Desert Adventure

After hearing another inshallah regarding the start of Jamil's university, we quickly began planning another adventure!  The weather had begun to cool off, and it was a great time of the year to head down to the desert.  Jamil received a pricy quote for a 4x4 trip departing from Marrakech.  We figured that these trips catered to tourists who had flown into Morocco or individuals who did not own their own 4x4.  We both live in Morocco and own a 4x4, so Jamil planned our own 6 day 5 night excursion and saved a significant amount of money.  We are so fortunate to have seen many beautiful sights over the past 6 months.  I was anxious to see the desert for the first time but had no idea how much I would fall in love!  Peace and tranquility abound here, and this girly-girl connected to her rugged outdoor side.  Good thing I can embrace that too, being surrounded by boys these days!  We truly had an amazing adventure, and the boys loved every moment (besides the windy mountain roads).  Below are the highlights from the magnificent cities we stayed in along the way.

Ouarzazate

This historical business town is surrounded by some beautiful geography and typically serves as the first stop for desert tours.  To get there from Marrakech, one must drive through the Tizi n Tichka in the High Atlas Mountains.  Gabriel vomited twice and Abraham once from motion sickness; prepare for the constant turns!  Due to the delays concerning our children, we arrived at night and the lights of Ouarzazate were welcoming after driving in the pitch-black desert.

Boumalne Dades

We had a memorable stay at the Perle du Dades Kasbah, which is owned by a French couple who did humanitarian work in Sub-Saharan African for many years.  The kasbah is a great place to stay with children, as it is spacious and supplied with a movie theater, gym, billiards table, art room, ping pong table, swimming pool, and much more at a very affordable price.  It more or less had a very “summer camp-like” feel.  We enjoyed hiking the surrounding landscape, chatting with locals, and watching a team of motocross adventurists prepare for their next outing.

Merzouga and Erg Chebbi

This was the highlight of our first desert adventure.  After being held up along the way by a protest (people laying down in front of our car) in a small town and a road closure due to a visit from the king, it was especially rewarding to be greeted by the red dunes.  We took a two-hour camel trek at sunset and under the moonlight to reach our desert camp.  We spent the evening eating, playing music, and singing by the campfire with our fellow campers and guides.

I had my doubts about surviving a 2+ hour camel ride in the middle of nowhere.  Thankfully, Abraham slept most of the way, and Gabriel loved every minute!  Just let me tell you, a long camel ride with a baby on your back is a lot of work.  However, when surrounded with such beautiful scenery, a little discomfort is easy to overlook and well worth it.

Despite a night of little sleep, this one looks quite refreshed!

These friendly travelers from the Netherlands were our camping neighbors.  We all sang songs and passed the guitar and drums around the campfire that night.

Gabriel and I rode the camel he named, Tokyo, while Jamil carried Abey on the way back.

These guides camped with us in the desert the night before.  They prepared a nice dinner and led us in some great songs!

Zagora

We enjoyed our time relaxing at a kasbah hotel in the lush oasis, which is quite the contrast to the surrounding desert.  We hiked to the summit of Jebel Zagora and met a few interesting characters along the way.  The trail was especially rugged and difficult to make out from where we departed.  Thus, one of the village men hurried up the mountain (in flip flops) at an impressively brisk pace to show us the way.  Some nice young men hanging out at the construction site for a new hotel on the mountain invited us for tea, but we unfortunately had to decline due to our pressed schedule.  At the summit, we chatted a bit with a few of the employees at the military installation.  The view of the Draa Valley is definitely worth the hike.

Abraham has taken up a love for books like his brother.  He just needs to learn how to read them right-side up...

Don't trust the street signs on the way to Zagora.  We followed this one and went an hour out of our way before turning around. 

This extremely narrow road that led to our riad seemed to go on forever!

At the summit of Jebel Zagora.  You can see the lush oasis below.

What?  All I can say is that this captures what the cold season looks like at the Musa household this year!

Jamil had to get out of the car to remove these huge rocks just so we could leave our riad.  A construction or detour sign wouldn't have made a difference.  There was no other way out.  Don't worry, he only had to move about 4 or 5, not that whole pile! :)

Ait Benhaddou

Aside from the landscape, the famous kasbah used in movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator is the highlight of the town.  We had a blast hiking in and around the kasbah.  Even better, we took the advice of one of the locals and drove the alternate route from Ait Benhaddou up through Telouet to join up with the Tizi n Tichka.  After a spell of off-roading we met a roadblock of passing goats and spoke to the sheppard who was carrying a newborn goat in his arms.  He was especially proud of the new member to his herd, and the baby goat intrigued the boys.  The scenic drive was breathtaking.  Although it is not marked as a piste, there is a fair amount of off-roading and poor road conditions. 

One of Gabriel's potty/possible throwing up stops along the windy mountain roads.  Do you see that little black creature to the left?  He was the first of a whole heard of goats that appeared out of nowhere to sneak a peek.  Both Jamil and Gabriel got a kick out of it.

Tizi n Tichka

As we passed back through the high mountain pass Tizi n Tichka, we stopped for a photo op.  It was extremely windy and I found myself taking shelter in this little shop.  We purchased this beautiful geode with white crystals that was formed in the Altas Mountains.

This trip was action packed, a lot of work, and very exhausting.  However, it was the best trip we've done so far.  Thanks again, Olmsted.  We are truly fortunate!