I decide to go hiking as well but only for a couple of hours. I ask one of the guides about the sunrise hike. Apparently there are 2 sunrise hikes. One to the top of the mountain to the right and one to the mountain to the left. The guide points to the top of each. I tell him I will do the one on the right side. I ask him if there is a path. Apparently there isn't. He says there are some goat paths that I can find. I ask him for the best approach. After some discussion he concedes that the left side approach might be better. I decide to take a beach bag with a bottle of water and the camera instead of the better equipped back pack. I have to cross several hills before I get to the mountain. As I start climbing I notice the terrain is quite rough. A lot of loose rocks and steep in places. Since it is sand stone there are plenty of loose rocks waiting to deceive you. I should have brought the back pack. One wrong step and you can easily sprain or break your ankle or worst you can end up in the valley. It's too late. I move on. I am finally climbing the mountain. I keep to the left side and then turn right and towards the summit. It is about 11 and getting quite hot. I get to a flat area that looks like a mine shaft. Later I learn from one of the guides that this is an exploratry shaft dug about 40 years ago to see if copper mining would be profitable. I forgot to mention that 2000 years ago this was a copper minning center. Here are some pictures.
I continue up. The last part is quite steep. I am wondering how I will make it down. The views are spectacular from here. Here are some pictures.
The lodge
I start down. Here is what it looks like looking down.
I still have some water but I know I am dehidrating. The descent is slow, since I am making sure that I don't step or lean on any rock that will give.
I finally make it down.
Later in the afternoon I am chatting with one of the staff. His phone rings. We are invited to dinner that a couple of the staff have made. We walk a few hundred feed and turn left. There is a hot coal fire, a couple of the staff and a guy, who I discover later is from Minessota and was walking by when he saw the fire so headed that way.
I can see something is burried under the coal. The locals have told me how when herding goats in the mountains, they make bread. Since they don't have pans or an oven they put the bread directly on the coal and then cover it with more coal. This bread is called Arboud. This is what's cooking. Salim who is in charge takes a rock and wipes the coal revealing a brownish crust. He picks it up and with a rock sands down the slightly burbed parts. Surprisingly there aren't many. Here is Salim with the bread.
We each get a peace of bread. This is extremely delicious. It's crusty on top and quite chewey inside. The crust has a fire flavor. But this is not dinner.
Next Salim breaks the bread into small pieces and puts them in a big bowl. He then pours some yogurt and olive oil and mixes everything. We gather around and eat with hour hands. I am told this is the most authentic bedou experience. Next time they are going to let me make the Arboud.
It is sunset and I head back to the lodge. It occures to me that the two ladies have not returned from the hike. As I am thinking about this there is a commotion at the gate.
Later I learn that one of the ladies slipped. They walked for quite a while before a ranger on a donkey spotted them. He apparently put her on the donkey and brought them to the lodge. They were both laughing about the donkey ride. Her ankle is quite swollen, but does not look broken. I ask one of the staff to get ice. There is no ice. The staff wants to take her to a doctor, but she wants to rest. Later the staff produces an instant ice pack. We wrap this around the ankle, but it's not going to be enough.
Next day I look at the ankle. It is turning blue. I recommend they see a doctor. They will stop on their way to the airport at the clinic and if needed at the hospital. Logistics are arranged by the staff and they are off. Things are cool.
Wow quite the experience!
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