May 21-22, 2007.

We were finally in the Sahara Desert, and it did not disappoint. The energy coming from the desert felt magical and spiritual. It was majestic, and we felt privileged to be in its presence.

Our camel trek would not depart until 16:30 (wind permitting), but our impatience to explore the desert sooner prompted us to take a two-hour guided ATV (quad) tour amongst the surrounding dunes. What a fun experience! I (Shanti) had never been on an ATV before, but our guide didn’t really give me much guidance on the dos and don’ts of ATV riding. Thank goodness Kalan advised me ‘not to turn my wheels while going down the really steep hills so you don’t roll the quad on top of you’! I also almost rear-ended the guide! I wanted to catch some air coming off the edge of a hill and he wasn’t moving out of the way fast enough…

Later that afternoon, we met the camels who would carry us a few kilometres into the desert to our tents where we would spend the night. For the detail-oriented reader, we were not actually riding on camels, but dromedaries. Who knows the difference? (Hint: one has two humps, and one has one hump!) Getting on the dromedaries was an adventure in and of itself, as the animal gets up in two stages, the back end first, and then up on the front knees. Kind of like a slow motion bucking bronco!

The wind was blowing moderately when we set off into the desert, but only enough for the blowing sand to feel slightly painful on your arms. We brought our iPod shuffles with us, so we could listen to our desert-worthy music while we trekked up and down the dunes. For me, this was the most tranquil and epiphanous experience I have had in years. It was a very peaceful time.

Now two hours on a dromedary doesn’t seem like a very long time, but we were happy to get off of our transportation when the guides asked us to dismount. When we reached our camp, our two guides (who were both under 18 years-old) made us mint tea and started to prepare our delicious chicken tajine dinner. While we waited, we lied down on a carpet which was layed out on the sand and watched the stars and moon.

Our guides woke us at 05:30. We hiked up the closest dune and waited for the sunrise. Beautiful. Then we had tea in the Sahara before heading back to the hotel on our dromedaries.

We arrived back at the hotel at around 09:00, ate breakfast and got on the road to Fes. Ider manoeuvered us through winding roads, high and low elevations, rain and even hail. We arrived in Fes at around 17:00, and there we bid good-bye to a man who started out as our driver, but became our friend.

Ider couldn’t have left us in better hands. The staff at Riad Lune et Soleil were so courteous and friendly, and they welcomed us into another incredible hotel. The rooms were charmingly decorated and very comfortable. We freshened up, and then had such a delicious dinner. There was so much food we were over-stuffed by the end. The appetizer of zucchini flower fritters, grilled sardines and eggplant tartare was big and satistfying enough to be the main course. The main course of creamy St Pierre fish could not be resisted though, nor could the dessert of fresh honeydew melon and strawberries. We were definitely going to gain some weight at this riad!