"I just asked for a bit off the back and sides!"
What's the difference between a woman and a camel?
This could be the type of joke that you may not want to mention whilst in the company of any women. In fact, it is not a joke at all, rather the begining of a saying from the nomads, who travel through the vast Sahara. In times past the route from Timbuktu in Mali to Marrakesh in Morocco, through the heart of the Sahara was an important trade route. Caravans of up to 500 camels would carry salt for 50 days, walking over 50km a day, to sell in the markets of Marrakesh. Then return to Mali with spices and goods. The route was so important that the family that 'controlled' it would control Morocco. Our journey was a little less than 50 days. Four in fact.
We travelled with 'nomads' who in times past would travel through the desert in the cooler months and then move to the cooler Atlas Mountains in the warmer months. Now they make a living taking people like us to experience their way of life. To be with camels in the morning is quite a pleasant experience, as they slowly move through the sand, you almost join their rhythm. Sitting on top of one is like riding a sedated horse. Equally pleasing is walking alongside them. We would stop for a cooked lunch. A tent would be set up and a delicious meal would be served along with traditional sweetened mint tea.
Our guide, Yousouf would give us a commentary on the country, it's people, the life of the nomads, islam, how much he likes chocolate. The nomad guides couldn't speak English, and lets say our Berber was more than rusty, but a gentle smile would great you most often. It was great just to listen as they appeared to give each other a hard time. The second night we camped in the lee of a wonderful sand dune, complete with oasis-like palms. Traditional bread was cooked, then the nomads began to sing, a strange repetitive song, but one which they all knew and seemed to enjoy. Our feeble attempt at "Waltzing Matilda" was a bit of a let down after that! It must be said that in a group of 16, of which only 2 were not English, Waltzing Matilda didn't quite seem appropriate. Lets just say the English a) don't go for national songs and/or b) they can't sing.
Of course, a trip to the desert wouldn't be complete without a sand storm, so on the third afternoon we began to realise why you see guys in the desert in movies with big scalves on. The sand gets everywhere! With the wind dying down, we attempted to sleep under the stars that night, just like the previous nights. At 12pm we realised that if we stayed where we were we may end up buried with all the sand so made a hasty retreat to the traditional tent set up for us. It seemed that four days just flew by. A wonderful time to slow down, where you felt as if you were in the middle of nowhere. Where the days and nights were full of those amazing 'big skies' we miss having been in London.
So it was off to Marrakesh. Em's avoided the snake charmers like the plague but we were happy to add to our 'cushion-cover' collection as we shopped through the souks. We didn't even get too lost (well, I did get lost but was able to find my way again before having to admit to Em that I was, in fact, very lost!). And so our week away came to an end. But it seemed a lot longer than a week, now that has to be a good thing.
Oh, and the answer to the question about a camel and a woman? With a camel you traverse through the desert. With a woman, you traverse through life!
p.s. there is a 'boys at the pub' version I could tell you one day... very funny!
