Sahara Desert, Morocco - Gnaoua music and Bedouins.

 Early morning on the sand dunes.

One of the sitting areas near the bar.

Today we travelled in groups of four in 4WD vehicles with local drivers. Our young man named Mohammed, spoke several languages and was very happy to answer all questions put to him. 

First stop was Khamlia village where we enjoyed mint tea and were entertained by the local Gnaoua people. Their music is a mix of Berber, Sufi and sub Saharan religious songs and rhythms and they combine it with acrobatic dancing. These people have come from further south in Africa and been welcomed into Morocco to make a new and better life.

On through the desert terrain to a deserted village near the Algerian border which has been taken over by the Army.  The mosque is pictured here.

There were many Bedouin camps across the stony desert and we were able to visit a Bedouin woman and see her home and baby. Driss asked her many questions on our behalf and she answered all of them openly. She has four children, two of them go to school and her husband works in Merzouga town. She also told us that she delivered her babies by herself in her tent. We are constantly reminded just how lucky we are.

We continued on, driving through some of the sandy dunes rather than the rocky parts. A bit of excitement for those of us not used to this. We saw goats and camels, and lots of children who ran out to wave to us. It is school holiday time now.

Lunch was at a delightful spot amongst the palms, a tented area with carpets on the floor in Tissirmine. These places all provide sooo much food, lots of variety and lots of food.

Returning home, we learnt more from Mohammed about being a young person in Morocco.

 A lucky photo amongst the many missed opportunities along the bumpy ride.

What a great day we have had today.

The camel ride has been postponed until very early tomorrow morning due to high demand! The camels are actually dromedaries, one humped Arabians who are light weight and swift.

By late afternoon the temperature had reached 24 degrees. Our first COVID people are starting to test negative and our outstanding guide Driss continues to care for us as his family. We have been blessed to have him.

The restaurant at Kasbah Tombouctou has been outstanding too. Such a range of choices and all so very tasty. The French pastries and other desserts were very popular after eating so much fruit.

Skoura, through the Dades Valley and the Sahara Desert to Merzouga

We woke this morning to rain ... in a country that is in a six year drought and has 350 sunny days a year. Admittedly it wasn't enough to be of any use.

The Highway of 1000 Kasbahs was our route today and true to name there were an amazing number of big fortified houses, or palaces, to be seen in both green valleys and stony, dry desert.

All day we have been travelling in the Sahara Desert (pronounced Sa-ha-ra), firstly in the Sahara Reg which is covered in rocks then in the Sahara Erg which is sand dunes.

In the middle of no-where were roses.  The roses are cultivated for their essential oils which are used in creams, lotions and perfumes.  A festival of roses is held in May at M'Gouna where I saw old posters, the distilling room and lots of products.

Along the road out of town students were selling hearts of roses. Driss bought one for us to smell the roses and it now hangs in the bus.

Dade's Panorama was incredible, the vast size of the view, the colours, the amazing effect that the seasonal river has on the wadi ( a river valley that is watered by heavy seasonal rain) ... and then there were the scarf sellers. Very persistent, but they did add more colour to the view.

Kelly spotted snow on the distant ranges and later we could all see it.

Next stop was Dade's Gorge and it was bitterly cold. A short walk gave us another spectacular view. There are several places that were restaurants but after a huge rock fell the government decreed that they had to close those restaurants.

                                     

Erfoud is in the Tafilalet region of the Sahara and is noted for its high quality dates. Driss bought a big box of the best fresh dates, the medjool, and we all enjoyed them very much.

Not long after, we got our first glimpse of the sand dunes. How exciting!

Our spectacular accommodation is the Kasbah Tombouctou at Merzouga. This certainly is 'several structures behind a defensive wall', but oh, so glamourous.

Our bedroom with a shower room shaped like an ammonite. The photo doesn't do it justice.

And just outside our room, sand dunes, camels, dune buggies and possibly Lawrence of Arabia!

After a great meal, it is time for a good night's sleep. No new passengers in the back of the bus but some are still feeling pretty ordinary.