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A day in Aït Benhaddou
It seemed a cruel joke for OAT to take us to a luxury resort and spa and then want us to be keen to leave it to spend a day in a rural Berber village. It was no joke though. The day we spent in Aït Benhaddou is one of the most interesting and rewarding…
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On to Ouarzazate after a sunrise ride
I hired a guide and his camel to take me out to the dunes to shoot sunrise. We left camp shortly after 5 am and rode – or at least I rode, the guide and his camel walked – for about 30 minutes. My guide spoke no English and my only word of Berber is…
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Sahara Desert – surviving and making music
We began our second day in the Sahara with a visit to a date farrm. This farmer has just the number of trees he can service by himself until harvest when he calls his son to help him. All but two of the trees are female. The male trees are needed only for pollination as…
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(Not quite) Roughing it in the Sahara
We spent our first night on the edge of the Sahara at the Chergui Kasbah in Erfoud. A kasbah is usually a fortress or a fortified home; if this hotel was a fortress it was trying to keep out the ordinary. The grounds were large and lush with two swimming pools. My room felt enormous…
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From Fes to Erfoud- a long drive south
This morning we bid a sad farewell to the dining manager at our riad. We headed south, away from the foothills of the Rif Mountains to the Middle and High Atlas Mountains. The Rif (pronounce “reef”) Mountains are home to tribes of Berbers who have cultivated marijuana as a slightly illegal, high quality, supplemental cash…
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Volubilis and Meknes – old Morocco
Today’s activities were optional – travel to Volubilis and Meknes, or stay in Fes for the day. I decided that getting lost in the souk with its 35,000 streets and 9,000 dead ends was a tad worrisome. I joined the optional tour and was glad that I did.
