Morocco (Part II)

Detox:

de·tox

informal

noun

ˈdētäks/

a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances; detoxification.

Eight hours being shuttled by a bus into the desert is an…. experience. Nothing short of good and healthy. No service, no showers, no distractions. You and your mind (only because everyone else is sleeping on the way there). To think, to spend time with yourself, and to reflect on events/situations you’ve been avoiding is so immensely healthy. Even if it’s forced from not having a cell phone to look at. So many people say that they need to take a break from the world, to spend time with themselves and not give in to the saturated noise the western world gives off. One day. Some day. Eventually.

I was alone with my thoughts for 8 hours there and back. I thought about everything. My family, my friends, my past relationships, who I am, what I want, all the philosophical thoughts. It was necessary though. It’s part of the growing process. It’s all part of the growing process.

When we hit the point where the buses couldn’t go any farther due to the terrain, we crammed into Jeeps and sped through the rocks and sand, with dust whirling up all around us and Moroccan jams playing on the radio. The sky was turning a soft, pastel pink that was flirting with purple clouds when we stopped to watch the sand dunes devour the sun. Once we hit camp, the sky had already become black with gleaming lights all around us. Those were just the stars. The camp had tents set up with sticks and thick blankets, and bamboo torches lit up at the entrance. The camp was ran by some Berber’s, an ethnic group native to Africa.

The tent was supported by thick sticks, using the pressure from the heavy blankets to stand as an enclosure. Sleeping bags were laid out in single file along the inside of the tent, and on top of the sand. We slept there for two nights, submerged in the simple life of the desert people. The first night we ate dinner in a large tent, with fruit for dessert. After we finished up the Moroccan cuisine, there was live music from the locals and we all danced.

The next day, we filled up with breakfast and went over a sand dune where there were dozens of dromedaries waiting for us. Each person picked the one they wanted and we waited for the tour leader to help us on, then we filed up and rode through the warm sand, crossing dunes and wandering into the Sahara. The sun was draping heavily on us, without a single cloud in view. This is where having a turban was extremely helpful, keeping us cool and blocking every chance of sunburn. Miles and miles, all I could see was sand. Mounds, hills, and valleys of just bright, searing sand. This is what pure bliss feels like. Nothing around you. Just you and the sun and the sand, your body sipping the warm air and feeling the grand gifts of our earth. I never knew the desert could be so beautiful. Solid blue skies kissing the orange grains of sand surrounding you. We road to an oasis in the middle of the desert, with streams of water and lively greens rising up, breaking through the grainy horizon. There we walked through the bushes and trees to a hotel that had a pool and went swimming for a couple hours.

Another night of great food and partying, but then when the sun was fully down, all of us made our way to the sand dunes right outside of our camp and watched the stars come out to play. I remember just sitting there, in pure awe of how bright the stars were, and just how many were shining. I felt like I was sitting in a globe, I could see each white light starting from the horizon all the way to the other side. That was the first time I realized how small we really are in this entire Universe. There is so much more out there, and we are all incredibly trivial. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the Berber’s. They told us about their life, how they can speak seven languages and only made it to second grade, and just how vital it is to love each other. It amazed me how pure their lives were. We are so busy all of the time, preoccupied with work, with making enough money, paying bills, social drama with friends and partners, how pretty we are or how we appear to other people… it’s all meaningless when you put it into perspective. As long as you are breathing, you have a great life.

Obviously, we live in a big world. But seeing it and experiencing it has opened my mind and my heart to much more. It’s so amazing how different the lifestyles are across the globe, and how much we take for granted. There is one commonality that I have been discovering though: it’s the human desire to be free, to know peace, and to spread love & kindness to everyone you come across.

So if you take anything from my experience, take this: be vulnerable. be giving. be loving. be resilient. Learn to forgive and let go, because the only thing you can control is how much you love others and love the life you are given. And life is way to valuable to spend it being hateful. Love is not what you do for yourself, it is what you do to serve others.

Love life and it will love you back