…is not the one we took today. I cannot explain adequately how Moroccans drive. They speed, until they see the obvious speed cameras or radar set-ups. They tailgate so closely that you can almost join the conversation of the car in front of you. They regard lane markings with a dismissive air and generally meander across all available roadway. They pass with confidence that may, at times, be overly-generous.
So, of course, we are spending 7 hours in a car today! We woke up (freezing) to see the dawn break over the Saharan dunes. Beautiful!
After a wonderful breakfast, we headed out toward Merzouga to meet our driver for the day. Along the way, one of my great questions – where do the camels we rode live – was answered! (Turns out, they live nearby, and they can, in fact, run!)
From Merzouga, we headed north back toward Errachidia. Many similar sights, not much new to report here. When we got to Errachidia, we pulled over and got a new driver. Not sure what was going on there, but whatever! There was some kind of rally going on and we passed hundreds of funny little Cintroens heading south. We were all intrigued!
We passed every kind of landscape imaginable today. In the south, it’s mostly desert or desert-like, with parched red-brown dirt all over and greenery only in oases. Architecture in those areas almost looks Egyptian, with very square, squat buildings. The area generally doesn’t look prosperous.
Phase 2 included the Middle Atlas Mountains. Switchback roads snaked along snow-capped mountain peaks. Rocky canyons were all over. These areas were sparsely populated, at best.
Phase 3: greener valleys lined with farms and apple orchards. Prosperity is more common, and the King of Qatar even has a palace in this region of Morocco. We had a surprise sleet storm while driving through here!
We stopped for lunch in some town – no idea where. Moroccans seem to have portion control issues because we again were served way too much food for us to be able to finish. Skewered meat, couscous, salad, bread. All delicious, and all cheap.
Next up, forest – with monkeys! These monkeys line the road and wait for folks to stop and hand them bits of food. They are kind of cute, but also kind of scary. I know that even little monkeys can hurt me if they want, so I tried to play nicely. 🙂
Last stop: Fes! I thought maybe we would wing it without a guide. The second we got to the edge of the old city and I saw what I was up against, I changed my mind. There are 9600 “streets” inside the pedestrian-only walled medina and I got turned around immediately. It is a city that is alive, with people moving through its alleys whether they want to or not. Yeah, a guide is a great idea!
Our lodgings are in a riad – the home of a royally-connected family from the history’s past. Ours is dated from 1361! It’s a stunning building, and our room is amazing.
Vacation Days 