-->

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Moroccan Adventure

Ait Benhaddou, south of the Atlas Mountains

Just a few days after returning from Slovenia, our much-anticipated trip to Morocco was upon us.  We flew into the large city of Marrakech, just north of the Atlas Mountains (one of Africa's few mountain ranges).  It was Em's first time in Africa or in a Muslim country, so our first night we chilled at our riad (hotel) in the Medina to lessen the culture shock.  The next morning we were picked up in a Land Cruiser and we were headed south and east on an expedition.
 Our itinerary had us crossing over the mountains and eventually arriving at the edge of the Sahara desert, covering over 350 km.
Traversing the mountains and the desert took us through a wide variety of landscapes, from scrubby forests to snowy passes to dune-filled hills.

After our first couple hours we crossed the highest pass in Africa, Tizi Tichka.
Our next stop was a village famous for its use in movies.  Ait Benhaddou appears in Gladiator, The Mummy, Alexander, Prince of Persia, and many others.
We got lunch here (vegetable soup, couscous, bread, and fruit) and wandered around the amazing mud kasbah.
Here's another ancient kasbah near the large frontier city of Ouarzazate.
Our guide, Ibrahim, did not speak much English, but he was helpful and a very good driver.
I was excited to find a sign for Timbuktu (Tombouctou in French) - we were still a long way...52 jours (days) by camel.
Late in the day we finally arrived in Zagora, our base for a camel trek.  Without any break, we jumped out of the Land Cruiser, said goodbye to Ibrahim, and jumped on our steeds.
Em's camel's name was Memaw and mine was named Bobo.  For both of us it was the first time riding camels, and we were both surprised how high up we were - much higher than any horse.  We also found that ascending while riding was much more herky-jerky than descending the dunes.  Bobo seemed to glide downhill, but the rest of the time I was bobbing up and down, back and forth.
Our new guide, Mohammed, was very patient with us and led us on an hour and a half walk to our camp.  The group we were with had about a dozen people, and Em and I had our own little tent.
We arrived as the sun went down.
In short order we were drinking strong sweet tea (Berber whiskey) and ready for dinner.  We all ate Tajine, a wholesome dish served in earthenware with potatoes, carrots, chicken, tomatoes, and spices.  After dinner our guides brought out their drums and played and sang into the night.
Above is a shot of our tent.  We were happy that we brought our own sleeping bags as it got frigid when the sun went down.  We spent a while star gazing - I've never seen a clearer night sky.  No light pollution meant we could view stars all the way to the horizon, with the Milky Way clearly visible.  We awoke after a fitful night's sleep, and I happily took in the sunrise.
Some Berber whiskey and bread were served and shortly we hopped back on our dromedaries for the trek to Zagora.  The long drive back to Marrakech was about to begin.
We followed the Draa river valley for some time - it could be identified by the forests of palm trees it supported.
Scores of Berber villages like this are scattered around the Atlas.
The above photo shows off some of the dozens of switchbacks we took to get up and over the mountains.  Em was a champ even when she started looking pale and clammy after all the twists and turns.  After the long drive back to Marrakech, I ventured out into the insane labyrinth of souks (markets) and got us some dinner, which we had back in the riad.  The next morning Em was prepared to join me out in the chaos of the Medina.  Fortunately, it was very quiet and slow to awake so the introduction to the souks and square was easier.
Freshly squeezed Jus d'Orange was just a few dirham, so we both partook.
Above is Jemaa el-Fna overlooking the entire Medina.  Later in the morning the square began to wake up and snake charmers, henna artists, monkey handlers, dentists, acrobats and soothsayers were all out to make a living.
One particularly effective salesman convinced us to have some pictures taken with his King Cobras...we figured 'When in Rome'.
After our adventure into the Medina, we went back to the riad (above left), packed, and took a bus to the airport, completing an amazing journey.

Thanks for checking us out!

1 comment:

  1. Stunningly beautiful pictures! Looks like an awesome trip.

    ReplyDelete