Just over 20 years ago, being a tourist in the M\u2019Hamid Desert meant travelling exclusively by camel. We\u2019d leave the Land Rovers behind to set off on foot with the camels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The camels carried our tents, our sleeping mats, our food, and the necessary cooking equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their route with the camel drivers was not always the same as ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accompanied by our guide, a single point on the horizon\u2014like a solitary acacia tree in this barren landscape\u2014showed us the way forward. Every day, after several hours\u2019 walk, we had to reach a well where the camels could drink, and we had to set up camp again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that time, there was no mobile phone signal in the desert. There was no internet connection or GPS; we could rely only on the men of the desert: our guide, our cook, our camel drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The camels carried our drinking water; we used wet wipes for washing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We travelled with only the bare essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We slept on the few centimetres of foam in our mattresses or on the sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We focused on the essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were close to the authentic nomadic life of the Bedouins. We could still come across a few families living in the Raima (the tent) woven from the hair and wool of the goats and camels that accompanied them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With no car and no phone, we relied on ourselves and placed our complete trust in the desert people who knew this magnificent yet hostile and dangerous environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was an unforgettable experience, one of solitude and solidarity in equal measure. A confrontation with one\u2019s own insignificance in the face of such vastness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A discovery of what silence can be, a realisation of the preciousness of water, an opportunity to distinguish the essential from the superfluous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a surprise, 15 years later, to discover permanent camps with tents that resemble bedrooms, equipped with proper beds, a toilet block with toilets and showers, a kitchen and a dining room for meals, and even mobile phone coverage and Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nowadays, the need for comfort, security and telecommunications predominates in our society at the expense of an understanding of what is essential, even in the desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u2018Trek\u2019 package still exists; it is offered but is rarely requested by tourists<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just over 20 years ago, being a tourist in the M\u2019Hamid Desert meant travelling exclusively by camel. We\u2019d leave the Land Rovers behind to set off on foot with the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-voyage"],"yoast_head":"\n