How I Scorched My Shoes in the Sahara

I have a pair of shoes that I have owned since 2008. They are not all that attractive as far as shoes go, but super comfortable for walking long distances. They have been with me to nearly every country I have visited. Before this trip I could tell this would probably be their last. My smart-alec of a brother suggested to me before I left that they might fall apart in the Sahara desert. I dismissed that silly idea. Little did I know how right he would be! This is the tale of the demise of my favorite walking shoes!

We set out from Fez for a LONG drive from Fez to Merzouga, a village close to the border of Morocco and Algeria. The goal was to get there in time to be riding camels at sunset into the midst of the Sahara Desert. Well, that plan failed. We arrived at the camel depot just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful view of the sun reflecting off the sand dunes, but unfortunately by the time we all mounted our camels the sunset was pretty much over. We did get to watch the stars come out as our camels took us deeper into the Sahara, and the opening scene from Aladdin came to mind. However, it was really cold! People always think of hot weather when we think of deserts, but we forget that they can actually get really cold in the winter. As fun as it was to ride the camel, I was definitely excited to get off so I could hopefully find some way to warm up in the camp.

Warming up came in the form of delicious dinner of tagines and the best mint tea I have ever tasted served in a tent! After dinner we enjoyed a campfire where the Berber men entertained us with music. You must be wondering how this leads to my shoes falling apart. Well, remember how I said it was super cold outside? Well, my feet are perpetually cold, so while most of my body was warm enough by the fire, my feet just couldn’t get warm enough. I guess I was sitting with them too close to the fire. When I got up and went to the bathroom (there were flush toilets in the middle of the desert), I happened to look down at my feet and noticed the soles were peeling off the bottoms of my shoes! The fire had scorched them! I tried in vain to press them back on, but it was hopeless. My shoes had met their end in Morocco on the last day of 2014.

Fortunately, the soles have not peeled completely off and I can still walk in them, although a bit embarrassing and awkward. I was able to wear them to climb up a sand dune at sunrise the next morning, ride a camel out of the desert on a warmer and much more pleasant camel ride, and on a walk around a gorge. They will hopefully last me for the last two days of the trip. But sadly they will not see another country.

Other than the demise of my shoes, my night in the Sahara was by far the best New Years Eve ever. 2014 started off kind of rough for me, but the second half was pretty amazing. Hoping 2015 will be a great year, and if last night was any way to judge, it will be! Hope everyone else has a great year!