Maybe I lack depth. I don’t usually head off on vacation looking for enlightenment or spiritual rebirth. Call me shallow, but my idea of vacation is the opportunity to escape reality for a little while, see new places, meet new people and in general just slow things down a bit.
But something about experiencing 2,000 miles of emptiness deep in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara Desert affected me, something about the vast solitude and silence that sparked a spiritual revitalization.
Stepping into that boundless landscape, where little changes but the position of the sun and sand, was potent.
Peaceful, hugely colorful, culturally and historically compelling, Morocco has long been one of the world’s most exotic destinations. Some of the most glorious scenery of North Africa is found in Morocco, a land of mud-brick casbah towns, medieval medinas (towns) and mythic charms.
The Moroccan Sahara, a land-sea of dunes with an inhospitable reputation, might not be a vacation choice for everyone, but for me the lure was powerful. Powerful enough to sign on for two weeks of adventure with Mountain Travel Sobek, experts in off-the-beaten-path, small-group expeditions.
There were no roads, no landmarks, and certainly no signs. I was baffled by how our driver, Ahmed, navigated our Land Rover through the desert sand with ease and certainty. Aijed, driving another vehicle with supplies, followed in another identical Land Rover in the distance, trying to avoid our dusty trail. Without visible landmarks, they’d go to a certain point and then make a turn with confidence.
My companions were three other intrepid Americans: June, an adventurous, well-traveled surgeon from Idaho; Charlie, a recently retired cop from Las Vegas; and Yvonne, a fit, thirtysomething corporate executive from Seattle. Our group also included our guides, Kristy and Mohamed, and our camp cook, Housein. Soon we would rendezvous with our camel driver, also named Housein, and the four camelus dromedarius that would take us across the desert.
Tell people you’re headed to the desert for a weeklong camel trek and more than likely you’re warned that camels are petulant, smelly, and antisocial. Others may describe spitting and biting and the pained expressions of riders bobbing, lurching and swaying in swirls of sand. You’re told that an hour, let alone a week, atop a 1,400-pound humped animal is more than any rational person can stand.
They’re wrong. What they don’t tell you, or more likely, don’t know, is that camels are adorable, loving animals with charmingly long eyelashes and unique personalities. Perhaps under the loving care of their caretaker Housein—a camel whisperer if I ever saw one—their kind and gentle nature flourished.
It was a pleasure to watch our camels follow their master’s lead. When Housein slowed his pace, they followed. When he stopped, they stopped. When he sat down, they sat down. With little more than a hand signal or a one-word command spoken softly, he easily got his camels’ cooperation.
The rhythm of life in the desert quickly seduced us. Our days settled into a comfortable routine where we woke at first light, rode the camels or walked the dunes during the day and enjoyed long, leisurely nights at camp beneath a breathtaking display of stars.
The real wonder of the Sahara is its silence. An extraordinary silence made me want to whisper, like you do when you know you’re in the presence of something sacred. I can’t recall ever being accused of being the silent type. But, despite my usually congenial nature, the desert brought out a quiet, solitary side of my personality.
It was halfway through the third day when a subtle but profound change occurred within me. Mohamed, our tall, dark, and handsome Moroccan guide, recognized it before I did. The two of us had been walking side by side in silence for hours, as had become our custom while the others rode the camels. I felt an indescribable change in my demeanor. Mohamed, looking regal and intensely foreign dressed in a flowing indigo-blue robe and a traditional headdress wrapped loosely over his nose and chin for protection from the sand-laden wind, had noticed it, too.
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