Day 1 - Heathrow to Casablanca - Casablanca to Ouarzazate
So what happens when you take two self-professed urbanites into the desert to support Breast Cancer Haven....
Well here starts the tale....packing!!! By this stage I desperately wanted to just get on with it. There had been months of planning, training...finding the right socks and most of all putting up with a grumpy DW who simply 'didn't have time for this'! ; ) However, I knew it was going to be a brilliant week ahead...so here goes!
Team Sahara 2015! We finally meet..the intrepid eleven - Tracy, Nik, Mark, Jerry, Tammy, Pascale, Jo, Nicola, Kaye, DW and me! Time to get on the plane!
Today was all about travel to Ouarzazte ('Where's zat at' in a druken english accent is pretty accurate!)...we boarded the plane and discovered that we had all been mixed up to get to know some of our team mates! My 'lucky' row was Ali (our resident medic and feet saviour!) and Mark who is considering a new career in cameleering...more of that to come! DW on the other hand ended up in a row with a different charity team so we suspected a defection at some stage as he also sat with them on the connection from Casablanca to Ouarzazate!!! A late arrival to our hotel followed and we all headed to bed immediately as we had a relatively early start the next morning...I say relatively early....but 7am on a Sunday is normally beyond early for us!!! Still it turns out this was the lie in of the week! Some repacking done and we fell asleep.....
Sunday 8th November
Day 2 - Ouarzazate to Zagora - Zagora to the Saharan desert - to camp
Awake with the lark, or perhaps the azhan...time to hit the final shower until next Saturday!!! It wasn't the most luxurious bathroom in the world but warm water was treasured! Time for breakfast....oh wait we can't get out of our room. For 15 minutes we struggled with the lock...DW getting more and more frustrated with the lock, the early start and the fact that we were on this trip...time to call reception...oh the phone doesn't work...right use mobile...and of course as I hung up, probably having spent many £££ the lock magically opened. These precious 15 minutes had been meant for a speedy breakfast so we were worried we had missed the boat but thankfully our team were kind and we had time for some brekkie!
We met our guide, Hamid after breakfast! Hamid was absolutely brilliant and made the week for us all!
Time to go...or as we all learnt...Yalla!!!
More travelling this morning, this time via mini bus! We were all a bit sleepy as no one had really slept that well but there was no snooze time on Moroccan roads!
A quick al fresco loo stop in the mountains...
After a couple of hours drive, we stopped on the outskirts of the largest town in the area, Zagora to enjoy the last flushing toilet we would see for a week, buy a headscarf and drink some mint tea...
Tea time at the oasis!
First mint tea!
A traditional headscarf...
At first, I had thought that buying the headscarf was falling somewhat into the tourist trap...mini bus of tourists arrive at small shop, local shopkeeper ready to tie them and 'be our friends and offer a good price'....however this scarf was invaluable for many reasons over the week...it provided protection from sun and sand and offered some desert chic at times!!! ; )
The view from the bus....
Finally we reached our first lunch camp and not long after it was time to head off for our first afternoon into the desert!
Here's my first vlog...as with my first blog post....I'm not a writer...and as it turns out my videoing skills also need some refinement but hopefully it'll bring you closer into our world for this week...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_7XO8upBGg
Yalla!!!
Pleased to introduce you to Mohammed our favourite cameleer and the camels who had the pleasure of carrying of heavy kit bags. Camels have a bad reputation of being somewhat grumpy but ours were friendly...the main thing to avoid was being down wind of them as holy cr@p they can be smelly beasts!!!
Alternative headscarf tying!
The camels definitely took the flatter routes....loving our group shadows.
After a couple of hours of walking in the afternoon sun, we arrived at camp, greeted by our cooks and porters with some mint tea...not a bad life!
First night in camp...
Sunset was around 6pm, so head torches to the ready for evening camp life....this included the evening 'wash' with baby wipes and talc, getting beds set up and navigating our way to the camp toilet...aka a sheltered hole in the ground.
It was incredible watching the shadows from inside of the tents. The cooks' tent was particularly evocative...I love this photo...
Dinner was served at 7pm...3 courses no less...Moroccan soup, veg and carbs followed by tinned pears...probably not up to DW's usual Sunday dinner standards still it was warm and welcome and finished off with some cleansing lemon verbena tea.
We were all shattered so after dinner we turned in for an early night...though I did a spot of star gazing before hitting the tent....you just can't describe an arabian night sky...it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. With no light pollution the stars pierce through the navy sky and to quote the nursery rhyme...really do twinkle, twinkle....that's not to mention the fact that you can see the milky way, countless shooting stars and the curve of the earth above you...it's quite simply magical.
Monday 9th November
Day 3 - the first full day of walking....6.5 hours....here goes...
The wake up call was at sunrise....so just before 6am...6am...it turns out there really are two in one day!!! ; )) Despite the wind and sand blowing into the tent directly in my face all night....yep, I had sand stuck to my face and lips, it was a pretty good night's sleep. The other overnight achievement was negotiating my way to the toilet tent in the night...needless to say one's balance is not so good when sleepy but happy to report I didn't fall into the hole!
I found myself greatly appreciating the beautiful daylight after the intense darkness of night time.
Breakfast was served at 7am...watery porridge made all the better to eat it with some honey, some freshly made bread and jam and a nice cup of tea....not a bad way to fuel up for the day ahead.
8am...Yalla!!! Here we go!!!
A nice spot for lunch
The general plan of each day was to walk for 3.5 hours in the morning, so that we hit lunch camp before the midday sun hit. All along this morning's walk was a gentle breeze but for some reason when we got to the lunch camp it got....
Very windy!!!
Operation eat lunch as fast as possible occurred as cucumber covered in sand is not the greatest gastronomic texture known!
Sand protection!
It became so windy that lunch was cut short as we all wanted to stop being lashed by sand in the shade...so we took off for our afternoon stroll...
Intrepid trekkers!
On arriving at camp this evening, someone happened to mention that this camp is dubbed well camp....well camp you say....does that mean water is available for washing....Hamid was unsure so he went to check....good news...there was water...
Wash time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCKlK111F0
Well washing...the principle was pull the water up in the black bucket, pour it into the pink bucket and then have have the speediest strip wash possible, and as the sun was setting it was getting chilly so lukewarm water added to the chill factor...though we all felt completely refreshed post wash so very happy that water was found! I think we all felt like new people post wash.
Jerry and DW at the well...DW managed a hair wash into the mix!
Women well washers, Kaye and Jo!
The album wouldn't really be complete without a mention of one of the stars of the show...sand!
Sunset shadows....
Arabian night sunset
After the first full day in the desert, I felt the best kind of tiredness....here's to a lot of zzzz!
Tuesday 10th November
Day 4 - sand, sand and just a bit more sand for good measure. Another 6.5 hours of trekking!
A morning pit stop!
Sand-wind protection!
Sheltering on the sunny side of the tree...
Video - camp at lunch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLaBVCbTD4
This lunch break, I decided to ask if I could eat in the cooks' tent, cucumber with added sand crunch needed to be avoided!!! It was really lovely relaxing in the tent with Ibrahim and Mohammed...DW came and joined us and nearly jumped out of his skin when the small gas stove burst into giant flames...laughter is definitely the international language.
Staying warm and away from the wind!
Snooze time
Hamid our guide...despite temperatures of 28 degrees plus he kept his jumper on all week...apparently it was cold!
Trekkers in action...is that a smile DW?!
Pascale the pro complete with walking sticks!
The first peak to climb.....they're not small trees on the top but the faster walkers of the day!
Stopping to take in the views...I'm the spec in the distance!
Left, right, left right....just keep walking...
Climbing the 'mountain' of sand!
Big smiles!
Tammy to the top!
Worth the climb!
Tonight's camp was spectacular as we were surrounded by sand dunes. Team leader Phil was in our tent and he made a good call to climb one of the dunes to see sunset...something that just couldn't be missed and boy was it easier to walk in flip flops without a backpack to the top!
Sunset over the dunes
One of the most moving movements of the week for me was observing one of our crew during his evening prayer on top of a sand dune...the photo below does not and cannot capture the moment but I hope it gives an idea of how powerful this was. He's the small dot on the left of the picture.
The call to prayer
A must of the week was spending a night under the stars....I must admit I had been putting this off and was only doing it with DW by my side but after dinner tonight he announced that he was sleeping out tonight so that made my mind up to just go for it! We found our spot with a few others and settled down for a night under the stars....woolly hat on - check, thermals on - check - sleeping bag zipped and snuggled into to the max - check! Ok here goes! It was absolutely stunning just looking up and watching the starry canopy move over our heads....that was until one of the guys near us started to 'sing like an angel'.....well a chorus of angels to be precise...Luckily ear plugs were accessible! 30 minutes later, I knew that sleep was unlikely to happen so decided to move to the other side of the camp where I knew a group of the girls had set up an outside camp...DW initially was going to stay but shortly after I moved I found him beside me! Starry, starry night take 2....we were soon asleep!
Wednesday 11th November
Day 5 - Rocky roads....only 4.5 hours of trekking...an easy day?!!
Woken this morning by the sound of giggling....good morning sunrise sky....time for another day of trekking!
So you may or may not be wondering what camp toilet looked like....well here it is in all it's glory! Toilet etiquette dictated any solids to be covered as a cat would in its litter tray and this was mainly observed...the main benefit to us ladies who had to squat at all times was tent poles to hold onto...a week of squatting has definitely toned up my flabby thighs!
Yalla!
This morning's walking was tough...the terrain was repetitive and hard on the feet.
The camels and Mohammed take a welcome shady break.
One of the morning activities was fossil hunting....Phil turned out to be a fossil magnet and found loads, this was probably the best one found.
Zoom in on the largest rock and you'll see one of the many geckos we saw along the way. He was playing dead and completely camouflaged with the rock, so it was good spot by DW!
Hello sand, we have missed you! The last hour of this morning's walk was probably the hardest all week for me...I knew some big old blisters had been created and my arches were hurting like mad so it was very welcome to see the lunch camp in the distance!
Snooze time...
All wrapped up from sandy wind!
Whilst the others snoozed...I spent most of lunch trying to get into the right plane of my biggest blister to get the liquid out...if I failed it was going to be a very painful afternoon's walk...so after some self performed 'minor surgery', the amazing Ali bandaged my toe up and all I had to do was pray that I could walk on it...a simple thing like a blister can really make or break this type of trip.
Petit aka Tom our resident camp dog roams around at lunch.
A short break along the rocky road....
Looking at the road ahead...
Full of these bugg@rs!!!
Arriving into camp....and seeing the next day's challenge in the distance!
Arriving into camp for tea and biscuits we were given the good news.....tonight was shower night!!
Here goes!!!
Shower time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPtNwnT081g
The shower in detail!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaqKWKjclSk
You may be wondering what we got up to in camp.....here are a few things...
Tammy & the water bottle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG4CxRhh3yo
Yoga time...downward dog, I don't mind if I do!
Knowing me, no blog entry would be complete without a foodie reference.....I thought would share a typical evening's camp dinner.
To start..Moroccan soup...available with or without gluten. I often went without as this version had more flavour.
Accompanied by freshly made bread....this was a highlight!
Main course - Moroccan vegetable sauce with pasta...a well known combo!
Dessert clearly wasn't photo-worthy but every night it was a variety of tinned fruit...pears, peaches and the infamous fruit cocktail made an appearance!!! All finished with a glass of lemon verbena tea...apparently to help with sleeping.
Tonight's entertainment - the camp fire....
Camp fire singing...including the fight to be Robbie Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eMXnKeXFDo
What we can conclude is that I'm not the best videographer....and I wouldn't get a job in post production either as I simply can't work out how to make this video in the same orientation but at least it gives you a taster of a Saharan camp fire! Despite being short and sweet and not necessarily in tune with our British ears, it was such fun taking part in the camp fire. Most of us ended up dancing Berber versions of the hokey cokey and the conga...what's not to like!
Thursday 12th November
Day 6 - 5 hour morning trek kicking off by climbing Erg Chegaga (aka big sand dune) then 3.5 more hours in the dunes - short lunch break - 3 more hours of trekking...and we were considered a fast group!
You never tire watching this happening each morning...
The morning ascent in site!
The climb ahead...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TpW5AZB1g
Jerry gives his thoughts on the morning ahead...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_00MGo2Q6I
Yalla!!! Up the big kick ass sand dune we go! Of course it would be too straightforward to start climbing the big dune, we had to weave our way up....
And down.....
Then up....
Head down...lets get to the top!
And last but not least.....this may have been created for your entertainment...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic6P2RIT6fU
All at the top!
Including Phil and Ali!
Hamid and his pink ladies!!!
Feeling on top of the world...well giant sand dune at least!!
SAND!
When you're at the top it's often the case you need to go down...one way was to run down the side of the sand dune...as shown by DW below!
A few more brave peeps head down the mountain of sand!
Instead, I decided to walk along the ridge...for some reason my legs started to feel like a bowl full of jelly and given my body weight to rucksack ratio I was a bit worried that if hurtled down the side of the dune I'd end up rolling down....Thanks Pascale for keeping me company on this section. : ) However, I got part way down and realised it was going to much quicker to scale the 'sand face' so Pascale and I started to walk down. Sand is amazingly supportive but with legs of jelly sometimes things aren't so easy!
Shaking out the boot-fulls of sand at the bottom of the dune.
Beautiful lunch spot...with limited wind...
...and lots of dappled shade.
Day 6 is classified as the tough day...it's the longest trekking day with the most climbing. Plus rather than staying out of the midday sun, you're walking through it until 1pm...and that's if your group keep a decent pace, which we were all very happy that we were able to do. However, on reaching camp my worst fear of the trip kicked in...DW was feeling ill from the heat. I suspect it was also due to low energy and just needing some time in the shade to literally cool down. In August we had been in Barcelona and the heat had really got to him, so much so that he was on the verge of passing out...not the best. In this instance he was able to sit in an air con'd cafe for a couple of hours...this was not on tap in the desert. It's fair to say that others were feeling something similar at lunch so some quiet time was needed. After eating, hydrating and cooling, DW was feeling better but worry had kicked in....I felt terrible not from the heat but for the fact that I was the one who had cajoled him into coming...what to do...Dr Ali chat time! DW went and talked to Ali and Phil about how he was feeling...they were confident he was fit to walk so said to give it a go...the next plan would have been to ride the camel and failing that a 4x4 would be involved....Realistically you know that you're not far away from help but when you're the one feeling this, I can imagine that you panic and feel trapped.
Yalla! 3 hours to camp - let's see how this goes....thankfully, DW and the others who had felt the heat of the morning were fine and the camels didn't receive any extra loads.
A brief stop in the shade....
The other blessing of the afternoon was that some clouds appeared to offer some very welcome rest bite!
Aside from a couple of shady spots with trees, the landscape is fairly barren until you find wild rocket! The fragrance was absolutely incredible, elevated by the fact that there hadn't really been any scents all week (camp toilet aside!).
Walking through the fields of rocket...and a few wild chives as well...
Desert flowers...
Camp was a welcome sight...'Hamid-time' had become a bit of joke as every time we said how long until camp the answer was 20 minutes...which in reality was probably correct if he was walking alone but for us it meant an hour...so when we finally saw the peaks of the tents we were all very happy campers!
What an incredible day! We were all proud of today's achievements and rightly so...different challenges for different people during the day but we all made it in one piece. Go team!
We were rewarded with a stunning sunset...and some couscous!
Friday 13th November (Friday the 13th!!!!)
Day 7 - Salt flats
The brief for today was easy terrain but no shady spots available...which meant limited breeze! Everybody do the cloud dance!!! Today we would also hit the finish line...hell yeah!!!
Our morning view....
This entry wouldn't be complete without reference to Mark and his new found love...he had tried to make friends with Yagom earlier in the week with limited success but this just goes to show with some perseverance anything is possible...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZoZ_aksG9Q
Final day whoop, whoop!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCyyaYJqNg
The flats ahead...
Yalla! Oh yep, prob best to mention hair...I know, I know if you've read my other entries you're more than likely tired of my hair tales...but a week in the desert meant striking up a balance of covering my head for sun protection but also taking in the early morning sun rays to kick off operation lighten hair colour up!!!
There's a lake...there is a lake....oh it's not, it's a mirage! We were privileged to see some amazing mirages in the distance, which sadly can't be captured on camera so you'll just have to visit instead...
As the sun got higher, the flats got whiter and whiter....I love the photo below with the shadows of the camel caravan...
And of course Tom our loyal friend had to get in the photo...
The success of the week...Mark is handed the reins to the caravan....a new career!!!
Salt flats....this was the kindest terrain of the week...firm but soft at the same time. A welcome break from sand and rocks!
Day 7 and a bit more zinc oxide was required...I had graduated to becoming a master popper of blisters.
Lunch time shade....
Simply perfect pomegranate
Mohammed all wrapped up in his many layers for our lunch time camel rides.
The trio of trekkers...including Mark getting to ride on Yagom...
My turn...at the back of the caravan...potentially not the best position to be in...thankfully the camels hadn't had lunch yet!
Riding into the distance....
Lunch over...it was the final push to the finish line!!! We had stuck together as a group all week and this didn't change on our last walk to hit the 100km mark! Some eye spy...followed by the alphabet game....of...
I went to the shop and bought an Apple, a Balloon, a Clown, a Daniel, an Egg, a Fan, a Goat, a Hat, an Impala, a Jigsaw, a Kite, a Llama, Maltesers, Nougat, an Ostrich, a Parrot, a Quince, a Robot, Sausages, Tampons, a Unicorn, a Victoria, Watch, a Xylophone, a Yacht and a Zebra...
Writing this nearly 3 weeks later there might be some writers licence with some of the answers but you get the idea of how we kept going to the finish line.
Inspired by the camp fire songs, we also started to create our own Sahara version of the hokey cokey...
'You put your rucksack on, your rucksack off, on, off, on, off....'
Or in Tammy's case she always forgot to turn her head torch off so we all got dazzled in the mess tent and tent etiquette also required your footwear to remain at the entry....
'I leave my head torch on, my flip flops on, on, on, on....'
'Woah, we're walking the in Sahara, woah, woah walking in the Sahara, woah walking in the Sahara, left, right, left, right, ra, ra, ra!'
Arriving at a rocky patch we could hear the beat of the berber instruments...the finish line had to be around the corner!
Here we go....
Including Mohammed and his trusty camels!
We made it!!!
Haven Sahara trip 2015 - done! Well nearly....
This is what happens when you put two urbanites into the desert...they make the finish line!!!
The camels tuck into their well deserved dinner of barley...
100km later....
Ooh shower-man. Aside from Mark's relationship with Yagom, the other friendship forged was Jo with the over zealous shower man! All set to shower complete with nappy sack on head...Jo's hokey cokey verse had to be...'You put your shower cap on, your shower cap off....'! ; )
Final camp sunset...
Rather than resting in camp, I decided to join Phil to climb the rocky hill behind camp to get a better view of the sunset...DW hadn't intended to come up but after I had forgotten my head torch and camera he decided to come up...
Crazy head torch hair!!!
A rocky mound!
Final foot clinic....not satisfied with just standard blisters, I had a small blood blister for the the final pop!
This trip would have been completely different if we hadn't have had Ali with us. She was our foot saviour. For many of us, the week would have been much more difficult without her expertise and care. So a big heartfelt thank you to you Ali.xxx
The last supper....
Soup....
All week long, team leader Phil had been talking about chicken and chips...I don't know if the leader notes eluded to chicken and chips on the final night but we were all delighted to have this supper! Considering the chips were made in camp they were absolutely fantastic...not the healthiest but none of us really cared about that this evening!
Despite a celebratory dinner, we were all early to bed as tomorrow was an early start for the optional walk....4.30am!!!
Saturday 14th November
Day 8 - 4.30 am start - Camp by 4x4 to road - Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech
Light on the horizon...
Hello sunshine!
Who is this washerwoman?!
DW having some sunrise relief...
Here come the 4x4s....time to head back to reality!
After a week of walking, it was strange at first to get back into a vehicle...needless to say it wasn't the most comfortable drive, especially being on the wheel arch but it was pretty exhilarating!
Our driver...F1 has nothing on him!
One hour later and we hit a small village and took a break in a cafe...complete with a clean toilet...our squatting days were over!!!
Much to many of the groups delight there was also wifi available. I decided to stay off grid just for a bit longer and savour the best tasting orange juice in the world!
It simply couldn't have been fresher...
Rather than a long day of walking, we had a long drive back to Marrakech through some of the most incredible scenery.
A couple of hours outside of Marrakech we stopped at a local cooperative where women make various products from argan oil. Argan oil is brilliant for hair, skin etc but it turns out that the actual argan nut is delicious when made into a paste...
After hours at gazing at the scenery our driver put on some music on...starting with some local classics which than changed into a love songs compilation...of course we sang along (sorry to the front of the bus!). Phil who was in front of me, rather than joining in suddenly sprang up and demanded my iPhone to capture this moment...here you go...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmbNaAH7r_g
Thirteen hours after we left camp, we finally arrived into Marrakech and into our hotel. Shower? No! Drink...why not!!!
After a speedy shower, and realising that we had interlinking rooms with our tent buddies Mark and Jerry, we all bundled back into the mini bus to head out for our celebration dinner! Here we come Marrakech! Hamid gave one last yalla and we headed through the alleyways to our restaurant...he may know his way around the sand dunes but we did a few diversions before we reached our final destination this evening! It was sad saying goodbye to Hamid, he had been an absolute legend all week leading us safely and successfully through the dunes and keeping our spirits up with his dry sense of humour! وشكرا جزيلا لكم من أعماق قلوبنا - or a big thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Dinner tables for a change!
The other big thank you of the week has to go to our trek leader, Phil. He definitely kept us on the straight and narrow all week. We all enjoyed Phil's fun facts each night for the next day ahead and learnt many sand related terms for the shapes of various sized dunes! We were all particularly touched by his starfish story on the last night, which I will share with you...
A boy and and an old man are walking along a beach filled with starfish that have been washed ashore. The boy is picking up them up and throwing them back into the sea. The old man asks the boy why he is doing this as surely it's not worth it as there are thousands on the beach. The boy doesn't answer but simply picks up another starfish and throws it back into the water. He looks at the old man and says, 'It made a difference to that one'.
This tale really touched my heart....you simply don't know what a difference you might make to anyone you meet.
Sunday 15th November
Day 9 - Marrakech
A good night's sleep later and we were ready for our day ahead in Marrakech! Today's agenda consisted of heading to the spa and having a good dinner. The sun was shining, the zinc oxide tape had been removed, so time to hit the streets of Marrakech...yep that's right we decided to take a walk, as we hadn't had enough over the past week!
I love, love, love Marrakech and would recommend it to anyone...an overload on the senses but a city with a lot of love to give. We visited two years ago, technically when I was 'ill' but didn't have a clue...it was good to be back.
Brits abroad....Waitrose carrier bag complete with a DK guide book...
Sumptuous scents (one for you Kim!)
If you ever find yourself in Marrakech then a trip to Les Bains de Marrakech is a must. A hammam is a true Moroccan experience and it felt good to be scrubbed to an inch of my life having not had the most extensive facilities over the course of the previous week. Followed by a head, neck and foot massage it was absolute bliss.
Time to find a late lunch...
Purple beetrooty goodness!
Daily mint tea intake is essential!
One word to describe this...yum!!!
At night time the main square in Marrakech comes alive filled with people, food stalls and lots of orange juice sellers (it's the best you'll ever have)! The smell is intoxicating and once you've found a good spot, it's fascinating just to sit and watch the world go by...
DW and the Hereford four! Don't look down Jerry! ; )
We left the Hereford four to weave their ways through the souks, as we headed to a riad for our Sunday supper!!! And it's fair to say we got somewhat lost in the maze of alleyways but eventually we knocked on the door to Riad Al Badia and entered an oasis of calm...
Some Moroccan red, yes please!
To begin...Moroccan salads...
Accompanied by freshly baked bread...
One of the 'rules' here is to try and eat in the Moroccan way....no cutlery!!! Here goes...
DW got a bit chilly sat on the rooftop of the riad, so one of the guys working there lent him his own jacket...simple human kindness.
This dinner engaged all the senses...before we were allowed to see inside the tagine we had to guess what was in it by smelling the delicious fragrance being emitted...first question what meat was in it? Easy...lamb! Correct. Next we had to try and guess other ingredients in the pot...cinnamon. Check! DW guessed raisins...check! Star anise....check! Then I said apple as the smell reminded me of baked apple...nope...ok then pear...nope...mmn this is tricky....it was in fact quince! So not a bad a guess!
Here it is!
Illuminating lanterns....complete with a sky full of stars above us...
By this stage, I was completely full so didn't want dessert but as the riad cook has made the effort I had to oblige...not one for me but Kim/ Emily you'd have loved it...plums poached in rose water with candied orange peel.
And of course finished with some mint tea....perfect end to a perfect week!
It's all in the bubbles...a tea without bubbles is a tea not worth drinking apparently!
Monday 16th November
Day 10 - Marrakech to Casablanca - Casablanca to Heathrow - Heathrow to Home!
6am alarm call....we decided to give breakfast a miss so that we could pack and gain a few more minutes of precious zzzz! Time to head homeward bound.....
Fez M&M!
So what does happen when you put the urbanites into the desert? One of them is happy and proud to have done it. The other feels like herself for the first time in over 20 months. I don't know what healing powers the Sahara has (I can hear the scientists amongst you groan!) but whatever it was I have not felt this energised in months. Body and soul have been cleansed. A trip like this makes you question what's important in life...in fact all you need is a hole in the ground (occasional tent pole to hold onto can be handy), a cover over your head (day and night), water and some energy. Walking through the desert can be surreal at times...sand dunes to your left and mountains to your right with the clearest bluest sky possible guiding you along. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. This week has more than ever compounded to me the need to be kind to yourself and knowing some days putting one foot in front of the other is all that you need to do.
I've been incredibly inspired by this trip, not only exploring the landscape but connecting with an amazing group of people. There was a lot of love and laughter this week! A couple of the other ladies had been through breast cancer treatment and this trip is a testament to anyone currently going through treatment. I'm already planning my next trip...just don't tell DW! ; ))
So it is a heartfelt thank you to the Haven on many levels. You gave me a place of serenity and safety during treatment and the inspiration to do this trip, something I would have potentially never have considered. For the intrepid eleven on this trip we all have a connection with the different Havens and we hope that we've done you proud as the first Haven Sahran trekkers!
Here's our summary of the trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycni4OYaOSI
Last but not least.....the outtake...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKWTx2oqwpI
Wishing you all the merriest Christmas and a happy and healthy 2016. Much love as always.xxx
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