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We met up with the camels by the festival ground south of the town and seven of us (including 5 Canadians) set off fairly uncomfortably into the desert. The sand dunes were beautiful and it was silent.


After a couple of hours we reached the tents which were pitched near some scrub like bushes for the camels to eat. We should have been able to name the plants from our visit to the museum. 

The Bedouin guides started a fire to prepare food as the sun went down and we tried to get feeling back into the lower half of our bodies – there must be a knack to camel riding.

As it got darker the sunset clouds changed colours a lot then burst into a lightning storm which carried on for hours with no thunder or rain. It was silent.

The couscous was surprisingly tasty considering it was prepared, tested and distributed entirely by hand and we were surrounded by sand which was blowing about – probably the fact that it was pitch dark helped. The meal was followed by some local songs and drumming into the night.

The tent was not used as everyone wanted to sleep out and watch shooting stars in the clearest sky I’d ever seen. It turned very cold in the night and the extra camel hair blankets were piled on high and weighed a ton. In the morning the outer one was drenched in dew.

Sunrise was spectacular with the camels wandering around munching on bushes. 

Bread was cooked in the sand for breakfast by pouring dough in a smoothed out shape in the sand, covering it in sand then embers of the fire. Very tasty.

     

The journey back took a couple of hours getting to town with plenty of time to travel onwards. There is a shower at the agents.

The camels leaving in the morning

   
 
 

 

 

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