Tunisia

C A M E L   C A R A V A N

As soon as Mohammed and I reached Ksar Ghilane, it was about an hour before sunset, and I was able to immediately embark upon the one obligatory tourist activity that everyone who visits the Sahara should do:  a camel ride.

This shot was taken from atop my camel.  The shrouded figure in front of me is known as a "chamonix" (camel driver) in French.

Camels (at least the one I was on) are very docile and easy to ride.  It's easy to imagine traveling for days in this manner.  The slow, supple motion would be hypnotic.

"My" camel...

The caravan in front of us resting.  It's apparently quite easy to lash them together in this fashion and have them follow single-file, with just a single chamonix.

Taking it easy...

In the above shots, we had stopped as far out into the dunes north of Ksar Ghilane as we dared to go.    Sunset in the desert is amazing.  I was there with five other European tourists, which drained the moment of some of its magic.  See my Egyptian trip for my first brush with the Sahara, wherein I got to at least see the fringes all alone.  There is no depth of solitude and infinity like that.