One of the greatest experiences I've ever had was in Morocco.
It was a trip to the desert. A group of us set off from Marrakesh at 7 a.m. in a minibus and headed southeast.
The countryside on the way was very unusual, with dry gray cliffs, and below them in the canyons there were lots of green palm trees. When we got to the Atlas Mountains, we ran into a snowstorm, and it got very cold in the bus. It's incredible to think that the hot desert was so near.
After traveling for two days, we finally got to Merzuga, a tiny town on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
We left our stuff in a hostel and drove to the place from which the caravans departed.
Before sunset, we boarded our camels and rode into the desert over the dunes.
The dunes were amazing they changed color depending on the angle of the sun.
The ride lasted about two hours. When we reached the camp, it was dark, cold, and I was starving.
We sat in the camp and waited for dinner. Several hours later they brought a lamb dish, which five of us shared from a plate, eating with our hands.
After dinner, everyone went to sleep in tents, except me. I've always wanted to have the experience of sleeping in the desert, under the stars. But I didn't realize it could get so cold at night.
So I took the same blanket that I used to ride the camel and wrapped myself in it to keep warm.
During the day, the temperatures can reach 50 Celsius, but at night, they fall to 4 Celsius.
The dunes looked like snow, and the clear sky covered with stars was an amazing sight.
No wonder the Moors were such great astronomers. They had a planetarium above them to observe every night. From time to time, I saw a shooting star, and I made a wish: I wanted to come back and spend a night in the desert, but next time, in a nice, warm sleeping bag.