Into the Sahara

“I’ve crossed these sands many times,” said one of the camel drivers one night. “But the desert is so huge, and the horizons so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent.”

The journey from Andalusia into the Sahara desert was largely inspired by one of my favorite novels, The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. It tells a story of a young boy named Santiago who leaves his home in the south of Spain, crossing into Morocco and across the desert in search of his personal treasure.

The experience of traveling into the desert by camel, approaching near the Algeria border by sunset, sleeping in the dead silence of the desert and waking up to watch the sun rise over the Sahara reminded me of Coelho's quote about Santiago's journey: 

"… you are in the desert. So immerse yourself in it. The desert will give you an understanding of the world; in fact, anything on the face of the earth will do that. You don’t even have to understand the desert: all you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation.”

The Sahara desert truly is a magical place; it can be both calm, peaceful and silent, or it can engulf you in a paralyzing sandstorm, unable to find your way until it ceases. But, no matter what, it will always enchant.