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We huddled in our many layers of clothing, gloves and hats seeking some comfort from the night’s bitterness in our sleeping bags. It never came. I felt in synch with the silence, and gazed at the sky in awe. My face soon became unbearable cold, so I attempted to cover my skin with my hat. Sleep was fitful, at best. We were still in fairly good spirits in the morning, however, undoubtedly due to the amazing terrain surrounding us and the privilege of being escorted to such rare and exotic places. Our guides pointed to some side-winding tracks in the sand beside our beds going off far in the distance, and alluded to the presence of a night-time visitor to our camp. What a long snake it must have been to make such tracks! Had it been poisonous? When they saw our concerned interest they stopped the ruse and let us in on the joke…the tent that had been empty all night beside our camp had blown away overnight, and it made snake-like tracks in the sand that allowed for its retrieval after a rather long walk by our guide. While using the desert sandbox that was my bathroom that morning, I realized I would probably never change any of my clothes while on this excursion. No privacy, and the wind and cold were the primary factors in my decision. I did enjoy a few moments with a baby wipe each day, scrubbing off the worst of the grime from my dirtiest areas. It sufficed, and was a better choice than actually undressing in my rustic environment. We enjoyed a quick breakfast. Hot, strong coffee never tasted so good. I relished its burn and bite. Our guides began to break camp, and I wandered off a bit. Alone in the black desert, I stood and breathed deeply. I turned in a slow circle, feeling the exquisite energy of the area as I acknowledged its rugged beauty. I sent the land my prayer of honoring. It felt wonderful to be alive and so present in my body in the crisp, clear air of the empty desert. I entered the Land Rover in a state of awareness and excitement. I was totally open to our next exploration, and had no interest to even query our entourage as to our next destination. It was a joy to be an open book as we journeyed through the remote and seemingly endless deserts of
After a few hours of travel, the terrain shifted dramatically. The golden sand no longer sprouted the coal-like, sharp black rocks of the black desert. Emerging in the distance we saw ethereal, white formations whose boundaries where difficult to distinguish from the sky's brilliant white clouds. The two deserts almost bordered one another yet were exact opposites of one another. Yin and yang existed side-by-side; beautifully created by nature. The energies balanced and played off of each other. We stopped for lunch at the base of the nearly vertical hill of sand. It seemed an odd spot considering that the formidable mound totally blocked our view of the distance beyond it. Our troupe motioned for Dan and me to explore the area while they prepared our food. I needed to use the sand “facilities”, which required quite a trek to find a little privacy. When I finished my business I noticed that Daniel was nowhere to be found. The men motioned up the steep sand mountain, so I began my ascent alone.
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