Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert has been a novelty since the beginning of time, spanning over 3000 miles north to south, and across the entire northern cap of the African continent to Morocco. But, what remains the most amazing and mysterious part of this magical land is: how did they get all that sand there in the first place? Did they truck it in? And where did they get it? Aliens, I'll bet. Actually, it turns out that the area used to be lush with green forests and lakes. But, a massive climate change (probably due to the green house effect that the dinosaurs caused with their aerosol experiments in the early pre-historic times) caused the whole place to dry up. Wind and erosion turned the petrified land into sand. Anyway, despite its mystery, beauty and serenity, the desert is not an accommodating environment: the difficult terrain, the heat, the dry climate, and bad-smelling camels—it's not the place for everyone. Although, I must admit, there are some benefits: my sinuses were clear, there are no street lights, no television, and above all, school shootings are mostly unheard of. Of course, you can't completely escape Western society. Even in this remote area where there are very few Starbucks stores, there is still one phrase uttered frequently that reminds the American traveler of home.