Hotel Chez Gaby Erfoud

Zaid had promised me a traditional family dinner prepared by his sister. It was that and so much more. His family home is within walking distance to the marketplace. We arrived early evening so that I had time to meet his family. I had brought gifts for the children and was delighted to sit on the floor and play hot potato with the balls I had brought. His sisters made me feel more than welcome with big ...

... peak of the dune and sat in the wind and the cold to watch the sun go down. It was worth the effort though as it was a spectacular sight and one of those moments to always remember (like climbing Mt Sinai). The only bad thing about the whole experience was the sand constantly blowing everywhere - got in your eyes, nose, ears, mouth, clothing, even in my camera lens (starting to play up). Coming down was much easier, I think it took well over an hour to climb ...

... still. We eventually all sunk into the rhthym of the camels and the serenity of the desert, and just experienced the silence for the remainder of the ride. Then, as we were getting to the top of another peak, and around a dune up ahead, we saw our destination. It was a handmade tent at the base of a dune. I know our guide had been out here hundeds of times, but I really don't know how he found it among all the dunes. You get a sense of how easy it would ...

... Mars landscapes; flat sandy plains with tumbleweed blowing across the road and even Capadoccian style weirdly eroded mountainous landscapes. As we progressed further east it became hotter and hotter with fewer and fewer conventional trees to mitigate the sun's burning rays. We drove along the hot, rocky roads with every window forced wide open as a blinding, throat-choking hairdryer blast of hot air poured into the bus. Wouldn't it have been nice to know before ...

... take us to a lake nearby, where flamingos live. After a few questions as to our safety, the boys and I decided to go. While the two other girls decided to go back to our room, shower, and rest. Off I went with a car full of boys and alcohol, two of my favorite things. Our first stop was a random desert sand dune with a Berber settlement nearby. Being the happy drunk that I am, I went frolicking through the sand dunes, laughing and ...

... in town, and its time to load up the bikes and navigate our way out of this hilltop town. Seemingly an easy task, but its market day, and the tiny streets are choked with locals selling their veges and donkeys carting them to and fro. In our bike gear, laden with our panniers we look like we have decended from another planet or perhaps separated from a German synthesiser quartet, but we make it down to the square where our bikes are parked and tell the nice ...

... It is only about 3 or 4 stories high but covers a lot of ground space. There is a huge swimming pool behind the hotel and most amazingly beyond the pool area is bare land as far as you can see, we were on the very outskirts of the Sahara Desert.

... pictures before heading off for a few more hours into the black desert. Now if you get the chance to do this tour I would suggest not going to the black desert. It is a fairly flat desert with some rocks on it. We were taken to stay with a Berber family (a mum and 2 kids). We sat in the tent next to their little mud house and stewed from 10am with nothing to do. We entertained the kids with music and photos and a frisbee then we tried to sleep. We also got visited by a baby goat and a cat ...

... on my own which was rather exciting! Our friend helped us barter with the shop owner so that we didn't pay "tourist" prices. As we pressed on we started to see the large dunes in the distance, a very exciting moment for us. They are very tall and wide and since the landscape before them is so flat and barren you can see them for miles! After a few pictures we continued our journey. As we approach the dunes, or the area referred to as the Erg Chebbi ...

... photos of the full moon as it rises across the Sahara. Eventually I turn round to see the camel train way in the distance in the dark. You can see how people get lost out here at night. I am not far from the Kasbah so all is well. A grand experience, again. Dinner at the Kasbah Mohajut is superb, especially the Cheesecake style dish for desert. Kat has two slices and we think she has worms. The coversation again turns to Poos and Piles. Linda thought we might go through one meal ...