Douz - A Sahara Wedding

The road south was dusty and it was a pleasure to arrive after a lonely ride through the Chott El Jerid in Douz, the southern gateway of Tunisia into the great sands of the Sahara. I settled down in the small Hotel de 20 Mars, in a small room without heating. It was December and after the sun set the night got bitterly cold. I had to warm up myself and found a small tea house close to the main square. Some guys with dark coloured faces and bright white robes were sitting around the small fire and told me, that they were coming from the desert to visit tomorrow a wedding not far from here - and if I would like to join them. The next morning I was on the way to the sand with my friends. Their stallions were even prouder than themselves, when entering the camp, where the celebrations are happening. Music was played by tribesmen and tea was passed. Everybody got prepared for the horse races, which were traditionally done by the tribesmen shooting guns and doing hair raising tricks at high speed with their stallions. I was sitting on a dune and when I heart the alluring sound of the guitars I was dreaming of going further south, deep into nomads land.