Out to the desert

February 11, 2017

Out to the desert

Southbound through the mountains, and I feel at home in the snow. We visited Ifrane, an alpine resort town popular for skiing in the short winter. One stop was up to see some monkeys - an artificial and upsetting experience, where the ground was littered with garbage and people were selling cookies to feed to the monkeys. We did not stay long.

On to Midelt, our halfway point to the desert proper. We took a walk through this arid landscape and came upon the gaping gorge with a low river running through. The town itself was full of clay and mud houses, with children chatting to me in French. After some long drives across this beautiful country, it was exhilarating to hike and stand on a cliff.

It was an early night in a beautiful and airy kasbah hotel, where it was a chilly evening and dinnertime before layering on the blankets. It is not warm in this Moroccan winter, but days are sunny and comfortable before the night and winds sweep in.

Early the next morning, it was time to head out to the Sahara.

Slowly on the drive south, the High Atlas Mountains faded away and vegetation thinned. The first glimpse of dunes on the horizon was surreal - I've been dreaming about this desert for years.

We turned off the street and offroaded through the sand to reach our starting point. Our camels and tea awaited.

A sandstorm was whipping through, so we learned how to bundle our faces against the stinging sand. We saddled up the caravan and marched into the desert to reach camp.

It was an hour ride contemplating the enormous age and vastness of this land. My camel was docile, and the one behind me brushed up against my knee and enjoyed some cheek scratches on route.

When our camp was in view, we dismounted and climbed up a dune to see the setting sun. The wind was fierce and the ascent was almost impossible. Exhausted and with mouths full of sand, we ducked to the other side of the ridge and tried climbing further with the wind shield. When we tried to peer over at the view on the other side once more, we were rewarded with zero visibility and the scouring sand pushing us back once more. Giving in, we rolled and ran down to the valley below.

Our camp was a beautiful blanketed set up, with colourful cushions and solar electricity. We had a fantastic tagine dinner and fruit for dessert, before retiring for a bonfire. I went to take some night pictures with the camels and returned when the sound of drums around the fire became too enticing. Sleeping under thick wool blankets with the sound of persistent wind and grunting camels, it was the deepest rest yet.