We’re in Africa! We’re in the Sahara! OMG This is amazing! Achraf had said it would be a long drive- 9 hours. Ten and a half hours later we reached the kasbah, a fortified structure or citadel where we were to continue the next part of our day’s journey.
‘So Deb, on a scale of one to ten, how much fun are you having right now?’ It wasn’t really fair, we were riding downhill at the time and leaning back, grabbing with my tired and aching thighs and grasping the T-bar so hard my thumb cramped and was attempting to hide inside my palm. ’It’s an experience, John.’ Suddenly there was a shout and Tammy’s mount had become detached and stopped. Just stopped. Our caravan stopped. The leader went back to retrieve the camel and reattach it.
Our journey across the red sand towards our overnight camp continued. We stopped as the sun was setting to enjoy the moment and generally complain about which body part was hurting the most.
That ride was supposed to be forty to fifty minutes. It was two and a half hours!! We were also told that the accommodation would be basic. That was not a lie. Twenty tents lined up either side of a long hallrunner with the male and female ablution block located about half way along. There were flush toilets! Unfortunately there was no water for the two showers and the vanity taps offered just a trickle to wash our hands.
Dinner was also basic. Three servings of bread, a rice and vegetable dish and a targine of chicken and vegetables all tasting incredible similar and extraordinarily bland. I have to check out the price of salt. I know it was once highly prized. Maybe it is again. We had wine to accompany our meal and afterwards a little entertainment.
It was atmospheric. A cool moonlit night the only light from a fire exuding the most wonderful aroma, surrounded by about thirty metal chairs with perishing brocade cushions, the drummers began and we were mesmerised.
After the drive, the camel ride and the entertainment we were done in. The bed was horizontal, the sheets clean and it was cooling down. We collapsed in a heap until the dulcet sounds of buggies in the desert woke us at around three. Time for a toilet break anyway.
We did go 4 wheel driving in the desert too. It was a blast!
