Sand, Sand Everywhere

I assume that it's the post you've all been waiting for. I mean, why WOULDN'T you want to hear--in minute detail--about my adventure to ...

*Drum Roll Please*

Temara Beach.

That's where I went today with a few friends. It was a beautiful beach; almost as nice as the Mediterranean, and most certainly nicer than those in Rabat. I haven't actively *been* to the beaches in Rabat, and from what I see, and what I've heard, I'm not sure that I really need to go.

The water was lovely, and also very blue, and the particular beach that we went to was more of a small cove/inlet/whatever-the-technical-term-is, which meant there were minimal waves (which normally would have been a drawback in my book, but we were informed that there were supposedly riptides today, so I suppose it was better this way).

The sand was remarkably clean, and it was reeeeeally nice. (Although, it seemed to be really tiny pebbles/bits of shells/and not the iconic silicon dioxide that we normally think of when we think of beach/sand.) The hot streak seems to have let up a little, and there was a lovely cool breeze that kept the sun from being too hot.

It was the perfect day for going to the beach and ...

Got you there, a little, didn't I.

You know that I am rather verbose when I want to be. I've proved that in earlier posts. I could probably go on forever and ever about each little detail about today. But let's face it: that's not what you're here for. I was just having my moment of fun torturing you.

So, without further ado:

As I'm sure y'all know (I'm not actually from The South, guys. I just like using y'all.*) I went to the Sahara Desert two weekends ago. Yeah, the Sahara Desert. (Why do I clarify? Fun fact time! We get the word "Sahara" from the Arabic word "الصحراء" [pronounced aSa-(h)-ra-ah, more or less; there's a shadda on the saad, a sukun on the ha, and a fatha on the rah] which literally translates to "desert." So saying Sahara Desert is a redundancy, because it's desert desert. People know what you mean, of course, when you talk about the Sahara. But still.)
*Edit: Yes, I originally referenced someone here, but I have since found out that there are reports that she is a generally-terrible person. Being 5000 miles away, I did not know this, and wish to rectify this reference immediately. I am appalled by her actions, and I am disgusted that I ever took the time to watch that certain program.*

The first adventure came, not in the desert, but on the ride there.

We stopped and fed monkeys.

You heard me right.

There's this wild (but semi-not-wild because they get fed sometimes) pack of monkeys somewhere.

Guys, I gave a peanut to a monkey!

A couple of them, actually. 

This one is just a cool shot of monkeys grooming. It serves no real purpose.

We only drove part way there the first day, and stopped at this beautiful hotel ... somewhere. I'm too lazy to go find the name. We went swimming suuuuuuper late at night; the air and water were both freezing, but it was fun. We all wished we had that pool again the next day ... 

We stopped a few times to take in the sights. 

Including one oasis-type area, where dates are grown. 

And then we ventured into the desert. 

There it is. The Sahara.

That middle shadow is my camel. And me.

Our camel caravan...

WAIT. This is the Sahara. It's a lot of sand, interspersed with us. Do I need to explain every picture? I don't think so.

We camped in the middle of the desert (well, really, just an hour and a half in...) for the night. When the night started, we were all sleeping outside. And then. Annnnnnd then. A storm hit. In the Sahara. You heard that right. A storm. High winds, a crapload of lightning, thunder, rain, the whole shebang. In the desert. Yup. We frantically moved everything into the tent/half-structures that we had, and spent the rest of the night crammed in there.

But we survived. Everything that the Sahara threw at us. And boy, was it experience.

Early the next morning (as in, no-sun-early) we rode back to the place where the jeeps (and blissful, albeit short, showers) were waiting for us.

After a harrowing evening, night, and morning, my camel and I chill together back at the oasis/town/starting point. And darn it, for all we've been through, we look GREAT. Don't you dare say otherwise. 

You know how people blab about "experiences of a lifetime" and you're always like "Yeah, whatever" or "That's cool, but really? Of a lifetime?" and whatnot? This was one of them.