This few days I think will be the highlight of my trip to Morocco. When I decided to make Morocco my next trip, it was to experience the sandunes in the desert and for the opportunity to be in the high Atlas mountains and the past few days have delivered in spades! I'll start with the long drive from Fez to the edge of the desert. As we got closer to it, the landscape changed dramatically and it was a bit like driving through the prairies; not much to see and it seemed endless. At last we could see the reddish brown sand dunes off in the distance, and I began to feel the anticipation of a truly amazing experience. The plan was to park the van at an Auberge at the edge of the dunes and ride by camel about an hour to our campsite. We packed our sleeping bags and only the most necessary items like toothbrush and a change of clothes. There were no facilities so we wouldn't be able to bathe or wash. I have to admit, I was pretty excited at the idea of riding a camel. I know it sounds touristy, but I knew that we were going to a very rustic place, surrounded only by sand dunes and the sky, and that this would be something I will likely only experience once in my lifetime.
Getting onto the camel was interesting. The shepherds make them go down onto the ground (I love the way they fold their legs up underneath). You mount the camel and when they get up, they go up on their back legs first, thrusting you forward and then up on their front legs, thrusting you back! I thought I was going to fall off, but it seems they know what to do. It was about 3pm by the time we started off to the camp, making our way slowly into the dunes. In the hour it took to get there, I was enchanted by the beauty of the red sand, the curves and shapes of the dunes, made more interesting by the changing light and shadow. By the time we got to the camp, it was dusk and we dismounted our trusty steeds, where they gracefully settled themselves for the night.
The camp was indeed rustic. It was very cold and we were greeted by the men who were to cook for us that evening, welcoming us with a cup of Moroccan tea. It was pretty cold so we huddled around the table, sitting on mats around a low table. We were served chicken tajine and fruit, and of course, the delicious mint tea we have become so accustomed to. As in Canada, everything tastes so good when you are camping and you are ravenous! After dinner, we took the blankets off our camels to wrap ourselves in while we sat in the total darkness under a clear sky resplendent with bright stars. As is customary in Morocco, the drums came out and both the shepherds and the camp caretakers sat with us and we played and sang together under the night sky. At some point, I have no idea of the time, we made our way into our tents and went to sleep. It was magic. We arose at early light, in time to climb to the top of a sand dune to watch the sunrise, and then mounted our camels and made the journey back to the edge of the desert for breakfast at the auberge where we left our van.
Next stop, the High Atlas mountains....
