le pause

on friday we had booked an excursion to the desert...we really had no idea where we were going...we were told we would ride camels and have lunch....

we drove for about 40 minutes...turned off onto a dirt rode, drove another 10 minutes...

and arrived at this beautiful oasis...we still didn't really understand what was happening because no one really spoke english....

they guided us to this tented table area with lounges, couches a table...a fantastic 'glamping' experience...they gave us water, told us to relax...after about 15 minutes we walked up the hill and from there got on our camels...

i wasn't sure i'd even make it on the camel, the camels back was so wide....didn't think my legs would work...so, then, we started our camel trek....they walk pretty smooth....but, i kept sliding back to his rump!...i was in front, then kerry, then austin and cedar...

kerry's camel kept putting his mouth on my camel's back...sometimes my legs....i thought we were friends...then he bit me!!! what a shock!  luckily their teeth are sharp...that would have really hurt...as it was, it was a shock...but, no harm done...then, my camel stopped and wouldn't go...fun times...but, it was a cool experience...we rode for about an hour....

after coming back they served us a delicious lunch...it was really fun to see and be at this amazing place...the guy that drove us back turned out to be the owner...he is french and loves morocco...he opened this hotel in 2005...it has a few rooms, no electricity except in the kitchen...he's very interesting...we all wanted to live his life...he doesn't really advertise, on his brochure there is no address, just a longitude and latitude...because there is no address!  it was really cool....

after getting back to the hotel, kerry and austin went to the spa for a hamman treatment...i watched cedar...we walked around and he fell asleep...i then traded with austin and went to my treatment...that was an experience...the hamman is the traditional bath...they took me into the steam room to steam for about 10 min..(oh and by the way, you're 'buck-naked')....then, they scrub you down with a clay mask...after this, she took me into another room where i layer down and she put some other stuff on me and then proceeded to scrub the living daylights out of my skin!  she had a loofah glove and she scrubbed and scrubbed...she kept saying...you have so much dead skin...she was thrilled and she'd laugh!  then you steam a little more, she scrubs you down "like a baby" as she told me...and then, i didn't receive the last part...but, they took kerry and austin back into the steam room where they finish you off with about 3 bucketfuls of cold! water!
                                           

glad i missed that part!!  my skin felt amazing afterwards...it was really fun to try this....

we went back to the medina for a little shopping...it's crazy at night...so many people in the square...it's the place to hang out at night...shopped around...then came back to the hotel for dinner at the moroccan restaurant in the hotel...it was a really fun, amazing day!