The Trek Part 2

Day 4 Sunday 19th October

The wind had started while we were eating dinner and then enjoying the music but it hadn't been too bad and we hadn't really noticed. My first indication was when 3 of the girls came and stayed in the big tent with me as it was too sandy and windy outside of their tent. From then on in the wind and noise increased - the big tent was bellowing from side to side, the ties became undone and sand kept blowing in - every few minutes you'd get a fresh coating - I genuinely feared if the big tent was going to hold and what my first reaction would be if it didn't ! The doorflap, held down by several big stones, kept breaking free and flapping across the mat making a huge noise. I got up many times to replace them and even ventured outside - my head torch picking out a major sandstorm - imagine a pretty serious rainstorm where the rain is coming in sideways, only this is sand and you're about there. It was quite an experience and didn't let up all night, so Sunday just got way harder. In some ways when the sun came up it was a relief as we could get started, exhausted though we were. Spare a thought for the Berbers who didn't even have any tents... those boys are hardcore. The camels however, were unfazed...

But it's fair to say that for the rest of us, we didn't enjoy the sunrise as much as other days:

And so Sunday began, with the winds still blowing, and amazingly the flies still all up in your grill - like the camels, they had obviously dealt with this before. We set off across a less varied terrain and it gave a real sense of isolation, even if it was still an amazing experience to be there,

And the ground underfoot became more rocky, and harder to walk across at times as you felt every pebble !

The sand was still blowing around us at times, and it was very very hot - the hottest day yet - possibly 40 degrees

But the strange thing was, that even with how hard it was, how hot it was and how tired we all were, for me there was such an uplifting sense of being somewhere amazing and certainly unique in my lifetime (I doubt I'll go marching across any other deserts !) that the miles just disappeared underfoot, ably assisted by Jamal and his reviving bag of figs, dates and nuts, and never ending supply of water - he brought one of the camels with us on this day especially for this purpose, and the Berber mischievously attached the rope to whoever wasn't paying attention...

Sarah unwittingly leading the camel on here, if you get my meaning...

We stopped for lunch and the lack of sleep plus the coating of sand (it isn't just stubble on my face !) was beginning to show:

On this day we did the lions share of the walk in the morning (Approx 5 hours) and so only had a couple of hours to do in the afternoon, which was more of the same:

The group was visibly lifted by the prospect of a shorter walk and this only increased as we got closer to practically the end of the whole thing and spirits were higher despite a couple of the girls really suffering with a bug they had picked up but heroically carrying on, and a special mention to Sophie Kennerley who suffered really badly but never once complained about her ordeal and was always smiling no matter how many times she threw up. Massive respect to you Sophie !

But we were at the final night of camp, and that meant there was only one thing for it - CAMEL RIDE !!

There was a really fun spirit around the camp on the last night, lots of group photos were taken and everyone was relieved that it was practically over and even though we were all dog-tired we were determined to enjoy ourselves.

Here I am with my man Joe who was who got me into this whole daft idea in the first place... its a bit warmer than Bolton eh Joe ?

Then the sun went down spectacularly again

The Berbers made a camp fire for us and led the camels away

Before showcasing their skills in making bread from scratch and baking it in the ground underneath the fire !

And of course finishing it all with a selection of songs

It's fair to say there was much rejoicing when the Berbers came in with the final nights meal and it was... Chicken & Chips ! Even though we all enjoyed the Moroccan food, it was fair to say that them pulling that out of the bag on the last night was pretty damn impressive...

Day 5 - Monday 20th October
After a thankfully calm night and some more awesome star-gazing, we awoke to our last day very refreshed and raring to go (if a little ripe and still covered in flies !)

We set off for a short walk (less than an hour) into a village to meet the van and begin our journey back home after an emotional goodbye with the group that had been looking after us, as the camels were led away:

We got in the van and set off for a straight through journey to Marrakesh in one day this time. The scenery was just as spectacular on the way back:

We stopped again at Ouarzazate for lunch (again, ace food) and to pick up our main luggage which had been left at the hotel, but after that we just went all the way through - making it back to our hotel in Marrakesh by about 8pm I think. After a meal of dubious quality we went up to the roof terrace for a drink (but alas, the hotel was dry) and to reflect on a great experience and a job well done by everyone.

We even got a nice certificate to say we'd done it !

And after months of preparation, miles of walking training, lots of equipment shopping, worry about what it would be like, the heat, the flies, the actual trek and the never ending isolation of the Sahara Desert, we were done. A once in a lifetime experience that I'm so glad I did. And all because we were...

Some thank you's are in order...

Thanks to all who read this meandering blog, thanks to Tracy for arranging this event, thanks to everyone on the trip for being such a great group of people to trek with and have a laugh with. Thanks to all my family and friends for the encouragement and thank you so much for everyone who made a donation to the NLH and helped me (almost) reach my target. Thanks to my bro' Andre for lending me so much vital gear, thanks to Pat for the hat, thanks to the man in the shoe shop who helpfully told me 'it'll be hot' and thanks to my mum and dad for worrying, caring and giving me a lift to Gatwick at 3am and then picking me up again.

But finally, my undying love and thanks to my darling Su who trained with me, shopped with me, helped organise me and provided more love, support and good humour than any man rightfully deserves. You are an angel and I am so lucky - I love you !

Keep supporting the North London Hospice - it's an amazing place with some amazing people !

Rob

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobertDuffySahara2014 

The Trek - Part 1

So I had trained as much as I could, taking up Bikram yoga and walking all over north London, south London and even across the south coast. I am not much of a fan of camping and I never really enjoy the beach, but that aside I was as ready as I could be for the 4 day trek across the Sahara Desert... Lots to say and many photos so I'll do this in 2 parts...

Day 1 - Thursday 16th October
I stayed at my parents place near Gatwick and the alarm went off at 3.15am. I'll give you a moment to digest that... 3.15am... now this is more the time you should be going to bed rather than getting up, and it was as grim as it sounds. Ouch. Still, fair play to Su and my Dad who also both got up and came to the airport to see me off. Flight was fine although immigration took a couple of hours after the Easyjet flight attendant told us with a laugh "oh I'm sorry we picked up the arrival cards for Egypt by mistake". I see, is that ok then ? Can we just laugh that off ? Good job the pilot didn't have such a lackadaisical approach to his job is all I can say. Still, we ganged up and pushed her down the stairs and all had a laugh about her broken ribs so it evened itself out in the end.
On the other side of baggage claim I sensibly eschewed the first in a long line of fleecing attempts in Morocco, by not changing my cash until we got past security. You have to know what you're doing, not be intimidated, and if you have a grasp of one of the local languages and can stand your ground so much the better. I failed pretty miserably at this, but believe me we don't want to get into my 'well its just luck they live there and I live here and I have more money than them' justification for evening it up in the tiniest of ways !
We then met our tour guide, a guy called Jamal who turned out to be the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet - knew his job inside out and looked after us 'as if we were family' as he told me one day. This was our first taste of Moroccan hospitality and it was impressive. He had assembled a good team of drivers, a cook, and the hired Berber help to pack and unpack the camels.
So after taking in the first of the water they had brought (400 litres in all !!) and it being just after midday in Marrakesh we set off for Ouarzazate (pronounced wa-za-zatt) where we would be stopping overnight, and it would be a 5/6 hour journey.
This was the bus that would take 14 of us and all our bags to the desert and then pick us up afterwards. There was no room to spare...

We stopped after a couple of hours for some lunch prepared by the Berbers in virtually no time at all, and was to be our first experience of the skill these guys possessed in making tasty nutritious food on the go:

Ouarzazate is in the High Atlas Mountains in the centre of Morocco and so we then had to wind our way up narrow mountain roads that contained plenty of traffic, spectacular views (I took pictures on the way back - see part 2) and sheer drops. This didn't put off most of the drivers who overtook with impunity and into non-existent spaces - we even saw a genuine road rage incident where one guy clipped another and it all kicked off in the middle of the road where matey picked up a big rock and threatened to smash up the perpetrators nice new audi... the capability of Moroccans to go from zero to mental was something we would see a few times in the trip - must be the heat. Still, we think this was resolved, although they were still there when we saw that part of the road again from higher up a few minutes later so who knows !
The drivers kindly made a couple of stops to stretch legs and use the facilities and this was my first chance to take in the scenery in the blisteringly hot sun...

Quite a view !
We made it into Ouarzazate just before 5.30 and the travel company had done us proud with a really nice hotel that had ok rooms, a great setting and amazing food:

Not to mention the worlds happiest musician serenading us while ate a delicious soup and tagine:

With the heat and the early start tiring us all out, we were all retired by 10pm. Day 1 negotiated, but day 2 would be our first foray into the desert...

Day 2 - Friday 17th October
Up at 7.30 for breakfast, and then back in the van for a 9am ish start - everyone sat in different seats which I found unusual as usually people stick to the same seat don't they ? Anyway, I found this very refreshing as part of the trip for me was getting to know people so this boded well. We stopped for photos along the route:

and I got my first glimpse of the spectacular and vast emptiness that lay ahead of us:

We even had time to stop and buy headscarves for the complete Lawrence of Arabia look - something I decided against, a decision I was going to rue on Sunday...

We made it to the starting point by 1pm, where we met the camels for the first time...

And I was soon to see just what a shit life it is being a working camel - rope tied through the back of your mouth, your legs tied when you're not working and carrying exceptionally heavy loads without having the biggest legs. Still, they didnt spit at any of us which was appreciated, although this lad certainly made his feelings known every morning ! Animal welfare hasn't made it to Morocco, something we would see more of in Marrakesh with the monkeys and snakes...

After our first meal in the desert (including the first of many glasses of 'Berber Whiskey' - which is very sweet mint tea with no alcohol) and at about 3pm, we began the trek to camp for the night. As we discovered, the guys with the camels went directly, while Jamal took us on a more circular and scenic route. We could experience more variety in the desert where possible and the Berbers got to the camp site ahead of us and could get it set up. Sweet.

Now anyone who stayed awake while I was telling them about this trek may remember that I said that actually most of the desert isn't sand, and it would be quite rocky. However I can verify that, contrary to my belief and - spoiler alert - the desert is almost entirely made up of sand, I know, its a shocker, but its true. Well actually, it isnt, but certainly our trek was made up almost entirely of sand and so in keeping with this we encountered our first sand dune almost straight away:

Gaiters on for those that had them. I didn't bother as my shoes weren't waterproof and the sand pretty much went in and came out equally, pausing only to nestle in my socks and coat my sweaty feet. Which was nice. Still, not a single blister baby ! Thats where the training and breaking in the boots paid off I reckon...

I'm not sure if the pictures convey exactly how hot is was - difficult to know exactly what the temperature was and today was late afternoon, but I think mid-thirties would be fairly accurate

After trekking for the rest of the afternoon, we made it to camp just before the sun was going down

There were 3 main, larger white tents - 1 for eating in, 1 for cooking in (for the Berbers) and one for lightening one's load - as well as 7 smaller, orange 2 person tents. Although down to some administrative brilliance they had not counted on the fact that there were 5 guys and 9 women so we actually needed 8 tents as a man and a woman could not share. I offered to go into the big tent as it was the guy I was sharing with who had dropped out so that was easily sorted. We then paused to watch the sunset which was none too shabby - excuse me it went down fast and I was a little slow:

After the standard Berber Whiskey and a cracking meal the Berbers sang songs for us and played on their 'instruments' which a couple of the guys got involved with:

After that, everyone arranged their sleeping bags outside of their tents and we got to see the most breath-taking sky at night. I didn't take a picture as I didn't think my camera could have picked it out but I think that was a mistake as it was so vivid. The Milky Way was clear, there were hundreds of stars and so many shooting stars, it really was quite something. I retired into the big tent eventually as it did get quite cold and we had the first of 2 full days trekking ahead of us.

Day 3 - Saturday 18th October
Saturday began with taking in the sunrise:

And we had the first experience of the extra companions you get on this kind of trek, which they dont mention in the brochures - the flies. They attached themselves to us early (me especially !) and stayed for most of the day and get 'all up in your grill' as one of the girls said. You get used to them (they mostly just sit on your backpack, hat and arms (in my case)) but they are still annoying ! We set off for a dune filled morning:

The dunes got progressively bigger and were hard to get up, and even getting down required a kind of surfing approach, although it did mean it didn't matter how high up you were or how sheer the other side was, it was always possible to walk down.

 I was typically at the back, although occasionally I made it further forward:

Saturday was all about variety as we walked and climbed across all kinds of different terrain. I think it's fair to say that Saturday was the best day all over - I thought Sunday would be the hardest for obvious reasons - although that did become a whole lot harder after what then happened (more on that in part 2) but Saturday was really good. After the dunes we walked across dried, parched mud (which was like walking over Easter egg fragments !):

Then it all got a bit stony before we passed through a small village and stopped for drinks at a hole in the wall shop. All the kids know one or two words in french and can only say 'Bonjour' or ask for 'un stilo' which is a pen, somewhat unusually.

At the far side of the village we found a shady spot and stopped for lunch, once more beautifully prepared, and managed to have a little snooze if needed (like I said, I'm not camping's biggest fan) before we set off into a change of scenery once more as we headed towards the hills, and it was very hot - even hotter than Friday:

After walking through some lush and fertile parts of the plain we got back into some proper desert business:

and saw the hill we had to scale:

It was a bit stepper and longer than we were expecting, although it could be made with some scrambling needed and it was a great feeling to get to the top:

...where the views were spectacular:

The plateau was big, and we traversed the top while taking in even more great views on the other side:

Even my man Jamal paused for a photo:

We then descended on the far side and set off across the plain, again there was just nothing-ness really, just an expanse of desert...

After a hard day's trekking, we made it to camp, in a seemingly perfect setting between the sand dunes:

And were once again fed and entertained by the wonderful Berbers, who got us to dance, to sing, and had us fail abysmally at coming up with a song we all knew and could sing back to them !

As I said before, I expected Sunday would be the hardest day - last full day of trekking, already been out for 2 days and I was so right. However it was much harder than I expected because of what happened Saturday night... I had 4 of us in the big tent with me, but it it didn't make any difference.

Find out what happened Saturday night, the slog across serious desert on Sunday, and the final trek and return to Marrakesh on Monday in part 2 which will follow later...

Thanks for reading !

Rob