No Moss For Us

For our last day in the desert, we started bright and early and hit the road. Our first stop (after a couple bouts of napping on both sides of the backseat) was to see the famous fortified village (ksar) of Ait Benhaddou where scenes from movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and many others were filmed.

Speaking of ‘ksar’, earlier in our journey we learned about the tiny differences between ‘kasbahs’ which are fortified palaces, and ‘ksars’ which are walled villages. Many villages were both — they had kasbahs surrounded by other homes and a wall, which also made the ksars!

From there, we wound through the high Atlas Mountains and were treated to many roadside views of the magnificent Moroccan countryside.

That road? Yep, we drove that

Soon enough, we were back in Marrakech, and literally got dropped off at the same point that we began our Marrakech adventures just a few days earlier. Since we were checking into the riad we had previously stayed with at only mid-afternoon, we inquired about the potential for a nearby hamman (Turkish bath) visit. Luckily enough, the stars aligned, as long as we were up to head over in 15 minutes, which of course, was met with a resounding “YES! Of course!” from us. In short, the experience was amazing. This was Grant’s first hamman, and Jess’ second (after previously experiencing the vigorous scrubbing in Turkey). The scrub and relaxing massage really helped us transition back from our time in the desert.

OOOOoooOOO, Rose petals!

After the hamman, we again went back to the riad and asked the couple young gents who staff the riad if they had any advice for how and where Grant could break his fast. Turns out, once again, we stumbled upon super nice people, and they invited us to break the fast (called “iftar” with them on the room later that night around 8:45pm. We were treated to a smorgasbord of drinks (milk, juice, smoothie) along with the traditional harrira soup and a half a dozen different sweat, fried things. Needless to say, our hosts were more than generous, particularly after Jess cemented our bonds over some futbol banter.

Before long, we realized this was our last few hours in Marrakech, so thanked them profusely, then bolted for a quick run to the square to pick up some post cards, fresh squeezed juice, and some legit Moroccan dates for the road.

We almost had to buy 4 kg. Fortunately our haggling had much improved

To end the night, we milked the half decent wifi at the riad and had Father’s Day video chats with our families to 1) Check-in, and 2) Prove we were still alive.

After that, can you guess what happened?

Goodnight, world!

-G & J

Fun fact: being “gently” awoken by Berbers gently clapping at 4:15am is still NOT a nice way to wake up. Just for the record, in case anyone was wondering, this is what happened, and we hated it.

However, it was for a good cause, as we were able to see the sunrise over the dunes on our way back to town. However, we would strongly discourage two rounds of camel riding within a 12 hour window – you can have too much “camel massage”.

And we’re off!

Basking in the pre-sunrise.

Camel pets.

Basking in the post-sunset.

After an hour of sore derrières, I mean awesome camel riding, we arrived back at the hotel, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then happily traded up to the plush seats of Said’s 4×4 to restart our journey.

Our first stop was the Tengir Todra Valley and Gorges, also known as “Rose valley” as they grow tons of roses. Unfortunately, rose season had just ended, but we were still treated to great views of the canyons and a series of abandoned Kashbahs. According to Said, they were occupied by Jews who relocated to Israel right after World War II and where never reoccupied. At every stop we were approached by people trying to sell things – scarves, geodes, fossils… you name it – they were selling it. And of course, were there were scarves, there were people teaching us how to tie a true Berber turban (if anyone wants lessons, we’re pros now). Eventually, we caved and bought Grant a scarf, which has the Berber “Z” on it, which stands for the Berber people, is the first letter of their alphabet, and is on their flag.

Next up was the Dades Valley and Gorges – 300 meter tall sheer cliffs with a small river running through it. Said said it was best to experience these on foot, so he dropped us at a foot of the canyon and drove on. We meandered, walking in the river and ended up running into a local gent who identified himself as “Crazy Berber”. At first we were wary, suspecting a ploy to pull money from us, but it turns out he just wanted to practice his English and hang out, and so we passed an interesting 15 minutes on our way to meet up with Said.

Grant and “Crazy Berber”

Once back in the car, we headed back into town and stopped a colorfully named restaurant:

THE restaurant

We sat in the garden to take advantage of the breeze, and as we were sitting, noticed a big tortoise. Our exclamations drew the attention of our waiter, who plucked the tortoise (now christened “Earl”) from his normal habitat and plunked him at our feet.

Earl!

We had little time to consider Earl’s antics however, as our lunch soon arrived. While we’d ordered lightly, the first course was something we didn’t order: a dessert ramen appetizer, where the noodles were covered in sugar, cinnamon and peanuts. It was good, but weird that it came out first.

Crazy sweet noodle appetizer

It was also at this point that Grant reached his breaking point. Flies are a more-than-common occurrence in Morocco – basically if you are still for more than 5 seconds, one is on you. The constant buzzing and creepy-crawliness was getting to both of us, so we used empty glasses to try and capture those buzzing around the table. Jess proved particularly adept at trapping them in glasses, while Grant proved better at killing them with a sonic-boom clap.

Fly CAUGHT

Eventually, we realized that discretion was the better part of valor, and beat a hasty retreat to the car, where Said drove us to the last spot of the day – an overlook from where we got up close and personal with an interesting rock formation that the locals call Monkey Fingers. Normally it’s hard to understand while things are named as they are, but not in this cause. These rocks definitely lived up to their names!

Monkey fingers

Once the sight-seeing was an an end, we were dropped at our Hotel, which overlooked the valley.

Since the sun doesn’t set till almost 9, we decided to turn the terrace into our own private corner office and execute some much needed trip planning for Norway and Cuba.

As darkness fell, we tucked into Grant’s last meal. He’d decided to fast Ramadan-style the next day, which mean no food or water after 3:30am in the morning until ~8pm the next evening, as it was June 21st: the longest day of the year (huzzah summer solstice!).

Then it was off to bed, as Said had promised to meet us bright and early for an 8am start as we had a long drive back to Marrakech!

– J & G

The day started at an early 8am as we needed to get going to beat the heat, which was forecasted at a scorching 104 F.

Our first activity was a bit of 4-wheeling in the rock desert or “Reg” in Berber, which makes up the counterpart to the Erg Chebbi dunes. We also visited a naturally formed lake that fills each winter with rain water, and is where flamingos can be found. Unfortunately we didn’t see any that day, but it was still cool to see the lie emerge like a mirage brought to life!

The desert was breezy, to say the least.

Well… looks like Grant’s fallen in the well… again

Sand, sun, and dunes for kilometers.

We also visited a few abandons homes in the desert as it allowed us to see the traditional clay-and-straw building techniques.

Then we stopped for tea with a family still living the traditional nomadic lifestyle. We hung out in their tent, learned the difference between grey and black donkeys (grey are good for traveling long distances while the black are stronger and harder working and so are generally used more for farm work), and saw how their traditional cooking set up.

Then we were off to a small village where the descendants of Moroccan slaves had set up their community. Slavery has been long outlawed in Morocco, but there communities persist because the locals want to preserve their distinct heritage. A part of this is Gnaoua music, which we got to experience first hand.

By this point it was starting to get really hot, so we were taken to a nearby hotel for lunch as it had a pool. We thought we were just doing a good swing-thru, but we ended up staying for a few hours as Said insisted that pool side was nicer than waiting out the heat back at the hotel. However, we’d not planned for such a long stay and so hadn’t brought any swimming gear with us. Eventually the heat became too much, and we ended up jumping in with all our clothes, then basking in the sun to dry.

As the sun set, it was time for the highlight of our day – a sunset camel ride into the desert. We were paired up with two girls from Brazil, hopped on our camels, and we were off on a 1.5 hour trip across the dunes. A few key things we learned:

• Camel saddles are way more comfortable in Jordan or Irsael. In Morocco, they are basically a thin blanket.
• There’s no comfortable way to ride a camel for as long as 1.5 hours. There is a reason our guides walked the whole way
• Going uphill is infinitely more comfortable than going downhill on a camel

Our faithful steeds

And we’re off!

Pretty cool, eh?

Close-up portrait

Right at sunset

In spite of the discomfort, the scenery was beautiful, and the camels themselves were a neat experience, just not one we were anxious to repeat.

Dinner in the desert was a simple but tasty affair: rice with salsa and chicken and egg tagine, served under the stars. After dinner, our hosts grabbed us, some drums, and headed to the top of the nearest sand dune. There, we star-gazed while being serenaded by traditional Berber singing and drumming. According to one of the guys there, all Berber kids can drum as there’s not a lot else to do in the desert. They also tried to teach us all how to drum, but we weren’t very good, a point that amused the locals to no end.

Then it was off to bed as we had an early appointment with the sunrise!

-J & G

We knew we had to be up early to start our desert tour, but an overly enthusiastic rooster had us up a bit earlier than intended… Stupid bird!

However, the fowl wake up call did have the benefit of giving us enough time to enjoy warm pan chocolate and tea before heading to the lobby to meet our tour guide. It was then that we learned an important lesson: Mohammed is always right. In this case, Mohammed happens to be the riad’s jack-of all-trades, who kindly (and firmly) offered to walk us to where we’d meet our driver, while Jess, politely, but just as firmly insisted we had an email that said they’d be picking us up at the riad. Suffice to say, 30 minutes later We were following Mohammed through the winding streets of Fes to meet Said, our guide for the next 4 days, and started driving south.

Our first stop was Ifrane, the “Switzerland of Morocco” where the king of Morocco is known to take ski vacations (yes, you read that tight: skiing in Africa). We did a quick pit stop to stretch our legs and visit their stone lion, which was carved in honor of the last Atlas Lion, the now extinct native feline of Morocco. Apparently the last of its kind was found in Ifrane and the national soccer team is named after it. However, as Ifrane is only an ~30 minute drive from Fes, we didn’t stay long.

Up next was the cedar forest, where we were able to observe “wild” monkeys in their native habitat: hanging out by the side of the road, snatching bread from tourists. At least we now know where the trained monkeys in Marrekech are from!

Then we drove toward the soaring peaks of the Middle Atlas Mountains, which still had a few lingering traces of snow.

Then our favorite bit: Ziz Canyon and Valley. Carved by the river that runs, copper-green, at its bottom, the walls and surrounding mesas are awash with colors – red, brown and yellow, as well of splashes of green. As we drove along we saw locals trying to beat the heat by swimming, though Said says it only makes you hotter once you’re out.

Then, at one point we turned a corner and the valley had been transformed! Where there had been a sluggish rivers, there was now a river of palm trees – date palms to be exact. There are 40 types of dates, the biggest and highest quality is known as Medjool, which is funny as it means “unknown” in Arabic.

A few (ie: lots of) kilometers later, another natural wonder was revealed – a natural spring fountain, shooting water at least 20 feet into the air, while around it cool, fresh water springs bubbled and boiled. Around it, tiny brown-red travertine had formed and little cascades tumbled into the desert. It was like being at a tiny Yellowstone, but without all the sulfur stink and fear of boiling alive if you fell it – in a word, surreal.

The second to last stop of our our 400+km drive was a beautiful green archway called the Gateway to the Desert. According to Said, who grew up in this part of Morocco, you aren’t officially in the desert until you pass through this gate. It was shortly thereafter that we finally saw them — the dunes!

Rising over the top of Merzouga, the town that was serving as our base, the Erg Chebbi dunes are the starting point of the Sahara in Morocco and make up 30 kilometers of sand.

The tallest dune sits right atop the town’s main drag and stands 250 meters tall; almost 80 stories!

Of course, when faced with such heights, we did what comes natural and tried to climb some!

It’s much harder than it seems as the sand is baby powder soft and slides under your feet.

Picking “our” dune for pictures

The dune!

Jess interacting with the “natives”

Dinner was an informal affair as we were apparently the only folks staying in our hotel, but came with a show: a grey bat swooped around the lights gobbling anything that flitted, while a pretty looking kitty munched her way through a series of small locust that were also by the lights. It was weird, but we’ve had worse dining partners!

After dinner, our host encouraged us to head up to the rooftop terrace for some stargazing, which was excellent. The town is small enough to have minimal light pollution and we were able to capture a few excellent long exposure shots.

Then it was off to bed, with only a few ill-timed rolling blackouts (making teeth brushing more exciting than your typical dental hygiene) between us and some shuteye…

– J & G

Per usual, after a hearty breakfast of flour-based things at our riad, we started out day. We opted to spend a couple hours focused on blog updates, given we had pretty decent internet, allowing us to upload pictures.

Afterwards, we set out to find lunch, and per the recommendation of Isabel at the front desk, we strolled down the street/alleyway to a small sandwich stand where we pointed and gestured to order a french fries sandwich, complete with salad, rice, pickled veggies, red sauce (tomato based?) and maybe something else. The point is, it was delicious.

The stall

The ingredients

The sandwich

The first bite

Sitting across from the stand (and by “across” that means 6 feet away, max) two kids were watching us scarf down the sandwich, and before we finished we were following them somewhere to get tea. Down the corner and up a small set of stairs, and we find ourselves in a tiny cafe. We order our tea and a few minutes later are joined in the cafe by one of the most interesting people we’ve met: Ali. He’s probably about our age, and has never been to school — “the streets” have been his university, and it’s done him well: he speaks Spanish, French, English (surprisingly well!) and Arabic. He is an avid coin collector, and continues to curate his family’s collection that goes back several generations. More valuable to the cafe though, were his truly awesome philosopher tendencies. Though he shared many thoughts and quotable things, two stuck with us:

• “Life is like ice cream: enjoy it before it melts”
• “The trees are tall, the cows are fat, and the mind is the light”

After chatting with Ali and shaking hands with the proprietor several times, our original “guide”, one of the boys that led us there, then showed us “where they futbol” — a fancy and beautifully decorated indoor soccer pitch, tucked into the minding maze of Fes!

We then wandered to see the Blue Gate:

And the city gardens (Jardin):

We had then worked up an(other) appetite, and settled at Cafe Thami for a small ‘second lunch’ (our term, not Morocco’s) and people watching, which included an endless puff pastry maker, piles of honey sweets covered by bees, and terrace cats running amuck at our feet.

Then we went back to the riad hotel to drop our things and walk over for our hammam (traditional Turkish-style scrub bath and massage). However… there was a tragic hammam mixup and somehow our reservation was never recorded in the books. This combined with the fact that someone else was confirmed during the same time slot mean that we were out of luck and could not get the hammam 🙁 We were crushed as there was no chance to reschedule, and while the profuse apologies from several of the staff helped, we were still bummed.

Luckily, we still had a reservation for dinner at Ruined Garden, an outdoor patio restaurant in a semi-overgrown garden. We had called the day before to request a very traditional roast lamb dish that takes 8 hours of slow roasting to prepare. In short, it was ginormous but a great challenge to eat since we were given what could have been the dullest knives of all time.

Regardless, we put some elbow grease into it and filled our bellies. The lamb was tasty, but the highlight of the meal was definitely the beverages: fresh orange-peach juice, and date-milk, which was like a thin date milkshake.

From there we were walked back to our riad (the only way to ensure we were not lost in the labyrinth of Fes forever) and headed to the rooftop patio, where we were treated to an amazing view of the city, as well as a carpet of stars. We found a few constellations thanks to a handy app, including a new favorite: Scorpio!, and then tucked ourselves in for the night.

Click to see what we’re talking about!

-G & J