One thing I can unequivocally say about myself from this trip is that I just cannot handle hot weather. As much as I wanted to go to the dunes near Merzouga and beyond, my body would not let me. 30 degrees in the sun and a hot car with no shade and I'm out, baby, I'm OUT!
After driving all morning we ended up in Tata, which seemed like a wild west town - hot and deserted (likely due to Eid) with large eaves to shade the houses and shops. We stopped for a cafe at the one place in town that was open for a much needed espresso. We wouldn't stay here long though, deciding to go to a place about 15 km south where there was a desert camp very much in the middle of nowhere - hot, dry and dusty.
However, it was gorgeous - a few tents, a toilet and shower, and a large covered shade area with rugs, tables, sofas and chairs, and curtains blowing in the breeze. It was so hot Jamie found the only bit of shade for Butters he could. Eventually he'd park it in front of the shaded lounge area just to cool her down a bit as it was heading over 35 degrees.
As for me, I was losing it. I was trying to use meditation strategies and keeping very very still, drinking lots of water and trying to sleep, but the hot wind was blowing straight at us and the air temperature was so hot I couldn't cool myself down. IN fact, I was getting really panicky - Jamie brought me a bucket of water for my feet which was tepid at best and I used a facewasher to try to cool my skin down. I had three cold showers.
Eventually, the lovely host Zara bought me a 2L bottle of iced water, which helped enormously. By that time, an older Dutch couple had arrived which also distracted me some.
We spent a lot of time talking about travelling (they spent a lot of time on their small yacht around Europe) and losing loved ones. They'd lost a daughter when she was 19. 'Live life' was his parting message. 'It's very short'.
I CAN live life - just not in the bloody desert heat.
For the record, I was no where near dying of heatstroke, but if it wasn't for Zara's ice, things could have got a lot worse. It would definitely determine the road ahead, and prevent us going to the Sahara, but that was something I could live with.
With Love,
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