The Sahara Desert

We are driving in the comfortable and good CTM bus to our southeasterly destination, Rissani. Air-conditioned bus, with our own seat numbers, some disgusting Folk Music on the radio. We barely managed to get into the bus, cause I lost the tickets. I think that I even didn’t lost them, cause they somehow "sneaked" out of my hands right after I bought them at the bus station in Fes. The next day I informed the bus station officials about the loss, although we didn’t know our seat numbers. They believed us and said that it’s ok and we can still go on our bus cause the nice lady at the bus station remembered us. In the evening when we reached the bus station exactly two paid seats were empty. To our surprise quarrel started at the counter. A young Moroccan guy arrived with two tourists, who looked confused as same as we did. What happened is that the young Moroccan guy sold its tourists our two tickets for which we don’t know how they came into his hands. Apparently, as he said, he bought the tickets for them in advance to be a good host. In some strange way our tickets came into his hands. After 10 minutes of yelling, threats, police and so on, and obviously because of the bad reputation of the young Moroccan, they believed us and let us on the bus.

Rissani, in the morning, waking up, the landscape has completely changed. It is extremely difficult to find a taxi to Merzouga, the last little village in front of the Sahara Desert. Twenty locals are waiting for taxis, and the taxis come every 20 minutes. Every time we tried to jump in, the locals were faster and they have already cast their bags and themselves into the taxi. After three hours of waiting, we finally succeeded. My travel companion jumped into a taxi by force and I pushed both of our bags into the trunk while pushing the bags of the locals out of the taxi. We quickly ate, left our luggage, bought turbans and went over the limits of  the civilized part into the vast wilderness of sand dunes.

Rissani in the morning, nothing really happens, no one on the streets, only a few dogs and some guys that are dragging some stuff around or sleeping on mattresses.

We had to slow down the taxi and wait until the camels clear the road.

With a few of our 6 travel companions in the taxi.

Merzouga - a little village at the beginning of the Sahara Desert. There is no asphalt in town. Most of the houses are made out of mud, earth and reeds.

Our good friend Berber with a good soul.

We bought a lot of frozen water as we went on foot into the desert. This is an example of an usual shop. Pay attention to the people lying on the floor and sleeping.

We started in the mid-morning hours, but the heat was unbearable. My thermometer had a limit at 50 degrees Celsius. We were told by some locals that the temperature at midday is between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius. Walking on the dunes caused us a lot of torment. Sand tends to crawl into every corner of our shoes, bags and clothes. It is necessary to constantly empty the shoes because they are quickly filled. Basically, it takes about two hours walk to the nearest oasis.

Finally the oasis. Two to three hours walk may not seem much. But in these conditions it's hell.

By the Berbers in an oasis. We arrived at afternoon, slept the whole afternoon, rested and drank water. Beautiful palms and Berber tents decorate the oasis.
 

Camping in the desert. We used only our inner layer of the tent to protect us from "creepy crawlies".

Our good friend Muhammad whom we met in the oasis is going to buy cigarettes in a nearby shop.

Sunrise. Many people appear, Berber people. They are sitting on small dunes near their homes and watch the sunrise. And so, these numerous groups live their little morning ritual. I looked into the distance, towards a huge dune, a crowd of tourists climb up, there are certainly 50 or more, it's a huge outdoor techno party due to flash lights of their cameras.

To climb a dune near the oasis lasted about half an hour. The sand is so fine and small, the silence was impressive. I feel extremely happy and privileged that I'm here.

For more about Morocco check out all the other posts...