Sunrise at the tallest sand dune in Erg Chebbi, Morocco in February 2018. This moment will remain unforgettable forever because it was both magical, unfortunate and funny. What you see is this beautiful sunrise pouring out warm colors but what you don't see is the story:
My friend Nick, my husband and I were camping in the middle of the Moroccan Sahara. We had planned to wake up at 4:30am, giving ourselves enough time to climb up the sandy dunes and watch the sunrise. We had the most spectacular evening the previous night, dining under the Milky Way, drinking Moroccan rose, playing Monopoly cards and warming up by the fire listening to berber music. I was still buzzing with excitement when I found our friend Nick outside ready to go before 4:30. He was quiet and not his usual self.
"Good morning! How are you feeling?" - I asked
"Not good actually," - he said "I had food poisoning. I have been throwing up all night and didn't get any sleep."
This was not good news to begin with and the timing couldn't have been any worse. All of our friends that have visited Morocco have come back with similar stories, so we had brought with us a lot of medication for upset stomach. But feeling sick in the middle of Sahara, hours away from any form of roads and civilization (also think, riding on a camel with an upset stomach) - this was very unfortunate. Nick said he had taken some medication already and there was no way he wasn't coming along for the sunrise hike.
And so the three of us set off with our headlamps in the darkness and silence of Sahara, following whatever footsteps we could see leading up towards the top of the dunes. At first, the ascent was manageable. But soon it became one of the hardest things I've ever done, both mentally and physically. The sand was getting really thick and the hills so much steeper that for every step we would take, the entire foot would submerge deep under. You had to engage the deep, intrinsic thigh muscles to lift the feet off the sand in order to take the next step. There came a point where I didn't want to continue anymore.
"This is good for me. You guys go, I'll watch it from here. I just can't anymore" - I suddenly announced to the group, out of breath, stuck in deep sand and in complete frustration. I consider myself quite fit, I have climbed so many mountains, and so it was really hard to hear my own voice saying that I was giving up. So interesting how the mood can shift so suddenly. I was so involved in my own misery that I wasn't even thinking about Nick and how in the world he was managing to carry on despite the bad food poisoning he had. The boys kept going towards what looked the impossible.
It was starting to get lighter outside as the sunrise was approaching. Suddenly you could make out the magnificent contours of the dunes, the textures on the sand, the faint colors of the desert and sky. It was so intoxicatingly beautiful. A sudden spark went through my veins waking me up from my misery and equipping me with some unexplainable superpowers to skip over sand, albeit grunting and cursing, determined to reach a height that was satisfactory enough for the boys. That's when suddenly we reached this point. My lungs were exploding, my quads burning but none of that mattered anymore when we reached the top to bare witness to this creation. Again, amazing how the mood can change and shift, all a matter of where we redirect our attention and awareness to. My husband and I sat down on this very ridge, my heart bursting out into a kind of happiness that I hadn't experienced before. It was so beautiful, you guys!
Exactly as the sun was about to rise, at the moment when this picture was taken, all of a sudden just a few meters behind us we hear a massive barfing sound...Poor Nick! Can you imagine, after all that challenge to get here? We felt so bad for him. At the same time, there was a sort of humor in this whole situation. Luckily, he has such an amazing personality, and always knows the right thing to say without making things feel awkward. After he was done, he says with a tired smile:
"I am so sorry guys to have disturbed this romantic moment. Can you please take a picture of me, so I can remember this moment as it is, when I got food poisoning in Sahara and ruined the group's sunrise vibe?"
We all laughed and gave out a deep exhale. We spent some time taking pictures in all different directions as the desert was unfolding before our eyes. I have seen so much already in my life, but I have never seen something of this dimension. I am forever grateful to have made it all the way up here. I am sure we were all feeling this way.
To this day, Nick refuses to ever eat chicken tagine again :)