Auberge Kasbah Derkaoua - Desert Inn Erfoud

After leaving Azrou we traveled along the mountainous roadway heading toward are destination of the desert in Merzouga. Here are my favorite photos along the way. We stopped over in Erfoud to buy cell phone minutes. My cell phone did not function in Morocco. I have since learned it is best to just purchase a to go phone when traveling to different countries since they have different sim cards. Zaid was good enough to let me use his phone while on my trip.

... bongo drums - excellent way to finish the day. We all sat too close to the fire to start with though and the smoke made us cry, but after we moved back a little, it was a bit more pleasant. Mike, AJ and English Mike made up their beds out in the open, using upturned tables as wind breaks and slept there all night, so I had the whole tent to myself. It wasn't as cold as I had expected but I'm still glad I had the sleeping bag as well as one of their thick blankets.

... air made we want to go barefoot and I decided to take off my shoes mid safari while my camel traversed the ridge of a giant dune - nearly tumbling off as my camel's nose hairs clearly twigged to what was underway and he attempted to deploy bucking countermeasures to ensure he remained the stinkier of our bestial pair. No such luck. We reached camp, and it was suggested we walk up an adjoining dune to see the sunset: Bloody sunsets. Always best seen from giant ...

... While we could not create a huge scene because we did not know exactly how to get back to the Kasbah, I had purposely left deep foot tracks in the sand so that we could follow them if we had to. I had had enough! I abruptly stood up and began to follow my foot tracks back towards the hotel. Everyone quickly followed. Two hours later, we finally were able to go to bed. The next morning, after a nice breakfast in the garden, we ...

... and we begin spying for our elusive backroad that will magically transport us, magic carpet style into the town of Fes. Ah yes, very sneaky stuff indeed... see the stuff that the others dont get to and perhaps come across the lost tribe of Nymphomaniac Berber women en route. Anyone who has ever gone skiing with me will probably be laughing at this point. The usual upshot of me leading a group off piste usually results in a 2 hour hike out of a river bed ...

... us - local women hiding their faces - to a Berber women, to get your photo taken is not allowed, and if their photo ever gets printed she will be shamed and divorced. There were cows tied up in tiny pens outside the houses, and donkeys everywhere!! At the end of the villages we walked up the side of the mountain, and started following the valley up through the mountains. Followed an irrigation track, stone and concrete this time thankfully, because ...

... you at all times, or else it will be confinscated. Or maybe DESTROYED." Just a little threatening sounding, don't you think? Marrakech was easy to get around in because the taxis are so cheap, and the hotel i was staying in was really close to Djemaa el Fna, which is the central square of the old town. The square is just hopping at night, its like a neverending party with snake charmers and spice vendors and fortune tellers all vying for your attention. Unfortunately ...

This afternoon's learning curve is in optional tours and arrangements for those that want to go separate ways ... and how to turn a sandstorm into a fun, bonding experience. Some have opted to return to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxation and later to meet us at the Sahara camp for sunset ... little do we know what's in store. The rest of us pile into three 4WD and speed off across the desert, soon leaving paved road behind and zipping across black volcanic scree. It ...

... and make for fantastic pictures. The camels are ready for us and as the get down on their knees to help us get up, the middle camel puts up quite the fuss! He makes the funniest noises and starts to bare his teeth. He just seems very upset with the state of affairs. I have to get on the camel in front of him - they are all attached together so they don't wander off. It makes me a bit nervous to get on the camel enough though without the one behind ...

... its to bad it was at night for us. There was other things though to entertain us along the way. Nat had fell asleep on the bus, and I was just trying to relax and sleep but wasn;t able too. After about an hour or two we had a little boy behind us throwing up, which provided a nice smell onto the bus with little air circulation. Nat was able to fall back asleep, but I remained awake. We pulled into a small town, in the middle of the night ...