Nomads and headscarves
7 comments October 3rd, 2005
Well, we’re off at last. After a week bivouacked out in the small dunes, meeting our camels and two guides, and getting used to being swathed like a Christmas pud, tomorrow we finally pack the animals and get going.
It has been a little crazy; I think it always is in the days before leaving for a long haul. All the questions of whether or not you have everything you need, of where the next stop will be if you don’t…endless bits and pieces to tie up.
But Habib has been just utterly wonderful in organising everything for us, and the rest of the crew at the Hotel Sahara are true souls of hospitality and kindness – not too mention, for the female readers out there, absolutely glorious looking.
Here is 
Mustafa, one of the guides at the hotel (not ours, unfortunately), after a night spent singing with the other boys. These guys are true entertainers – not a night passes without the drums coming out, and they will happily sing all night, with or without an audience.
But out at our bivouac things have been a little quieter, though no less eventful. Madani is the younger of our escorts, necessary as M’Barak, our older guide, speaks Hassaniya Arabic only, and for this leg we decided we needed an intermediary – Madani speaks French. M’Barak just arrived yesterday – Habib’s father had to go into the desert to find him – but a more reassuringly capable person, would be difficult to imagine. After minutes it was plain that M’Barak is about as much of the real deal as is possible. In one day I learned how to make bread, wash and dry my clothes with about an inch of water, and how to make my feet supple. He is so wonderfully patient, good humoured, and solid, that we immediately felt comfortable and safe. I think we are very lucky to have two such people with us for this leg.
Madani is great, a cracking laugh and extremely good with the camels, food, and camp in general. This is him giving the camels their dinner
:
and this is him (trying) to teach me to cook. 
I have yet to get a good photograph of Gary in his full outfit – he has spent most of the time wandering about in his pantalons and barefoot, but this is one of him at the well, watering the camels.
Bit by bit we are learning Arabic, and all the other things we need to – although obviously, this whole three month period will be a training ground. I just feel very fortunate to have Habib looking out for us, as it would be exceedingly difficult otherwise.
After today, it could be as much as a month between internet stops, as we won’t be moving too fast to begin with. We have until the 15th of January to reach Ad Dakhla, so we will be taking it slowly – Schwia, schwia, as M’Barak puts it – for a while. I don’t have a picture of M’Barak yet, as I thought it was a bit rude to meet him and shove a camera in his face. Perhaps next time.
Meanwhile, tonight we are staying in the thriving metropolis of M’Hamid, where Habib plans to "make a little fiesta" before our departure. The nomads are wrapping up and the drums are coming out, and rumour has it there may even be a little whisky…
I’ll keep you posted.
PS and by the way, if you fancy a desert trek of your own – a week or just a few days – you can email the gorgeous Habib for a quote at . Highly recommended. And yes, that really is me wandering about in full get up..