I awoke at midnight with severe gastrointestinal distress that afflicts many travelers. I wasn’t upset, though, because I had brought Imodium from home. I searched through all the meds that I had in the tent, and I discovered that the Imodium had been left on the bus. Then I was upset!

When Nick woke up at 7 AM, he went to  the common room to get help for me. Jennifer and Beth came right over, bringing the meds I needed. I learned that two others in our group had the same problem that I had, but they had been taking the medication for hours and  their digestive systems were under control. As for me, I could not possibly spend an an hour on a camel with no bathroom nearby. Hassan assured me that I would not be alone at the encampment because O.A.T. employees would be working in the kitchen. In fact, they brought me yogurt and  a large bottle of water that I requested.

At noon, twelve hours after it began, my situation was under control. I can’t describe the group’s activities first hand, but this is what Nick said when they returned at 1:30 PM:

“The camel ride was exhilarating!

“We were driven out to the camel encampment and then spent an hour riding the camels, seeing only  the Sahara Desert sand on all sides of us. Our heads were wrapped in  colorful scarves that kept us  from getting too much  sun and sand. We loved it!

“At the end of the ride, we went to Khamlia, a village known for its African music. We had a drum lesson, and then attend a performance.

“We planned to visit a nomad family in the desert. We stopped at a dry goods store to pick up staples that the nomads might need. Then  off to the nomad’s encampment. I was impressed  by how Hassan interacted with them as we had arrived unannounced. He spoke to them with kindness and sensitivity. They welcomed us warmly and told us about their lives, serving us Moroccan tea.”

Late in the afternoon  at our encampment,  there was a pizza making  demonstration in the common room. A cook had made dough, and she used her fingers to stretch it into a circle. This was topped with chopped beef, onions, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Then another circle of dough was placed on top of the filling, and the circles were pressed together,  to make a sort of calzone. Enough was made to constitute our dinner. As we ate,  two of waiters brought out traditional instruments that they played for us.

After dinner, Hassan set chairs onto a nearby dune for us so that we could sit  with a glass of wine in hand, watching the sunset. A feeling of peace overcame all of us. Later, in  complete darkness, we enjoyed the night sky.

3,513 steps.