The wind rustled through the palm fronds as my camel's soft, splayed feet pressed upon the honey-colored sand, his rhythmic gait lulling me into a peaceful reverie. The shady palms of the Amezrou Palmeraie towered above, dangling bushels of golden dates over our heads, plump berries so sweet that when the guide offered me one, I ate it so quickly that it dissolved before I had a chance to savor it.

Our camel caravan was in the middle of a two-hour trek through the oasis near Zagora in Morocco's Dr