Berbers of the Sahara

After we encountered the landslide we stopped for the night in the village of Zagora. We found a small kasbah on the north of town and again were the only guests. We had decided to spend two nights to catch up on a couple things. The next day was Sunday. The kasbah was empty and then people started arriving. It seems that the owner has a very large family. About 50 of his family were there for a family get together. The kitchen filled with folks preparing food. The smells of saffron filled the air. The playground was full of dads and children. The woman gathered in a large restaurant/seating area on one side in the building. Most of the men sat on the other side. Laughter and happy voices filled the downstairs rooms.

Melanie and I went downstairs and sat nearby to watch and play a game of cards. We were greeted with smiles and kind words, most of which we didn’t understand. Many with left hands on hearts. The gesture can also be interpreted as saying “peace be with/upon you.” The phrase “alsalam ealaykum” is a common greeting. One of the men stopped and invited us to join his family for dinner. Another couple woman brought us a tray of nuts and dates. The party went on for nearly 5 hours. We refrained from taking pictures of this except for one of the nuts and dates. Sometimes photos almost feel like an intrusion.

We left Zagora early in the cool of the morning heading east towards Merzouga. In the south of Morocco the desert temperatures in the morning were chilly. We would pack in the morning with temperatures around 5° C (40° F). Merzouga is a small Moroccan town in the Sahara desert, near the Algerian border. It is known as a gateway to Erg Chebbi, a huge expense of sand dunes north of town. The distance between the two was about 279 kms. The sand dunes were visible from a distance of 50 kms. The road was deserted for pretty much the entire length. That is except for the occasional donkey or dromedary (camel). As we were riding along one deserted particular stretch we were looking for goats in trees. The argon trees are a tasty staple of diet for animals in this region. We had seen a bunch of goats in the trees a few days earlier. That’s when we saw a real treat. A huge herd of camels with their babies munching on the argon trees. We quickly pulled over and stopped in the soft sand to get some photos. The amazing thing is they’re so calm. I got up close to take some photos. Then I scratched one on the neck and he barely even looked at me. So cool.

When we were satisfied with the time spent there we headed on towards the giant red sand dunes. We found a place on the south side of the small village. It backed up to the dunes, Les Portes Du Desert. This one, like most of the others, said it had a restaurant. The surprising part? It actually did and it was open. It was a very nice compound with an oasis feel, including a cool pool. We would spend one night here and another night at a Berber camp in the desert. They kindly allowed us to leave our motorcycle. They also stored our gear while we were gone for the next night.

The next day we explored the town in the area. Merzouga, as a tourist town, was a disappointment. There are camels wandering around everywhere outside of town. The front legs are tied together so they can’t run. Usually you can see handlers nearby. We got back to the hotel in time for the 4×4 pickup. It would take us into the desert. We left through the back gate of the hotel directly into the desert. We followed a sandy track, one of many. In the desert the tracks seem to go in all directions. We went through an old French mining area. We stopped at a Berber camp to visit a local nomadic woman. She was 30 years old and invited us in for tea. Our guide translated. Her three children and herself stay at the camp during the day. Her husband was out with the goats finding water and food for them. He would return at night. They had been at this location for 2 years. The rains in the area had provided enough food for the goats so they didn’t have to move. The children didn’t go to school. The oldest girl was 5 years old. She spoke a little English and could count to 10 in three different languages. Her life would be exactly like her mother’s and the many generations before them. Living in the desert, moving from place to place, existing. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand others way of life. But she and her children all seemed very happy. Maybe it’s just the simplicity. Melanie gave them some much appreciated candy, if smiles and hugs are an indicator.

We continued on to where we would be camping for the night. It wasn’t my traditional camping. It’s more what you would call glamping. Very posh. Plus we had a surprise waiting for us. Joining us would be 20 young women from New York with one man. We certainly wondered about the dynamics of this noisy and brassy group. It seems one of them runs a non-profit and is a social media vlogger. She even told us how popular she is. The reason for the non-profit is to promote inexpensive solo travel for women. I think I was successful in hiding my smile and stifling my laugh. They were so far from the reason for doing this. Have you ever seen 20 sparkly glammed up women taking selfies with a camel? Think about that one. Anyway, off we went on the camels into the dunes to catch our sunset camel photos that are so coveted. I saw the clouds on the horizon and realized a great sunset wouldn’t be happening on this night. We got on our camels and headed back to camp. At a stop we were talking with a French couple. Their camels got into a vicious fight. They were so frightened after the fight they decided to walk back to their camp. By the time we got back, Melanie had made it clear. Two camel rides, in Egypt and here, were enough for her. She didn’t want any more for the rest of her life. A delicious chicken tagine meal was waiting for us when we returned. After dinner was music and a blazing fire warming up the cool desert air. After a great night sleep we headed back and out of Merzouga, heading north.

Cheers,

2WANDRRs