Fossils and Camels and Sand

Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Sahara Desert--Merzouga and Beyond, Meknès-Tafilalet, Morocco
Erfoud seemed like an interesting town, but our stay was short and now we are off to more adventures. This morning we switched from our big bus to 4 wheel drive vehicles, and split up into groups of 4 so we can explore the off-road Sahara. Not far from town and still on the highway we stopped at a workshop where the local marble is cut and polished. This marble is unusual, if not unique because it contains fossils from the time when this area was part of the ocean floor. Most of the marbleized fossils are nautilus or squid and they are used for counter-tops, tables, sinks, and even some marble toilets. I guess that takes the term "throne" to a new level, although I suspect that they are for the European trade since the squat version is still very popular. There were also impressive sculptures, plates, bowls and some whimsical pieces such as marble coke and wine bottles. However, the weight and the cost were real deterrents to major purchases.

Before long our good highway became an unpaved road, then after a left hand turn, it was only a narrow track . Since we were the third vehicle our driver, Mohammad left the track and headed cross country so that we weren't eating dust. He was a great driver and managed to miss the rocks and the worst of the ruts and dips.  After about an hour of sand and rocks and occasional camel we reached the small village of Merzouga where we visited a primary school. It was only the first week of classes and the teacher was new this year, so things seemed a little unorganized. No one was in the school when we arrived, but soon the teacher appeared and then several students came in although classes were not scheduled until later. The school consists of two classes. The yonger students study both Berber and Arabic, while the older students study Berber, Arabic, and French. Learning three languages is always challenging but when they also utilize totally different alphabets and forms of writing, it is really amazing. The younger students also learn numbers and math is studied by the older students. At-least they only need to master one form of numbers, Arabic .

Our time with the students was too short, since our camels were waiting for our trek across the Erg Chebbi Dunes. These amazing dunes are the highest in Morocco, reaching a height of 820 feet and extending for 19 miles.  Our one hour ride through the dunes was the best of my three camel rides in terms of comfort and scenery. The sky was blue and cloudless, there was just a slight breeze, and the pace was gentle. One of the most impressive things was the absolute stillness and the vastness of the sand and sky.

We ended our ride at a small tented area where lunch was waiting. After one week in Morocco, we were finally eating couscous. After lunch it was back in the 4 x 4s for our off road drive to our desert camp.

I'm not sure what I expected, but our desert camp was not it. However, considering the location it was comfortable if not luxurious and a highlight of our trip. After a long drive across unmarked deser we came to a point overlooking a valley, and there was our camp . It looked very small surrounde by dunes and sand, and very isolated. It may be one of the few places left in the world that is not accessible by cellphone or internet, although a satellite phone would probably work. In addition to the sleeping tents, there were shower tents and toilet tents, and dining tent, a cook tent, and some small tents for the staff. Thanks to solar power there were electric lights and hot water for the showers. However, the tents rugs on the floor, a good bed, and a table and chair. It had doors on both ends and windows on both sides so there was good cross ventilation. My tent was the closest to the dining tent and Marilyn's was next door.

Before dinner we had a cooking demonstartion and the chef showed us how to make chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons, and then we had it for dinner. Afterwards, the stars were awe inspiring. Because our views are usually affected by ambient light, it is easy to foret how many strs we can actually see.  It was easy to spot the Milky Way and we also found the Big and Little Dippers and a few other major constallations. However, the sky chart was missing from the camp and no one had remembered to bring one. I really wanted to watch for shooting strs, but the long day and thestillness of the night meant an early bedtime.
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