lub Salam Hotel Erfoud

... br>ANYWAY, suffice our little trip was just pefect. Just Dominick and I on 2 camels, led by 2 young Berber boys. Trust that 1.5 hrs. on a camel is more than enough for one's bum (I still - 6 days later, have "camel legs"), and you can get surpisingly deep into the desert with absolutely nothing but dunes in 365 degrees as far as the eye can see.

Lots more details of course, but already I'm tired of pecking (plus there's a fabulous ...

I have so many good memories: Staying at this crazy hotel, drinking Moroccan red wine in a phony Amazigh tent, while the static made Federica's hair stand on end. Watching the sunset atop the highest dune in Morocco, chatting with Max and then talking God and other things of equal importance with Kyle while watching the ...

... then woven into these 'beautiful'carpets. [It is an extraordinary situation when you leap across the mental chasm between the nice, clean, shiny woollen garments (which you take completely for granted) and the stinky bit of brown wool off the sheep's back. More importantly, when you have a vague understanding of the numerous steps taken to get to the end result that we see]. Serving us tea as he explained the rug-making process, the situation was extremely ...

... he go back to the Fondouk. We had all researched some fun beach towns to spend the weekend at. However, by the time we got back to Fez, it was already four o'clock. We still had another four or more hour drive to the town we had picked out. So we decided to go grocery shopping and spend a night at the Fondouk. The next morning, we decided to visit The Blue City, Chefchaouen, which is situated in the Rif Mountains on your way to the ...

... Captor: Where you from, friend? Victim: (in comic Eastern accent) Poland / Latvia / Estonia (insert name of unspeakable language of a nation with no identifiable icons) At this point the would be victim walks free from his assailant, as there is absolutely nothing the captor can retort for a bizarre country he can't speak the language of. I would encourage all of you to use this approach in foreign countries and in your monthly sales target review ...

... off onto a dirt road to a Cedar Forest. We got out to have a look at the trees, and Rashid had a quick chat to one of the locals who then started a clucking noise. Within second about 20 monkeys appeared out the trees. He cut up some fruit and we all fed the tame, but very polite monkeys. It was a very big surprise. For lunch Rashid found us a restaurant in a Kasbah - means fortress, but is a castle like structure with a Moroccan style. After a tasty ...

... I tried to show my guide, but he told me it was ok. I decided to get off and walk rather than fall off and have to limp. Then we all got off. We all walked a few hours through the Sahara - up and over the dunes until we got very close to the village again. When we saddled up again Ben took my camel and agreed the saddle was broken. He walked the rest of the way. So that ends our Sahara adventure. Although the sand dunes are massive and beautiful they truly are no-mans land in the heat of the day.

... inspired renditions of Sound Of Music, and thanks to Yousef, the head Berber cameleer, we learn a song about Mustafa and his love... most of which simply involves repeating, Mustafa, Mustafa, Mustafaa'aa ... Mustafa, Mustafa, Mustafaa'aa ... Just before midnight we clamber the shadowy dunes, sliding and slipping and carrying on by the light of the silvery moon. With one of our party buried up to his neck in sand (2 mins will cure rheumatism) it's time for our Berber beds.

... up and bite your leg, and my camel was in front, so I was nervous. Just getting on them was a bit daunting. But once we were on, it was fine, they were very gentle and well trained. That doesn't help with the pain of bouncing up and down for two hours straight, but the surreal beauty of the Sahara somehow makes it all worth it. The dunes are stunning. When we reached the Oasis, it was dark. We drank tea while the guides made tajine dinner for us ...