Guest House Merzouga

... who was happily safe and sound in Bou Regreg Marina. <br><br>We are still carrying out repairs and upgrades, but We are ready to go back to sea. The Island of Graciosa awaits us, 400 miles to the south west. The weather window is good, so all being well, we will be leaving here on the high tide at noon tomorrow.30/10/09 So wish us fair winds and calm seas, and email us a few comments so we know how you are.<br><br>All the best <br><br>Simon and Chrissy

... such as dining in a kasbah ruin at sunset . we have  many experiences in store for you . they are all truly unique !!<br>put your group together and we will arrange everything for you . including some very specail moments !!<br><br>you can check us out www.saharaluxetrek.com<br><br>we hope to see you in the desert soon !! xoxo

... When we returned Sunday morning, he said "Welcome back, hamdullah!" (thanks be to god). No truer words. Some people in our group are more outdoorsy than others and I think some were wondering if or when they would make it out of the desert! :-) (Sidebar: It's funny but I haven't been worried about anything on this trip. Even going with the guides - I have to laugh thinking about it. We all just gave this guy our money ...

... the caravan are linked together via the tails and noses until they form a line. I was positioned at the back. We headed out toward the oasis camp where we would stay for the evening and the first feeling was that we immediately knew we would enjoy the time spent in the strange desert environment. This is so different to anywhere else we have been, every desert is different. The Sahara Desert (The Great Desert) is the world's largest hot desert and the world's second ...

Today we drove about an hour outside of the local town to a small tented camp in the dunes of the Sahara in Merzouga. One of my HBS buddies, Jon Bunt, had given us the heads up that taking ATVs out on the sand dunes was one of the most fun things he had experienced. He was definitely right. We had a guide and each of us had our own quad. It took a little getting used to at first, but was truly amazing once we got the hang of it. Riding over ...

... and neighing; the Dutch boys finished sprinkling their magic scorpion and snake repellant dust purchased off a man at the markets and laughed heartily at by our guides; Kawasaki and the US boys stopped their girlish, high-pitched squeals when they discovered it wasn't a scorpion but a dung beetle rolling a piece of camel excrement back home and our gas light was finally extinguished: then there was absolute silence. It was pitch black, quiet and perfectly ...

Our auberge was literally built out of the desert. Apparently, any part of the desert that you reclaim becomes part of your property. Consequently, the industrious family that owned our auberge was working hard to expand their establishment. We watched in fascination as the workers toiled under the relentless sun constructing walls by hand, out of a basic clay made from the desert sand that surrounded us. The heat of the sun baked the ...

... pretty setting! The valleys are dotted with mysterious, almost eerie-looking Kasbahs that are thousands of years old. It's incredible that they are made from nothing more than mud and straw, but because there is so little rain, they can last for a long time with only the occasional repair. Since the High Atlas region looks very much the same as it was during medieval times, a lot of movies are filmed here - if you've seen "Gladiator ...

... in the desert - you never have trouble getting out of bed in the morning! The Moroccan/Berber food is a culinary experience. Like Middle Eastern food, the meal features meat, bread and usually some sort of appetizer, such as olives. Common dishes include beef/lamb/chicken brochettes (kabobs), tajines (food steamed in a conical clay pot), couscous (semolina), as well as beef kefta (meatballs) or kahlia (diced beef and eggs in a tomato and onion sauce). (Pigeon and camel are also ...