Every now and again one encounters an opportunity to make a dream come true. For me, going on an expedition through the Sahara Desert has been that dream. Seeing the likes of Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia in the vast landscape of the rolling sand dunes started a wanderlust in me that could only be satisfied by experiencing the Sahara for myself. A week ago I finally had the opportunity to make my dream come true and it was like nothing I have ever experienced before.
Seeing the deep orange-red dyed sand for the first time left me in disbelief. We arrived at sunset so the sun casted long shadows across the dunes creating a beautiful contrast between the sand and the blue sky. It took us roughly two hours to reach our camp for the night via camel and all the while the day started to turn to dusk. After a warm Berber welcome and a delicious dinner, my friends and I decided to explore the dunes at night. At first the stars were shrouded by the clouds but as the night went on they revealed themselves until the entire sky was illuminated with tiny specks of lights. We could see the milky way in all of its glory and shooting stars streaking across the darkness. We decided to sleep outside on the dunes but I could not stop looking up. I just laid there thinking of the beautiful creation that unfolded before me and could not help but smile. The Sahara had surpassed all of my expectations and it was not even morning yet. Little did I know that the early camel ride for sunrise in the morning would completely blow me away.
The Sahara Desert is like no other place in the world with its majestic dunes and beautiful sunsets and sunrises. It has a unique quality about it that brings out the adventurer in you and brings me back to the stories I use to read as a kid. There is something so special about the emptiness and the tranquility of the Sahara and it has surpassed any dream I could have ever conjured. These photos are just a taste of the beauty and awe that I experienced.
