It was dark and cold when our alarm went off this morning. After a quick cup of hot black tea, our guide, Ahmed, led us across the sand.
He showed us how to walk along the ridges and judge the direction of the slopes. It was too easy to take one step to the side and have your foot sink six inches. Likewse, it would be easy to slide down a dune.
Along the way, Ahmed drew our attention to the tracks of desert fox and gerbils, beetles, song birds, and flowering plants. It’s quiet, other than any birds or our own voices. The scent is clean and fresh with a light breeze.
Back on the Road
We walked about two miles across the dunes before breakfast, but it felt like 10! It was a very special experience that I won’t soon forget.
Then we were off on our second long road trip, headed to Marrakesh with an overnight stop in Skoura.
We drove along the bottom of the Todra Gorge. Rock walls soar almost 1,000 feet and a natural spring keeps clear water flowing.
The nearby town of Tinghir provided some storybook oasis views. Water-fed Palmeraie like this one, anchor the centers of many desert towns.
This is a route that connects Fès, Marrakesh and Timbuktu (that’s a place I’ve yet to see – only 2205 miles away!).
It’s a long drive from Fès to the Sahara desert (about 7 hours), but we made it in plenty of time for a sunset ride on camels. Well actually, in Morocco, they are dromedaries – one hump, not two.
I’d be lying if I said it was a comfortable ride. Particularly getting on, off and holding on for dear life when they stand up or sit down – whew! But, I did it, no matter how ungraceful it looked.
The dunes are hundreds of feet high. It’s an amazing sight.
The long drive was interesting. We could see the snow-covered High Atlas Mountains in the distance, as we drove through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Part of this area is ski-country and looks very European.
Here are a few scenes from the road:
A Visit to Nomads
Our Audley Travel guide took us far out in the desert to visit a Nomad encampment. It was shockingly primitive. They seem to live just as they did thousands of years ago.
BTW, we are in Morocco’s eastern corner, actually close to the Algerian border. The Sahara stretches across 10 African countries.
Back at Camp
We were in Erg Chebbi at the Desert Luxury Camp.
After a dinner of typical Moroccan dishes, we listened to some music outside around the fire pit and then took advantage of the darkness and minimal moon to do some serious star-gazing. I wish I still had my school-days knowledge of all the constellations. A few standbys were easy to find as was the Milky Way.
Tomorrow we are up before dawn for sunrise in the Sahara.
Most of today we continued exploring the fascinating Fès Medina. Note: I am now spelling Fès the Moroccan way.
Once again, we had a guide arranged by Audley Travel who helped us navigate this 690-700-acre maze. We have at least learned what kind of sign (hexagon) means the alley-street is a dead end.
Today is the first day we really ran into large groups of tourists. Partly because we were visiting a few of the iconic historical Muslim sites within the Medina, such as the oldest university, School of Koranic studies, and mosques.
Shopping the Souks
It was a cool, clear day, perfect for some targeting shopping. We explored shops with silver teapots, jewelry, textiles, and antiques. Our husbands may be happy to know we didn’t buy anything of significance. But, be forewarned, we are now very educated for our upcoming visit to Marrakesh.
BTW, a souk is an open-air marketplace, often organized by category of product, and usually within a Medina.
Across from the old University, we got to see an incredible centuries-old home that once housed the school’s faculty and their families. Today it has been repurposed as a beautiful multi-floor, multi-room shop with carpets and antiques. Even though we are carpet-averse, our guide said there would be no pressure – and he was spot-on. We had a delightful presentation about the carpets made by the seven families that supplied the shop, many of them Berber. It was really interesting.
After a light lunch on a terrace overlooking the city and Medina, we headed back to our beautiful Riad Maison Bleue. After the repacking needed for our early morning departure, we made one last visit into the Medina.
It proved easy to arrange an escort to get us to the right place. In this case, the Ruined Garden (cash only) deep in the Medina, for a light dinner. We loved the cats who had the run of the place and the instructions not to feed them, because the staff would. We got another escort for a very energetic walk back.
Otherwise, we’d likely still be wandering ….
There are four Impérial cities in Morocco and today we visited our third, Meknes. Dating back to its rise in influence in 1672, the massive Medina walls are still in place. Originally an expansive adjacent prison complex held captives (reportedly built for up to 30,000) in subterranean chambers, with only one way out. There are so many tunnels in the maze-like structure that French explorers were lost and never found. As a result, the complex has been permanently sealed.
We visited the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, treading carefully on the wet, slick marble tiled flooring. The intricate carvings and mosaics are of Moorish influence and you can see many similarities to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
You never know what is behind the walls in Morocco. Stepping through this doorway reveals a Royal Golf Club with a lovely 9-hole course. What a setting.
Vineyards in a Country that Doesn’t Drink?
Our travels today took us through pastoral agricultural country. The green rolling hills reminded me of parts of western North Carolina, but with some vastly different crops. There are neat, well-tended groves of olive trees everywhere. Flocks of sheep and their watchful shepherds are often crowded right up to the edge of the road.There are many vegetable crops and then, there are the vineyards.
We had an amazing wine tasting lunch at the Château Roslane Boutique Hotel. A Relais & Chateaux affiliate, they served an incredible meal, beautifully presented, with four wine pairings. The setting couldn’t have been more perfect and while we dined, the clouds parted and blue sky appeared once again.
Roman Occupation
Romans occupied the area for 500 years, building Volubilis in the third century. Volubilis means Morning Glory, which grow wild in the area.
The site was ravaged over the past few hundred years, but is now being restored with a vengeance. In this UNESCO antiquity, the stars of the show are the many detailed mosaics uncovered.
There were not as many cats here since a few dogs were roaming around. But our guide, Karim, won our hearts when he made a whistling cat-call and one ran full speed immediately. She was rewarded with a nice handful of dry cat food.
A good way to end our day.
