An early morning wake-up call broke a desert slumber…the sun will soon rise over the Sahara. We stumbled out of our tents, hoping that our gracious hosts would at least have some coffee out for us.  And they did, thankfully good strong java (unlike most places we’ve been; coffee is generally pretty bad in Morocco, I guess because they are tea drinkers?).

After a little caffeine jolt, we climbed, slipped and slid through the sand, up the hill we trudge, lose a few inches in the sand, and finally make it to the top. Words are not spoken as we gaze to the East, we just let the moment wash over us. The sky lightens, of course, before the sun comes up, so we sat at the dune’s edge under a pale canopy of light blue, cloudless beyond…

The day has awakened, and we all revel in how amazing it is here as we share a bit of breakfast, and then for the slightly more adventurous, it’s time for sand boarding! Think of snowboarding, but on the sand. The hill isn’t very steep, and the sand seems harmless enough to fall into, so we perch at the top and let ‘er rip! We are left to our own devices – our hosts basically point at the sand boards with a “go for it” sort of look. No instruction, no coaching, no words of encouragement…not that it would have made much difference! I am terrible at it, but it’s a fun bit of shenanigans.

Fast forward through our desert exit (by car, not by camel), and we are soon at Erfoud, the land of fossils some 350 million years old. It’s just impossible to even imagine that period of time – the beginning of the earth as we know it (sort of), when the continents were all one big land mass. But that’s not the point of our visit, rather it is to marvel in what modern peoples discovered and now carve to expose the amazing beauty of an ancient fossilized creature.

It all starts with a big rock. And somehow they know there’s good stuff inside, although not quite what they will find until it’s cut. The very shiny black slab in the pic is filled with something akin to a squid. Nautilus appear in many of the pieces, and once carved and polished, it becomes a work of art.  They have a great shop, busy with the tourists who stop here, and we are all atwitter with “how about this? OH – look at that!” Many of us buy something to take home…

As our day’s journey continued, we stopped at giant gorge, cliff walls towering over us amidst the desert sunbake. It was a holiday, so families were there to cool off in the stream of glass-like clarity, gathering together for a picnic or just a relaxing moment near the water. Some perhaps stay the night at the Kasbah of the Rocks.

Lunch nearby and soon we were on an oasis hike. Yusef had pulled over rather suddenly, and we all thought “oh, it’s just a photo op spot” so we jumped out, ready to return, but no – we’re going on an unexpected stroll through the oasis! Adil had coordinated with a local guy to take us through this agricultural green belt nestled between two mountains.

The plots are small, each one owned by a family to use as they see fit (admittedly, it seemed a little unclear if the family actually owned the plot, or was just permitted to use it. There are no fences or markings of territory, just understood boundaries. There were fruit trees and date palms and alfalfa and wheat and of course olive trees and a variety of produce depending on the season. It’s kept green not only from the natural water basin but with irrigation channels that run throughout. All of the farming is done by hand and with the help of a donkey.

We climb out of the oasis and into the town of Tinghir. It’s a bit of a trek, sloping streets and stairs to climb, a few of us breaking a sweat as we wind our way through the narrow alleys, strangely uninhabited except for a few kids here and there, a cart full of fresh hay. 

Our destination is a women’s rug-making cooperative that brings together a variety of techniques and materials from across the Moroccan diaspora. As with so many places we visit, it is all behind a rather nondescript door, an entry that belies the treasures inside. We are first treated to mint tea (with sugar or not; the Moroccans drink it very sweet), and seated among incredible works adorning the walls of this room. Our host proudly and excitedly tells us – in accentless English – about how it’s all made, the history and tribes of the different artisans whose work we see here.

Camel hair and sheep’s wool are the primary materials, often combined for artistic effect, as the camel hair is a very short weave and the sheep’s wool much fluffier. Only natural dyes are used, such as saffron and indigo.

And then comes the show-and-tell…rug after rug comes out, laid before us, the rugs just piling on top of each other. And we are encouraged to take off our shoes and let our toes feel the amazingness of the rugs. It struck us that while we see art, they see practical floor coverings. The knotted rugs (first woven, then knotted) are two-sided so you can turn it over to “walk out” the dust from the knots. Easily cleaned! 

We are all shopping madly in here – it is impossible not to want to buy something and they have so much to look at! And there are three guys helping our host to unfold things and explore our tastes. “What about this one? How big would you like? What colors?” It is a bit frantic and feels like we are leaving behind a mess of rugs all over they place, but they agree to lay down one after another. Liz bought an amazingly beautiful piece with geometric patterns against a bright but deep orange. I imagine it will go on the wall and not underfoot…

We leave our friendly rug merchants – with their big smiles and sincere gratitude for our patronage – and find Yusef with the bus waiting patiently, as he always does, welcoming us to come aboard and offering water. We head out on the two-lane road that winds its way endlessly through the countryside, a final stretch for the day.

It’s a couple hours before we arrive in Ourzazate and settle into the Ksar Ighnda. The hotel is nestled at the edge of the oasis, and provides just the right balance of casbah and luxury. We are happy campers, as they say. We only wish we could stay longer…as we cocktail and dine…under the darkening sky, imagining ourselves as royalty in this desert palace.