The Sahara Services hotel had our breakfast of eggs, tomatoes and spices all cooked in tagine along with great & fruit ready to eat at 9. After we met with the manager & paid for our room & trek. At 10:30, we got into a 4 wheel drive car along with Jorg (from German), our English speaking guide, Ali and the driver. First stop was for water then off we went into the desert. Lots of dark sharp rocks that Rog thought looked like pictures of mars and then dry shrubs was about all we saw for miles as we drove on a crisscross path that Ali described as a spider web. Slowly there was more sand and less shrubs, and large milkweed plants appeared. We stopped at a stand selling items they were making. This of course is something that only started after tourist started coming about 25 years ago. Later we visited the tent of a nomadic family. We were allowed to look into their kitchen tent. Let's just say not where I'd want to cook a meal. In their larger tent, they served us bread cooked over a campfire & of course, tea & figs. When we asked Ali how much we should give them, he said, "As you wish." Words he would say to us many times! Ali later told us that many nomads have moved to town including his family. He was 7 when they moved. The last major camel caravan with items to buy or trade was in the early 60's so nomads now have to get to town to get supplies. The dunes around us got higher as we approached our camp after about 2 hours. Our desert campsite: 12 tents, dining hall, outside sitting area, bamboo shade and a bathroom with flush toilets & showers. Our tent has 2 beds, 2 racks & electricity!
Tea & biscuits were served right away. We are surrounded the dunes known as the Erg Chegaaga dunes so we soon were climbing the biggest ones & soaking up the peaceful, spectacular scene. Around 7, we dined on couscous soup, vegetables , beef & rice cooked in a tagine and served outside by candle light. We climbed back up the dunes to enjoy the sunset as it slowly surrounded us. When we got back to camp, candles were lit everywhere and there was a huge bonfire. Ali, our chef & waiter and the camel herder played the drums & castanets & sang us some traditional music as we sat around the campfire. Yes—in the desert after sweating most the day—the chilly night air made the fire actually feel good. Later, we payed down on mats & marveled at the million of stars that filled the pitch black sky which Rog described as black velvet. The show ended when the full moon rose & took over. By then it was actually cold so we crawled under 2 heavy blankets & drifted off to sleep. I'd set my alarm for 7:30 so I could catch the sunrise over the dunes. Good choice! We wore jackets until after breakfast & then said goodby to Jorg who'd only booked a one day trip. Now it was just Rog & I—how lucky is that! It was time to get ready for our camel trek: first covered ourselves with sunscreen, sunglasses, sunscreen shirts, visors, scarves, light pants, phone, solar power battery, lots of water & my camera. Mounting a camel & hanging on tight as he stands up is quick a trick but we both managed without a problem. Rog's camel was tied behind mine & two extra behind him. Ali & the camel herder led us north toward a mountain range. Again we first went by lots of scrub bushes & then the huge milkweeds with woody stems. Slowly but surely the landscape included small dunes, then larger ones. Surprisingly, we started seeing lots of camels in search of food. We even saw a baby one. Ali said all of them belonged to someone and were worth @ $2000 each. We were really lucky to also spot several gazelles & a hedgehog. We rocked back & forth on our camels for a bit over 2 hours and then stopped under the first tree we'd seen. It's low branches provided lots of shad as we laid down on blankets & stretched. Ali fixed us tea & then lunch: cold couscous, cold fish, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers & onions, bread & orange slices. I ate bread, cucumbers & orange slices. Even Rog didn't eat much! We felt bad about it but hoped Ali & the other guy would eat it. Ali then told us it was best we take a nap. Kinda felt like little kids again hearing him tell us that but we did as we were told and took naps. When we woke up, we visited with Ali. He told us some of his life as a nomad and some of what he's heard about his family's life. The herder was off visiting another herder. After about 3 hours, we headed back taking a slightly different path. It was hot but on top of a camel, you get a breeze & a great view. I loved spotting more camels. We got back around 6. Ali's step counter said he'd taken 22,950 steps! In the desert, with his turban (head wrap) and wearing a djellaba ( long tunic)! We appreciated our cold shower and after a short rest, we were back climbing the dunes and finding the perfect spot to watch the sunset. So peaceful. Can't describe the feeling I had being immersed in those dunes. When we got back, we were served dinner for 2 by candlelight…though they gave us enough food for 20! We couldn't have been treated better if we'd been royalty! We again laid down to look at the stars. Spectacular! Ali joined us and Rog gave him a lesson on the constellations. He was very interested. He asked is there were stars on the other side of the world and if there were stars during the day. Rog gave a thorough e platoon of the rotation of the earth & sun & reason we see stars only at night. Ali said in the Koran, it says stars are only at night when Allah lights them. We said there are lots of things in all religions that differ than science but you just have to choose how & what you want to believe. I wonder what he will believe. We had another restful night before breakfast was served. When we asked when we'd be leaving, Ali of course said, As you like. We packed up and headed back a bit after 9 arriving back to our hotel room by 11. We both washed out some clothes & hung them on on our clothes line we strung on the roof. I was ready for a cold Coke! Dinner was delicious: grilled chicken, French fries, fruit & chocolate cake. The manager came by asking how our trek went. We had nothing but praise especially about Ali. The manager suggested we visit the museum in town & offered to drive us. So off we went. It was in a 400 year old kashbahs—basically family compound. The lady who gave us the tour was the ggggranddaughter of the man who built it. She said he was a wealthy man who built his kashbah between two kashbah's that were feuding. He dug a deep well & invited both sides to come for water & meals. Eventually, the feud ended and all became friends. She was very proud of that. The home is still lived in now by her mother, sisters & brothers & a few cousins. It is wired for electricity too. Imagine what the electrician had to do to wire that! She said a Spanish tourist suggested they open their open to tourist & it has been a huge success. Her mother had cooked a traditional dish for what looked like two different tourist groups filling the large entrance room. She offered to feed us too but since we'd just eaten, we said no thank you. Kinda felt bad about that but also really glad I didn't have to eat it! It was interesting to get to see the inside of what we'd seen the outside of so much here in Morocco. Back at our hotel, we took long shower, called all the kids and then went to sleep dreaming of the most amazing few days soaking up the desert!
