Dunes and camels at sunrise

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths one takes, but by the number of moments that take one’s breath away.” -George Carlin

The day began with the still darkness of pre-dawn. We quietly followed our blue-man guide to the awaiting camels. Under a sky of stars we silently set out on the gentle sway of the slow plodding camels. The stillness of the desert is unlike anything we have experienced or are able to describe completely. We rode into the sepia-toned dunes that gracefully emerged one after the other as far as the eye could see. This was the first moment since arriving in Morocco that we both sensed any form of serenity or tranquility (and no one trying to sell us anything!). When we arrived at our sunrise view point, we dismounted our camels (must say this is a somewhat jarring experience on the way down) and walked to the top of the highest dune. Our guide’s beautiful blue tunic looked stunning against the sienna sand. Truly a breath-taking moment etched in our memory! The sun rose, the cold dunes began to warm, the still air became a gentle breeze and soon it was time to return to the waiting camels. On the way back our playful blue man rode us down the dune on a “magic carpet ride”. He was the perfect ambassador to the dunes!