South through Morocco

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We've Reached The Sahara

Shall sort the photos soon. We have now realised that the way to get the internet in the van (and thence Radio 4 etc) is to buy a dongle. And a month unlimited for £19 from Maroc Telecom which is fine for us as long as we have electricity for the computer. So here we are again.

Crossing the Straights of Tangiers was ok if a bit confusing. The paperwork of the Moroccan state is wonderful and complex but I am sure helps them keep a tab on everyone. We meet police checkpoints fairly regularly though they wave us through quickly.

High points so far are the Roman ruins of Volubilis near Meknes which was an interesting town, a confusing Fez with a woeful guide who wanted more money for us to do more than we asked for and then led us a dance around the Medina's confusing alleys. That was a real wind up. And after that we ventured into the Middle Atlas where we found lots of snow. And in the good places were hundreds of Moroccans skiing, tobogganing, horse riding, etc. and there were vendors willing to loan out all sorts of stuff by the hour including gloves, boots, sledges, toboggans, skis; all sorts of stuff.

When we got to the High Atlas there was not so much snow and twice as barren. And so to the far south at Mergouza at the foot of the Erg Chebbi, the only real Saharan dune in the country. We are going round it tomorrow by 4x4. Today we are off on a camel ride. True tourists at last.

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Photos

Saharan Sunset
As the sun sets

Moroccan Snow
Families having fun on a Saturday in January

On the Dune
After our camel ride we climbed to look at the sunset.

At Sunset on the dune
This is us and we climbed up here

Shadow on a camel
Our shadows from our trip

Up on the dromedary
Michael and Lesley on the camels