September 21st

Today was such a good day!

This morning, after some more rice for breakfast, I went to help Moussa care for the little garden he is supposed to take care off for the owner of the house. Spending my youth and recent years helping out my dad with gardening, I have by default acquired quite some knowledge about caring for plants. So I gave home quite a few tips and showed him how to trim olive trees and lemon trees to help them grow bigger and stronger instead of taller and thinner. I showed him how to trim a palm tree to keep the core safe and healthy. I taught him what to do with basil and citronella. And so forth. We spent the whole morning gardening. The amazing part is that the garden is in the middle of the desert and does not have any specific soil or protected area. Despite it all, Moussa has managed to grow pomegranate tree, olive tree, jasmine, lemon, basil, citronella, mangos, baobab, etc... He definitely has a green hand!

Towards mid day and before we had lunch, he had filled up the mini water tank which can also be used as a mini pool, and so I sank myself in the not so refreshing water...there, in the middle of the dunes...heaven.

Moussa had told me that further away in the dunes, there was a sort of clay/banco well where the villagers usually go often, to gather clay and use it for constructions. But he was unsure as to where exactly that well was because he had himself never seen it. So in mid afternoon, as the sun is still high up and criminal, we headed out...modestly protected, hunting for that well...trying to track down the different foot prints left by the carrying donkeys. We walked for a good couple of hours far, far, far away from town. To the point that we found ourselves totally surrounded by nothing else but dunes. Wow! I have seen so many movie scenes like that...where one could freakout to feel so far away from any drop of water or any inch of shade. But it was gorgeous. Here and there some shrubs were growing either on the flat in between dunes and among rocks, or on the incline of a dune. Beautiful!

As the sun was setting, we slowly made our way to a new and high dune overlooking the village but in a beautiful angle to watch it all, as village kids not to far away are having a blast sand surfing down a few dunes with some pieces of plastic.

I tried to call Angelina...it worked. Voila...a perfect day. :-)

Today we made sure to head back home before total darkness...because we both wanted to dip in the pool before the night wind got up and out.

The sky is gorgeous...a deep blue sea of stars hovering above the now black sea of warm powder thin sand cooling down after a busy day of inactivity.

Tomorrow morning I am catching a transportation back to Star...before the big ride on the famous iron ore train...so exciting!

I am sleeping outside again...though the sky now looks much darker and thicker...let's see.