Day 13 (Continued) - We did not actually mount our designated ships of the desert until 7:00 this evening. We intentionally delayed our departure by a full hour because the temperature was still stuck at a thoroughly unreasonable 42°C at our originally scheduled start time. When we finally braved the heat, we simply stepped right out the front door of the hotel to find them waiting like very stubborn, very fragrant taxis. Our sole handler for the trek was a genuinely fantastic local named Mubarak. He informed us he was somewhere in his fifties. Given that he looked noticeably older than both Jay and me, I can only conclude that a lifetime under the brutal Moroccan sun prematurely ages a man.
For those without a map handy, we were navigating Erg Chebbi. These are the massive mountains of wind blown sand that loom right on the edge of Merzouga. They are exactly what you picture when someone says the word, "Sahara." Some of these orange beasts reach a hundred and fifty meters into the sky. You crest one ridge and suddenly the entire world is just a terrifyingly beautiful ocean of apricot colored dust. It is the sort of overwhelming, geographic scale that reminds you exactly how insignificant you are, which is frankly half the point of leaving your living room in the first place.
Regardless of his actual vintage, Mubarak was an absolute professional. He was incredibly friendly, deeply invested in hearing our story, and provided us with exclusive, undivided attention for the entire journey. We rode out into those stunning dunes just in time to catch the sunset, eventually plodding our way to the new camp accommodations under the fading light.
As a bonus, it turns out our guide is also an impromptu cinematographer. He shot a large chunk of the 48 photos now sitting in a special album on my Flickr account and even recorded some video for us. He casually mentioned that he may have done some work with Atlas Studios, the Moroccan movie production powerhouse, which completely explains his excellent eye for framing a shot. Having Mubarak direct our trek elevated the whole affair from a simple desert commute into a genuine once in a lifetime experience.
I have committed to simply adding one dozen of the spectacular images taken that evening as we headed to the desert camp.
