Merzouga - Sahara!

Says it all, the main reason for this whole crazy adventure...

Finally felt well enough to travel so hopped an early bus out of Azrou, destination Rissani. Loooonnnngg day to say the least, it was an 8 1/2 hour trip from Hell on one of the local transports...the seats were so close together that I couldn't sit with my knees in front of me: had to sit at an angle and essentially squirmed in my seat the whole way... was able to see some beautiful sites along the way which was cool, but the bus would stop at every town along the way and for anyone standing by the side of the road... Uneventful ride until we got to Erfoud, the stop before the end of the line of Rissani, a complete den of thieves. The faux guides and touts started getting on and trying to push their tours of the desert, accommodations etc. I was by myself and there was only one other tourist couple on the bus, a little unnerving. Fortunately I had called ahead to book a place to stay in Merzouga and they gave me pointers on how to get out of Rissani and to the inn without having to deal with the hustlers.. The coolest thing was the bus got caught in a sandstorm between Erfoud and Rissani, it was crazy! To top it off a thunderstorm hit at the same time so while the people on the bus clamored to close the windows from the sand the rain hit with the thunder and lightning, so cool! Despite the efforts to keep the sand out I was covered...

Made it finally to Chez Julia's in Merzouga, beautiful place. They knew I had been sick (called from Azrou to move my arrival date) and took it upon themselves to nurse me back to health. Very nice people, had a great laugh with Edir, the place was beautiful, food was amazing and they looked after everything for me...

I had originally wanted to spend a couple of days in the desert but they talked me out of it; I was still pretty weak from the illness. They then suggested I go out for a night, come back and rest, and then take a camel tour the following night, totally worked out!

The desert, what can I say, I fell in love. Absolutely amazing; the colours, sights and absolute isolation were incredible. My guide Idir was fantastic, he had a great sense of humour and really looked after me out there... We hiked for about two hours and 4-5 kms before coming to the oasis where we were to spend the night. Along the way we were passed by camel train after camel train, I think we were the only ones to walk! Glad I did though, camels aren't the most comfortable (as I was to discover the following evening) and it gave you more time to really admire the dunes...

Chilled out at the oasis, Idir fired up dinner and we listened to the Berber drums before crashing for the evening...only to wake at about two in the morning to arctic gale force winds piling through the shack I was sleeping in...I froze my ass off! All part of the experience though..haha...

This was the quintessential/romantic Morocco I had envisioned/hoped for. The people were fantastic, and it was really cool strolling through town (or on camel) and having the local kids come running out to wave at you. The desert exceeded all expectations; while I thought it would be beautiful it truly blew me away. All in all this was one of the highlights of the trip, and again would someday love to go back and spend more time in the desert...enjoy the pics...

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