Late-night negotiations had taken place the previous night, resulting in me not being bought for camels and ‘a large part of Nigeria’. We instead agreed to a dessert trip out to a place called Merzouga. Another day-long drive eventually brought us to the stunning Kasbah Erg Chebbi ASBAH ERG CHEBBI, our home for tonight, where we were introduced to Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley…our trusty steeds for the next few days!
They took us out to the deep Sahara and to the Black Desert along the Algerian borderlands- where land mines are still sometimes found! Trekking far out into the terracotta dunes under the endless turquoise skies, you become acutely aware of the most eerie silence, aside from the occasional camel groan. As the sun sets it’s time for Nomadic cookery lessons; rolling couscous and preparing tagine, before shisha, music, drunken dancing with stoned nomadic Berbers by firelight, and finally passing out under the stars. Next morning, if you’re not too hungover from the previous nights’ antics, you can take yourself off for a bit of a hike in the dunes.
The Adventures of Elle Coco 