Sahara Desert -- Camels and more

I definitely wanted the tye-dyed one!!.......................

The long awaited trip was upon us. It is spring break for the school here in Morocco so we had decided to hit the road to the Sahara desert. Camels, Kasbah’s, the oasis, possibly a quad rental but for sure a camel camping excursion in the Sahara. The journey began around 5am on Sunday. Travelling in a caravan of cars from Casablanca was about 15 of our crew. Language skills are not a requirement when going east but it helps. Luckily we had JOJO. Jojo is our resident Moroccan/Frenchman who drags us around the countryside laughing all the way. He also runs the school kitchen which help in a pinch. We chose the northern route through Rabat, Meknes, Midelt, and then on to Merzouga (where we actually got snowed on……….YES, it snows in Morocco). The other crew decided to leave a day earlier and pass through Marrakesh, Ouarzazate (the city where Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Babel, Sahara, etc.. are all filmed), and then on to Merzouga. The trip was about 9 hours but very enjoyable. We stopped for lunch (see pic) in Efrod for lunch which consisted of ¼ chicken, veggies, bread, olives, and some tomato salad (see pics). We were stuffed quite tight in this little restaurant that had a bathroom, although it was exactly 3ft by 3ft. The restaurate owner was a bit overwhelmed in this small town but many merchants helped him set the tables and got the chickens prepared. They also wanted us to visit thier shops for the assistance which we need glady.
The women are much more traditional as you head east. More black coverings that are much more complete than those of Casablanca. Less cars and more donkeys as well. We passed through Ifran which looks more like a little French village than a Moroccan town. You can really see the influence there.
We arrived at the Kasbah (see pic) which situated at the edge of the desert for easy access. They put us in our rooms (No ac but no matter) at least they had normal toilets and no squatty potties for the ladies.........a big relief. Some of the group drove to a little village to purchase some supplies and head wraps. These wraps are necessary for the sand but also have a little creative bent. We all bought different ones but needed a bit of help to get them on correctly. Brenna seemed to have the knack. A bit of swimming, games, while the other rode motorcycles in the dunes. They had a pool, wonderful food of couscous, tagine, Moroccan salad, and a traditional breakfast (with yummy m’semin). We went with some friends of ours from the school and others from our local gatherings each Sunday (wink).
We decided to camp in the desert for the night and took the camels out for a nice ride and enjoyed a great chicken tagine, tea, and sleep under the stars. Camels are a funny bunch……..we laughed our butts off. The desert is a mystical place, so quiet, peaceful, and soft. I have never been in a place where the silence and darkness is so vivid. The kids attempted to snowboard the dunes with little luck. We got up the next morning early as we wanted to drive to Ouarzazate to stay at another Kasbah and rent some quads for the day. We did not have time to visit the movie sets in Ouarzazate. We did see the front of the studies that look a lot like those of LA. The trip took a bit longer than expected but the hotel was nice and the food great. By the end of the day we were exhausted and took out time back to Marrakesh and then home. The drive home was beautiful. Morocco has so many gems and so much to see. The Berber people are a bit different and quite hospitable but then again their lives are simple. We cannot wait to go back to the desert for a bit of a longer stay.

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