I once traveled with a guide who was taking me to Faya. He didnt speak for nine hours. At the end of it he pointed to the horizon and said, Faya! That was a good day.

Wow, what a couple of nights.

I left off in Djemma in Marrakech to hit the hammam. Well, as expected, it wasnt my cup of tea. I left after about 10 of my cultural experience. In Casablanca, I got quite a few, 'what are you doing here looks' but it was all good in Marrakech until the hammam. There havent been many moments quite so awkward as being naked and hqving 20 naked men staring at you like you dont belong while another clothed man is attempting to scrub you despite your best French and Arabic protests.

That overwith, myself and four others from France rented a 4X4, grabbed a guide and made for the desert. Well the mountains first actually since you have to go through the Atlas mountains before the desert. Its incredible the temperature changes I experienced in the next few hours. It went from 35 in Marrakech to 10 in the mountains to low 40s in the desert and then back to about 10 at night...all within a few hours.

I dont quite know where we were because after we spun through Zagora, there wasnt much in the way of road signs, or roads period for that matter. Needless to say, we were somewhere in the desert, possibly in Algeria. We finally reached our destination for the first night which was pretty much a small oasis town which consisted of a small market, about a block of houses, a riad and a McDonalds..? Now I normally go for local food in strange countries but I just thought that the contrast was so cool that I had to eat there. And true to form, my McShrimp Halal Burger wasnt too bad.

We got up the next day to find our guide standing outside the 4X4 with a flat piece of wood and a huge grin on his face. Not really knowing what was happening, he got us into the car and out into the desert where he stopped, tied the wood to the back of the 4X4 and told us we were going surfing. We all spend about 6 hours, dehydration be damned, surfing the sands of The Sahara behind this 4X4. That could never possibly get old. Although I do have quite the bit of sand burn down my body from getting air going over dunes and flying on my face.

Not too much happened of note out there other than eating tangine out of earthen pots. Aw well, I got to do The Sahara. Back to Marrakech right now for a last night of partyign here before Im off to Cairo tomorrow.

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