I’m sitting at my desk today, and an instant message pops up from my ex (we work together).

“Check your Shared folder, there’s a file called Surprise”.

Three years ago, we spent six days in the Sahara desert, on camelback and by Land Rover. The first day was spent driving along endless hot and pebbly plains. The guide, Ibrahim, didn’t talk much and instead subjected us to his tinny Malinese music tape in a endless loop. It was horrible. We wondered if we’d made the mistake of our lives embarking on this expedition.

It soon became one of the best weeks of our lives. By the end of it, we had developed a wonderful camaraderie with Ibrahim, and knew his tape by heart. There was one song in particular, simply called “Africa”, that stuck with us, and we still sing it once in a while for a laugh.

That song was today’s surprise… And it instantly transported me back to the paprika-colored dunes of Morocco. Ah Africa! Ah, to travel again!