Our desert adventure

From the high Atlas, by way of a chilly night at a barely heated hotel, we descended through the Todra gorge.  Photos later...  Very narrow gorge with sheer rock walls, amazing rocky cliffs.

We had a late lunch at our desert hotel right at the edge of the Sahara, and mounted the camels around 5pm.  The hour and a half trek to the desert camp was magical to me. Bakkar and Mohamed each led a string of 4 camels, single file, across the sand. We soon lost sight of civilization and looked out on endless dunes, like the waves of the sea.  Little tufts of grass, lizard, beetle and fox tracks were all that marked the sand besides our own camel footprints. Our camel man walked regally, steadily in front of his charges, barefoot, with his blue robe blowing in the breeze.  Most of our group had learned how to wrap up in a scarf covering all but the eyes. (Photos later of our helpers who delighted in doing the typical turban wrapping.)

Our desert camp was at an oasis sheltered by a huge dune, Erg Chebbi. We climbed the dune for sunset, none of us reaching the summit. Our camp was made up of Berber style tents enclosing a central courtyard of sand with mats and rugs, where we had tea.  It got dark and cold quickly, so we let Marge and Karen try to read a star map and find constellations.  We slept on thin mats with heavy blankets and I was very comfortable.  What an experience to get up in the middle of the night to absolute silence and only star light.  It was absolute magic and I was glad I couldn't find the flashlight.  Our camel guides got us up early enough for sunrise.  I watched them get the camels up and moving.  They fussed and complained but the guys were gentle with them.

Now we are in Fez, in an ancient guest house with lovely rooftop terrace. And for the first time on the trip it's raining!