Into the Desert

After an early breakfast, we boarded the bus and climbed into the Middle Atlas, the moorlands, with brooding skies and sheep pastures. It reminded me of the British Isles. We drove through cork forests, streams and wildflowers. The terrain was very lush and very green. The air was chilly. Since we had a long drive (6 hours) we stopped several times along the way for bathroom breaks and photo opportunities. Our first potty stop was at Timahdite where we had mint tea. As we ascended the terrain went from lush and green to barren, rocky and dusty. Lone cedar trees stood in the desert. The road was very curvy and by the time we reached our lunch spot in Midelt (where they found dinosaur bones) I was feeling queasy and dizzy. I drank tons of water and felt better by the time we got back on the bus. We continued to Erfoud, an oasis region (with palm trees) at the edge of the Sahara. Then we got in Land Rovers and drove through the sand (no roads) another 45 minutes to Merzouga, a Berber tent village in the Sahara desert. We climbed the sand dunes from dusk to sunset. The dunes were fascinating as the sun reached the horizon and colors changed from pink to gold to red. It was an extraordinary and unforgettable experience!! We spent the night under the stars in Berber tents at Auburge du Sud Merzouga. We all got a shesh (head piece) as we listened to Berber music by the fire. Dinner was served under an open tent. We each had our own sleeping tent with a mattress, blankets (it got very cold) and a light bulb. Bathrooms facilities were a bit of a trek. Unfortunately I had to pee during the night but I just squatted behind the tent. My Mom taught me that well! The good part about getting up in the middle of the night was seeing an incredible starry sky. Had a hard time falling asleep so I got about 4 hours of sleep because......