Morocco, 2004 – Connoisseurs of Experiences

Camel Safari in Morocco, 2004

In 2004 I attempted a trip around the world in a year. I spent a few weeks in England then flew down to Morocco for a camel safari with Mountain Travel Sobek (MTS). I had previously been on other MTS tours including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiking to Everest Base Camp, exploring Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and rafting down the Zambezi. I had always had a good experience on these tours so it seemed natural that I should choose them for my tour of Morocco. My tour guide, Kristy, met me at the airport at Marrakech. There were four other passengers on our tour. We spent the first couple nights in a nice hotel within the walled city of Marrakech. We toured the sights and souks in Marrakech before riding into the desert in 4 x 4 trucks. We camped out in the desert in tents set up each evening by our local guides. We eventually met our camels and camel driver and continued into the desert. During our first day in the desert we encountered a sand storm that blocked out the sun. The next day the sand storm was over revealing crystal clear skies. This was my first encounter with the Sahara and I was blown away (figuratively). I got out of my tent and took off to photograph this eminently photogenic terrain. Just a few weeks earlier I was in Antarctica surrounded by enormous glaciers and snow capped mountains. The contrast could not have been more stark. We also visited a Berber village to encounter the Berbers. We also visited the Moroccan cities of Fez, Meknes and Ouarzazate. The people were friendly and made us feel welcome. When the tour was over I took a train from Marrakech to Tangier where I caught a ferry to Algeciras across the bay from Gibraltar, my next stop.

Map of Morocco. The red circles are the cities we visited in addition to the desert.

The following is a photographic essay of my tour through Morocco. I took all of the photos.

Our hotel in Marrakech was as good as any 5-star hotel in the States.

This minaret is the most recognized site in Marrakech.

A cage in the souk with a lizard hoping to find a way out.

Another ceiling. A two diminutional photo just does not do justice to the beauty of these ceilings.

Islamic capitals are completely different from their Greek and Roman counterparts.

Following our tour of Marrakech, we boarded four wheel drive trucks and headed out into the desert. Along the way we stopped in old villages but for the most part, we were in the desert.

We stopped here for lunch. Apparently, this is a popular place for other tours to stop.

These are Islamic graves. Unlike Christian graves with a headstone, these graves are marked by a headstone and a foot stone. They are oriented to point toward Mecca. These graves are very simple and reflect poor people.

These birds built large nests high up on the buildings of these old cities.

Most of these cities have long since been abandoned.

Most of the hills were barren rocks with little vegetation but the area immediately along the banks of rivers and streams were lush with trees and crops.

We met our camels and camel driver once we were in the desert. We had the option to ride the camels or to walk. I tried riding the camel but quickly decided it was too uncomfortable and not worth the effort just to be able to say I have ridden a camel. I preferred to walk so that I was free to wander around and take photos.

As we approached the desert the sky became obscured with a gradually worsening sand storm. It was not long til we could barely see where we were going. We eventually stopped and the crew set up our camp of tents, which included a WC tent and a cook tent where we ate our meals. I do not recall that I had difficulty sleeping in the supplied sleeping bag. The next morning the storm had completely abated. There was no wind and the skies were crystal clear. I quickly grabbed my camera and took off to get some photos of the beautiful sand dunes.

We head into the desert and the looming sand storm.

It got worse the farther into the desert we got.

The cook and dining tent our first night camping in the desert.

This is our camp after the first night in the desert. Ernestine is rummaging in her tent as I head out to see the desert.

Another view of our camp. The WC tent is on the left and the cook tent on the right next to the two trucks. This is early in the morning.

Even in the arid desert life somehow finds a way as evidenced by this young grass sapling.

Scenes of the desert during my early morning walk about. The Sahara is otherworldly. There is nothing in the States that compares to it. The contrast between the sands of the desert with the glaciers and icebergs in Antarctica just a few weeks earlier was not lost on me.

The desert just seemed to go on forever.

The color of the sand varied depending on where the sun was relative to the direction of my shot.

I think the best photos I got of the desert were taken during my early morning walk when the sun was low on the horizon giving these beautiful shadows.

There is a beauty to the desert that has to be seen and experienced that a photo just does not provide. During my walk about there was not a sound to be heard, not a zephyr to be felt. It was quite peaceful and serene.

When we got to a high dune, we climbed to the top and ran down. Loads of fun.

During one of the days we spent in the desert the wind picked up again and became so strong that it was impossible for the crew to set up the tents. Instead, we spent the night in a caravansary. During the night we could hear the wind howling outside but otherwise slept soundly. The next morning, the wind had abated.

This is the caravansary where we stayed to get out of the wind storm.

The camels did not seem to mind the wind and sand swirling around them.

Off we go. I elected to walk. Riding a camel is not what it is all cracked up to be.

This could be a photograph from the Curiosity Rover on Mars and I would be convinced.

I rode a camel for a brief spell but did not like it.

We stopped at this mini-oasis for a rest. As soon as we got off our camels some
kids materialized out of nowhere.

Our tour leader, Kristy, negotiates with the camel owner.

Of the four other passengers on the tour, I spent more time with Ernestine than the others. Ernestine was born and raised in Germany. She was an airline stewardess with Pan American Airlines and emigrated to the United States in 1957. She got a PhD in comparative literature and was writing her autobiography. Since, at the time, I was also writing a book about my Uncle Jim’s experience in the Marine Corps and the battle of Iwo Jima, we had something in common. I enjoyed talking with Ernestine.

The camel driver takes a break. My knees ache just looking at the camels knees in this position.

One of Kristy’s crew who was with us throughout our time in Morocco. All of our guides could speak English and were very friendly and helpful.

Eventually we had to say goodbye to our camels and camel drivers. We continued our tour of Morocco in the 4 x 4 trucks.

The road into the hills and Atlas Mountains.

A wadi along the road we drove into the hills.

We had to drive across this stream. Thank goodness for four wheel drive.

We stopped at a couple villages to wander through the fields and around mostly abandoned buildings. We saw few people. One of the places we stopped and where we spent the night in a very nice hotel was Ouazazate (pronounced as if it were ‘warzazat’). This is a city where several Hollywood movies were set. While we were here the movie ‘Troy’ starring Brad Pitt was being filmed but we saw nothing relative to the filming. It was released later that same year (2004).

The abandoned village near Ourazazate. Again, notice the verdant fields next to the stream. We explored this village late in the day.

Another camp. We were told this camp was part of the filming set for the movie ‘Troy’.

Kids are pretty much the same all over the world.

One of our drivers prays during one of our rest stops.

I am not sure where these kids come from, but every time we stopped they appeared from nowhere.

Ernestine, left, one of our local guides, and Kristy, the tour leader.

Between villages we came to this outdoor market and stopped to wander through and see the sights.

Nothing is wasted. These pots are made from discarded tires.

We wandered through this village. These fields are watered through irrigation from a near by stream or from an underground spring.

We drove through this wadi to a Berber village up in the hills.

We stopped for lunch in the wadi. See our dining table left of the truck? Our local guides set everything up for us.

As we approach the Berber village the kids came out to escort us in. This is the wadi.

We were greeted with great hospitality and served sweet tea.

The Barbary apes are the same kind of monkey I would see when I got to Gibraltar. These monkeys were on the side of the road after we left the Berber village on our way to Meknes.

We were able to get within about five yards of these monkeys.

This sign indicates, in French, the distance to Timbuktu in Mali : 52 days by camel.

Following our time in the desert and visiting the villages we spent a couple nights in Meknes.

A mosque with its accompanying minaret. Notice the green roofs. Green is the color of Islam.

The large building just to the left of center is the hotel where we stayed while we toured Meknes.

The ubiquitous TV antenna dishes seem to clash with the old homes.

One of the places we stopped in to see was a decrative ceramic tile factory. Work conditions were less than ideal. Here a young boy breaks larger tiles into smaller tiles.

This guy is arranging the tiles into a decorative pattern for a table.

Mud is prepared to make roofing tiles. After being molded they are arranged for drying as can be seen behind this guy. OSHA would have a heyday going through this factory.

We went to a Jewish synagogue. I took this photo of a Jewish cemetery from a window at the synagogue.

This is a close up of the artistic style in the door in the previous photo. I saw this geometric pattern a lot in Morocco and in other Islamic countries.

A courtyard fountain. Notice the green roof tiles. We were not allowed to enter this courtyard.

Intricate embroidery. Looks like a future carpal tunnel syndrome candidate.

Our Morocca tour ended where it started, in Marrakesh. I took the train to Tangier where I boarded a ferry for the ride past the Pillars of Hercules and through the Strait of Gibraltar to Algeciras and Gibraltar.