Kasbah Tizimi Hotel Erfoud

... it up there was better! After we got our lungs back in order we moon walked down back to camp - when you took a step the sand would push you another metre forward - we made it down in less than a minute rather than the 20 it took to get up. We chilled at camp and explored the kitchen and toilets then sat down and waited for one of the best tagines all trip - a chicken and olive one. We all just had a fork eat ...

... in one of the shops, then it was back on the coach to drive on to Immouzer and the largest forest in Morocco. Here we were entertained by a large group of Macaque monkeys who were quite dismissive of their appreciative audience. Then, into Berber sheep-raising country to Timadite, and over the Col du Zad. Later we cross the Tizi N'Tairhemt 'Camel Pass' a tunnel cut through the mountain by French Legionnaires, and continued via the Gorge du Ziz to ErRachidia, across a broad ...

... he could not understand why we asked how things functioned before the car. Quizzically he looked at us and responded "of course my elders had a car. Its a long way to town to buy food you know." The Berbers were traders, but its astounding that any commodity is of sufficient value that its worth crossing that desert. Returning home the following morning with authentic Sahara samples secreted in every nook and cranny - some heretofore unknown - we got to know M ...

... and water. Because we were fairly close to where we were going to camp that night, we all decided to stay at the settlement a few more hours to rest. Before we left our new Berber friends, we also enjoyed a wonderful Berber douche (shower). Because we were all so surprised by the use of the word douche, we immediately burst into laughter fits. This phrase has now become a regular vocabulary word in our conversations and we have ...

... learning today. The word Fes actually comes from an ancient dialect of the Touareg, and translates roughly as "The land of persistent carpet merchants". To counter this, we have come up with an ingenious modus operandi to head all would be deal makers off at the pass. Like any pre emptive defense strategy, the key element is to not let your would be captor / assailant get a toe hold in your territory. Usually the attacker will adopt the "Where you from ...

... like warm places to sleep! Berbers cooked tangine (surprise) for dinner, very tasty - walking to the toilet was fun by torchlight, past the sleeping grunting camels. Toilet was a port-a-loo - without a pit underneath. . . . . . . Berbers were really good on the drums, liked singing the camel song - guy singing and doing actions (looked a bit more like hip thrusting than camel riding to me!!). Laid back and watched the stars until it was bed time - very nice.

... spoke perfect English. Before getting in the car, we just ran through with him exactly how much we were to pay, and what exactly it covered. He was very polite about it all. We got in the car, with plenty space for the 4 of us and set off. As all I was expecting was a driver who we would tell where to take us, I was pleasantly surprised as he began pointing out all the different sights as we drove out of the city, and then started outlining all the ...

... in an orange blur. There'll be no camel-riding this sunset. Instead, bottle-top tiddly-winks, an early dinner and hilarious attempts at Berber folkdancing. By the time the festivities are over, the wind has dropped and the night sky is clear. Those of us who decide to stay at camp and catch the Sunrise A La Camel, retire to the Berber tents. Under the Sahran spotlight of the moon, we drum and sing silly songs. Though not quite Alpine in their proportions, the dunes ...

... with a hearty chuckle by pretty much everyone we met), set the one big plate on the table and basically said dig in. No plates, cutlery, rags, etc. OK, no problem, personal hygiene has never been my strong suit anyway. However, do you have any idea how difficult it is to take the meat off a steaming hot chicken leg, in the middle of the stew, with just your fingers and a piece of bread? Let's just say it's your loss that there exists no video clip of ...

... a-ceramic-hole-in-the-groun d" variety. Luckily it was just for one night. In the morning, we took a taxi to Erfoud, stopping to see the Ziz valley on the way. It is a lush palm forest snaking through the middle of the desert. Very picturesque. From Erfoud, we took a Landrover to Merzouga, where we stored our backpacks and bought big scarves to use as turbans to protect us from the desert sun. Then we negotiated a good price for a camel trek ...