Morocco and then Menton, France 2018 | A day in the Sahara

This is a couple of days ago but we spent a day in the Sahara, much of which is scrubby bits mixed with fine black or brown lava rock and, of course, sand. Between Medelt and launching pad for the desert camp, we passed by numerous nomad villages nestled alongside the oasis, beneath the towering mountains of sand and rock.

Only 20% of the Sahara is dunes, but wow, they are spectacular. We've all seen the pictures, right?  I had no idea how high they are, their contours evoking images of coral gelato swept into curvaceous heaps.

We arrived at the hotel who host and organized our trip to camp, a beautiful upright flat roofed building with sophisticated Berber decor, an outdoor swimming pool, obviously professionally landscaped.

This is BEFORE the camel ride.

Waiting for the heat of the day to pass, as the sun gets lower in the sky.

At about 5 o'clock we paraded out to our camels. I  stretched a leg over the improvised saddle, wiggled my butt into the groove, an unforgiving platform of padding and blankets, and held tight to the handles that substitute for a horn, rocking back and forward precariously as the camel guide wrestled little Aisha to a stand. (Truthfully, the camels do not have names; Muslems typically do not name their animals.)

The best I could for sunset, from my camel's back.

 We mostly missed the sun set ☹️ but arrived about an hour and a half later to our luxurious camp on the edge of the dunes.

LOVED the style of these tents, and the carpets.

 

To celebrate our arrival we seated ourselves around the fire pit and sipped on the usual Moroccan tea, while five very tall, very black men entertained with music and dance unfamiliar to any of us.  Fattah explained that they are famous for this style of music which derives from descendants of early slaves brought from sub-Saharan areas like Senegal.

We slept luxuriously in our up-market tent, complete with shower, hot and cold running water, and flush toilet! Margaret and I woke before sunrise and, wrapping ourselves in our blankets, climbed up the dunes to catch sunrise. Again, less than spectacular. Perhaps we should have stayed in a rustic camp--you can't have it all!

Sunrise.

The option to ride back to the hotel in the morning on the camels was tempting, but we all opted for the other four wheel drive vehicle, the JEEP. I really thought I would like to spend a day there, climbing the dunes, and visiting with the camels, but the heat would have been unbearable, and there really isn't much to do. Staying in camp is just one of those things you have to do, but in many ways, except for the scenery, and the music, it's a bit uneventful.