What a way to start 2025—spending the first moon of the year in a desert! One of my missions in Marrakech was to get across the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara. Besides, it’s pretty much a tourist thing to do in Marrakech. But I aimed for the spectacular desert sky.
I was part of a tour group. We took a long drive in a minivan from Marrakech to Merzouga, stayed a night in Tinghir (that’ll be another post), and rode a camel to the desert camp around Erg Chebbi. We arrived just in time when the sun and the moon were on opposite horizons. The sunset optic illusion enlarged the full moon—a dramatic view to start the evening.
After dinner, we gathered around the bonfire and moved along the drumbeats. Nonetheless, gazing at the planets was my sole purpose of the night. Mars was just beneath the moon. Jupiter was straight up above whereas invisible Uranus was ten degrees away. On the other side, Venus was the second brightest object in the night sky, next to fainted Saturn and phantom Neptune nearby.
I pointed out these planets to someone and concluded that the full moon symbolised wrapping things up. This allowed us to shed dead skins from last year and start anew. Hmm…I could use that for myself too. The last butter I made from DC cannabis was the gesture of finishing up my intellectual mess from 2024 and setting new intentions for 2025. At the campfire, I threw away those complicated thoughts into the fire, clearing some brain space.
Frankly, a night in a desert tent wasn’t too comfortable. I wish I could stay up until midnight when the full moon is perfected. And I could only empathise with the nomads there. I was just a digital nomad.
On the other hand, it forced me to get up at 4 am and look at the bright full moon against a bunch of gum trees. Yes, they grew eucalyptus trees in campsites in the Sahara. Their presence not only reminded me of the ayahuasca ceremonies in Colombia but also of the resilience I have been enduring in the past months. Like camels and gum trees, should I keep going with its features?
There were options to get back to the minivan: the camel ride back or a 4WD to a dune for sunrise with some extra cost. I chose the latter for a photo opportunity, of course. Again, the sun and the moon were on opposite horizons but in the reverse direction. That’s life—a cycle!
