Trip to the Sahara!

So this weekend I spent in the Sahara region of Morocco. On Thursday morning we left Rabat at 8:00 a.m. The ride there was very interesting (despite it’s length – 11 hours total). We stopped on the way many times for bathroom breaks but one of the times we stopped to see some monkeys! We got to feed and play with them, which was a cool experience. Watching the terrain change as we drove was fascinating. I saw men herding hundreds of sheep (which I thought only happened it the movies)! We also saw more cows and donkeys grazing in the grass than I have ever seen in my life. We had to go through the mountains to reach the desert so we drove along these extremely windy roads that were legitimately on the edge of cliffs. I had to stop looking out the window because I was so nervous we were going to drive off the edge. We stopped half way for lunch at a hotel in Midelt. We got a huge 4 course meal their which was delicious (it only took about THREE hours in total for them to bring everything out). Then we got on the road again for another 5 or 6 hours to Xaluca. We stayed at this hotel called Hotel Xaluca which was amazing. It had a beautiful outdoor pool with lights and live music, an indoor pool, a hot tub, a spa, a mini golf course, basketball court, a disco, a bar and beautiful rooms and dining facilities. We were in heaven. As soon as we got there we changed into our bathing suits and went night swimming (by this time it was about 7:30 pm). Afterwards we had dinner and went to the “disco” because it was a girl on my trip’s 21st birthday. We had a blast singing and dancing to the Moroccan music.
The next morning we got up bright and early to start our day. We first went to a museum called the Center of the Alawites Studies in Rissani. We learned about past kings and different important artifacts in Morocco. It was only about 104 degrees in the room, however, so I really couldn’t pay much attention to what they were saying. We then stopped at a place to buy the traditional blue scarves to wear in the desert to protect our faces from the intense wind/sandstorms. After that we went to an NGO that provided a place for women and children in a not so fortunate village. The women worked to make scarves while the children had a place to go to stay off of the streets. The day we were there they were giving the children each a backpack so we got to help hand them out to the children. The children were BEYOND excited to see us. Apparently they rarely see anyone outside of their village so they looked at us like we were celebrities. Afterwards we got to have lunch with the NGO members. They made us an extravagant lunch and explained to us that they need more help from people in the U.S. We found out that they only have websites in French and Arabic so we decided that we (as a program) are going to create a website for them in English! After lunch we drove another hour or so to Hotel Tomboktu in Merzouga where we rented a room to leave our bags for the night while we went out to sleep in the desert. After putting our bags in the room, we went out back and were wrapped in our blue scarves by some Berber natives. We then got on our camels and rode for 2 hours into the Sahara Desert. We arrived at our destination (berber tents in the middle of no where) at around 7:30pm so we got to ride camels into the sunset. I actually felt like I was in Lawrence of Arabia; it was hands down one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. It was an amazing sight to see the sun setting over the doons. Once we arrived at our tents we ate a traditional Berber meal and listened to Berber music. I got to play the drums and dance with them while other people on my program were adventurous and decided to climb one of the huge doons in the dark. The night was surprisingly very chilly in the desert and although we were given a light sheet, I was not prepared for the cold and spent most of the night awake and FREEZING. We were supposed to wake up to see the sunrise but when one of my friends woke me up at around 5:45 a.m. the sun was pretty much already up and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. At about 6:15 a.m. we got back on our camels and rode back to the hotel. This time, although the camel ride was cool, it was not as pleasant because I was in SO MUCH PAIN. I’m convinced my inner thighs have permanent bruises from bouncing up and down on that camel for so long. After the fourth hour of riding Waldo (I named my camel), I was ready to be done.

berber tents we slept in!

me with my blue headscarf on Waldo:)

We got back to the hotel at around 8:15 a.m. and everyone went to eat breakfast (except for me because it was Yom Kippur and I was fasting). On a side note, riding Waldo as the sun was rising on the morning of Yom Kippur gave me a chance to reflect on my life and my sins (because it was the day of atonement). It definitely was not a traditional Yom Kippur but it was a once in a lifetime experience that I will always have to look back on and appreciate.

While everyone else ate breakfast I took a shower in the room and charged my Ipod for the long ride home. This time however we only drove half way home because we stopped at the same hotel in Midelt (where we had lunch the first day) to spend the night. Once we got to the hotel I just hung out in my room while my friends had another feast. Then, out of nowhere, a huge storm flew in and the power went out! It was pitch black in the hotel and they went around and gave everyone candels. We all went out to the lobby and told ghost stories and drank tea (well, I didn’t). But it definitely got my mind off of the fasting. I explained to my program director that I was fasting and he arranged a typical Ramadan Ftur (breakfast) for me at 6:30 when the sun went down (it goes down super early here). A couple of my friends came with me to the dining room while I got a FEAST full of Ramadan food. I got the traditional harira soup, dates, hard-boiled egg, BREAD, fruit and other traditional foods that I do not know how to say. It was very nice of them and I really appreciated it. After my Ftur we went back to the lobby and our director had brought in a traditional Berber band to entertain us. They sang and danced all throughout the night. The power came back on sporadically but we spent the majority of the night in the dark. The next morning we got up early, had breakfast and then took off for Rabat! When I went in for breakfast this morning, however, the manager came up to me and said “no Ramadan today?” I laughed and explained to him that I was fasting for a different holiday (I didn’t specify a Jewish one..but he got the jist). In the Islamic culture women are not aloud to fast while they are menstruating so they have to make it up and fast for 6 or 7 days after Ramadan is over…I assume that’s why he thought I was fasting but I told him my holiday only had one day to fast and I was off the hook! Over all, it was a great 4 days and I feel like I really got a chance to bond with the people on my program.

Orientation in Fez pics

Sahara pics!