Zagora and the Frontier

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Shortly after we left Ouarzazate, I started to get a chilling feeling in my gut. My head began to spin and the road was bumpy. I started to think that a late night trek into the Sahara might not be the best idea ever conceived. I open the window, clawing for fresh air. I was nauseated and weak, but not wanting to be a baby, sat in the back seat staring out at the darkness and wondering where the sand dunes were. I didn't see any and I worried about how long we would drive into the night. We passed Zagora and veered away from civilization. I kept quiet, with my eyes out the window looking for a nice, quiet, dark place to die alone. I started to think, what have we done? I am dying and we are driving into the Sahara dessert! I'm going to die in the dessert and there aren't even sand dunes!

Outside Mhamid, the road stopped. That doesn't happen to me very often, but we just ran out of road. I agreed to continue, believing we would stop soon and take a break and some food. The Gravel that we drove on slowly gave way to sand. My kegs and arms started to melt into the car seat, or at least that's what it felt like. I gulped out, 'Guys, I've got to stop. NOW.' Kouidre stopped the car and they got out to survey the map (which we had wandered off). They were trying to figure out if we'd stumbled into Algeria. I sat up, then fell over, and then, desiring to die on solid ground, stumbled out of the car. My legs were shaky. Everything was shaky, and I dropped to the ground and sat there trying to focus my eyes in the dark.

Now, I'm a hypochondriac, and I'll admit that I was thinking big at this point. I had ruled out food poisoning, and had moved on to Malaria, Sleeping Sickness, Diphtheria, and a whole host of other diseases I was sure I had. I was feeling pretty confident I wouldn't make it out of the dessert.

Then, out of nowhere, two dark figures came walking over to the car. Speaking in Arabic to Kouidre, and then in French with Antoine and Ludo, they told us that they ad seen the car and were just checking to make sure we were ok. We explained that we were taking a break and they invited us into their house for some tea.

I had started a feast of drugs by then- scouring the car for Advil; Tylenol, Gravol, a host of french digestive drugs, and some cigarettes. Sometime after midnight, I found myself melting into a comfortable couch sitting around a table with my french companions and three Arab men. They served tea, and now drugged, I moved slowly and sipped lightly.

They talked softly, smoothly, and Hamad, with a weathered face, looked up timidly when he spoke. It was hard to listen, hard to focus for long and I found myself drifting in and out of what was being said. I was sandwiched between Ludo and Antoine, in a mud shack, somewhere off my map. It was quiet, so quiet and still. No cars, no motos and their piercing screams. There were no trees, no leaves rustling in the wind.

They spoke of their history. They were nomadic, and they had settled here after the drought (which in Morocco has lasted for 7 or 8 years) had dried up the oasis. They were brothers, and their parents had travelled on caravans to Mali, it had been 15 days, 200 camels, full speed. They explained that the border with Algeria was a couple miles further.

They offered us beds, and we graciously accepted. We gave them shisha, and cigarettes, and oranges and we sat and listened to nothing. They said that there was a wedding a couple kilometers away, and if you listened, you could here the sound of drums and cheering on the wind.

Tired, we slept at two or three in the morning. I collapsed into the bed and fell fast asleep.

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Comments

[eduardo]

Go to Merzouga!!!
You should also visit Merzouga... It HAS sand dunes and it's breathtaking... :) It's a must see!!!! enjoy

[mrose]

Merzouga
I havent heard about Merzouga before, but we did finally see sand dunes. Thanks for the comment!