Last day of September — where has the year gone!

Whoever wrote the lyrics to that song It Never Rains Down in Africa obviously had never actually been to this part of the continent. We awoke to a very pretty sunrise over the dunes (erg) of Chebbi but it soon turned very windy and later very wet.

And as the wind whipped the shifting Sahara sands, our hardy troop of artists found refuge near the swimming pool (yes, this camp boasts a full sized pool — inside a tent of course).

In the afternoon, the group assembled outside the restaurant tent and the artists tried their talents on more life drawing, this time using Ben as the model.

Fortunately the storm had abated just before 6 pm so 12 hearty souls could enjoy a ride across the dunes on a camel of their choice. There was one camel to spare, so I went along too, with my Berber head gear. Most of us bought these 12 metre long scarves which proved a godsend to keep sand out of our ears and mouth and raindrops from falling on our turbans.

Another big dinner, washed down with some terrific Val d’Argan red, to end a rather different day, thanks to the rain gods, to that which we’d envisaged — sand surfing, walking through the dunes, and relaxing on the sun beds.

Before I finish, I just want to go back to Fès and our road trip from Thursday to show a couple of photos:

The locals call them white flowers. Satellite dishes are prolific on the roof tops of the medina.

The highway and some of the incredible mountain scenery on our long drive to Merzouga.

And finally, a couple of photos from the desert camp — one of my new friends and a night time view of the Moroccan lanterns that dot the rim of the campsite.