Mama Rising

Part One // Part Two Desert Camp Candles flicker in brown paper bags twisted into lanterns, marking the way either side a carpet runner that runs the entire length of the camp, with extra carpets running to each of the sixteen or so glamping tents. Many metal lanterns are also placed around the camp, emitting a warm and satisfying light, and a fire pit is being lit in front of a communal tent crafted from Berber rugs. Inside, I can see a number of day beds covered in colourful cushions. Around the camp are little nooks for gathering; a hut with hammocks strung, rugs with ottomans and cushions, tables and chairs. Bamboo torches are being lit on the dunes. The accomodation tents are canvas, and sneaking inside to look inside I am awed by the luxury- gorgeous satin backboards on the bed, an adeptly woven blanket, selenite crystal lamps, and in the ensuite which is equipped with both a flushing toilet and a shower, the most amazing stone sink. The stars are just beginning to c...

Part One // Part Three Returning to Centre If the medina is an assault on the senses, then at least it isn’t without cognisance of it’s effects. The city provides balm for it’s own salty wounds. The doors here are of a heaviness (and beauty) unheard of in our culture. Once the door is mastered- sometimes they need a special shove or a particular key jiggle, and those grand old timber and metal sentients close behind us, it’s a whole different environment. In so many ways. The architecture, mindfully refined over centuries, is the catalyst for the balm. Just inside those thick ancient walls, and due to the structure of the building around a central courtyard and often a maze like path to the courtyard similar to the medina as a whole, the sudden reduction in noise and heat is amazing. Walking into a riad is like being bathed by gentle saltwater waves of coolness and sensory reduction. There might be the distant sound of children playing, or the hum of a scooter (...