Side-Trips from Marrakech: the Sahara!

Upon asking, absolutely everyone we met who had been to Morocco told us that their favourite experience had been a tour of the Sahara, so naturally we had to make such a trip part of our visit. We asked around in Fez, but no one could give us an itinerary that really matched our interests or price range, so we wound up waiting until we got to Marrakech to book something. We took a three-day tour, and there was a lot to see and do! Also a lot of sitting on the bus. Like, a lot a lot. Anyway. 

We left our hotel at seven am, and after some confusion regarding what tour we were on, and a lot of seemingly random driving around the city picking up other people, we were off. The first leg was about a four-hour drive to a Berber village, with a couple of viewpoint stops along the way. 

 Not exactly what you expect Morocco to look like, is it?

The Berber village was actually pretty cool, although it was a lot of uphill walking in direct sunlight on a 40 degree day. The city was picturesque, and our guide told us it's been featured in movies like Gladiator and shows like Game of Thrones. Actually, I think he told us that part at least five times. Eventually I just wanted to shout, "We get it! Can we look for some freaking shade?"

I'm not sure what episode it was in; they were here last year so it should be this season?

Unfortunately things only got hotter from there, and we spent the rest of the day sweating in the van, at viewpoints, and occasionally at rest stops where we would have happily paid $10 for an ice cream. No ice cream was forthcoming, but nice views were abundant. 

Reminds me of Red Rock Canyon. 

Berber villages are sprinkled all around; some still have families living there!

We stopped for the night at a little hotel in the middle of nowhere, with big rooms and shockingly uncomfortable beds. We were served a mostly-edible dinner before heading off for the night. 

Look at that spoon! It's practically a corn cob pipe! Also it was really hard to eat from. 

In the morning, we were taken to a farming area and given a tour of the crops and techniques used in the valley. We were also shown a lot more carpets than anyone might reasonably want, followed by an incredibly awkward silence while no one purchased one... After that, it was off to an oasis in the desert, a natural spring that feeds the valley and lets people live in the area. 

And goats!

Kind of a neat spot!

Finally, once we had had lunch and settled back in to the van, we were in for a very long drive to get to... The Sahara desert!

Look, look! That's it!

Our rides there, taking it easy. 

My camel had a nose ring, a palindromic number, and was super lazy. He's my spirit animal. 

My view for the next hour or so. 

Jesse seems to be managing too. 

Camels! Not actually very comfortable!

The other camel train behind us. 

It goes on for a long way. 

We rode for about an hour to a desert camp, which I really ought to have taken a picture of. There, we ate dinner and listened to some drumming before hitting the hay. There were spots in the tents, but it was a beautiful, clear night, so everyone camped out in the clearing so we could see the stars. It was like a giant slumber party with 15 people whose names we didn't even know - everybody called each other by their country. Anyway, that was great until there was a sandstorm, and we made the excellent decision to drag our stuff back into the tent. In the morning, there was a centimetre of sand accumulated over the whole clearing, so that seems to have been the right choice. 

This morning, they woke us crazy early to take us back to the hotel via camel. We had a quick breakfast, then packed back into the van for a long day of driving back to Marrakech - about eleven hours. We just got back an hour ago, and we have another day here before we fly to Paris on Tuesday. It'll be nice to walk a little tomorrow, and not be in a van all day...