A dispatch from Arawan luxury desert Camp
Erg Lihoudi, M’hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco
Summer is over.
And, as you may have noticed, I have been extremely busy.
Arawan is open again.
The tent flaps are moving in the evening breeze, the lanterns are glowing, the kitchen is once again producing things I consider worthy of inspection, and new guests are beginning to arrive at the edge of the Sahara.
I am, naturally, delighted.
But before I tell you about the reopening, there is one matter that must be addressed.
Badboy.
Our resident ostrich.
I have spent an unreasonable portion of the summer attempting to keep Badboy from treating the camp as an all-inclusive holiday destination.
He is very fond of holidays.
More specifically, he is fond of taking them.
Constantly.
Every time I thought we had established a sensible routine, Badboy would disappear. A little wandering here. A little exploring there. Suddenly he was nowhere to be found, presumably enjoying himself somewhere beyond the dunes while everyone else was working.
I tried supervising him.
I tried staring at him.
I tried the sort of very serious cat look that usually resolves matters immediately.
Badboy was unimpressed.
So I escalated.
I patrolled.
I investigated.
I reported.
I supervised the supervisors.
And after an exhausting season of negotiations, I am pleased to announce that Badboy is mostly back on duty.
Mostly.
I remain vigilant.
And now, the exciting part.
Arawan has reopened, and there is something new to show you.
Our new terrace is ready.
I have already conducted several thorough inspections, including testing the quality of the shade, the views, the breeze, and the general suitability for afternoon lounging. I can report that standards have been maintained.
From the terrace, the dunes of Erg Lihoudi stretch out toward the horizon, changing color as the sun moves across the Sahara. It is an excellent place to sit with mint tea, watch the desert turn gold, and contemplate important questions.
Such as:
Why does Badboy keep leaving?
And why do humans take so long to serve dinner?
Speaking of dinner...
The new kitchen is ready too.
This is perhaps the development I am most excited about.
The kitchen has been refreshed and improved, ready for the return of Moroccan meals, fresh bread, fragrant tagines, mint tea and all the wonderful smells that drift through camp and make it extremely difficult for a cat to maintain professional distance.
I will, of course, continue my quality-control duties.
Someone has to.
The reopening feels a little like the beginning of a new chapter.
We have learned so much from our first season. Salem and the team have worked incredibly hard, improving, repairing, preparing and making Arawan even more welcoming for the travelers who make their way south to M’hamid El Ghizlane and into the Sahara.
And now the camp is ready again.
The dunes are waiting.
The stars are waiting.
The terrace is waiting.
The kitchen is definitely waiting.
And I am waiting.
I cannot wait to meet the new guests arriving at Arawan Luxury Desert Camp, to watch them discover Erg Lihoudi for the first time, and to see that familiar expression when they step outside after dark and realize just how many stars there are above the Sahara.
Come and stay awhile.
I will show you the best place to watch the sunset.
Baba Salem may tell you otherwise.
He is wrong.
With one paw firmly in charge,
Rmyla 🐾
Resident Cat, Desert Supervisor & Senior Badboy Monitoring Officer🐾 Rmyla
