We’re off to the edge of the world, or Cape Reinga – basically the ‘Lands End’ of New Zealand. In Maori “Te-Rerenga-Wairua” means ‘the leaping-off place of spirits’. This is the place where two oceans – Tasman and Pacific visibly meet in a violent exchange of boiling water (obviously it’s not actually boiling, but it’s still pretty frothy and choppy!) The Maori see this as the ‘male’ sea ‘meeting’ the ‘female’ sea.
After a couple of days we had begun to really settle in and relax in this bubble of opportunity, having spent another full day exploring the different beaches and malls of Dubai, we were ready for Armani Club and dressed to the nines. First tho, was dinner at Tomo as we were in the mood for sushi!
Where else can you ski in the morning, sky dive in the afternoon and land on a party at Atlantis on one of the ‘fronds’ of the ‘Palm’, a futuristic suburb of the sea for a crazy evening party?! Dubai, of course! A favourite location of many nations around the world, drawn by the cloud piercing skyscrapers, endless opportunities, glittering malls and glamorous clubs.
THE TIME HAD COME:
The time for goodbyes as classes were over and I had a few more weeks until I would hop back over the pond.
Many a red cup had been drunk from, many a crazy party had been had (with many a stumble back home along Route 66 from Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Downtown Albuquerque). I’d said goodbyes and now it was time to hit the road and soak up as much New Mexico sun as possible before heading back to the Wet Country (England).
Having studied about this remarkable place in my Native Philosophy class at UNM I couldn’t wait to get out and see it for real. How it sounded on paper and in the documentary ‘The Mystery of Chaco Canyon’ narrated by Robert Redford was pretty magical, but nothing could prepare me for actually seeing it first hand.
The shooting bug had really hit me (pardon the pun) and despite other various entertaining activities, including attending the International Balloon Fiesta, I wanted to go shoot stuff, again.
Off to the whitest desert we went, to camp, eat cactus and shoot at brown bottles and old tin cans! The group consisted of a bunch of Americans, one crazy Brit (me), a couple of guns and some tents. Great fun was had, despite the mosquitoes.
IT’s WORTH CONSIDERING:
Out in the South Western states, as they are so spread out an 8 to 10 hour drive to your destination is actually considered very reasonable, there’s no traffic, it’s pretty much just travelling in a straight line! With the sky turning a violent red tinged with a soothing purple, dusk began slowly seeping into the sky with a very faint glitter of lights in the distance.
The Sahara is a magical land, frequented by many nomadic ‘Berber tribes’ who still wander this majestic desert, across ancient routes with their camels and produce to trade with neighbouring settlements.
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!
The Adventures of Elle Coco 