Tunisia: Sunday February 28 - Night in the Sahara Desert!

After checking into the hotel, we gathered all the stuff we needed for the desert in a small backpack or satchel and headed down to the lobby to meet up with Maria and our desert guide, Sadok. We took the bus out to the edge of the desert, which was like seconds away, and met face-to-face with 45 dromedaries. They look just like camels except they have one hump instead of two. I was a little skeptical when one of the dromedary trainer guys told me not to worry about being bit or run over by them. It took me a bit to warm up to the idea.



Sadok brought all of us turbans for the desert because it was VERY hot that day and it would protect us from the sun as well as the sand if it got windy and started to kick up. I got a a white one and now use it as a scarf. haha. The dromedaries were guided into the desert by groups of 3 or 4. I picked a tall, mellow, light brown one and named him Lazarus. I felt it was appropriate to remain biblical with the name.



Me and Lazarus!











Ashley named her dromedary Awrence.



Alyx took this picture of Little Foot. He was the baby dromedary that came along with us to learn how to walk with the other dromedaries through the desert. On the way there he was tied to another dromedary the whole time. But on the way back they let him roam free and at one point he was really far out in the desert, making crazy sounds. But the trainers didn't seem to be worried. A bit later he came running like a bat out of hell through the dromedary train and finally stopped next to a group that I guess he wanted to catch up with...? Later he somehow broke his rein and went bananas trying to get it off and ended up wrapping it around his neck. When we stopped to take a break off the camels, several of the trainers had to corner him so they could take the rein off. He's still very stubborn and not completely trained so he was fighting against them and whipping his head around to avoid them grabbing his rein. Needless to say he was back on the leash again connected to another dromedary. Oh Little Foot..



This is Sadok the Desert Ninja, as he was refered to. haha

The sun was starting to set as we got to the camp site. The ride took about an hour and a half.







The camp site



The welcoming committee



The men that helped make the food showed us how they baked the bread in the desert sand. It was really good bread too.



Maria, the professor at Temple Rome who planned the whole trip, and Sadok, the bedouin guide.

After getting ourselves set up in a tent we found a dune to sit on and watch the sunset.





Then we turned the other direction and watched the moon rise.





Victoria, Alyx, Ashley e io.

I noticed desert beetles walking around as we sat watching the sky. They're harmless and make the most amazing designs with their feet in the sand.





After watching the moon rise, Alyx and I decided to do ninja kicks off the dunes until it was time for dinner.







It eventually got even darker and the camp site was lit with candles



I took a video of it but it turned out much darker than it really was if you were there. The moon was very bright that night. But here is the video anyway:



They built a huge bon fire and started to serve us one of the best meals I've ever had!





They first served us bread and this really good soup. I have no idea what was in it but it was spicy. I normally don't like spicy foods but I really enjoyed it.



Brik! My favorite! I'm trying to remember what this one had inside. I often god brik with eggs in it on this trip but I've had several others and they're all really good.



Couscous with veggies! I ate this pretty much everyday while in Tunisia. This one was probably the best. They always serve you so much of it!

During our meal we we're entertained by a band and a dancer and later with circus type acts, balancing pots on their head while on a ladder and dancing, and they even did tricks on two racing dromedaries that are snow while in color. It reminded me of rodeo acts. Very entertaining. This is a video of them playing music:









They came around and put three of those pots on your head and let me tell you, it was HEAVY.



The scary masked man toward the end. They were quite entertaining and even got Maria to dance which I was quite impressed how good she was!

After the dinner and entertainment was over, we all sat by the fire until it went down and most people decided to go into the tents and sleep. A few of us wanted to sit a while longer on a dune and watch the stars and moon. Sadok decided to join us and we all ended up having interesting conversations. He doesn't speak English, but he can speak Arabic, Spanish, French, and Italian. So people would speak to him in whatever language they're more fluent in and translate for each other. It was something I had never experienced before even in Italy and it made me realize how much we're missing out in America only knowing English. We're so spoiled that a lot of the world is expected to speak it, and can. If no one knew another language we never would have known how interesting his life is being a bedouin.

Anyway, I digress

Sadok showed us a game with our turbans. He tied a turban around your wrists and entwined it with another person's and you had to figure out how to separate from each other without untying the turban from your wrist. No one figured it out that night. haha









He also was starting to tell us how to survive in the desert. He said there were seven steps but only got to I think 4. All I remember is to light a fire to make the sand warm so you can cover yourself with it to stay warm. You'd be surprised how cold the desert gets at night.



This is the desert crew! This picture was taken the next morning after having about 3 or 4 hours of sleep. But it was defintely worth it!! It was my favorite part of the entire Tunisia trip!



And this is everyone who went on the Tunisia trip just before we got back on our dromedaries and rode back to Douz. What an experience!!