So after Marrakesh we decided to head south and east...into the desert..as in the Sahara. Most of Morocco is desert as it turns out.
we hired a taxi and a driver..Mustafa..and made our way towards Zagora on the western flank of the Sahara..
So after a 6 hour car ride through mudhut cities and no-mans lands we arrived at a nice oasis resort for a night to prepared for our camping excursion the next day. (as a comment here I'll suggest that these mudhuts despite their seemingly primitive nature are actually quite advanced..no other modern material has yet to come close to matching their heat negating powers as we found out). We hired some camels and a real live desert nomad named Najid to escort us to his camp for the night. Najid and his son Arish were the real deal, they were really nomads living in the wastelands of the Sahara, they were only in town (Zagora) for the tourist season to do exactly this...run tourist out to the desert for the night and bring them back safely. This is the part of the story that I admit that despite my best attempts to feel rough and cool at the notion of camping in the desert that once we actually arrived at our destination and set up camp that I realized how inconsequential and how extremely unfit I was for any sort of 'real' or 'on your own', 'man versus nature' survival I was and that there was no way I could ever live this nomadic desert life. Helen and Kelly in some weird twist of roles found the entire adventure delightful and new.
So after a 3 hour camel ride we found the spot, set up camp and parked the camels of to the side. We then proceeded to watch the sunset and were entertained by Arish as he sang tribal songs and danced. Najid cooked us a traditional nomad dinner of tajine which despite its excellent flavor left me wondering how and where nomads find carrots and potatoes in the desert (although we did pass several watermelon plants along the way out).
so anyway, Arish sang and danced for us as we clapped along..it was weird and wonderful at the same time...escorted by people who had almost no concept of western lifestyle..yet enthusiastically willing to share what little they had..it felt like Laurence of Arabia or the English patient..or at least this is what is it was supposed to feel like..for all I know it could have been some great farce in which we were the main actors..playing our anglophone parts of colonial conquest..
Nonetheless, it was brilliant. I shared my headlamp with Najid and his son as the sun went down and this little piece of technology amazed them both and caused many smiles...Kelly shared her fruit flavored Mike and Ike's with Arish which he treated as a pot of gold. As we talked to them we learned that Najid had in fact been born and spent the early part of his life surviving in the Sahara and that after several years of living a nomadic life in the desert and after starting a family of his own that he decided he was tired of this life and that he decided to move into the city and promote his desert skill to his advantage..aka desert camping trips for tourists..props to him.
Anyway, we slept outside in the desert..watching the sun set and the stars rise..with wind blowing sand in our faces and the smell of camels lingering in the distance. Again, it was brilliant..the stars were amazing, we saw a shooting star together, the camels were great..and the tagine and mint tea served for dinner was excellent..we wont forget this anytime soon I don't think.
Oh, also, in Zagora I got my hair cut (you try going to an Islamic monarchy and let a local hold a straight razor to your American neck..I do admit I was a teensy bit nervous), we went swimming and we spent half an afternoon looking at hundreds of Berber carpets presented by another desert tribe..the blue men. After the desert we and Mustafa our driver (how cool is that) we drove up to Fez were we planned our departure from Morocco.
we hired a taxi and a driver..Mustafa..and made our way towards Zagora on the western flank of the Sahara..
So after a 6 hour car ride through mudhut cities and no-mans lands we arrived at a nice oasis resort for a night to prepared for our camping excursion the next day. (as a comment here I'll suggest that these mudhuts despite their seemingly primitive nature are actually quite advanced..no other modern material has yet to come close to matching their heat negating powers as we found out). We hired some camels and a real live desert nomad named Najid to escort us to his camp for the night. Najid and his son Arish were the real deal, they were really nomads living in the wastelands of the Sahara, they were only in town (Zagora) for the tourist season to do exactly this...run tourist out to the desert for the night and bring them back safely. This is the part of the story that I admit that despite my best attempts to feel rough and cool at the notion of camping in the desert that once we actually arrived at our destination and set up camp that I realized how inconsequential and how extremely unfit I was for any sort of 'real' or 'on your own', 'man versus nature' survival I was and that there was no way I could ever live this nomadic desert life. Helen and Kelly in some weird twist of roles found the entire adventure delightful and new.
So after a 3 hour camel ride we found the spot, set up camp and parked the camels of to the side. We then proceeded to watch the sunset and were entertained by Arish as he sang tribal songs and danced. Najid cooked us a traditional nomad dinner of tajine which despite its excellent flavor left me wondering how and where nomads find carrots and potatoes in the desert (although we did pass several watermelon plants along the way out).
so anyway, Arish sang and danced for us as we clapped along..it was weird and wonderful at the same time...escorted by people who had almost no concept of western lifestyle..yet enthusiastically willing to share what little they had..it felt like Laurence of Arabia or the English patient..or at least this is what is it was supposed to feel like..for all I know it could have been some great farce in which we were the main actors..playing our anglophone parts of colonial conquest..
Nonetheless, it was brilliant. I shared my headlamp with Najid and his son as the sun went down and this little piece of technology amazed them both and caused many smiles...Kelly shared her fruit flavored Mike and Ike's with Arish which he treated as a pot of gold. As we talked to them we learned that Najid had in fact been born and spent the early part of his life surviving in the Sahara and that after several years of living a nomadic life in the desert and after starting a family of his own that he decided he was tired of this life and that he decided to move into the city and promote his desert skill to his advantage..aka desert camping trips for tourists..props to him.
Anyway, we slept outside in the desert..watching the sun set and the stars rise..with wind blowing sand in our faces and the smell of camels lingering in the distance. Again, it was brilliant..the stars were amazing, we saw a shooting star together, the camels were great..and the tagine and mint tea served for dinner was excellent..we wont forget this anytime soon I don't think.
Oh, also, in Zagora I got my hair cut (you try going to an Islamic monarchy and let a local hold a straight razor to your American neck..I do admit I was a teensy bit nervous), we went swimming and we spent half an afternoon looking at hundreds of Berber carpets presented by another desert tribe..the blue men. After the desert we and Mustafa our driver (how cool is that) we drove up to Fez were we planned our departure from Morocco.
blue men selling us (trying) carpet
Helen, Kelly and Arish
Camel Shadow..
Arish parking Camels...
Mudhut city on the way to Zagora
helen and elvis camel
Arish and sand dune
Arish (Al Queda) playing the tin pot
our camp
5 comments:
That was the best story yet!
Aww...I loved it!
excellent threshold for "discomfort." heat, third world guide and mothrfkn camels. thats some alladin type shit.
go forth..... for adventure and wonder await. many have journeyed towards the shifting sea of sand and only a few have returned.(the rest got there shit and took the first flight out) kekeke! anyways, have fun holmies. get at me when y'all get stateside. holla.
yo (a)ryan nation, writing skills are dope.
p.s. nuuuutess
Come back to Cali and on your way, pick me up in Philly. It's Africa hot here.
i like camels.
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