how varied the landscape was. The mountains ranged from flat plateaus to steep and jagged. Colors changing from dusty tan to deep copper to near-black. Lush almond farms, palmy valleys, and cypress trees. We witnessed lives completely unlike our own. Grazing sheep climbing mountains with their nomadic herders, who’ve trekked miles to bring them a this small grassy patch. Women washing clothes in small roadside streams. Workers slowly cultivating small crops in the deep, deep heat. Roadside stores with dusty display cases and unfamiliar treats. Open air butchers, hanging the day's selection on huge hooks attached to dented tin roofs. We’re truly fortunate to have gotten a peek into their world.