The second day of our tour was a really special day. We woke up full
of anticipation knowing that by sunset we would be riding camels towards an
isolated desert camp where we would be spending the night.
We set off early and saw some amazing scenery on our way to the
desert. Thanks to the cold snap the day before, we saw some snow covering the
peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. It was quite spectacular to see red sand,
palm trees, bright sunshine and snow in the same setting.
Before hitting the desert we briefly stopped off at the beautiful
Todga Gorge, and then later stopped to see some interesting wells that were no
longer in use. Huge mounds of dirt rose up out of the ground like enormous
anthills. We climbed up to the top of one and were careful not to fall into the
seemingly bottomless abyss below.
Before finally reaching our camels, we had to drive for about an
hour off-road through a vast expanse of barren landscape. It was great fun in
the 4WD!
After driving through nothingness for about 45 minutes we spotted a
tent on the horizon. Hassan explained that it was a Berber nomad camp. He
pulled over, and being a Berber himself, was able to ask their permission for
us to take some snaps of their camp. It was quite a humbling experience. Not
only did they let us take some photos, they also offered Hassan some mint tea
while he waited. When we were done taking photos of their chicken coop, their
hospitality reached so far as to offer us some mint tea as well. Sadly and
regrettably we had to hit the road (well…desert plain) because the sun was
starting to get low and the camels were waiting. Maybe next time :)
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