Days 8, 9, 10

What a ride it's been since my last post -- literally! First we rode camels for about 6 km into the Sahara and spent the night camping out under the stars, then climbed a huge dune to watch the sunrise. I've never seen such soft sand or had such a peaceful night's sleep under the Milky Way. The ride out was a bit rough on a different camel that I swear wanted to dump me the whole way. In two days we've gone from the "desert of the sand" to the "desert of the rocks," and spent two nights in a gorge reminiscent of Zion in southern Utah - sheer red rock faces and cool mountain air. Our amazing hotel manager even took us to a Berber wedding for a while one evening. Let's just say I don't envy that bride - 3 days of celebration! After a wonderful lunch at Azadine's house, his wife put henna designs on our hands and now we all feel like the beautiful Berber women we've been so graciously surrounded by. Off to Zegoura now, where we might have wifi again. Au revoir for now.