December 31, 2008

And our next stop was Merzuga, tiny village right on the outskirts of Sahara desert. From there we took a two day camel trek into the desert, and came back to spend New Years Eve at the Bedouin camp.
There is really not much to say about these 2 days - it was the absolute highlight of my trip - watch out for the pictures of me walking up and down the dunes. Sahara was a mind blowing, life shattering, out of this world experience. I will never forget and i want to go back. Just sitting on this huge body of golden sand with golden sand everywhere around you. Looking at the camp at the base of the dune. Riding a camel: slowly and proudly swimming through the desert. Meeting people who live there. Live there! It is sand on sand on sand. And there is still life and children are being raised and toys are being brought. Eating cous-cous with my fellow travelers. Sitting by the fire at night listening to silence. Complete silence. Even in the mountains or the forest there are still natural sounds. There it was eerie quiet. Nothing is moving. Nothing is living. I was practically crying when we had to go.
It is a different world out there.
Oh and if somebody tells you that it is cold in the desert in winter, do not believe them. It is not cold. It is freezing. How will I ever make it back to States, leave aside Russia???

И, быть может, немного осталось веков,
Как на мир наш, зеленый и старый,
Дико ринутся хищные стаи песков
Из пылающей юной Сахары.

Средиземное море засыпят они,
И Париж, и Москву, и Афины,
И мы будем в небесные верить огни,
На верблюдах своих бедуины.

И когда наконец корабли марсиан
У земного окажутся шара,
То увидят сплошной золотой океан
И дадут ему имя: Сахара.


our guide loved my Winnie...

and Winnie loved to snowboard on the dunes...

and I loved my camel. I named him Nicolas in memory of Gumilev...And Becca named her crazy camel Milky Way (obviously) and that Milky Way bit Nicolas on a butt and Nicolas Buckled and I went flying off my camel arms apart, face down into the nearest dune... Good thing Winnie was keeping me warm under my jacket so I landed on him. No hurt done. We should have administrated Nicolas rabbi's shot but we were out of it... :)

Mint tea! More mint tea!

Am I artistic or what?

insane... and she can crawl if you put batteries in.. imagine.. that thing crawling in Sahara. This world is a weird place, I tell you.

Cooking cous-cous:

that is me over there...

don't we look like those sand midgets from Star Wars?

still me walking...