The Final Day

Up early in time to watch the sunrise the next morning.  I walked some distance out of the camp.

Sands in the early morning light

Sunlight rising

Mornings are incredibly quiet here.  Sitting, taking it all in, experiencing the peace, for a moment I felt deep in my heart I could be happy and content living in a Bedouin tent.  Like this small one I saw outside our camp.

Bedouin tent with only the basics

The feeling slowly passed, and I realized I could be happy and content if power and WiFi were included.  Of course, that would distract from the peace.

For fun, I took a pic of my footsteps in the sand.  No telling who last walked there or who will walk next.  Or how long before the wind fills them in.

After a breakfast of omelet and fruit, we packed up and were back on the road.

At lunchtime, we stopped in N'aat Ben Haddou.

Aït Benhaddou is a Berber Kasbah or castle along the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech.  No longer occupied, it is still impressive.

Kasbah from a distance showing the lookout post

A closer look

I was disappointed we didn't walk through and up to the lookout point.  It was midday and the Brit ladies thought it would be too hot to walk.  I did find a link to a video that helped give an idea of what it looks like inside.  I would say it's more like a pueblo in the American Southwest than what we think of as a building tiled and decorated with elaborate mosaics.  

We had lunch on a restaurant terrace with a view of the kasbah.

I chose kefta--almost as delicious as Joe made for my birthday.

Then the drive back to Marrakech, a stay in the hotel and the trip to Rabat.  For no apparent reason, the train was delayed leaving Marrakech and very slow for most of the way back.  Joe and I decided the reason was a state secret 'cause we'll never know why.

Back in Rabat, things are back to normal.  Zorro is checking out one of the resident tortoises (at the far left of the picture), trying to be brave.

An awesome trip I won't forget!!!

First Installment of my Saharan Adventure

Last Tuesday, October 8th, I took the train from Rabat to Marrakech, arriving there four hours later.

And guess what?  There's a McDonald's right beside the train station.  Clearly, they're everywhere.  It's the address I give when I want to go to Joe's office:  McDo Agdal, Agdal being the neighborhood.

I spent the night at the Ibis Hotel, conveniently located right next to the train station.  No chance of getting lost, unlike the other way when I was on my way to the dentist.  Fortunately, with my smattering of French, I was able to ask directions.

A lovely garden where I enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice.

                           

Just to prove I was there.

Bright and early the next morning, I was picked up by Said, the driver from Desert Majesty tours http://www.desertmajesty.com/gen/tours/tours-morocco.html  There were also two English women along for the ride.

We spent most of the day driving through the Atlas Mountains.  Spectacular scenery.  Switchback roads.  

And Morocco has the world market cornered on rocks.  They grow even more than New England.

We stopped in Ouarzazate at the Desert Majesty offices for tea and cookies.  We then stopped at a Women’s Co-operative where they produce Argan oil.  Morocco is the only place in the world where argan trees nuts grow.  Much of it is produced by hand.  Using a stone, the women break off the husks, then crack open the nut shell, remove the nutmeat, and finally grind the nuts in a kind of mortar and pestle to extract the oil.  I way overspent my Argan oil budget, but will have beeaautiful skin.

Then lunch, a delicious Moroccan salad and chicken tajine.

Finally, on to Zagora.  And the camel ride.  More about that next time.  

Insha’Allah.