Day two in the desert started much in the same way that day one ended; huddled under blankets hoping that hot tea would soon grace our lips. I was excited to see what our camp looked like in the daytime but was also terrified that I would turn into a Popsicle if i ventured out from under my mountain of blankets. After much turmoil we finally mustered up the strength to get up and were presented with this:
It was all pretty overwhelming at first. Our camp had a completely different look in the daytime.
We quickly started exploring while our guides prepared breakfast.
I think Phil Knight needs to send me a check for all of the advertising I am doing in the Sahara.
After a traditional Moroccan breakfast that was entirely too nice to exist in the desert we kicked the soccer ball around with the guides. Playing soccer in the sand tires a man very quickly and with the sun now in full effect we were sweating profusely.
We started to wonder when we would be moving to our next destination. Hassan was just sitting around so we inquired about the itinerary. He responded with 'anything you like'. When I asked what kind of activities were available he responded in a similar fashion. We were very confused and after some back and forth he told us we would head to the berber camp where we can sand board. We hopped on our camels and Hassan lead us deeper into the desert.
At one point Tim's camel broke free and did his own thing until Hassan was able to tie him back up to the group.
It is important to note that by this time we had both named our camels. Meet Discovery and Poopy.
Tim named his Discovery due to his thirst for adventure and ability to sneak away whenever possible. Poopy on the other hand stemmed from not only the fact he loves to poop all the time but also his grumpy demeanor. After around two hours of riding we saw the camp over the horizon.
It did not take a lot of time in the berber camp to realize that it was not nearly as nice as our first stopping point. The armies of flies and the sandpit full of camel crap in the middle of the camp were not my favorite aspects. Hassan had expressed interest in sleeping at our old camp for the night so we would only be here for the day. Shortly after we arrived lunch was served. Seafood was the last thing we expected to be served but low and behold a cold tuna vegetable dish lay before us. Milk was a bad choice.
The raw speed at which I traveled was truly mind boggling. I must have hit 1 maybe even 2 km an hour. We really needed to test this out on a steeper hill if we were to have any fun. We proceeded to climb the highest dune in the camp. The rest is sand boarding history.
Once we reached the top we saw it was not the highest dune in the area. Tim rested a bit while I hiked to the top. All in all it took about an hour to reach the peak. It is hard to show the perspective of this sight but I assure you I was very high up from the camp.
Walking up this hill was exhausting and we decided to call it a day. On the final run I decided to ride the board down like a sled. Although extremely fun, this turned out to be a mistake as clouds of sand and camel poop filled my facial orifices.
After the run we dusted off as best as we could and began to look for Hassan as we were dead set on leaving this fly infested area. We looked and looked but he was nowhere to be seen. We tried to pass the time by playing a little soccer. The shots are not staged in the slightest.
After a couple of hours Hassan finally returned. Apparently our camels had decided to go AWOL and he found them congregating around town. In an attempt to let the camels roam but not run away they tie a rope to their front legs so that they cannot achieve a full stride. Discovery had managed to shake off his ropes and briskly walk away. Poopy was still attached to him with his leg shackles still in tact. As Discovery walked at a normal pace Poopy was forced to quickly tip toe behind him all the way back to town. After these shenanigans Hassan was exhausted and it was nearing dark so we were stuck spending the night in the berber camp. Hassan tied a new rope around both camels joints so that they would be forced to sit down for the night.
The day soon turned to night and with it the ice cold chill of December. We once again huddled in our blanket fort and had some dinner.
It turned out to be quite the popular meal as we had a number of dinner guests.
We retired to our beds and began the warm up process. I had a much better night and did not get too cold. Tim on the other hand had about the same experience as the night before. We are heading back to civilization tomorrow and have a good chunk of driving to do.
