Leaving Tomorrow!

Finally we are here: tomorrow at 3pm we will depart from Malpensa to go to Ciaro for the first Desert Therapy. Together with me, Max, Lauren and Daniele, have all precisely done their homework so we can relax during the trip. The eight participants with us have the privilege to live this fantastic experience, five women: Pinuccia, Anna, Silvia, Claudia, Anna and three men: Antonio, Cesare e Roberto.
A very diverse group in every aspect: some of them want to experience the desert in a more simple, genuine mode, exactly as I have experienced on all of my trips, but completely safely. A trip in which we took great care of the details, in every respect, to make an unforgettable trip for our companions.Every day on the site you will find a diary and upon our return the photos of our crossing. Follow us , with good thought and with your hearts. Who knows what the days will bring for the characters in this magical experience: together with us for Desert Therapy.

Minus 2

We are now at the very end: only two days until we will depart and finally the bags with all of our materials to take to Egypt are packed. Before leaving, we still must do the last check one by one, to make sure that we are not missing anything. Max is very busy resolving the last minute problems, inevitable and unseen as always. He is working with a lot of passion for this first Desert Therapy, without his help and his advice I would not have been able to organize it. Also Lauren is giving her contribution,even though she must work all day, and she is very excited: because this will be her first time in the desert and she can’t wait to go! I also have a great desire to go, to relax in the environment and hear the silence again, that is true and profound. Even though I will not be alone, it will be a fantastic experience: walking with new traveling companions in a place that I love more than all other places, and reading in their eyes the same emotions, it will be fantastic!

minus 4

The awesome Ferrino tents have arrived that let you see the stars at night! We have reduced our luggage to a minimum, leaving room for all the material we must take this time, but will leave in Egypt for the next edition of Desert Therapy in October. We must take with us even the detachable wood poles to mount the large tent structure that will offer shade from the sun during the afternoon rest, which we can not find in Egypt. It is a very particular tent, thought of and donated by Roberto, the owner of Codrignani Sport, a shop connected with Desert Therapy where the participants have gone to find everything they need for the desert. At our camp in the desert we will have everything necessary to live this magical experience in great serenity.

Minus 5

The time is passing, rapidly………and there is still a lot to do! Only 5 days until we leave, the material is (almost) ready, the friends coming with us are all walking in their hiking shoes to break them in for the desert and also the clothing has all been chosen with care. The temperature will be between +35 degrees during the day and +10 degrees at night. We will not have to worry about being cold at night, unlike in November, when Fabio and I had a problem with the cold. We will not have to carry a lot of weight on our shoulders, and it is easier to organize the backpacks: with one bag more there is always space. We will walk mostly in the morning, when the air is fresher. We should arrive at camp around 1 and after lunch organize our time in a way so that we can enjoy the panorama of the desert and take pictures or video the images to take home, everything to bring health and total relaxation.

Minus 7

In one week we will leave for Desert Therapy. There will be seven days in which the staff together with me, will be working hard to make sure we do a good job. It seems almost that I am reliving the last experience with Fabio: materials are spread out everywhere, sponsors are giving us everything to make this trip to the desert with the eight participants truly incredible. Also Wild Roses, known for their technical clothing, have joined us and have decided to donate to our travelers high-quality thermal clothing for facing this excursion in the desert. Everyone will truly enjoy this Desert Therapy, it was born under the best hopes and every day we are adding something new. A fantastic adventure awaits us!

Minus 9

There are only 9 days to go until we depart for Desert Therapy. The materials that we will bring are ready, except for a few things we will get directly from Ciaro. With us we will take the beautiful tents that Ferrino has given us so that we can see the stars as we rest through the transparent top. La Roche Posay has decided to offer every participant a kit of their products to protect our skin from the dry environment of the desert. With the GPS provided by Garmin, we will be sure that we always find the next camp. We are working very hard to gaurantee all of our companions in the desert will live this experience with great serenity: as it should be in the desert.

Tragedy Avoided

Incredible! Yesterday morning Lauren was going to work in the center of Milan. Athletic, as she is, for the first time this year she decided to go to work by bicycle. Right at piazza 5 Giornate, while she was stopped at a stop sign, a tractor trailer (what it was doing in the city center I don’t know?) suddenly turned to the right. The driver did not see her stopped next to him and Lauren was literally swallowed under the truck. A woman rapidly ran to stop the truck and other people helped to stop him, avoiding a tragedy. Lauren slipped away unharmed between the wheels of the truck, just a bit shocked, and all the driver could do was apologize. Needless to say, Lauren is now forbidden to go to Milan by bike. “Today I was very lucky” she said, “because my Angel was protecting me.”

First Meeting

It was a beautiful and emotional meeting with all the participants for the first edition of Desert Therapy. We met in a cascina, welcomed with a big fire place, where all of us together toasted to the birth of this new adventure, while Max gave everyone all the necessary information for the trip and the materials we will need to take to the desert. There were a lot of questions and much curiosity for the experience that will be unique. We are only a few days away from the departure and the preparation always seems to be more rushed. I believe that everyone will experience physically difficult days, but that they will surely be rich with enthusiasm, over-riding the difficulty. The staff is completely available for any necessary assistance and to make this experience unique.

The dream becomes a reality

Desert Therapy is officially born! The group of eight people that will go with me into the desert are definite and tonight we will meet with all the participants, before our departure March 28.
We will meet each other and we will give all the necessary information to face this adventure together.
The emotions of this waiting are palpable: the desert is waiting for us and everyone lives in these days with the expectation of the departure for an experience that will stay with us forever.

WELLNESS

Included in the many tests we did during Fabio and my crossing, one in particular has provided very interesting data. Every night we tested the temperature of different places on our skin, with an specific apparatus called a corneometer. The experiment was lead by Prof. Antonino Di Pirtro, a famous dermatologist, that has wanted to study the effects on the skin during the course of our trip in the desert. Therefore, the results were surprising: at the beginning the dehydration was evident and progressive, following almost right after, there was a variation, and the skin began to heal itself almost spontaneously. Prof. Di Pietro attributes this phenomenon to our initial psychological stress, that went away when we successfully overcome many difficulties and we could see the end was near. I think, however, it confirms what I have always believed: the desert does good for you and after a few days it brings wellness to all organisms, a concept confirmed in other medical tests which prove that the desert takes away the pain of other traumas. In the course of Desert Therapy we will extend this experiment with all who can participate: we are curious to see what the result will be.