Camels, Jeeps & the Sahara. Oh My!

As I sat under the stars sifting the softest sand through my fingers I had to pinch myself. After months of excitement and talking about this trip, it was finally here. After more than 15 hours of travel by bus, ferry then another bus on day one, then even more hours on a bus then 4x4 jeeps on day three I had finally made it; I was in the Sahara desert in Morocco, Africa..... I was in the Sahara desert in Morocco, Africa! What is this life? I still find myself pinching myself daily asking this very question. Never in a million years would I imagine being able to say I layed under the vastness of the beautiful stars in the Sahara desert. God is good.

Lets backtrack a little. Thursday morning we woke up bright and early, at a time that shouldn't be known to mankind, 3am. We finished packing our bocadillos for the day and snacks for the week and met a friend outside for our taxi. (30 minute walks at 3:30 am--not a thing!) 210 college students packed on four tour buses and headed for the border. I'm not even remotely sure what time we caught the ferry, but who cares, because we were on our way to AFRICA! The lyrics to "Waka Waka" were playing in my head on repeat- "Tsamina mina, eh eh Waka waka, eh eh Tsamina mina zangalewa.. This time for Africa." After waiting a while for the buses to get through customs, we finally boarded the buses and were on our way to Fez. After even more hours on the bus, we were happy to arrive at our hotel in Fez for dinner, showers and sleep. The next morning we woke up early to tackle the day in Fez. All I could think of all day was Richard Gilmore bragging to his friends// "Rory is a smart girl.... she's going to Fez one day..." 

Our day in Fez began with a guided tour of the Royal Palace, where the royal family stays a few times each year when they visit. Fez was founded in the 9th century, leaving hundreds of years of history, and home to the oldest university in the world (which was built by a woman!) The intricacies of the building left me in awe, but we had to quickly move on to stops number two and three; the Jewish quarters followed by the Medina. The Medina is home to over 9,300 interwoven streets, making me extremely thankful for a guide, for without it I'd still be amongst Moroccans who were trying to sell me Argan oil, scarves, spices, and beautiful rugs. Our day in the Medina was filled with lots of bartering, purchases some may later regret upon seeing their credit card statements, the most amazing Moroccan mint tea, and lots of laughs and memories. We made our way back to the hotel after a beautiful panoramic view of the city, and got ready for the folklore show we attended that night. Boy, was that an experience filled with belly dancers, a magician, music, Moroccan dances, more mint tea, powdered cookies that melted in our mouths, and lots of laughs. 

~~Lunch Stop @ the Oasis~~

Saturday was another early morning and long day of travel to the long awaited desert. We stopped for a very late, yet delicious lunch at an oasis close to the desert, stopped at a fossil store while the camp finished preparing our tents for us, then finally made it to one of the things I was most excited for; 4x4 Jeep ride to the desert. Myself and four friends ran to the next available jeep and excitedly hopped in, ready for an adventure. Our driver, Hassan drove us into the desert, where we did a bit of offroading, a little bit of dancing, and a whole lot of laughing and picture taking.  

Nothing could keep us from grinning ear to ear, dancing to the African music on the radio, or reminding each other we were in Africa. We finally made it to the desert at nightfall,where we were greeted with sand seeping into our chacos, haimas (tents we slept in), peanuts and Moroccan mint tea, and a glorious star-filled sky. We claimed our beds for the next few nights then took to the sand dunes to admire the incredible sky. Stars and sunrises/sunsets are one of my favorite things, because they remind me of just how incredible my God is. It reminds me just how small I am in comparison to the grandeur, beauty, and vastness of God and His creation. As we layed on the sand dune in the middle of the Sahara listening to "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin I couldn't help but feel such a sense of peace and joy knowing just how much the God of this incredible universe loves me and desires to have a relationship with me. If that doesn't get you fired up about Christ and his love, then I don't know what will! 

After dinner at 11pm we admired the stars some more, learned how to write our names in Berber with the locals from the camp, learned some African songs, sang "Waka Waka" more times than I can count, and excitedly yelled "AFRICA" any time there was silence. We tried to go to bed as soon as we could, to get the proper amount of rest for our exciting Sunday adventures, which began bright and early for the sunrise in the Sahara. As we walked out to find the perfect spot, a Berber led us through the dunes, and we did just that. 

After revelling in the beauty of God's creation yet again, we made our way back to camp, played some soccer with the locals, and met our new camel friends-- all before breakfast!
Post-breakfast, and the time had come---- RIDING CAMELS. Each of the berbers had promised us the best camel they had in their caravan-- and they followed through with their word! Azul became my buddy for the next few hours, as we led our caravan of 7 camels.




Nothing could stop me from smiling as I realized a dream I didn't know I had was coming true// I was riding a camel through the Sahara desert!  We took a stop halfway through and looked to the top of the sand dune we were about to climb... It was a loooong way up, but with the help of some of the locals dragging us, we made it, and the view was SO worth it! Lots of pictures were taken, laughs were had, and dances were done before we ran (literally) down the giant dune back to our camels toward a local village, which held a hotel and an ice cold pool. Although I didn't swim, it was nice to relax in the shade, sharing riddles and jokes with friends.

           


         



The remainder of the day was spent hanging out at the camp, playing futbol in the Sahara, playing Uno, singing songs with friends, and enjoying each other's company. We ended the night admiring the stars yet again while making lots of great memories.We woke up the next morning for the sunrise, ate breakfast, then left the desert in jeeps with memory cards full, yet hearts even fuller from the beauty of the world and the many friendships that were strengthened. Days five and six were made up entirely of travel-- Monday from the desert to Meknes, and Tuesday from Meknes back to Sevilla.

The beauty that surrounded me all throughout Africa was breathtaking. One second we were driving through canyons, then the desert, then past snow capped mountains, then through luscious green pastures, picture perfect with sheep and their shepherd. It's pretty incredible that the God who created this awe inspiring creation yearns for a relationship with me daily. As we passed by the sheep and their shepherd I couldn't help but think of my relationship with Christ and the parable of the shepherd and his sheep in Luke 15. Here, the shepherd sought out the one sheep that was lost. Although he had 99% of his sheep, he was more concerned about the one sheep that was lost; and that's how Christ feels about me and my relationship with Him. The fact that God knows the number of hairs on my head, made me fearfully and wonderfully and seeks me out daily is something that continues to blow my mind and make me fall more and more in love with Him. Jesus, thank you for this absolutely incredible life you've blessed me with. I pray that I'd praise you every single moment, and give you all of the glory.//

Little sleep was well worth waking up for the sunrise.
SO thankful for this friend. 

Continually amazed by God's creation and blown away
by His love for me??