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Day four, October 25
Todra Gorge to Erfoud, Merzouga and Erg Chebbi
Plan:
This morning we head south down the scenic Ziz Valley with its lush palmery and fortified kasbahs. We stop at the well-known source bleu de Meski, an area of picturesque beauty with its palm trees and springwater pool where it is sometimes possible to swim. The drive is some 250 km, the last 30 kms being on desert piste. We arrive at Rissani, a little outpost on the edge of the desert, after which the tracks become very poor and the terrain distinctly Saharan so we begin our exciting excursion to the desert from here.
We drive further down to the edge of Erg Chebbi, the largest sand sea in Morocco where we can walk through Hollywood-style dunes. The sand sea is famed for its pink dunes that take on a spectacular rose colour at sunset. The dunes are also a staging post of the Paris-Dakar Rally. We stay in a small, basic hotel or large communal tent (according to the group's wishes) on the edge of the dunes where it is an easy climb up the dunes for the sunset. For the truly adventurous, there is the opportunity of an optional star-lit camel trek through the dunes to an oasis where it is possible to spend the night in a makeshift Bedouin camp.
We had breakfast at the hotel in Todra Gorge then boarded our minibus with Said to head back towards the highway. It was a long drive to Erfoud, which included a pit stop for something to drink.
In Erfoud, we left our large luggage behind in the minibus and loaded our day packs and our selves into Land Rovers to cross the desert to Merzouga. There were three Land Rovers, and there was a showdown between them all!! The drivers were quite comical on the way, and the scenery was spectacular as we approached the sand dunes in the Land Rovers. There were no paved roads to follow, just a heap of tracks that led in the general direction of Merzouga.
We stopped in Merzouga to check into our auberge. We met up on the terrasse to discuss the events of the afternoon. The group walked over to a rug merchant for lunch and an explanation of the region's rugs. We were served mint tea and Berber pizza which was delicious, and oranges for dessert. Mohammed explained to us that there are three desert tribes: the Berbers, the Touareg and the Bedouin. Each of these uses rugs for communication. He described the different patterns on the rugs and explained what they meant. Some indicated the long sinuous path through the desert, others were tattoos that signified which tribe the rug-maker (usually one or two women) was from and whether she was married or engaged.
After this presentation, we were free to look at the various camel-hair, silk or woolen rugs that were either embroidered, knotted or woven. Some of our group members haggled over the price of rugs, while others haggled over the price of jewellery and scarves... I ended up with a light-blue scarf and a Touareg talisman for a grand total of 250 Dh. The merchant I haggled with told me I discussed prices more than a Berber woman - quite a compliment I think!!
We headed back for the auberge and got ready for the camel trek to Erg Chebbi. There was a bit of uncertainty, at least on my part, of the nature of the dromedaries (yes, they were dromedaries and not camels, as they only have one hump, not two...). Their snorting, grunting and gurgling, not to mention their cries that seemed to me to mean they weren't happy, put me off a bit at first, but I felt confident enough to embark on my assigned dromedary.
However, an hour after we left, the saddle on my dromedary became loose and I was thrown off! I was a bit unnerved, so decided to walk the rest of the way to the camp which was about an hour away. The guide was quick to assure me that the problem was not with me, but rather with the securing of the saddle on the dromedary, and seemed a bit put off when I didn't re-embark...
It was good to get both experiences, riding a dromedary and walking in the desert! The views are spectacular. There's a photo here of Andrew who was a member of our tour group. He presented us with so many poses throughout the trip as he was the one to walk off the trails and beaten paths! He found a scarab beetle in the desert by following its tracks to where it was hiding out in the sand!
We arrived at the camp just when the sun started setting. There was a tent already setup at the oasis, and all the camels were gathered around the tent area where they remained until the next morning. We were served mint tea, bread, tajine and fruit, and enjoyed a bit of wine and Heineken too before the locals began to build a campfire. They sat around the campfire and regaled us with traditional music played with the traditional hand drums and tirkarkajines (a metallic instrument played similarly to castanettes, one pair in each hand). I attempted to teach them an old french-Canadian drinking song - they humoured me, but I don't think they were very impressed!
We all had the choice to sleep either in the bedouin tent under the canvas, on a blanket in front of the bedouin tent under the stars, or anywhere else in the sand dunes away from the bedouin tent. I chose a spot half-way up the sand dunes, and set my sleeping bag on a woollen blanket. We were lucky to have had a mild evening that night - there was no wind, no clouds, and no city lights. What an amazing night that was! I did get a bit cold later on and had to put on a second pair of long pants and a pair of socks, but it was well worth it!!
Last modified on November 9, 2000